【推荐1】Tokyo is one of those places that you can love and hate at the same time.

In Tokyo there are always too many people in the places where I want to be. Of course there are too many cars. The Japanese drive very fast，but in Tokyo they often spend a long time in traffic jams. Tokyo is not different from London，Paris and New York in that. It is different when one wants to walk.

At certain times of the day there are a lot of people on foot in London’s Oxford Street. But the streets near the Ginze in Tokyo always have a lot of people on foot， and sometimes it is really difficult to walk. People are very polite; there are just too many of them.

The worst time to be in the street is at 11:30 at night. That is when the nightclubs are closing and everybody wants to go home. There are 35,000 nightclubs in Tokyo, and you do not often see one that is empty.

During the day，most people travel to and from work by train. Tokyo people buy six million train tickets every day. At most stations, trains arrive every two or three minutes, but at certain hours there do not seem to be enough trains. Although they are usually crowded, Japanese trains are very good. They always leave and arrive on time. On a London train you would see everybody reading a newspaper. In Tokyo trains everybody in a seat seems to be asleep, whether his journey is long or short.

In Tokyo, I stood outside the station for five minutes. Three fire-engines raced past on the way to one of the many fires that Tokyo has every day. Tokyo has so many surprises that none of them can really surprise me now.

1. Tokyo is different from London in that ________.

A．there are many traffic jams

B．nightclubs are sometimes empty

C．wherever I want to be, it’s too crowded

D．it is more difficult to go somewhere on foot

2. According to the passage, Japanese trains_________.

A．are always punctual

B．often delay at most situations

C．are crowded because they are often late

D．are the last means people use to travel to and from work

3. What is the story mainly about？

A．The writer’s impression of Tokyo.

B．The reasons why the writer loves Tokyo.

C．Different means of transportation in Tokyo.

D．Many surprises that Tokyo has brought to the writer.

4. Fires break out _______ in Tokyo according to the writer.

A．very seldom	B．quite frequently
C．three times a day	D．the most often in the world

【推荐1】As the capital of China's Shaanxi Province, Xi'an's long history was properly summed up by our English-speaking guide: "If Xi'an is the grandmother of cities, Beijing is a youth and Shanghai is just a baby in the womb. "
However, it was not until 1974, following the chance discovery of the Army of Terracotta Warriors by well-digging farmers, that Xi'an was once again pushed onto the international map. Three decades later, the local government is pouring funds into the tourism sector. Ancient monuments and museums are being restored, and various copies of Buddhist and Tang heritage are being constructed to help Chinese tourists rediscover their national heritage.
One of those ancient monuments is the Big Wild Goose Pagoda-Xi'an's most sacred (神圣的) monument-which was built in 652 by the monk Xuanzang ,who travelled across India for 18 years and returned with a precious collection of Buddhist sacred texts. In 1966,the Red Guards burnt the pagoda's scriptures, silk wall hangings and other relics in a bonfire that raged all night. But that destruction has largely been forgotten as tourists flock to the newly restored pagoda. The only original remainders-the empty shell of the seven-storey pagoda-light up at night, standing out in the city's skyline.
Xi'an is also displaying the glories of the ancient Tang Dynasty, with a 165-acre Tang Paradise Theme Park that is visited by flocks of tourist groups. Although every bit of this Tang heritage is recreated, it is artistically pleasing, landscaped with ponds and lakes, classical gardens, bridges, palaces and pavilions. Explore the vast area on a golf cart, hopping on and off to see shortened operas from the Tang Dynasty days, laser shows on the lake, highly structured man-made waterfalls, as well as murals and statues of historical figures ,philosophers and poets.
A 36km drive northeast takes you to Xi'an's most famous attraction, the Army of Terracotta Warriors. They were made to order in 221BC by the first emperor of China, Qin Shi Huangdi, who used the forced   labour of 700,000 subjects to create a mausoleum(陵庙) guarded by an entire army.
1. From the passage we can learn that a large sum of money of the local government in Xi'an is being ploughed into         .

A．restoring the monuments

B．restoring the Pagoda

C．tourism industry

D．exploring the history

2. How many historical sites in Xi'an have been referred to in the passage?

A．Three.

B．Four.

C．One.

D．Six.

3. What can we learn from the fourth paragraph about the Tang Paradise Theme Park?

A．Visitors are pleased with the survivals from the Tang Dynasty.

B．The natural waterfalls in it are very attractive.

C．It is totally recreated but is artistically pleasant.

D．Visitors can appreciate the full Tang Dynasty operas.

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

A．Make a visit to ancient sites at once.

B．China's ancient capital rises again.

C．Travel to the Army of Terracotta Warriors.

D．Take a view in the modern city.

【推荐2】Recently, a research on how a new virtual reality (VR 虚拟的现实) experience educated children about the fire disasters was done. It was developed by the University of South Australia, aiming to educate children to learn how to be safe in a fire. It presents a situation for children aged 10-12. In the situation, They are tasked to look after a friend’s dog just before a fire event begins. They participate in a series of problem-solving activities to help save and protect themselves and the dog.

The findings showed that more than 80% of children reported that they felt more confident to tell the advantages and disadvantages of different choices. They also learnt to make wise decisions to protect themselves from a fire. Children thought it is especially important and meaningful, because 91% of them didn’t have any knowledge of fires at the beginning, and that 67% had said that they were too young to make safety decisions in a fire.

The researchers believed such VR experiences made it possible to attract and educate the young. “As children born in digital times, they are interested in such technology and they can experience events realistically yet within the safe environment.” said Delene Weber, one of the researchers. “Well-designed VR can provide a chance for children with surprisingly valuable learning tools.” Meanwhile, because children have fewer life experiences, aren’t as physically strong, and are less likely to have learned much about fire safety, they’re often most at risk. However, the ability for children to contribute to fire safety at their homes should not be underestimated (低估). “Children do not need to be always waiting for help in disasters and with those virtual reality experiences, we can help children understand the risks and realize they can help,” said Weber.

1. What is the purpose of the new VR experience?

A．To describe children’s reactions to fire disasters.

B．To teach children to save themselves in a fire.

C．To introduce ways of avoiding a fire to children.

D．To increase children’s interest in VR experiences.

2. From the findings, what is the children’s attitude towards the new VR experience?

A．Doubtful.

B．Worried.

C．Uncertain.

D．Supportive.

3. From paragraph 3, we mainly get to know the              of the new VR experience?

A．development.

B．advantages.

C．quality.

D．introduction.

4. According to the passage, which of the following is True?

A．Children make no differences in the fire safety at their homes.

B．VR experiences are mainly designed for children in high school.

C．Well designed VR can offer children amazingly valuable learning tools.

D．91% of children believed they were not old enough to make safety decisions.

【推荐1】Michele Gentile, an Italian bookseller, is offering free books to children in exchange for plastic bottles to recycle.

Michele owns Ex Libris Cafe in Polla，a small town in southern Italy. He said he thought of the recycling program, because he wanted to inspire children in the small town to read and pay attention to the environment.

''My goal is to spread the passion and love for books among those people in Italy who do not usually read while at the time helping the environment," Gentile explained.

The idea for the initiative (倡议) came after Gentile collaborated with a nearby middle school on an aluminum recycling project. Working together, the schoolchildren and Gentile collected enough cans to purchase books for an entire classroom. His new program too off from there and has already spread into northern Italy: Gentile's hopes his work will continue to make headlines and become a worldwide initiative.

The free books come from customers in Gentile's shop who have donated money to purchase a ''suspended" book. The idea comes from a World War II practice in which customers would buy two Coffees: one for themselves and another for the next person in line. Gentile has been using the extra books as part of his recycling initiative,

While Gentile's program is a great way to recycle and get kids to read, it also brings awareness to the growing problem of plastic waste. Single-use plastics make up around 26 percent of all the plastics in the world, only 14 percent of which are recycled. Plastics that end up in landfills take around 500 years to decompose (分解),is a major concern for environmentalists.

Cutting down on plastic waste is important if we want to better the environment for future generations, and recycling programs like Gentile's book giveaway are a great way to meet that goal.

1. What is the purpose of Gentile's book giveaway?

A．To sell more coffee and books.	B．To attract more customers.
C．To collect money for a new project.	D．To inspire reading and recycling.

2. How did Gentile come up with the idea?

A．Working with a school to recycle cans.	B．Seeing school kids don't like reading.
C．Donating books for a local school.	D．Buying a “suspended” book for a child.

3. Who pay for the books of the project?

A．The local government.	B．Gentile himself.
C．Some publishers.	D．His customers.

4. Which of the following is the best title for the text?

A．An Italian's Reading Initiative	B．Recycling Can Get Kids Free Books
C．Michele's Way of Doing Business	D．A New Way to Deal with Plastic Waste

【推荐2】Osaka, Japan — Defending champions China lifted the FIVB Women’s Volleyball World Cup trophy（奖品）with perfect 11 straight wins after easing past Argentina 3-0 here on Sunday. With their eleventh win at the 2019 FIVB Volleyball Women’s World Cup, China won the FIVB Women’s Volleyball World Cup.

This year, the World Cup has been played across different cities, and Team China had training sessions even on traveling days when some participating teams chose to rest up after a tiring flight. “Coach Lang focuses on details of the technique in the training sessions, and I feel our team has become more balanced.” Captain Zhu Ting said. This firm approach explains how China managed to turn the table against the United States at the World Cup. Never giving up, especially in adversity, that’s what the spirit of Chinese women’s volleyball means.

When the team struggled, Zhu was always there, doing whatever was needed to carry the team forward. That’s why she has become a national volleyball icon, just like “Iron Hammer” Lang. As for Lang, she took over the flag from her former coach Yuan Weimin, who was behind China’s rise in the beginning. From coach Yuan to coach Lang, and spiker（主攻手）Lang to spiker Zhu, the flag bearers may have changed over time, but the craving for championships and the steely desire and determination remain the same.

Volleyball is a team sport and behind the on-court team. There is always a supportive coaching team and staff. Lai was one of the members. Shouldering responsibilities as both vice director of China’s Volleyball Management Center and as assistant coach. Apart from coordinating between coaches and players, Chinese coaches and foreign coaches and sometimes within Chinese coaches, she also has to do chores. During Rio 2016, assistant coach Yuan Lingxi headed for the arena（竞技场）at 6 am every day to film the matches and would return to the Olympic Village at 2 am when he would start analyzing China’s opponents and file reports. There are many Lais and Yuans that are not known by the public, but who remain indispensable for the team to overcome difficulties and reach their peak.

1. What does the underlined word “lifted” probably mean in paragraph 1?

A．Raised.	B．Won.
C．Beat.	D．Expected.

2. What does the spirit of Chinese women’s volleyball mean according to paragraph 2?

A．Being a special team.	B．Sticking to the end.
C．Winning every game.	D．Training hard every day.

3. Why does Zhu Ting become a national volleyball icon?

A．She wins many awards in the World Cup.

B．She keeps strong desire and determination.

C．She takes lots of training after the tiring fight.

D．She does almost everything to help the team forward.

4. What does the author intend to convey in the last paragraph?

A．Hard work is vital in volleyball matches.

B．The coach has a great influence on players.

C．The staff behind the on-court team is also important.

D．Understanding opponents is necessary to win the game.

【推荐3】Atlantic puffins (海雀) spend most of their life at sea. When it's time to lay eggs, the birds gather on seaside cliffs. They dig into the ground to build nests. After a chick was born, it spends six weeks in the nest, feasting on fish supplied by its parents. Then the young bird must look after itself. It leaves the nest and flies to the sea.

But on Heimaey, an island off the coast of Iceland, human-made objects have disrupted the chicks’ trip to the ocean. Luckily, they are getting help from the children of Heimaey.

Instinct tells chicks to follow the light of the moon to the sea, but they are confused by Heimaey’s bright lights. Each year, a large number of them end up lost, or worse. Often, the birds are hit by cars or caught and eaten by cats.

Each breeding season, the children of Heimaey form search parties. They carry flashlights and cardboard boxes. “When you see a bird, you try to corner it and herd it into the box,” said Eldur Hansen. Eldur is 14 and he has caught several puffins this way. Each year, they rescue thousands of chicks. Children take rescued birds home. The next morning, they take them to the beach for release.

Before releasing the chicks, the children make a stop at the local aquarium, where the birds are weighed and tagged for tracking purposes. This helps scientists learn more about puffins.

Atlantic puffins are now listed as a rare species. That means they are likely to become endangered. The main reason is that the ocean’s supply of small fish is diminishing. This is tied to overfishing and rising ocean temperatures.

Erpur Hansen, Eldur Hansen’s dad, is with the South Iceland Nature Research Center. He said the children’s action was more important than ever. Thanks to data gathered with the children’s help, researchers have learned that chicks now weigh less than in previous years. That means they have a lower chance of survival. Researchers worry that puffins will die out if ocean temperatures continue to rise, but the children’s rescue inspires them.

1. What will a mother puffin do after a chick was born?

A．Catch fish to feed the chick.	B．Stay in the nest for six weeks.
C．Leave the nest and fly to the sea alone.	D．Lead the chick back to the sea at once.

2. What may disturb the chicks’ sense of direction on their way to the sea?

A．The cars.

B．The children.

C．The animals.

D．The lights.

3. What does the underlined word “diminishing” in Paragraph 6 mean?

A．Changing.

B．Decreasing.

C．Accumulating.

D．Abandoning.

4. How do the researchers compare the chicks’ weight?

A．Getting information from the library.	B．Researching the colors of the chicks.
C．Studying the data collected by the children.	D．Weighing the chicks adopted at the local aquarium.

【推荐1】Why do we laugh and get amusement from so many different things, from puns (双关语) to pratfalls? Why are some things funny to some people and not to others? How is that while a successful joke can cause pleasure, a sick one can cause serious harm?

Over the centuries, various scholars have attempted to produce a universally agreed-upon theory of humor. Plato and Aristotle introduced the superiority(优越感) theory, the idea that people laugh at the misfortune of others. Their theory seems to explain teasing, but it doesn’t work well for knock-knock jokes. Sigmund Freud argued for his relief theory, the concept that humor is a way for people to release psychological tension and reveal their inner fears and desires. His theory works well for dirty jokes, less well for most puns.

The majority of humor expels today agree with the incongruity theory, the idea that humor arises when there’s a gap between what people expect to happen and what actually happens. Incongruity has a lot going for it — jokes with unexpected funny lines, for example, fit well. But scientists have found that in comedy, unexpectedness is overvalued.

With the goal of developing a new, more satisfactory explanation, I produced “the gentle violation(违背) theory”, the idea that humor arises when something seems wrong or threatening, but is actually OK or safe. A dirty joke, for example, trades on moral or social violations, but it’s only going to get a laugh if the person listening is open enough to consider the subject OK to talk about. Similarly, puns can be seen as linguistic violations that still make grammatical sense.

And while most humor theories have struggled to account for tickling (挠痒痒), or just avoided the phenomenon altogether, my theory accounts for even this kind of laughter. Tickling involves violating someone’s physical space in a gentle way. People can’t tickle themselves — because it isn’t a violation.

1. What is the author’s attitude towards Plato and Aristotle’s theory?

A．Critical.	B．Approving.
C．Uncaring	D．Unclear.

2. According to Sigmund Freud’s theory, we can infer that ________.

A．people will laugh when they see others suffer

B．telling dirty jokes is a relief of one’s nervous feelings’

C．unexpectedness can explain how humor works

D．tickling doesn’t involve psychological tension

3. According to the author, why are some things funny to some people but not to others?

A．Because the sense of humor varies greatly from person to person.

B．Because people have different expectations for the same thing.

C．Because some people lack the sense of safety deep in their heart.

D．Because people’s understanding of violation is different.

4. What is the author’s main purpose of writing this passage?

A．To draw people’s attention to the research of humor.

B．To criticize people’s misconceptions about humor.

C．To explain what exactly causes people to laugh.

D．To prove the sense of humor can be developed.

【推荐2】This year I did something I once swore I'd never do—shopping at midnight on Black Friday. I know, I'm crazy. So why would I bear three things I resent—traffic, cold weather, and crowds—for a few bargains? Teenagers.

I have two of them, and I love them with my whole heart, even though, for them, spending time with Mom is usually down on their list next to homework and picking up the dog waste. I am no longer the one with whom they want to share a secret, play a game, or just hang out. So, when they asked me to take them shopping at midnight on Black Friday, my first reaction was definitely no! But my son, who usually runs the other way if I mention shopping, wanted me to take him shopping. I felt needed.

There was an hour's car ride. We belted out songs on the radio, laughing at who got the words wrong and who was off key. We talked about the deals we hoped to score. The kids quarreled back and forth as usual, and I had to keep the peace. That's what moms do.

Once inside, we had to work as a team, one going this way, one the other, hoping to come together with just the right size and color. Searching for a particular shirt for my husband was proving to be a losing battle as I dug through pile after pile of untidy clothing. Giving up in defeat, I turned to see my daughter coming toward me, shirt in hand and victory on her face. "I got the last one!”

So we got out at 3 a. m. with some bargains. But for me, I got so much more. Quality time with my kids. Driving home, I looked in the rearview mirror at my children's sweet faces, both sleeping in the car like they did when they were little. If they ask me to go again next year, I'm in.

1. What does the underlined word "resent” probably mean?

A．hate

B．avoid.

C．appreciate

D．complain.

2. Which can best describe the author’ mother-child relationship in Para. 2?

A．Ignorable

B．Unchangeable

C．Annoying

D．Distant.

3. What is Paragraph 3 mainly about?

A．Their struggles on the way	B．The songs played on the radio.
C．Good time spent with children	D．The things that moms should do.

4. What does the author think of the shopping?

A．Routine

B．Satisfying

C．Exhausting

D．Unsuccessful.

【推荐3】A six-year-old British girl, Mollie Price, is opening up her third candy store. She is said to be one of Britain’s youngest bosses. Her stores are called “Mollie’s.” She sells both British and American candy. The girl would like to open more candy stores. “It might sound crazy, but believe me,” Mollie says.

“It was Mollie’s idea to open up the shop. It is Mollie who runs (经营) the candy stores,” her mother Becky, her “business partner” says.

Her mother says all the stores are put together and stocked (进货) by Mollie. Mollie works in one of the stores every Saturday, then gets up early Sunday to go to the company’s product supplier (供应商). She asks her friends to test the sweets to decide which ones are good. She’s good at smart marketing. For example, if the weather is really cold, she sells the Mr Whippy ice cream cheaper than when it’s hot outside.

“Children have the best ideas. I tell my mum what I think and she always says I have good ideas. It’s just because I know what other children like,” Mollie says.

1. What’s Mollie’s plan for the future?

A．Become Britain’s youngest boss.	B．Open more candy stores.
C．Work as a product supplier.	D．Make the best ice cream products.

2. How does Mollie know which kinds of candy are good?

A．Her mother decides it.

B．She has her friends test the candy.

C．She goes to the market to research.

D．She asks the company’s product supplier.

3. The prices of some ice cream products in Mollie’s stores change according to _______.

A．the number of the products	B．her friend’s idea
C．the weather	D．the dates

4. According to the passage, what’s the key (关键) to Mollie’s success?

A．She works hard and she is good at smart marketing.

B．The company’s supplier makes good products.

C．She would like to open more candy stores.

D．Her mother always has good ideas.

5. According to the passage, Mollie is a(n)________ girl.

A．kind

B．honest

C．smart

D．polite