【推荐1】Everyone has at least one bad habit. Whether it’s being frequently late, tapping your feet, or eating junk food, a bad habit can have a negative influence on your happiness, health and social relationships.     1     However, understanding the basic principles of behavior change can give you a head start on the process.

You can only change what you decide you want to change. Take some time to reflect on the trouble your bad habit may lead to.     2     The more honest you are with yourself about the nature of your bad habit, the more likely you will be to start on the path toward changing it.

Once you’ve decided to change, convince yourself you can achieve your goals.     3     Seeing other people change successfully is inspiring. But you need to see yourself as being able to make those changes in yourself.

    4     Once you figure out what is driving your bad habits, you will have gone a long way toward changing them, By figuring out what’s causing the bad habit, you can also work on deciding how to control the outcomes of your behavior.

Set reasonable goals at first, since your bad habits have taken years to establish themselves. You’re not going to get rid of them in an instant. Decide on a realistic schedule that will work for you based on goals that you believe you can meet, Work out a schedule of time to go to the gym or on a run that will readily fit into your existing schedule.     5    

A．Look into what’s causing the habit.

B．Here are some tips to help you remove your bad habits.

C．To change some bad habits may require professional help.

D．To help motivate yourself, you may consider others’ advice.

E．If you don’t see a problem, you won’t work on changing your behavior.

F．Start off slow, and gradually increase until you’re at your suitable level.

G．You need to strengthen your sense of belief that you can accomplish what you want.

【推荐3】Are you one of the large numbers of students who are struggling for college education online? Follow these tips to help you be a successful online learner.

Many students think that online classes require less work and are easier than traditional classes.     1    

Arrangement according to class schedule is important. Start your course according to the required schedule. Manage your time just as you would in a traditional course.

    2     You may not be able to turn in papers, view videos, or join in groups if you don't have the right technology. Make sure that you have the good Internet connection and software programs prepared.

During class, you are advised to be focused. Read and practice everything.

    3     Don't run through a course jumping videos and don't do other activities which are not related to your lessons. Be comfortable communicating through text. Most communication in an online course appears in the written word. Online discussion activities, written tasks, and email are all common ways of communication in online courses.     4     Be prepared to read and write a lot in online courses.

Remember to be active. If you have questions or don't understand your task, tell your teacher.     5     Don't wait until after you've turned in a task to let the teacher know that you have struggled. If you email or call the teacher before a task or an exam, you'll prevent the struggle, and avoid having your grade suffer.

A．Go through every screen.

B．Online classes need less work.

C．You'll understand the teacher better.

D．Your teacher can help you better if you tell him or her.

E．Be sure you have the necessary software and hardware.

F．Actually, they're designed just as demanding as traditional courses.

G．This is different from traditional classes, where communication comes from your mouth.

【推荐1】Exercise is one of the best things you can do for your health. But how about for your sleep?     1     Let's learn more about the relationship between exercise and sleep.

How does exercise influence sleep?

People who exercise regularly get better sleep than those who don't.     2    That may lead to a decrease in body temperature at night, allowing people to experience deeper sleep.    3    

For most people, the time when they take exercise doesn't matter. For too much exercise, the late afternoon might be the best. For ongoing training, morning might be preferable. Taking exercise at night, you should gently do stretching （拉伸）after that. This will let your body know it is time to calm down.

Which type of exercise is best for sleep?

The best type of exercise is the one you enjoy enough to stick with and you should make it a regular part of your routine.     4    

How much exercise do you need for better sleep?

    5    However, it's wise to work out about 150 minutes every week, or about 30 minutes each day, five days a week. Little things you do all day long can add up. From taking the stairs to walking instead of driving. Try to spend fewer minutes sitting during the day.

A．What can help you sleep more soundly?

B．What time of day is best for exercise?

C．Either yoga class or lifting weights can help you sleep well.

D．The answer is that being active during the day can improve the sleep at night.

E．Exercise increases total sleep time, which leads to greater sleep satisfaction.

F．The amount will vary, depending on factors such EIS age and fitness level.

G．Exercise increases the amount of a chemical, which can increase body temperature.

【推荐2】Many diseases and medical conditions are caused by things out of our control. Yet experts say you can control and even prevent many of the factors that increase your chances of dying. Experts note that an unhealthy lifestyle can put you at great risk of heart disease and strokes. So doctors urge us to eat healthy foods, get exercise, stop smoking and limit our alcohol intake. But there is something else you can do. And it is free and easy. Smile!

Anand Chockalingam is a heart disease specialist at University of Missouri Health Care in Columbia, Missouri. He advises his patients to smile. “When we smile, the brain wiring gets altered. The chemicals that are released are more positive.” He says smiling is a first step in fighting physical and emotional stress and sometimes the stress has harmful effects on human health. This is not just New Age advice. Several studies support Dr. Chockalingam’s prescription -smile more.

Disorders of the heart and blood vessels(血管) are the number one cause of death around the world. The main causes of heart attacks and strokes are blockages in blood vessels. These prevent blood from flowing to the heart or the brain. When you feel stressed or under pressure, your body releases many natural hormones(激素) that increase your heart rate and blood pressure. Cortisol is the body’s main stress hormone. It increases sugar in the bloodstream. If you are truly in danger, these hormones can help you. They are part of what we call our fight- or-flight response. However, when you are stressed for a long period, these stress hormones may lead to health problems.

Dr. Chockalingam says a smile may be one way to help. He tells his patients to smile 20 times an hour. To some, that might seem like a lot of smiling. Or some might even feel foolish... smiling for seemingly no reason. But a smile does not involve drugs. It is free and it has no bad side effects.

“Once people smile, they are relaxed. This relaxation directly lowers blood pressure, and improves sugar levels in the blood. If we are smiling, we are breaking that link between stress and health.”

1. What is the purpose of the first paragraph?

A．To stop people from drinking too much alcohol.

B．To show the importance of leading a healthy lifestyle.

C．To show some factors that can increase the chance of dying.

D．To introduce a free and easy way to control the factors of dying.

2. What can we learn from paragraph 2?

A．The patients who smile can get altered.

B．Smiling can add to physical and emotional stress.

C．Physical and emotional stress must have bad effects.

D．When people smile, there will be positive chemicals produced.

3. Which of the following statements is reasonable?

A．The smiling patients are foolish.

B．Heart attacks and strokes don’t cause death.

C．The stress hormones may lead to different results, good or bad.

D．When you feel stressed, the body releases many beneficial hormones.

4. What does the passage mainly talk about?

A．Smiling makes you relaxed.

B．You should lead a happy life.

C．Smiling is beneficial to your health.

D．You should stop leading the unhealthy life.

【推荐3】Space travelers face a number of health risks. Astronauts have reported loss of bones and muscle and some even have developed immune disorders and heart problems. A new study finds that energy-producing new structures in cells might be to blame for many of these problems.

A systems biologist, Afshin Beheshti, who studies how different parts of the body work together, also a member of a team of researchers that want to know how spaceflight might affect cells and tissues, notes, “It’s a basic question.”

The team looked at NASA GeneLab’s collection of data from past space biology experiments and studied cells and tissues from mice and people and compared space travelers with others that had remained on Earth.

“The idea is not only to look at one type of chemical,”Beheshti says. Rather, they wanted to “look at the living system as a whole”. And in doing that, they found a common theme. After some time in space, mitochondria, the energy powerhouses of cells, often didn’t work as well as they should.

Those findings are consistent with samples from NASA’s Twin Study. Before retiring, astronaut Scott Kelly spent nearly a year aboard the International Space Station. His twin, Mark remained on the ground. Afterward, blood samples from the two showed different mitochondrial activities.

For the latest study, Beheshti and his team studied GeneLab data for many types of cells and tissues. Another focus was related to metabolism. That process includes a mix of chemical activities that supports life in cells, organs and the whole body.

Damage to mitochondria may be a common factor in spaceflight health risks, the team now concludes. Finding similar changes in so many astronauts indeed points to some general effect, agrees Michael Snyder, a systems biologist at Stanford University in California, who worked on Scott and Mark Kelly’s Twin Study but was not part of the new analysis. If mitochondria are the cause, dealing with problems of them could help protect future astronauts. Some diseases cause mitochondrial defects(线粒体缺陷). Dealing with such diseases in different ways may help reduce astronauts’ health risks. Future studies could test if existing drugs prevent mitochondrial problems in cells, animals and people on long deep-space travels.

1. What might cause astronauts to have health problems according to the new study?

A．Temperature difference.	B．Heart cell increase.
C．Cell problems.	D．Tiring work.

2. Which method did Beheshti’s team employ to do the research?

A．They did all kinds of tests on astronaut Scott Kelly.

B．They referred to some previous data.

C．They followed some astronauts for many years.

D．They observed behaviors of astronauts in person.

3. What may contribute to the decrease of astronauts’ health risks?

A．Treating the diseases which cause mitochondrial defects.

B．Performing fewer long deep-space travels.

C．Letting new structure in cells grow quickly.

D．Making astronauts eat as healthily as possible.

4. What’s the main idea of the text?

A．Astronauts face great danger in the space station.

B．Space travels are really dangerous to astronauts’ health.

C．Scientists have found ways to reduce astronauts’ health risks.

D．Space travels may harm health by damaging mitochondria.

【推荐1】Birth order, according to conventional wisdom, molds (塑造) personality; Firstborn children, secure with their place in the family, are expected to be mature and more responsible. Younger siblings (兄弟姐妹) work harder to get their parents’ attention and take more risk. That’s the central idea in psychologist Frank J. Sulloway’s “Born to Rebel”, an influential book on birth order.

However, birth order does not appear to influence personality in adults, according to several ambitious studies published in the past few years, which relied on larger data sets and more statistical methods than earlier reports.

Schmukle, a psychologist at University of Leipzig. and his colleagues, in a study published in 2015, assessed birth order for about 20,000 people from different countries and found that birth order did not change any of five broad personality traits (特征). A follow-up study on more specific characteristics, published by Sehmukle two years later, did not find any effect of birth order, either. Rodica Damian, a social psychologist at the University of Houston, studied more than 370,000 high school students and also concluded, in 2015, that birth order does not influence the Big Five.

In the Basel-Berlin Risk Study, one of the most exhaustive attempts to measure risk preference, researchers asked participants about driving too fast and other risky behaviors. “None of these behavioral measures showed any convincing relationship between being a later-born and talking more risks,” the study authors wrote.

We tend to confuse birth order and age. “Some of the birth order effects that we observe in everyday life are not birth order effects, but actually are age effects,” Schmukle said. “It is not surprising that when you look at differences within families, firstborns are more responsible than later-borns. But take age out of the picture, and the effect disappears.”

1. What’s Sulloway’s attitude to birth order effects?

A．Favorable.

B．Cautious.

C．Doubtful.

D．Ambiguous.

2. What do the studies in the text have in common?

A．They all proved the birth order effects.

B．They were conducted by the same team.

C．They concentrated on firstborn children.

D．They based the results on statistical data.

3. What may account for firstborn’s being more responsible?

A．Birth order.	B．Risky behaviors.
C．Age effects.	D．Parents’ attention.

4. How does the author support the main viewpoint?

A．By giving examples.	B．By listing findings.
C．By making comparisons.	D．By showing instructions.

【推荐1】The king was to pass by a beggar’s small poor house and the man was excited, not because he was about to see the king but because the king was known to part with expensive jewels and huge sums of money when moved by sympathy.
He saw the king’s carriage just when a kind man was filling his begging bowl with uncooked rice. Pushing the man aside, he ran into the street, shouting praises of the king and the royal family.
The carriage stopped and the king beckoned to the beggar.
“Who are you?” he asked. “One of the most unfortunate of your people,” said the beggar. “Poverty sits on my doorstep and follows me about like a dog. I haven’t eaten since yesterday afternoon!” “Have you nothing for your king except great sorrow?” said the ruler, putting out his hand. “Give me something.” The beggar, astonished, carefully picked up 5 grains of rice from his bowl and laid them on the king’s outstretched palm. The king drove away. The beggar’s disappointment was great. He complained and cursed the king again and again for his miserliness.
When he returned home in the evening he found a bag of rice on the floor. “Some generous soul has been here,” he thought and took out a handful of rice from the bag. To his astonishment, there was a small piece of gold in it. He realized then that the bag had been sent by the king. He emptied the rice on the floor, feeling sure there would be more gold pieces in it, and he was right. He found 5, one for each grain of rice he had given the king.
“It is not the king who has been miserly,” thought the man, sadly. “If I had been generous and given him the whole bowl of rice, I would have been a rich man today.”
1. From the passage, we know that the king___________.

A．was a kind man	B．was arrogant
C．was a miserly man	D．was very young

2. Why did the king ask the beggar for something according to the text?

A．Because he was poor than the beggar.

B．Because he wanted to make the beggar even poorer.

C．Because he had nothing to eat.

D．Because he wanted to give something to the beggar in return.

3. The real reason why the beggar got only five gold pieces is that________.

A．he complained and cursed the king again and again

B．the king was only generous to rich people

C．the king wanted to punish him severely

D．he himself was miserly

【推荐2】They say that Mexico is a country no one ever leaves. Every year, millions of tourists pass through, and Mexicans jovially (高兴地) warn that a part of them will remain behind forever. Most visitors are vacationing North Americans who wind up on the brilliant beaches of Cancun, Acapulco, Mazatlan, and Puerto Vallarta. The beaches, of course, are among the world’s best—but those who venture inland are rewarded with the true soul of Mexico, which has always resided firmly in the interior.

And it is a big soul. Mexico is vast, made up of nearly two million square miles of coastline, desert, rain forests, mountains, and fertile plains. From the American borderlands of the wide, agriculturally rich north, the country narrows gently as it sweeps south and east. The two main mountain ranges, the Sierra Madre Occidental and the Sierra Madre Oriental, hug the west and east, finally merging (并入) into the volcanically active central highlands and the capital, Mexico City—the most populous city in the world. Further south, the country narrows to only 100 miles, then broadens again before reaching the Guatemalan border. There are two major peninsulas (半岛) that are almost countries themselves. In the west is the poetically barren Baja Peninsula; to the east, protruding into the Caribbean like the end of a fish hook, is the Yucatan peninsula, bursting with rain forests, Mayan ruins, and white powder beaches.

The population is about 106 million, and the generosity（慷慨大方）of the Mexican people is unsurpassed (非常卓越的). Knowing a few simple sentences in Spanish will win hearts.

Mexico has been graced with an unusually temperate climate year round. The most important thing to remember is that the Mexican summer is also the rainy season, although the rain rarely lasts more than a few hours, and typically arrives in the late afternoon. Extremes are present only in the North and in Baja, both of which have deserts where the temperature leaps above 100F. Mexico City has a year-round temperature in the high 80s, while the coasts usually stay in the mid-90s. Night time temperatures fall somewhat, but rarely break down below a comfortable 60F.

1. By saying “Knowing a few simple sentences in Spanish will win hearts.”, the writer wants to show that_____.

A．Mexicans are particularly friendly to foreigners who can speak Spanish

B．Spanish is Mexico’s official language

C．Mexicans especially welcome Spanish tourists

D．Mexicans all want to learn about Spanish culture

2. The last paragraph is mainly about Mexico’s _____.

A．geography

B．climate

C．population

D．language

3. In the north of Mexico, _____.

A．there are plenty of rainforests

B．many volcanoes are very active

C．economy mainly depends on agriculture

D．visitors can enjoy Mayan ruins in the forests

4. The purpose of this passage is to _____.

A．tell us the results of the writer’s survey

B．advise us to tour around Mexico

C．give us some introduction about Mexico

D．show the relationship between temperature and desert

5. It can be inferred that a tourist who stays in Mexico City usually feels _____.

A．cold

B．frozen

C．comfortable

D．hot

6. Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?

A．Nobody prefers to leave Mexico.

B．Mexico City has a large population.

C．Baja Peninsula looks like a fish hook.

D．Whoever visits Mexico can learn about Mexico’s soul.

【推荐3】The National Council for the Traditional Arts (NCTA) is a leading non-profit organization dedicated to the presentation and documentation of folk and traditional arts in the United States. NCTA presents the nation’s very finest artists in festivals, tours, international cultural exchange, workshops, demonstrations and exhibitions, media productions, school programs, and other activities. It works in partnership with communities across America to establish new, sustainable traditional arts events that deliver lasting social and cultural benefits.

NCTA seeks Festival Support Staff for 2020 festival season to provide office and on-site support for three large-scale festivals. Positions available include:

Programming Administration Assistant

This is the perfect position for someone with an interest in history, arts management, cultural anthropology, and related fields.

Responsibilities include programming research, marketing and promotion, and event organization. The position may also be responsible for press and photo document management,   social media updates, and customer service.

Qualified applicants will be detail-oriented(细心的) and organized, with excellent people skills and a general interest in the traditional arts. Computer literacy is essential. Contract runs May 1 - December 15.

Festival Assistant

This is the perfect position for someone with an interest in arts, culture, and event logistics(后勤) who enjoys operating in a fast-paced, collegial small-office environment.

The position provides festival staff support. Responsibilities include document creation, travel purchase, logistics support, data entry, and database maintenance.

Qualified applicants will be outgoing and open-minded, with effective oral and written communication skills and computer literacy. Prior experience with festival planning is preferred. Contract runs May 18 - October 30.

Production Associate

The Production Associate is a key member of the production team who will work closely with the Production Manager on all festival audio, backline, and lighting needs, from planning through implementation(实施).

The role will contribute to the following key tasks: advancing technical needs with artists, making tech books, accurate record-keeping, and working with NCTA and Festival staff to insure smooth on-site operations.

Qualified applicants will be responsible and adaptable, with excellent people skills. Prior experience in concert production is preferred. Contract runs June 15 - October 30.

All Positions: Experience with database entry, Microsoft Office, and Adobe Acrobat is required. Must have a clean driving record, or reliable transportation. Some evenings, weekends, and travel required.

All positions are full time with contract. Deadline is April 20, 2020.

More details and how to apply at: http//ncta-America.com.

1. According to the passage, NCTA ____.

A．focuses on cultural and art education

B．keeps a record of American traditional arts

C．enjoys economic benefits from communities

D．aims to help the artists in art-related activities

2. The programming administration assistant will probably_____.

A．plan and design program

B．create social networking websites

C．deal with complaints from customers

D．photograph newspapers and documents

3. What is the requirement for all the three positions?

A．Driving skills.

B．Communication skills.

C．Working experience.

D．Knowledge on traditional arts.

4. Once employed, one will _________.

A．work full time

B．travel every week

C．start the job in May

D．learn database design