【推荐3】As a young girl growing up in the 1930s, I always wanted to fly a plane, but back then it was almost unheard of for a woman to do that. I got a taste of that dream in 2001, when my husband arranged for me to ride in a hot air balloon for my birthday. But the experience turned out to be very dull. Around that time, I told my husband that I wanted to skydive. So when our retirement community announced that they were having an essay competition and the topic was an experience of a lifetime that you wanted to have, I decided to write about my dream.

In the essay, I wrote about my desire to skydive, stating George Brush Sr. did it at age 80. Why not me? I was just 84 and in pretty good health. A year went by and I heard nothing. But then at a community party in late April 2009, they announced that I was one of the winners. I just couldn’t believe it. Inspired by this, I decided to realize my dream, even though some of my family members and my doctor were against it.

On June 11, 2009, nearly 40 of my family and friends gathered in the area close to where I would land while I headed up in the airplane. My instructor, Jay, guided me through the experience. The plane was the noisiest one I had ever been in, but I wasn’t frightened—I was really just looking forward to the experience. When we reached 13,000 feet, Jay instructed me to throw myself out of the plane. When we first hit the air, the wind was so strong that I could hardly breathe. For a second I thought, “What have I gotten myself into?” But then everything got calmer. We were in a free fall for about a minute before Jay opened the parachute（降落伞）, then we just floated downward for about five minutes. Being up in the clouds and looking at the view below was unlike anything I have ever felt—much better than the hot air balloon. I was just enjoying it.

Skydiving was really one of the greatest experiences of my life. I hope other people will look at me and realize that you don’t stop living just because you are 84 years old. If there’s something you want to experience, look into it. If it’s something that is possible, make it happen.

1. The author mentioned George Bush Sr. in her essay to ________.

A．make her argument persuasive	B．show her admiration for him
C．compare their health condition	D．build up her own reputation

2. How did the author feel immediately after she jumped out of the plane?

A．Excited.	B．Regretful.
C．Nervous.	D．Scared.

3. What did the author enjoy most when she was skydiving?

A．The beautiful clouds.	B．The wonderful view.
C．The company of Jay.	D．The one-minute free fall.

4. What is the best title of the passage?

A．Impossible is nothing	B．A dream made come true
C．An unforgettable skydiving	D．I Went Skydiving at 84!

【推荐1】请认真阅读下列短文，并根据所读内容在文章后表格中的空格里填入一个最恰当的注意：请将答案写在答题纸上相应题号的横线上。每个空格只填一个单词。

“One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight...” That is the signal for half a dozen people braving a humid morning at Kamezuka park in Tokyo to bend, stretch, jump, and run on the spot. The group's personal trainer is a portable radio fixed on the top of a children's slide. A male voice’s simple instructions, issued to a lively piano accompaniment, have become a necessity of daily life in Japan since the broadcasts, known as Rajio Tais(radio calisthenics, first hit the airwaves almost a century ago.)

In 2003,the most recent year for which data is available, 27 million people said they took part in morning calisthenics more than twice a week, whether at work, at home in front of the TV or with Neighbors in the local park. Children perform Rajio Taiso before school sports days or during special summer holiday sessions ,earning credits that can be exchanged for snacks, stationery and other gifts.

Regular participants cover a broad cross-section of Japanese society: construction, factory and office workers including the 10,000 employees of the Tokyo metropolitan government, who are encouraged to leave their desks and start moving at 3 p.m. every weekday.

There are two standard routines-the second slightly more challenging than the first-each involving arm rotations, forward bends, straddle jumps and other aerobic exercises designed to move every muscle and leave participants slightly out of breath. In 1999,a routine was added for people who use wheelchairs or have other mobility issues.

“Studies show that people who exercise this way for just a few minutes a day have improved bone density, reduced risk of suffering a stroke or heart attack, and are generally in better physical shape than other people their age who don't exercise,” says Yasuo Fukusnl, secretary general of the Japan Radio Taiso Federation.

“There has never been any pressure to modernise the programme, because people have grown up with it and know it off by heart,” adds Fukushi, who believes the routine helps explain the impressive lifespan of Japanese people.

“We even do this when it rains,” says Tomomi Okamoto, a company director who joins the Kamezuka park sessions in all weathers. “It gets the blood pumping and I always feel much better afterwards. It's a great way to start the day,” she says. “But it's not just about the exercise- it is a way of communicating with your neighbors and getting to know people.”

Introduction	●Radio calisthenics have won a     1     in Japanese daily life.
2	●Children performing radio calisthenics to earn credits in     3     for gifts. ●Adults from all walks of life encouraged to participate     4    .
Different routines	●Two standard routines     5     various aerobic exercises, leaving performers a bit     6     ●In 1999,an extra one was designed for those     7     challenged.
Potential benefits	●Compared with those who don't exercise,people who keep exercising per day are in better     8    ,with bones and hearts strengthened. ●People who make it a habit to exercise are likely to have their lifespan     9     ●Some individuals consider Radio calisthenics an exercise as well as a way of     10

【推荐1】Chinese scientists say they have developed a robotic fish that can remove microplastic particles(颗粒) from water environments. Researchers working on the project say the robots could help to clean up plastic pollution in oceans around the world. The robotic swimmers are about 1.3 centimeters long. They are made of a soft chemical compound. The robots are designed to absorb microplastics while moving through the water.

The project was launched by a team at Sichuan University in southwestern China. The researchers said the robots have already performed well in shallow water and they plan to carry out more tests in deeper waters. The robotic fish were built to target microplastic particles, which are smaller than five millimeters. Studies have confirmed that microplastic pollution has been discovered in many natural environments. The material comes from the breakdown of plastic products and industrial waste.

The team said the robots can be controlled by light. Turning “a near-infrared light laser(近红外线激光器)” on and off causes the fish’s tail to move back and forth, the American Chemical Society said. The robotic fish can swim up to 2.76 body lengths per second. The researchers said this is faster than most similar soft robots.

Wang Yuyan was a member of Sichuan University’s research team. She told Reuters news agency that the small, lightweight robot is currently being used to collect microplastics for research purposes. But Wang added that the team plans to expand that use so the robot fish can remove larger amounts of microplastic waste from deep ocean areas. The fish can take in different kinds of microplastics and even repair itself when damaged, the researchers said. And if a robot fish is accidentally eaten by a real fish, it could safely digest the material, the team added. Wang said similar robots could be developed to be placed inside the human body to remove unwanted materials or disease.

1. What’s the robotic fish designed to do?

A．Identify the polluted sources of oceans.	B．Monitor the process of plastic production.
C．Tackle microplastics in water environments.	D．Prevent industrial waste entering oceans.

2. What do we know about the robotic fish at present?

A．It’s still under test.	B．It’s already used widely.
C．It performs well everywhere.	D．It sells well worldwide.

3. Which of the following is the advantage of the robotic fish?

A．It can serve as food for fish.	B．It can swim faster than fish.
C．It is fairly easy to break down.	D．It is straightforward to operate.

4. What’s the potential use of the robots of this kind according to Wang Yuyan?

A．Help to treat humans’ diseases.	B．Removing larger plastic products.
C．Recycling microplastic particles.	D．Absorbing plastics in the human body.

【推荐2】Work starts early on White Gate Farm in East Lyme, Connecticut. By 7 a. m., farm manager Dan Wood was at the East Lyme Post Office dropping off a box of fresh produce that later in the day would be delivered by mail to Chelsea Gubbins, who lives across town.

White Gate Farm is a member of Farmers Post, a pilot programme that enables smallholder farms across eastern Connecticut to ship fresh produce and other farm products to local households through the United States Postal Service (USPS). Farmers Post takes advantage of a USPS programme called Connect Local that allows small businesses to offer same-day and next-day delivery at a fixed low cost.

Food remains in the fields because either market prices are too low or the cost of the workforce is too high, or because the size and shape of the produce make it unattractive to stores. Each year, around 10 million tons of crops never get harvested, causing about 16% of total US food loss and waste.

“Food that is wasted has a much larger influence than just the loss of the food itself,” says Julia Kurnik, senior director of Innovation Start-ups at WWF. “Everything that went into growing it goes out the window as well—the water, the land, and the energy. And as the food breaks down, it produces greenhouse gases. The bad effects amplify greatly.”

Besides reducing food waste, selling farm products directly to local customers cuts down on the cross-country shipping of food grown in California or elsewhere. This reduces the so-called food miles that researchers believe cause about 6% of the world’s greenhouse gases. Fruits and vegetables, which are often transported out of season and require refrigeration, produce lots of greenhouse gases between farms and people’s plates.

Wood understands that Farmers Post can help to end that waste. “Farming is kind of like cooking for a big group.” he says. “This is helping us get right on the money, using almost 100% of what we grow and harvest.”

1. Why was Farmers Post started?

A．To provide professional modern farming methods.

B．To create more delivery jobs for local people

C．To pick up and carry customers to different farms.

D．To make the delivery of produce easier and cheaper.

2. What may cause some US crops to remain unharvested according to the text?

A．The limited need for farm products.	B．The shortage of workers and harvesting tool.
C．Their low value and poor quality.	D．Bad weather and road conditions.

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

A．Increase.

B．Slow.

C．Switch.

D．Weaken.

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

A．The Food Safety Movement Has Met Some Challenges

B．A Farm-to-Table Programme Helps Reduce Food Waste

C．Farmers Post Explores Ways to Make High-Quality Products

D．Small Farms Play a Leading Role in Serving Communities

【推荐3】In most languages, a greeting is usually followed by “small talk”. Small talk means the little things we talk about at the start of a conversation. In English-speaking countries people often make small talk about the weather: “Nice day isn’t it?” “Terrible weather, isn’t it?” But there is something special about small talk. It must be about something that both people have the same opinion about. The purpose of small talk is to let both people agree on something. This makes meeting people easier and more comfortable. People usually agree about the weather, so it is a safe topic for small talk. But people often disagree about religion or politics so these are not suitable topics for small talk in English. The topics for small talk also depend on where the conversation is taking place. At football matches, people make small talk about the game they are watching, “Great game, isn’t it?” At bus-stops, people may comment about the transport system, “The bus service is terrible, isn’t it?”
Greetings and small talk are an important part of conversation in any language. The way people greet each other and the things they talk about, however, may be different from one language to another. This shows that there is much more to learn when we learn a language than just the vocabulary and the grammar of the language. We also have to learn the social behavior of the people who speak it.
1. Small talk is ________.

A．a kind of conversation with short words

B．a greeting when people meet each other

C．to let people disagree about something

D．something we talk about to start with a conversation

2. The passage suggests that when we learn a language, we should ________.

A．learn about the transport system of the country

B．only master the grammar and vocabulary

C．know the culture about the country

D．grasp the importance of the language

3. When we say “Great game isn’t it?” we are actually ________.

A．asking a question	B．having a conversation
C．greeting each other	D．beginning a small talk

4. What we learn from the passage is that ________.

A．different language has different grammar

B．small talk is an important part in a language

C．small talk depends on the purpose of the conversation

D．in English speaking countries we should talk about the weather

【推荐1】Best Way to Save Money

Although the best way to save money can vary from person to person, depending on age, family size and other characteristics, there are still some easy things that all shoppers can do to keep more money in their bank accounts.

Avoid Impulse (冲动的) Purchases

When you shop, a best way to save money is to have a plan in mind to help you avoid impulse purchases. For instance, you might leave your credit cards at home and only carry the exact amount of cash that you will need for your planned purchase. Some shoppers agree to discuss any purchases over a certain dollar amount with their spouses (配偶) first,       ‘

Know When to Pay for Quality

Sometimes the best way to save money in the long term is to spend a little more money right now. A good piece of furniture can stay in the family for decades. A high-quality pair of shoes will last longer than a bargain pair and prevent foot pain. Leaner cuts of meat and organic produce provide health benefits for your family.

Buy Secondhand

Check classified ads, thrift stores and garage sales for used clothing, toys, furniture, and much more available at a part of their original cost. For the most secondhand savings, check out groups like Freecycle where members offer unwanted items for free to anyone willing to pick them up.

Borrow Instead of Buy

If you’re only going to use something once, try to borrow it instead of spending your money on it. Borrow a tool from your neighbor. Swap books with a friend. Check out the resources at your local library. You’ll also be reducing disorder in your home.

1. What should you do to avoid buying unplanned things?

A．Think twice before you buy.	B．Ask if you really need them.
C．Turn to your friends for help.	D．Never take extra money with you.

2. What’s the biggest benefit of buying secondhand goods?

A．It is cheap.	B．It is convenient.
C．It is fun.	D．It costs nothing.

3. Which of the following tips ensures you to get items for free?

A．Avoid Impulse Purchases.	B．Know When to Pay for Quality.
C．Borrow Instead of Buy.	D．Buy Secondhand.

【推荐2】If you find yourself unable to go more than 15 minutes without reaching into your pocket, pulling out your smart phone and checking your e-mail or WeChat, don’t panic. You are hardly alone. A recent survey shows that smart phone users have developed “checking habit” ---frequently checks of e-mails and other Apps. The checks normally lasted less than 30 seconds and were often done every 10 minutes.

On average, the study subjects check their phones 34 times a day. And the strangest part is that they don’t even realize they are doing it. "I hadn’t told my hand to reach out for the phone. It seemed to be doing it all on its own,” wrote Elizabeth Cohen, a medical correspondent for CNN who watched her right hand sneaking away from her side to grab her phone while sitting on the table at dinner with friends.

Loren Frank, a neuroscientist at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), explains that checking smart phones is rewarding in some way. "Each time you get an e-mail, it’s a little bit exciting, because it means a positive feedback that you’re an important person,” Frank told CNN. Once the brain becomes used to this positive feedback, reaching out for the phone becomes an automatic action you don’t even think about consciously, said Frank. Professor Clifford Nass of Stanford University added that constantly checking your smart phone is also “an attempt to not have to think hard but feel like you are doing something”.

However, every coin has two sides. This habit can cause problems. Studies show that whenever you take a break from what you are doing to check your smart phone, it is hard to go back to your original task, according toAdam Gazzaley, a neurologist at UCSF. That’s not the worst. A survey by South Korean marriage consulting agency Duo earlier this year shows that smart phones are destroying intimate relationships, reports The Korea Herald(韩国先驱报). About half of the respondents said they had had fights with their boyfriend or girlfriend because of smart phones. And 32.8 percent of them fought about smart phone obsession. In this respect, checking smart-phones at regular intervals                                        is a bad habit. But just as an old saying goes, “Bad habits die hard.”

So to get rid of the checking habit, Cohen suggests establishing phone-free times and zones.

1. What does the passage mainly talk about?

A．A smart-phone consumption survey.

B．The advantages of smart-phone checking habit.

C．The obsession with smart-phone checking.

D．They ways to quit smart-phone checking habit.

2. According to the author, what is the most unusual part of the survey?

A．Most of the subjects have developed “checking habit”.

B．The checks typically last 30 seconds.

C．The subjects tend to check their smart-phone frequently.

D．The subjects are unaware of the action when checking their smart-phones.

3. With the words by Elizabeth Cohen in Paragraph 2, the author intends to show __________.

A．what a “checking habit” is.

B．the common existence of “checking habit”.

C．the unconsciousness of “checking habit”.

D．the harm of “checking habit” to people.

4. According to Loren Frank, checking smart-phones, frequently is __________.

A．worthwhile in some way.

B．unimportant for those busy people.

C．necessary to think hard.

D．likely to cause neurological diseases.

5. According to Paragraph 4, what negative effects may “checking habit” have on students?

A．They might fail in their exams.

B．They might get distracted from their work.

C．They would make friends with unfamiliar people.

D．They would manage to break up with their close friends.

【推荐3】Having met only weeks before,climbers Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay shook hands before hugging each other in a moment that would put their names in history books forever. They were on top of the world-literally.After five hours of continuous climbing the two first climbed to the top of Mount Everest, the highest spot on Earth. As the ultimate climbing goal for them both and the dream of most climbers, they had just 15 minutes to absorb the experience of being at 8,848 metres above sea level. Any longer and they may not have made it back to camp to tell the tale.

With this in mind, the pair spent some of their precious minutes searching the area for signs of those who had been before them. The bodies of two previous Everest hopefuls-Andrew Irvine and George Mallory of the 1924 attempt-were in the thoughts of Norgay and Hillary.However, they could find no sign of them having reached the top.

Everest has been responsible for claiming over 300 lives and endangering many others, as it poses huge and unpredictable challenges,with high altitudes(海拔）putting immense tension on human biology and with its icy land making each step a risk. When the climbers made it back to camp and the news spread, global admiration and fame poured in.

Norgay and Hillary were determined to be the first to conquer the world's highest mountain. They had done it. At the time they believed that the box had been ticked and no one else would put themselves through the danger to repeat their achievement. They couldn't have been more wrong. Today hundreds of people choose to follow in their footsteps every year. In contrast to the total isolation(孤立） felt on the first successful journey, during times of ideal weather conditions,queues form up to the mountain's summit. This creates dangerous standstills (停滞）in the mountain's most deadly zones.

Whether you believe these adventurers to be brave, admirable or out of their minds, it is clear that Hillary and Norgay have provided knowledge and inspiration for many to find out how it feels to truly be on top of the world.

1. What did Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay do on the top of the world?

A．They measured the height of Mount Everest.

B．They celebrated their victory with many climbers.

C．They tried to find signs of earlier climbers.

D．They shared the experience as long as 15 minutes.

2. What can be inferred about Andrew Irvine and George Mallory from the passage?

A．They succeeded in reaching the top of Mount Everest first.

B．They lost their lives in their attempt to conquer Mount Everest.

C．They were good friends of Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay.

D．They died because they didn't return to their camp in time.

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

A．Huge.

B．Outside.

C．Minimum.

D．Limited.

4. What will the present Everest climbers be likely to face compared with Norgay and Hillary?

A．More terrible loneliness.

B．More ideal weather conditions.

C．More deadly zones.

D．More dangerous stops.