【推荐1】Tablets（平板电脑） are useful devices, but their big screens always make them as a burden to carry around without a bag. Wouldn’t it be great if there were a phone with the powers of a tablet that could be folded up and fit neatly into the hand? Now something like a tablet-shaped but foldable（可折叠的） phone is about to become available. In February, Samsung and Huawei both introduced foldable phones, the Galaxy Fold and Huawei Mate X separately, to the public for the first time. Mobile phone use has entered the “foldable future”, the Verge noted.

The technology could change our lives in significant ways. These devices, due to their bendable screens, give us the larger screens we want but still fit easily into the pocket. The technology could change other devices too. For example, we could make TVs that stick to walls like posters, or fold up easily to hide away in drawers, which could help increase available space to the maximum. In a keynote address, Justin Denison, Samsung’s senior vice president, called the foldable screen “the basis for the smartphone of tomorrow”. “It’s a blank canvas (画布) for us to do something beautiful together,” he said.

So is there nothing to stand in the way of the foldable future? According to tech news website Android Authority, the necessary displays were difficult to produce. In 2012, nine out of ten foldable screens produced were defective or unusable. Today, that 10 percent rate has been improved to almost 90 percent. However, at present these foldable devices are expensive. For example, the price of Huawei Mate X is 17, 500 RMB. That's a price that few people will be able to afford.

But if the foldable device isn’t going to change the world overnight, there is no doubt that it is coming. Patrick Moorhead, an industry expert told The Verge, “Few are debating if foldable mobile displays are the future of smartphones; the only question is when and by whom.”

1. What do we know about foldable devices?

A．They are too big to fit into the pocket.

B．They could bring us much convenience.

C．They have become available in January.

D．They are a burden to carry around without a bag.

2. What can we learn from Denison’s words?

A．The foldable screen has great potential.

B．The technology could change other devices too.

C．There must be many problems with the technology.

D．The production of foldable phones will soon decrease.

3. What does the underlined word in Paragraph 3 mean?

A．complete	B．proper
C．imperfect	D．normal

4. What can be a suitable title for the text?

A．Types of foldable phones.

B．The coming of foldable devices.

C．Popular devices on the market.

D．Difficulties in producing foldable phones.

【推荐2】Having a microchip implanted (植入) in a man’s brain may be common in sci-fi movie plots, but it may soon become an act ual possibility.

Elon musk, founder of Space X and co-founder of electric car maker Tesla— has been working on this technology. On Aug 28, Musk gave display of the chip, which was implanted into the head of a pignamed Gertrude.

The chip, developed by Musk’s company, is the size of a coin. But don’t let its size fool you. Thetiny chip has over 3,000 electrodes attached to flexible threads, which can monitor about 1,000 neurons (神经元). It collects neural signals from an area of the brain, and then transmits(传送) those signals wirelessly to nearby computers. That enabled researchers to monitor Gertrude’s brain activity while she was walking around in the display.

Though the technology is still in its early stage, it is encouraging for humans. This technologywould solve a lot of brain injuries, which will allow the human brain to combine with an artificial intelligence.

When the device can be applied to humans, its main goal will be to help those who have mobility(行走的能力) issues. Musk hopes this technology can also be used to help those with hearing andeyesight issues and one day lead to a cure for epilepsy(癫痫).

Although such a device could, in principle, repair those problems, putting it into practice is by nomeans a piece of cake. There are many obstacles to overcome. Currently, the device can transmit signals from about 500 neurons in the pig’s brain. Compared to 80 billion neurons in a human brain, this number is tiny. And to cover the whole human brain also means the electrodes have to be much smaller. Also, implanting the chip into the brain poses a potential danger. There is a risk of the immune system attacking this foreign body.

Right now, the hope of controlling the brain via controlling a few neurons seems overly optimistic.“There are some potential risks and many technological challenges remain to be overcome before thecompany can put its devices to the purposes. It still has a long way to go.”Yuan Lanfeng, an associate professor at the University of Science and Technology of China, told Chin a Daily.

1. What do we know about Elon Musk’s microchip according to the first three paragraphs?

A．It was inspired by sci-fi movie plots.	B．It is able to collect wireless signals.
C．It is tiny in size but powerful in function.	D．It has been implanted into a human’s brain.

2. What does the underlined word“that”in Paragraph 3 refer to?

A．The operation of the chip in Gertrude’s brain.

B．The attachment of electrodes to flexible threads.

C．The development of neurons inside Gertrude’s brain.

D．The transmission of signals from a nearby computer.

3. What is the major target of the microchip in human application?

A．To monitor animals’ brain activity.	B．To help people who have difficulty in moving freely.
C．To develop a cure for epilepsy.	D．To contribute to the research on Al technologies.

4. What is Yuan Lanfeng’s attitude towards implanting the chip into the human brain?

A．Indifferent.	B．Excited.
C．Optimistic.	D．Cautious.

【推荐3】A new device works like a solar panel, except that it doesn't harvest energy from the sun. It absorbs energy from the cold night sky.

A prototype(原型)of the device produced enough electricity at night to power a small light bulb. A bigger version might one day light rooms or charge phones. It also could power electronics in remote or low-resource areas that lack electricity.

The device makes use of the temperature difference between Earth and outer space.It then uses that difference to create electricity. As long as one side of it is cooler than the other, the generator can produce electricity.The cooler side faces the sky and is attached to an aluminum plate. That plate is sealed beneath a transparent(透明的)cover and surrounded with insulation(隔热材料)to keep out heat.The bottom of the generator is attached to an exposed aluminum plate. That plate is warmed by the local air. At night, the top plate can get a couple of degrees Celsius cooler than the bottom of the generator.

Researchers tested a 20-centimeter prototype one clear December night in Stanford,California. The generator produced up to about 25 milliwatts of power per square meter of device. That was enough power to light a small light-emitting diode, or LED bulb. Further improvements might increase its production to at least 500 milliwatts per square meter. To do that, the system might need more insulation around the cool top plate.

The device also could help power remote weather stations or other environmental devices,says Aaswath Raman. He is a materials scientist who worked on the device at the University of California, Los Angeles. This may be useful in polar regions that don't see sunlight for months at a time,Raman says. “If you have some low-power load and you need to power it through three months of darkness, this might be a way.”

1. What can we know about the new device?

A．It gains energy from the sun.	B．It 's been widely used in life.
C．It is cooler than a solar panel.	D．It'll be popular in special areas.

2. What does the author mainly talk about in Paragraph 3?

A．Application fields of the device.	B．The developing process of the device.
C．The working principle of the device.	D．Significant effects of the device.

3. How can the device produce more electricity?

A．By putting more insulation around the top plate.

B．By using it in extremely cold and clear nights.

C．By making its bottom cooler than the top plate.

D．By powering remote environmental devices.

4. What could be a suitable title for the text?

A．A Device Using the Cold Night Sky to Produce Electricity

B．A Device Bringing New Hope for Those in the Cold Night

C．The Difference Between a Solar Panel and a New Device

D．The Temperature Difference Between Earth and Outer Space

【推荐3】Have you ever heard that we humans use only ten percent of our brains? This opinion holds a certain appeal because if it were true, then we could instantly become ten times more intelligent just by firing up that sleepy majority of the brain!

The idea that we use only a small part of the brain dates back to animal experiments in the 19th century. When scientists stimulated (刺激) a specific part of the brain,   the animal moved its leg or tail. If a tiny part of the brain could do something so great, what was the use of the rest of the brain? Some scientists assumed that large parts of the brain were simply useless.

Then, in the early 20th century, scientists observed that stimulating certain parts of the brain had no physical effects. They named these seemingly useless parts of the brain the “silent cortex.” Today we know that in humans, much of the “silent cortex” is actually devoted to complex activities like language, learning, and imagining.

Brain scans have shown that different parts of the brain become much more active as we shift (切换) our attention and focus, but even as we sleep, many areas of the brain are extremely active. Would you be smarter if your entire brain constantly worked to maximum capacity (能力)? Interestingly enough, the opposite is probably true. The less brain activity you need to perform a given task, the more the brain as a whole is able to do.

1. Why does the opinion mentioned in paragraph l seem appealing?

A．People wish to become much smarter.

B．People believe it is scientific.

C．People know nothing about the brain.

D．People want to make little use of their brain.

2. What did scientists discover in their experiment in the 20th century?

A．The majority of the brain is sleeping.

B．Animals’ legs and tails have some connection with their brain.

C．Stimulation on some parts of the brain causes no physical reaction.

D．Certain parts of the brain are devoted to language and learning activities.

3. “Silent cortex” has proved to be______.

A．sensitive to stimulation

B．useful in complex activities

C．responsible for physical reaction

D．more active than the other parts of the brain

4. If you need less brain activity to perform a task, _______.

A．you will feel sleepy

B．you must shift your focus

C．you can use your brain to the fullest

D．you will be more productive

【推荐1】In developed cities, public transport will be less popular than it used to be. To those who have to push themselves onto the number 25 bus in London, or the A train in New York, the change might not be noticeable. But public transport is becoming less busy in those places, and passenger numbers are flat or falling in almost every American city regardless of healthy growth in urban populations and employment.

Although transport agencies blame their unpopularity on things like roadworks and broken signals, it seems more likely that they ate being outcompeted. App-based taxi services like Uber and Lyft are more comfortable and convenient than trains or buses. Cycling is nicer than it was, and rental bikes are more widely available. Cars ate cheap to buy, and ever cheaper to run Online shopping, home working and office-sharing mean more people can avoid travelling altogether.

The competition is only likely to grow. More than one laboratory is developing new transport technologies and applications Silicon Valley invented Uber and, more recently, apps that let people rent electric scooters and then abandon them on the sidewalk. China created sharing-bicycles and battery-powered "e-bikes", both of which are spreading.

Transport agencies should accept the upstarts, and copy them. Cities tend either to ignore app-based services or to try to push them off the streets. That is understandable, considering the rules-are-for-losers attitude of firms like Uber. But it is an error.

It is doubtful that most people can tell the differences between public and private transport. They just want to get somewhere, and there is a cost in time, money and comfort. An ideal system would let them move across a city for a single payment, transferring from trains to taxis to bicycles as needed. Building a platform to allow that is hard, and requires much sweet-talking of traditional networks as well as technology firms. It is probably the secret to keeping cities moving.

1. In the author's opinion, the reason for the decline of public transport is that         .

A．cars and bikes are everywhere	B．there are roadworks and broken signals
C．people are becoming healthier and employed	D．public transport is not competitive enough

2. How does the author develop his idea in Paragraph 3?

A．By giving examples.	B．By providing data.
C．By stating arguments.	D．By making contrasts.

3. It can be inferred from the text that         .

A．the No. 25 bus in London is becoming less popular

B．transport agencies support the rules-are-for-losers attitude

C．public transport is still the cheapest way to get around

D．traditional networks and technology firms need cooperate

【推荐2】With advanced communication technologics making the iconic British red telephone boxes expendable（可抛弃的）, a US firm is all set to bring them back to use. Call boxes would be changed into mini-offices for workers on-the-go and will offer free coffee to subscribers（认购者）.

Bar Works Inc's chief executive Jonathan Black, a Briton living in New York, said that his company will renew telephone boxes with fully functional printers, scanners, 25-inch screens and Wi-Fi. Bar Works specializes in offering bar-themed work stations in prime locations, charging customers with a monthly subscription in return for free access to the business and office supplies. The company plans to operate in a similar manner, offering British customers with monthly memberships to "Pod Works" for £19.99（$29）.

The company will refit telephone boxes in five major British cities and has already rented and changed 15 old call boxes in London and Edinburgh. As expected, they are coming into use by the public in the coming months. "Given the prime location, above all else, of the telephone boxes, the launch is expected to gain at least 10, 000 members by the end of 2021. It's an alternative to, say, Starbucks but obviously it provides you with total privacy. " said Black.

Thanks to mobile phones, the red telephone boxes have been effectively made expendable. According to a report by the Daily Mail, retired telephone boxes, especially those damaged deliberately, are sent to a "telephone box graveyard" of sorts, where they take great pains to restore to their former glory before being sold to collectors across the globe. Such is the demand for properly restored telephone boxes, that it is not uncommon for them to be sold for amounts as high as £10, 000.

Despite its setback, in a recent survey, the British red telephone box, which was originally designed in 1920, was voted the greatest British design of all time.

1. What will the red telephone boxes be used for?

A．Mini-offices.	B．Mini coffee boxes.
C．Bar-themed call boxes.	D．Leisure rooms for workers.

2. What do you know about the renewed telephone boxes?

A．They will be put into use next year.

B．They offer as much privacy as Starbucks.

C．They will be equipped with office supplies.

D．They have been rented in five major British cities.

3. What is Black's attitude towards the launch?

A．Doubtful.

B．Confident.

C．Cautious.

D．Uncertain.

4. What's the purpose of writing about the telephone boxes in this passage?

A．To arouse concern for them.	B．To introduce their new role.
C．To expand a larger market.	D．To advertise their launch.

【推荐3】Sometimes it’s the simplest medical inventions that save millions of lives. Meet inventors Jane Chen and Rajan Patel, and their invention—the Hug baby warmer.

Every year 20 million babies are born premature (早产的). They struggle to survive because they can’t regulate (调节) their body temperature and they don’t have enough fat on their tiny bodies to keep warm. Approximately 14% of babies born are considered low birth weight, but these babies account for 60% - 80% of neonatal (新生的) deaths.

The solution is to keep premature babies warm, but an incubator (保温箱) costs $ 20,000 and requires electricity which is difficult to find in developing countries, particularly in rural areas.

Parents take extreme solutions to keep their babies warm. They attach hot water bottles to them or place them under light bulbs, which is not only unsafe but futile. As a result, 4 million premature babies die each year. Two- thirds of deaths occur in ten countries and 40% of those occur in India, Those who survive suffer from severe long term health problems (diabetes, heart disease, mental dysfunction)because                    they’re battling hypothermia (低体温症) instead of growing.

To solve this problem, Jane and Rajan, graduates of Stanford University, created a portable and reusable infant incubator that requires no electricity and costs less than thirty dollars. It is safe and easy to use. It has no moving parts and can be easily cleaned. It looks like a tiny sleeping bag but its design is very clever.

It has a bag that contains a special material that gives off heat throughout the insulation (绝缘) at a temperature of 37 degrees Celsius (98 F)—the temperature critical for the child’s survival. The bag is removed from the insulated blanket and activated by placing it in hot water for 15 minutes. It’s then placed into the blanket. The special material maintains a constant temperature for 4 hours by absorbing heat if the baby gets too hot, and giving heat if the baby gets too cold.

1. Why do babies born premature have a high death rate?

A．They lack fat to control body temperature.

B．They are usually born in developing countries.

C．They gain weight quicker than normal babies.

D．They are more likely to be born with diseases.

2. Which of the following can best replace the underlined word in paragraph 4?

A．expensive	B．simple
C．ineffective	D．unbelievable

3. What is the fifth paragraph mainly about?

A．The material used in the invention.

B．The working theory of the invention.

C．The preparation done for the invention.

D．The advantages of Jane and Rajan’s invention.

4. Which of the following can be the best title for the text?

A．A Material That Has Broad Usage

B．A Warm Hug That Saves Lives

C．Being Poor Results in Baby Deaths

D．An Invention That Changes Rural Areas

【推荐1】If you find yourself hitting the snooze button(闹钟延时按钮) every morning, don't blame yourself. Your work schedule could be to blame.

Research now shows that, for many of us, our work schedules don't go with our natural body clocks—and experts are urging employers to take notice. Sleep is a “strategic resource” that most companies are ignoring. When work schedules are aligned with people's natural sleep patterns, they produce higher quality and more innovative work because they are more focused, less stressed and generally healthier. The opposite is also true—when employees are not getting enough sleep they are more likely to make major mistakes and suffer from workplace injuries.

But it's not just about the amount of sleep you get. It's important that every organism, from primitive bacteria to human beings, has a biologically determined internal body clock. This determines whether you are a night owl(夜猫子), an early bird or somewhere in the middle. We don't have any choice. “It's like feet,” said Till Roenneberg, a professor of chronobiology(生物钟学). “Some people are born with big feet and some with small feet, but most people are somewhere in the middle.”

Many companies start the workday at 8 a.m. or 9 a.m., putting their work schedules in disagreement with their employees' body clock. This mismatch, along with the pressure to be productive and be available to respond to email or take calls at all hours of the day and night, means that many people suffer from what is called “social jet lag” . In other words, their bodies are always in the wrong time zone. He estimates that more than 70% of people get up earlier than they should. “There is an old saying that sleep is for the weak,” said Olson. But now, “I do feel like there is a shift happening where people realize it doesn’t help to have shortened sleep. Sleep is a topic that companies want to hear about.”

1. The underlined word “aligned” in Paragraph 2 means “________”．

A．matched	B．cooperated
C．conflicted	D．shortened

2. What does Till Roenneberg' s remark really mean?

A．The amount of sleep you get counts much.

B．An early bird does better than a night owl.

C．We are born to have a body clock.

D．Most people have neither too big nor too small feet.

3. What‘s the main reason why people suffer from “social jet lag”?

A．Because they don’t have enough sleep.

B．Because they have the great pressure to be productive.

C．Because they fail to get along well with others.

D．Because their body clock is inconsistent with the work schedule.

4. What is the best title for the passage?

A．Body clock and good work habits

B．Late for work? Maybe not your fault

C．How to improve your work efficiency

D．Urgent need to change your body clock

【推荐2】The bed should be used as a place for sleep, but more and more people like to read an iPad a lot in bed before they go to sleep.

Charles Czeisler, a professor at Harvard Medical School, and his coworkers got a small group of people for an experiment. For five days in a row, these people read either a paper book or an iPad for four hours before sleep. Their sleep patterns were monitored all night. Before and after each trial period, they took hourly blood tests to paint a day-long picture of just how much melatonin(褪黑激素) was in their blood at any time.

When the people read the iPad as compared to the paper books, they felt less sleepy at night and less active the following morning. People also took longer to fall asleep on the iPad nights, and the blood tests showed that their melatonin secretion(分泌) was delayed by an hour and a half.

The researchers concluded that because of the rise of e-readers and the widespread use of e-things among children and teenagers, more research into the "long-term influence of these e-things on health and safety is urgently needed." Czeisler and coworkers went on, in the research paper, to point out that reading an iPad in bed may increase cancer risk.

However, software has been developed that can reduce some of the blue light from the screens of phones and computers, and there are also glasses that are made to reduce short wavelengths. While they seem like a logic solution for the nighttime tech users, it needs more research.

1. In Charles Czeisler's experiment, the group of people were asked to_______.

A．sit in a row and receive the strict tests

B．have their sleep patterns observed all night

C．read a paper book and an iPad before sleep

D．have their blood tested per hour during the trial

2. The third paragraph tells us the iPad readers were likely to_______.

A．feel less sleepy and tired in the day

B．fall asleep more easily after reading

C．become less energetic the next morning

D．have a lot more melatonin secretion

3. The special software recently developed can _______.

A．reduce the blue light from the screens completely

B．help prevent eyes being harmed by short wavelengths

C．reduce the harm caused by doing nighttime e-reading

D．be used in all the e-things widely and safely

4. Which of the following can be the best title for the text?

A．No e-reading in bed before sleep

B．New software for night e-readers

C．Wrong things to do before bedtime

D．No games on iPad in bed

【推荐3】Canyon Rock Tours

South Rim Drive

(555) 602-7548

“A unique(独一无二的) look at the Grand Canyon from a geologists viewpoint.”

Let our professional(专业的) geologists give you the most informative(增长见闻的)

Grand Canyon tour available.

The Rocks

Learn about the amazing history of the Grand Canyon by looking at its many layers (层) of rock See trace fossils (遗迹化石)of animals and plants that lived millions of years ago. Touch Precambrian rocks that are 2 billion years old. Find out which minerals give the rock layers their colors of red, yellow, and green.

The Formations(组成)

Visit different rock formations and see how erosion (腐蚀) and weathering have shaped one of the world's most beautiful canyons.

The Views

Enjoy your lunch break at Yavapai Observation Station. The station overlooks the canyon with a view that is breathtaking and unforgettable.

Tours depart (离开) every day, except Sunday, at 9 A.M. from the Grand Canyon Village Visitor Center. Tours return around 5 PM.

Cost is S30 per person.

Be sure to pack (打包) 2 lunch and bring plenty of drinking water.

This tour involves lots of hiking(远足) and requires some rock-climbing experience. Please dress in layers and wear comfortable shoes.

Note: Reservations(预定) are required at least two days in advance(提前) for groups of six or more.

1. What will tourists do on the tour?

A．Get some information about rock layers.	B．Find out the age of the Grand Canyon.
C．See plants of different colors.	D．Visit different zoos(动物园).

2. What do we know about the tour?

A．It lasts five hours.	B．Drinking water is provided.
C．Professional geologists are available.	D．Visitors should bring as few clothes as possible.

3. If a group of six people want to go on the tour, they______.

A．should pay 5200	B．should book early
C．can start out on Saturday	D．can have a free lunch

4. Who would be most likely to take this tour?

A．People who dislike rock-climbing.

B．People who are interested in rocks.

C．People who want to see wild animals.

D．People who intend to hike across the Grand Canyon.