【推荐1】Your glasses may someday replace your smartphone, and some New Yorkers are ready for the switch. Some in the city can’t wait to try them on and use the maps and GPS that the futuristic eyewear is likely to include.

“I’d use it if I were hanging out with friends at 3 a. m. and going to the bar and wanted to see what was open,” said Walter Choo of Fort Greene.

The smartphone-like glasses will likely come out this year and cost between $250 and $600, the Times said, possibly including a variation of augmented reality, a technology already available on smartphones and tablets that overlays information onto the screen about one’s surroundings. So, for example, if you were walking down a street, indicators would pop up showing you the nearest coffee shop or directions could be plotted out and come into view right on the sidewalk in front of you.

“As far as a mainstream consumer product, this just isn’t something anybody needs,” said Sam Biddle, who writes for Gizmodo.com. “We’re accustomed to having one thing in our pocket to do all these things,” he added, “and the average consumer isn’t gonna be able to afford another device that’s hundreds and hundreds of dollars.” Google publisher Seth Weintraub, who has been reporting on the smartphone-like glasses since last year, said he is confident that this type of wearable device will eventually be as common as smartphones.

“It’s just like smartphones 10 years ago,” Weintraub said. “A few people started getting emails on their phones, and people thought that was crazy. Same kind of thing. We see people bending their heads to look at their smartphones, and it’s unnatural,” he said. “There’s gonna be improvements to that, and this is a step there.”

1. Which is one of the possible functions of the smartphone-like glasses?

A．Programing the opening hours of a bar.

B．Supplying you with a picture of the future.

C．Providing information about your surroundings.

D．Updating the maps and GPS in your smartphones.

2. The underlined word “indicators” in paragraph 3 means _______.

A．advertisements	B．lights
C．signs	D．glasses

3. According to Sam Biddle, the smartphone-like glasses are _______.

A．necessary for teenagers	B．attractive to New Yorkers
C．available to people worldwide	D．expensive for average consumers

4. What can we learn about the smartphone-like glasses from the last two paragraphs?

A．They may have a potential market.

B．They are as common as smartphones.

C．They are popular among young adults.

D．They will be improved by a new technology.

【推荐2】Dyson, a company best known for its innovative(创新的) line of vacuums and fans, is apparently also interested in providing urbanites with a convenient way to filter(过滤) air pollution. The company recently applied for a patent (专利) in the UK for a pair of headphones that takes in polluted air through ear cups and directs the filtered product to an integrated mouthpiece. Dyson’s engineers behind the invention describe it as a more convenient alternative to traditional face masks.

“In locations with particularly high levels of air pollution, many people have recognized the benefits of reducing their exposure to these pollutants and have therefore taken to wearing face masks with the aim of filtering out at least a portion of the pollutants present in the air before it reaches the mouth and nose,” the inventors write in the invention summary. “However, as these face masks typically cover at least the users mouth and nose, they can make normal breathing more laborious.”

So how does Dyson imagine this equipment working? As you might have guessed for a company that specializes in innovative ways to move air, the ear cups contain small fans that spin at 12, 000 rotations per minute. This provides enough suction(抽吸) to draw in about 1.4 liters of air per second. The air is then filtered to remove pollutants and pushed to a partially-transparent mouthpiece at the front of the user. As a way to reduce the noise of the fans, the headphones also include adaptive noise canceling with an integrated microphone and speakers.

While it’s unknown whether this patent will ever develop into an actual product, it's unfortunately something that many people could use. In its “state of Global Air 2019” report, the non-profit Health Effects Institute ( HEI) listed air pollution as the fifth leading cause for death worldwide, ahead of malnutrition, alcohol use, and physical inactivity.

So are Dyson’s air-purifying headphones straight out of some dystopian(反乌托邦的) science fiction films? You bet. But it’s increasingly our reality that much of the world is living and breathing in cities where that unthinkable future is already playing out. Necessity in the face of such awful man-made pollution will eventually push something similar to market. Whether humanity takes the hint(暗示) and does something to make them useless is sadly less certain.

1. What is the disadvantage of tradition face masks according to Dyson’s engineers?

A．They keep fresh air out.	B．They need regular cleaning.
C．They make breathing difficult.	D．They take too long to filter the pollutants.

2. Why is the HEI’s report mentioned?

A．To show the necessity of the new invention.	B．To show its contribution to the new invention.
C．To explain why people tend to go after new things.	D．To explain why people worldwide have a shorter life.

3. What does the author want to imply in the last paragraph?

A．Air-purifying headphones are not new.	B．Dyson’s invention will be of little use.
C．Human action should come before the technology.	D．Dyson's engineers got inspiration from sci-fi films.

4. What would be the best title for the text?

A．A pioneer of innovation is in a dilemma.

B．Risks that could lead to death are still rising.

C．Air pollution is no longer an age-old problem.

D．A high-tech product might be needed in smoke-choked cities.

【推荐2】Plastic waste is a huge problem in Indonesia, and this has led the country's second-largest city to come up with a novel approach to encourage residents to recycle—free bus rides in exchange for used plastic bottles and cups. The city of Surabaya launched the initiative back in April—the first Indonesian city to put it into practice, and citizens can ride city buses by either dropping off the plastic bottles and cups at terminals(终点站) or using the plastic items to pay their fare directly.

Under the new recycling initiative, a two-hour bus ticket costs up to five plastic bottles or 10 plastic cups, depending on the size. The city hopes this scheme will help it meet its target of becoming free of plastic waste by 2020.

''Garbage, like plastic bottles, piles up in my neighborhood, so I brought it here, so the environment is not only cleaner but also to help ease the workload of garbage collectors,'' said Linda, a resident of Surabaya.

According to Reuters, data show that 15 percent (nearly 400 tons) of the city's daily waste is plastic. The data also show that one bus can collect up to 550 pounds of plastic each day, totaling about 7.5 tons each month. After collecting the plastic waste, workers remove labels and bottle caps before the plastic is sold to recycling companies. This money then goes toward bus operations and to fund urban green spaces.

1. What does the underlined word ''initiative'' probably mean?

A．A new price of riding buses.

B．Dropping off the plastic bottles.

C．Selling plastic items to get fares.

D．The first action to recycle plastic.

2. What's Surabaya’s new way to deal with plastic waste?

A．Plastic items are only sold to companies.

B．Citizens are encouraged to sort plastic bottles.

C．Natives can take city buses instead of driving.

D．People can trade plastic waste for free bus rides.

3. What's Linda's attitude towards the program?

A．Doubtful.

B．Supportive.

C．Negative.

D．Uncaring.

4. What's the purpose of Surabaya's taking the measure?

A．To develop the city's economy.

B．To call on green travel in the city.

C．To raise the environmental awareness.

D．To solve the worldwide social problem.

【推荐1】According to the Nordic (北欧的) legend, “ship worms will not go deep into the wood which has been painted with the seal-tar.” Scholars still debate the meaning of “seal” in “seal-tar”. one is that they mixed tar (清漆) with animal fat. Some experiments suggest this may keep ship worms away. It is clear that tar was an important technology. New findings suggest that a vast industry making it appeared at the beginning of the Viking Age, helping enable their wild ambition.

The oldest tar pits (坑) in Sweden date from around 100 A.D. to 400 A. D. The first were discovered in the early 2000s close to an ancient village suggesting that tar was initially for painting houses and household items. It was made by putting pine wood into pits a metre or two wide, setting it on fire and covering it with fuels to encourage a slow burning. In this way, the wood’s resin (树脂) would turn to tar.

However, as Andreas Hennius, an archaeologist (考古学家) reports, around the eighth century something occurred. The pits got bigger — reaching eight to ten metres in diameter — and moved far into the forest. These pits could have made around 300 litres of tar in a single production.

Mr. Hennius argues that the builders needed all this for ships. The eighth century was when sails arrived in northern Europe. That is no coincidence. Tar has been found on all parts of ships, whether big or small. It was used to make ships safe from water. It was also mixed with other paints to give sails color and offer protection from the sun. This expanded opportunities for long-distance trade, and the large, swift attacks defining the Viking Age.

1. What is the recent discovery according to the passage?

A．The function of tar.	B．The actual meaning of “seal”.
C．The times for large-scale tar production.	D．The major role of tar making industry.

2. What can we infer about the oldest tar pits?

A．The tar production started as an industry first for ship building.

B．The pits around the forest were not suitable for mass production.

C．Tar became an industry thanks to adequate supply of fuels around.

D．The pits were discovered over 2000 years after their first construction.

3. Sails in northern Europe in the eighth century are not a coincidence because________.

A．tar was commonly painted on ships	B．other paints could protect ships
C．more pine wood was around the pits	D．there were bigger pits than before

【推荐2】As any homemaker who has tried to keep order at the dinner table knows, there is far more to a family meal than food. Sociologist Michael Lewis has been studying 50 families to find out just how much more.
Lewis and his co-workers carried out their study by videotaping(录像) the families while they ate ordinary meals in their own homes. They found that parents with small families talk actively with each other and their children. But as the number of children gets larger, conversation gives way to the parents’ efforts to control the loud noise they make. That can have an important effect on the children. “In general the more question-asking the parents do, the higher the children’s IQ scores,” Lewis says. “And the more children there are, the less question-asking there is.”
The study also provides an explanation for why middle children often seem to have a harder time in life than their siblings(兄弟姐妹). Lewis found that in families with three or four children, dinner conversation is likely to center on the oldest child, who has the most to talk about, and the youngest, who needs the most attention. “_______________” says Lewis. “When you see someone get up from the table and walk around during dinner, chances are it’s the middle child.” There is, however, one thing that stops all conversation and prevents anyone from having attention “When the TV is on,” Lewis says, “dinner is a non-event.”
1. ．The writer’s purpose in writing the text is to _________.

A．report on the findings of a study

B．teach parents ways to keep order at the dinner table

C．show the relationship between parents and children

D．give information about family problems

2. ．Parents with large families ask fewer questions at dinner because ____________.

A．they are busy serving food to their children

B．they are tired out having prepared food for the whole family

C．they have to pay more attention to younger children

D．they are busy keeping order at the dinner table

3. ．By saying “Middle children are invisible” in paragraph 3, Lewis means that middle children ______.

A．have to help their parents to serve dinner

B．find it hard to keep up with other children

C．are often kept away from the dinner table

D．get the least attention from the family

4. ．Lewis’ research provides an answer to the question _________.

A．why TV is important in family life

B．why middle children seem to have more difficulties in life

C．why children in small families seem to be quieter

D．why parents should keep good order

5. ．Which of the following statements would the writer agree to?

A．Parents should talk to each of their children frequently.

B．It is a good idea to have the TV on during dinner.

C．It is important to have the right food for children.

D．Elder children should help the younger ones at dinner

【推荐1】The Story Behind the Words

1.husband   Comes from two Old Norse words (the language spoken by the Vikings) that mean “house” and “owner”. The word originally had nothing to do with marriage, except for the fact that home ownership made these men extremely desirable marriage partners.

2.cab   From “cabrioler”,a French word that means “jump like a goat.” The first carriages for public rental bounced up and down so much that they reminded people of goats jumping on a hillside.

3.alarm   From the Italian “To arms!”—which was what soldiers shouted when they saw that the enemy was attacking.

4.jeans   Genoa, called “Gene” by sixteenth-century Europeans, was the first city to make denim cloth. The pants were named after the city.

5.escape   In Latin, this means “without your cape”. The ancient Romans would often avoid capture by throwing off their capes when fleeing so that they could run more quickly.

6.hooligan   It is believed that this term originated from a man’s last name. The man, whose first name was Patrick, terrorized a section of London with his family in the 1890s.

7.broke   Many banks in post-Renaissance Europe issued small “borrower’s tiles(瓦片)” to their customers. Like credit cards, these tiles were imprinted with the owner’s name and credit limit, and the name of the bank. In order to borrow money, the customer had to present the tile to the bank teller who would compare the imprinted credit limit with how much the customer had already borrowed. If the borrower was over the limit, the teller broke the tile on the spot.

8.genuine   From the Latin, originally meant “placed on the knees”. In Ancient Rome,a father legally claimed his newborn child by sitting in front of his family and placing the child on his knee.

9.tip   The popular explanation of the origin of this word is that it is an acronym(首字母缩略词)meaning “To Insure Promptness”, that is, to make sure the service in, e.g., a restaurant, is fast. This is incorrect. The word was underworld slang from the early 1600s,meaning “to pass on a small sum of money.”

10.addict   This was the Latin name for a slave given to Roman soldiers to reward them for performance in battle. Eventually, this term was applied to anyone who was a slave to anything, e.g., a drug.

1. Which pair of words originated from the names of two people?

A．addict and escape.	B．jeans and escape.
C．hooligans and jeans.	D．hooligan and addict.

2. The common belief of the origin of “ ” is not true to the fact.

A．husband

B．tip

C．jeans

D．escape

3. Which of the following words best fits the blank in the sentence: “He got       again due to gambling?”

A．cab

B．genuine

C．alarm

D．broke

【推荐2】Across the world language and history are closely connected. Languages are borrowed and changed. and as society changes, new words or phrases are created to show the current cultural understanding. Some phrases and words simply develop accepted usage, their origin forgotten.

One such phrase grandfathered in has become common, meaning someone is free from following new rules or regulations. While it often makes us think of the image of a gray-haired, older gentleman who gets out of trouble. the intention behind the term arose from something bad. Today. the term is widely used, most notably in real estate and health insurance.

But when the term was first coined in the 1890s, it referred to only one thing: voting rights. After the 15th Amendment (修正案) was carried by the US Constitution in 1870 banning taking way people's right to vote on account of race, color or previous condition of servitude(奴役)，some southern states did not readily accept the ruling. Instead, they carefully made amendments at the state level that avoided the federal law to try to keep African Americans from accessing polling stations. Since the basis of race could no longer be used, the state amendments introduced poll taxes as well as literacy tests. These limits were powerful; close to 30 percent of all voting-age males couldn’t read or write, most of whom were poor black men. But those taxes and tests would also affect poor unlearned white voters. Thus, a grandfather clause was added to allow an unlearned man to vote as long as he or his lineal ancestor (i.e., grandfather) had been a registered voter before 1867---three years before the passage of the 15th Amendment.

The clauses no doubt influenced the vote along racial lines, but party lines were at play too. At the time, most African Americans were Republicans (the party of Abraham Lincoln) and most whites were Democrats. The influence served to keep power in the hands of the Democrats.

The phrase “grandfathered in" is of course still widely used today without the meaning of taking away one's voting rights. But even as culture develops, whether we're aware of it or not, language has the power to hold our history.

1. In which condition is someone considered to be “grandfathered in"?

A．When he looks like an old man.

B．When he disagrees with new rules.

C．When he is not limited by new rules.

D．When he succeeds in making big money.

2. What was some southern states' purpose in making state amendments?

A．To stop black people from voting.

B．To make black people work for them.

C．To save face before the northern states.

D．To reduce the number of polling stations.

3. Why was the grandfather clause added to the state amendments?

A．To cut poll taxes for poor white men.

B．To make sure uneducated whites could vote.

C．To allow more white men to be educated.

D．To fee old white men tom taking literacy tests.

4. What does paragraph 5 focus on?

A．The fights caused by the clauses.

B．The composition of the two parties.

C．The effects the clauses brought about.

D．The protest African America staged.

【推荐3】On the roof of an apartment building in one of Gaza’s most crowded cities live two baby lions. One is male, the other female. They walk among the water tanks and eat chicken for food. Children play with the animals and some take selfies (自拍) with them. The baby lions have become pets for a 27-year-old bakery owner Naseem Abu Jamea. They have become popular playthings for many people in the neighborhood.

However, as children in his family and from the neighborhood played with the animals, Abu Jamea had little concern about the risks. “When you raise them as babies”, he said,“a harmony will grow between both of you.” This harmony, he added, would keep the lions from hurting him and others.

Abu Jamea said he got the baby lions from a local zoo but would not give more details. He did, however, share a dream of his.“It is my hobby. I was attached to them and I love to have them,” he said. He added he hopes one day to have his own zoo.

One animal doctor, Amir Khalil, has a different opinion. He has led several trips to Gaza with the animal welfare organization Four Paws to rescue mistreated zoo animals. “I advise the Gaza authorities to take away those lions,” he said. “At the age of six months a lion becomes more dangerous as his size gets bigger and his muscles become stronger.” Khalil also fears for the baby lions’ own welfare. He said lions raised in a home may not get the food and medical care they need. This could result in long-term health problems, especially difficulties with muscles, joints, and bones.

During the COVID-19 outbreak, zoos in Gaza have experienced a drop in the number of visitors. Without paying visitors, they are struggling to feed and care for the animals. Hassan Azzam is an official with Gaza’s agriculture ministry. When asked about the baby lions, he said the ministry does not know about any public objections to the animals. But he said the ministry would investigate.

1. What is known about the baby lions from the text?

A．They are taken good care of.

B．They are of opposite sexes.

C．Their lives are in danger.

D．They enjoy life with people.

2. What is Abu Jamea’s attitude towards the risks of the baby lions?

A．Cautious.

B．Upset.

C．Suspicious.

D．Unconcerned.

3. What does the underlined word “This” in Paragraph 4 mean?

A．The two baby lions being kept as pets.

B．The two baby lions being taken away.

C．The two baby lions being mistreated in the zoo.

D．The two baby lions living in harmony with humans.

4. What measure will Gaza’s agriculture ministry take?

A．Provide financial assistance for the local zoos.

B．Require the zoo to take back the baby lions.

C．Make a survey about the local citizens’ reactions.

D．Publish a statement to express their sorry and concern.