【推荐2】As the most popular sport in the world, soccer is played by people of all ages. The sport is enjoyed by 265million players, including both professional and amateur athletes. While soccer players are known for their skilled footwork, they also use their head. This technique is called heading.     1    Is heading in soccer dangerous? It’s a question that has met its fair share of controversy.

If you’ve never played soccer, heading may look pretty dangerous to the poor brain.     2    Yes, there is a technique for meeting a flying ball with your head.

Dr. Frank Webbe, a former soccer referee and coach, says there is good reason to believe that with proper technique, a player’s risk of brain injury is low. The problem is that in a fast-paced game of soccer obstacles sometimes prevent a player from heading with good technique.    3    

Webbe and his colleagues tested soccer players in neurocognitive performance such as attention, concentration, and speed of thinking. They compared long-time soccer players to new players, as well as medium-to-frequent headers to less than medium headers. In addition, they tested people who had played soccer recently as well as people who hadn’t played in some time.

    4    As a group, frequent headers performed lower on cognition tests in the week after a game of frequent heading than medium headers did. Also, players with the highest lifetime estimates of heading scored lowest overall on these cognition tests.

The results convince Webbe that heading does indeed pose a threat to brain function.    5    

However, it’s also possible to slowly develop symptoms after repeated smaller injuries.

A．And that’s when problems are likely to arise.

B．It is when a player deliberately hits the ball with his head.

C．But the impact of heading presents a risk of head and brain injury.

D．A player hits the ball with his head to move it in a certain direction.

E．However, soccer players know that there is a proper way to head the ball.

F．Some injuries are severe enough to cause problems immediately or after a few seasons.

G．The results suggested that more frequent headers are at more risk of brain injury than less frequent headers.

【推荐3】We all know about the health benefits of swimming.    1     If you don’t mind getting wet, it can be fun too.But who would enjoy swimming in freezing water? Well, many people are taking the plunge (跳入), based on evidence that it can actually be good for us.

    2     Jumping in gives a short sharp shock to the body, but many participants say they get used to it. A cold dip might wake you up, but research has found it can have much bigger benefits than that for your body and mind. As well as being good exercise, spending time outdoors and by water improves health.

    3     One man who suffered constant pain after surgery claimed he was cured by taking a plunge in cold open water. And another swimmer said jumping in just felt amazing.

But what is it that people all gaining from this experience?     4     However, the more you do it, your reaction to stress is reduced. It’s also thought to have a strong anti-inflammatory (抗炎症的) effect. But there are bigger benefits to this stress-reducing exercise. Some experts believe cold-water swimming helps “cross-adaptation”, where one form of stress prepares the body for another.    5    

So, if you’re convinced that this is for you, take advice: approach it with caution, swim with a friend, and maybe start in the summer, when the water temperatures are higher!

A．It shapes your character.

B．It offers a great workout for the body.

C．Doctors say getting into cold water causes a stress response.

D．Cold-water swimming usually involves swimming in natural areas.

E．Scientists think that jumping into cold water can reduce your stress.

F．For example, it also helps reduce the stress of exercising at high places.

G．A research shows cold-water swimming has cured certain health conditions.

【推荐1】On Hoxton Street in East London there is a very special children’s writing and mentoring center called the Ministry of Stories, which is fronted by its shop, Hoxton Street Monster Supplies, where you can expect to find monster food. The store raises funds for this very special program that fires children’s imagination.

The youth aged 8 to 18 enter the Ministry, through a secret door that is designed to open up a world of opportunity by encouraging a love for writing. The organization believes that, “Writing increases self-respect, improves communication and can change lives.” That’s because writing allows children’s voices to be heard.

This year, the workshop is celebrating 10 years of helping children discover a love for writing through creative programs. Founded by Lucy Macnab, Ben Payne and best-selling author Nick Hornby, the organization works with around 1,000 children per year participating in school activities, and community projects across Hackney, Islington, and Tower Hamlets. It now has over 400 volunteers and runs its program free of charge for the youth of the areas.

“Through a range of creative writing programs, and one-to-one mentoring, we aim to help children find their own qualities that can be developed,” Macnab told The Telegraph. “We help children build confidence, self-respect, and communication skills in both workshops and writing clubs.”

One 10-year participant, Nmeso, said that the weekly after-school club he attends at the Ministry has helped him develop his imagination and improve his academic performance. In fact, he was able to move up a grade in school. What’s even more remarkable is that Meso has had a story he wrote published — along with other writers in the program — titled Andre Has a Hard Time. This is Nmeso’s success story.

1. What is the function of Hoxton Street Monster Supplies?

A．Advertising the mentoring center.	B．Supporting the Ministry of Stories.
C．Attracting young children to come.	D．Arousing children’s interest in food.

2. Why are some figures used in the paragraph 3?

A．To prove the program is popular.	B．To suggest writing is vital for children.
C．To attract readers’ attention to the center.	D．To show the value of the program.

3. What is the program intended to do?

A．To give the children a better future.	B．To develop the children’s writing skills.
C．To help the children express opinions.	D．To help discover the children’s potential.

4. What does the author say about Nmeso?

A．He is ten years old this year.	B．He’s got his own book published.
C．He has obtained little benefit from the program.	D．He becomes very famous as a young writer.

【推荐2】Have you ever taken a test that you thought you could have passed easily, only to make some silly mistakes that really hurt your grade? More than a few students have done that. And some seem to do it over and over again.

There are several problem areas that can cause students to goof up or do poorly in a test that they could have passed.

Some students can become overconfident about their knowledge of the subject matter. They think they know the material better than they actually do. It is easy for students to misjudge their own knowledge, and when they realize that they don't know the material, it is too late.

What happens more often, though, is that some students feel they are smart enough to be able to guess their way through a test. So they don't bother to study the material. They are overconfident about their ability to figure things out. In either case, overconfidence can result in lower grades in tests. Does this apply to you?

Another thing that can happen is that students underestimate (低估)the difficulty of the test. They expect an easy test, but the teacher throws in a real tough test that they haven't prepared for. Sometimes the teacher may cover material in the test that students weren't expecting. That can happen, especially if you weren't paying attention in class.

Finally, there are students who don't feel that getting a good grade is important to them, so they don't bother to study or even try to do well. Such students may be trying to punish their parents, have a poor image of themselves, or be just plain foolish. Hopefully, you are not one of these students.

1. The writer believes that many students________.

A．are afraid of exams	B．make careless mistakes
C．hate homework	D．lack confidence

2. What does the underlined phrase “goof up” mean?

A．Be overconfident.	B．Be nervous.
C．Make silly mistakes.	D．Make wrong choices.

3. According to the writer, who will be most unwilling to try his best in a test?

A．Edward, dissatisfied with his parents.

B．John, expecting an easy test for him.

C．Dobby, believing he is the smartest in the class.

D．Peter, being overconfident about his ability.

4. What would be discussed in the paragraph that follows?

A．Ways to prepare for a test.	B．The causes of overconfidence.
C．The causes of a poor self－image.	D．Ways to avoid making silly mistakes in a test.

【推荐1】Once upon a time, researchers dreamed of building a robot storyteller. It would not only entertain young children, but also help them learn well. This dream has come true. The robot is called Tega. It is cute and appears to be useful in increasing young children’s language skills. Developed by a team at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology(MIT), Tega sounds like a child, makes its body and face full of energy while storytelling and explains the tales on a screen with pictures.

In an eight-week experiment, Tega read picture books to 67 children aged from 4 to 6 in weekly meetings lasting an hour. During the meetings, Tega asked questions to have knowledge of the listeners’ language skills, tested them on a word’s meaning or asked them to draw conclusions about a character. For example, Tega asked, “What do you think will happen to the boy?” Tega also recorded the facial expressions and body positions of the children to see how interested they were. For example, leaning forward was considered a good sign. After the book was finished, the children retold the story to Tega in their own words.

One group of kids played with a personalized version(版本) of the robot, which improved each time it interacted with the kids, learning about their language skills from the conversations they had. For this group, Tega chose which book to read based on what it thought would be most suitable and informative for the children’s language level. Every second time, Tega would replace several words in the story for these children with more difficult words with similar meanings, such as “clamour” in place of “noise”.

A second group interacted with a non-personalized Tega that remembered the children each week, but chose stories to read at random (随机的) from its library of 81 picture books. For this group, the story difficulty increased every two weeks. A third group of kids didn’t interact with Tega at all.

Several weeks after the last meeting, the team found that all the children who played with Tega had increased their vocabularies(词汇), but the personalized group learned the most words. Their error rate on a vocabulary test dropped by 23 percent, almost double that of the non-personalized group. The stories that the children told back to the personalized robot were also longer and more wonderful, says team member Hae Won Park.

1. What do we know about Tega?

A．It has a voice of an adult.

B．It is connected to the Internet.

C．It can tell stories in a lively way.

D．It is mainly designed to entertain kids.

2. Why did Tega ask questions during the meetings?

A．To keep the kids interested.

B．To help kids better understand a story.

C．To know about the kids’ language skills.

D．To encourage the kids to think independently.

3. What do the results of the experiment show?

A．Young kids really love interacting with others.

B．The robot needs to be improved to work better.

C．Children can increase their vocabularies quickly.

D．The personalized version of the robot helps kids most

4. What is the text mainly about?

A．A new invention for kids.

B．A personalized teaching method.

C．A new way to increase kids’ vocabularies.

D．A study carried out by researchers recently.

【推荐2】A long time ago, there was a seed and because it was only a seed, nobody noticed it. Thus, feeling inferior (低级的), the seed gave no importance to his existence (存在).

Then one day, a wind picked him up and threw him on an open field under the sun. Later, he was given rain. Years later he saw a traveler sitting by his side. "Thank you God for this. I really needed some rest," he heard the traveler say.

"What are you talking about?" the seed quickly asked. He thought the man was making fun of him. No one ever spoke to him like that.

"Who just spoke?" the shocked man asked.

"It is me. A seed."

"A seed?" The man looked at the big tree. "Are you joking? You are not a seed. You are a big tree!"

"Really?"

"Yes! Why else do you think people come here?"

"What do they come here for?"

"To feel your shade (树阴)! Don’t tell me you didn’t know you had grown over time."

A moment passed before the traveler’s words brought him pride.

The seed thought and smiled for the first time in his life. The years of torture (折磨) by the sun and the rain finally helped him grow up.

"Oh! That means I’m not a little seed anymore! I was actually born to make people feel comfortable. Wow! That’s great!"

1. The seed didn’t realize the importance of his existence because __________.

A．nobody looked after him	B．he didn’t believe in himself
C．he was such a small seed	D．he was thrown into the open air

2. The traveler sat by the seed’s side to _____________.

A．have a rest and enjoy the shade	B．thank God for offering him a tree
C．escape from the rain	D．talk with the big tree

3. The author’s purpose of writing the passage is to ________.

A．tell readers a very encouraging story	B．praise the seed for his strength
C．teach readers a lesson: Don’t laugh at others	D．tell readers that you should never lose hope

【推荐3】While traveling to a foreign land, or perhaps across the state, aren't you looking for something a little more adventurous, more luxurious (豪华) , and packed with facilities that you don't have at home?

Treehotel, Sweden

It was perhaps everybody's childhood dream to be able to have their own tree house. Now you can sleep in a specifically made hotel suite built atop a tree in the Harads Municipality in Sweden. The most unique rooms are the Bird's Nest, a room exactly shaped like a bird nest; the Mirror Cube, a hide-out with reflective outside walls. The rate of each room starts from about $800 per night.

The Manta Resort, Tanzania

The Manta Resort in Tanzania is one of the world's only hotels with rooms placed below the surface of the ocean. By opening the curtains of your windows, you'll be able to see hundreds of fish swimming peacefully around your room. Want to go for a swim? Climb out of your room and jump in the clear waters! For only $250 a night, you, too, can sleep with the fishes.

Book and Bed, Japan

Reading before sleeping is something that many people do. Book and Bed, a 30-room hotel in the heart of Tokyo takes advantage of this by conveniently placing a lot of books in shelves just an arm's reach away from your bed. The rooms at this hotel are small enough for a single adult. Reading yourself to sleep in one of their comfortable rooms will cost only about $40 a night.

Tianzi Hotel, China

The largest image hotel in the world is the Tianzi Hotel in Hebei Province, China. The hotel is a description of the three ancient Chinese gods of Fu, Lu, and Shou- the god of fortune, prosperity, and longevity, respectively. To enter it, simply open the door located in Shou's foot. The peach resting in the God of Longevity's left hand is a one-bedroom suite with a perfect view of the busy city. Rates at the Tianzi Hotel start as cheap as $11 a night.

1. What can we know about Treehotel?

A．It is made on a tree.	B．It is made of wood
C．It is called Mirror Cube.	D．It is named after a bird nest.the

2. What can we do in the Manta Resort?

A．Fishing in the sea	B．Swim in the ocean.
C．Read before sleep	D．Enjoy the busy city.

3. Which hotel most probably has the cheapest room?

A．Treehotel	B．The Manta Resort.
C．Book and Bed.	D．Tianzi Hotel.

【推荐1】San Francisco has its cable cars. Seattle has its Space Needle. And, Longview has its Nutty Narrows Bridge. The bridge has attracted visitors from many different parts of the world, and is now regarded as a symbolic landmark of Longview.

The bridge was built in 1963 by a local builder named Amos Peters, and it was originally built to help the local squirrels move between the Park Plaza office building and a city park across the street without being hit by the rushing cars.

Before the bridge was built, local squirrels had to cross the busy road between the two places for the nutty feast thrown for them by the staff in the building. Working around the neighborhood, Peters often witnessed squirrels being hit or run over.

One day, he found a dead squirrel with a nut still in its mouth, and the topic of that day s coffee break discussion was changed to squirrel safety. Peters and his colleagues came up with the squirrel bridge idea and formed a committee to ask the permission of the city council (市议会). The council approved, and the bridge was named “Nutty Narrows”.

It didn't take long before reports of squirrels using the bridge started. Squirrels were even seen guiding their young and teaching them the ropes. The story was picked up by the media, and Nutty Narrows became known on newspapers.

In 1983, after 20 years of use, Peters took down the worn-out bridge. Repairs were made and crosspieces were replaced. The faded sign was repainted and in July 1983, hundreds of animal lovers attended the completion ceremony of the new bridge.

Peters passed away in 1984, and a ten-foot wooden squirrel sculpture was placed near the bridge in memory of its builder and his devotion to the project.

1. The Nutty Narrows Bridge was built in order to______.

A．offer squirrels a place to eat nuts	B．set up a local landmark
C．help improve traffic	D．protect squirrels from being hit by cars

2. What happened over the coffee break discussion?

A．The committee got the council's permission.	B．The squirrel bridge idea was born.
C．A councilwoman named the bridge.	D．A squirrel was found dead.

3. What does the underlined expression"teaching them the ropes"in paragraph 5 probably mean?

A．Passing them a rope.	B．Directing them to store food for winter.
C．Teaching them a lesson.	D．Showing them how to use the bridge.

4. Which of the following statements is true about the Nutty Narrows Bridge?

A．It was replaced by a longer one.	B．It was built from wood and metal.
C．It was repaired after years of use.	D．It was ten-foot long.

【推荐2】Do you want to travel back in time? What about traveling into the future? There’s an easy way to do it.

One way you can make a time travel journey is by writing a letter to your future self to be opened in the future. To your future self, the letter will be a visit to the past. What can be gained by writing a letter to yourself? It depends on how good your letter is. You have the chance to say something to your future self. What would you want to communicate? You’ll be able to talk to yourself 5, 10, 15 years down the road. There may be instructions for your future self, or you may have goals that you will want to check up on.

There are a lot of things you could include in your letter or letters to yourself. The more you include, the better the letter will be to you. Here are some ideas of things to include in your letter:

Your thoughts and feelings about life, religion, politics, society, etc; Your feelings for your family; Your likes and dislikes; Your dreams; The type of person you want yourself to become...

Be creative with what you put in your letter. Include a picture of yourself or family to show the period from which the letter came.

You can store your letter in a number of different ways. You can give your letter to a friend or family member to keep and mail to you. If you can get others to take part, have them write letters to themselves as well and ask someone to be the letter holder until it’s time to send the letters. You can also use a service online to store your letter and e-mail it to you.

Make the most of your letter writing, and you’ll help your future self make the most of the present.

1. How can you travel into the future?

A．By traveling back in time.

B．By writing a letter to your future self.

C．By opening a letter from the past.

D．By paying a visit to the future.

2. If you want to gain more in the future, what should you do?

A．Have the chance to say something to your future self.

B．Talk to yourself 5,10,15years down the road.

C．Write more about instructions for your future self.

D．Include as many things as possible in your letter.

3. Why had you better put a picture in your letter?

A．To check up on your goals.

B．To prove your feelings for your family.

C．To show the time when the letter was written.

D．To find out your thoughts and feelings now.

4. Which could be the best title for the passage?

A．How to Write a Letter to Your Future Self.

B．What to Communicate with Your Future Self.

C．What to Include in a Letter to Your Future Self.

D．How to Make the Most of Your Letter.

【推荐3】You might think it’s going to be really challenging if you plan to learn a foreign tongue. You’ve probably heard a lot of talks about how easy it is to learn languages as a young child, and that learning as an adult can be tough. You might even know friends or family members who have tried to learn a foreign tongue and failed. That’s because they have friends or colleagues around them who experienced failure. We’re here to cheer you up with some good news and inspire you to get started. The amazing adult brain！

Scientists are always learning about the human brain. Decades ago, experts believed that the brain developed during childhood and then retained that way for life. However, modern studies have shown us that the brain has the ability to continually form new neural(神经的)connections throughout adulthood. A 2010 Swedish study tested two groups of people, one in the range of age 21 through 30 and another between 65 and 80. Remarkably, they found no significant differences in neuroplasticity(神经可塑性). In other words, this suggests that it’s possible for you to learn new things at any age.

Besides being possible to learn languages, research also suggests that it improves the adult brain in general. In a 2012 Chinese study, experts looked at a group of adults who were learning Mandarin over a nine-month period. They found that these adults showed improved integrity(完整性)in their white matter, the part of the brain that allows neural cells to communicate. The better your neural cells communicate, the easier it will be for you to learn new things.

Why may adults have an easier time learning? Children might be blessed with a naturally high degree of neuroplasticity, but that doesn’t mean learning is necessarily easier for them. In fact, adult brains have a number of great qualities that might actually make learning easier, especially if you take advantage of free learning apps like Mondly.

1. Why do some adults fail in the language learning?

A．Because they have no plans for language learning.

B．Because they have poor memories.

C．Because maybe they are affected by some adults who have failed.

D．Because language learning is too difficult for adults to learn.

2. What does the underlined word “retained” mean in Paragraph 2?

A．Kept.

B．Changed.

C．Improved.

D．Strengthened.

3. Which of the following is true?

A．Children can learn a language more easily.

B．Adults can learn a language even at old age.

C．The learning apps like Mondly are good for children.

D．Adults can learn a language more easily after learning Chinese.

4. What will the text refer to next?

A．How to learn a new language for adults.

B．How to tell the kids to learn a language.

C．How to improve neuroplasticity.

D．How to use the app Mondly.