【推荐3】Are you planning your to-do list for the coming year? To help you out, we've collected our favorite must-see events across Canada. Ready, steady, go!

The Jazz Festival

Montreal's downtown comes alive every summer during the International Jazz Festival.

The Festival International de Jazz de Montréal is an annual jazz festival held in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The Montreal jazz festival holds the 2004 Guinness World Record as the world's largest jazz festival. This year the event is scheduled to run from June 29 to July 9. Stages replace cars along busy streets. With a host of free outdoor shows, you'll be snapping your fingers to anything from Dixieland to blues, African beats to modern trip-hop, and everything in between.

Are You Ready?

Just head east to the Targa Newfoundland Rally, which runs from September 9 to 16 this year. The 2, 200-kilometer race dashes across the eastern and central parts of the province, and is the largest race of its kind in North America. On these sections you race against the clock rather than other competitors. This is a great chance to test your car's limits and your skills.

Hello Spring!

In 1945, thousands of tulip bulbs from Holland were planted on Ottawa's Parliament Hill, Canada. These gifts were a thank-you to Canadian soldiers who helped set Holland free in World War Ⅱ. Since then, the capital has become home to the Canadian Tulip Festival. From May 4 to 22, Ottawa and Gatineau ( a city of southwest Quebec) will be covered with beautiful flowers. Besides three million tulips, visitors can also attend concerts, featuring some of Canada's brightest musical stars.

1. What can people do at the Targa Newfoundland Rally?

A．Listen to Dixieland and blues.	B．Have a taste of Canadian wines.
C．Have a test of their driving skills.	D．Enjoy themselves at a flower show.

2. Holland is mentioned in the text to show        .

A．the cruelty of World War II	B．the wisdom of Canadian soldiers
C．the origin of the Canadian Tulip Festival	D．the popularity of the Canadian Tulip Festival

3. The text mainly talks about         .

A．the geography of Canada	B．popular events in Canada
C．historical events in Canada	D．traditional culture of Canada

【推荐2】In recent years there has been a steady attack on salt from the doctors; salt is bad for you-regardless of your health. Politicians also got aboard."There is a direct relationship" US Congressman Neal Smith said "between the amount of sodium (钠) a person consumes and heart disease circulatory（循环的)disorders stroke and even early death."

Frightening if true! But many doctors and medical researches are now beginning to feel the salt scare has gone too far."All these remarks and cry about salt is unnecessary" Dr. Dustan. insists. "For most of us it probably does not make much difference how much salt we eat." Dustan's most recent short-term study of 150 people showed that those with normal blood pressure experienced no change at all when placed on an extremely low-salt diet or later when salt was reintroduced. Of the hypertensive (高血压的) patients however half of those on the low-salt diet did experience a drop in blood pressure which returned to previous level when salt was reintroduced.

"An adequate to somewhat excessive (过度的)salt intake has probably saved many more lives than it has cost in the general population" said Dr. John H Laragh. "So an opinion that the whole population should avoid salt makes no sense."

Medical experts agree that everyone should practice reasonable “moderation” （节制)in salt consumption. For the average person a moderate amount might run from four to ten grams a day or roughly 1/ 2 to 1/3 teaspoons. One to two grams of salt would come from the natural sodium in food. The rest would be added in processing preparation or at the table.

"Na is not your enemy "says Comek’s Dr.Laragh. "Salt is the No.1 natural component of all human tissue and the idea that you do not need it is wrong. Unless your doctor has proven that you have a salt-related health problem，,there is no reason to give it up. "

1. What did Neal Smith think of eating salt?

A．It was necessary.

B．It could lead to some diseases.

C．It was not related to heart disease.

D．It should be guided by the government.

2. What can we infer from Dr. Dustan's study?

A．It's reasonable to have the salt scare.

B．A low-salt diet may be good for some people.

C．The reduction of salt consumption can cure a hypertensive patient.

D．The amount of salt consumption has nothing to do with one's blood pressure.

3. What advice does Dr Laragh give in Para 3?

A．Experts should promote their study of salt.

B．Patients should eat adequate amounts of salt.

C．Doctors should not advise patients to avoid salt.

D．People should not be afraid of taking a bit excessive salt.

4. What does the author mainly want to tell us in the text?

A．The salt scare is still on.

B．Salt consumption has caused many problems.

C．The moderate use of salt is recommended.

D．The cause of hypertension is now understood.

【推荐3】Now people are very concerned about the food problem. Steve Wilson prefers organic fruit, delivered right to the doorstep. He is willing to pay for it. If this is not possible, the 30-year-old computer technician will spend the extra money at the supermarket to buy organic food.

“Organic product is always better,” Wilson said. “The food is free of pesticides(农药), and you are generally supporting family farms instead of large farms. And more often than not that it is locally grown and seasonal, so it is more tasty.” Wilson is one of the growing number of shoppers buying into the organic trend, and supermarkets across Britain are counting on more like him as they grow their organic food business. But how many shoppers really know what they are getting, and why are they willing to pay a higher price for organic product? Market research shows that Wilson and others who buy organic food can generally give clear reasons for their preferences—but their knowledge of organic food is far from complete. For example, small amounts of pesticides can be used on organic products. And about three quarters of organic food in Britain is not local but imported(进口)to meet growing demand. “The demand for organic food is increasing by about one third every year, so it is a very fast-growing market,” said Sue Flock, a specialist in this line of business.

1. Why does Steve Wilson prefer organic fruit?

A．It is delivered right lo the doorstep.

B．More and more people buy organic fruit.

C．He likes home-grown fruit very much.

D．He considers the fruit free of pollution.

2. What does the underlined words “the organic trend” in Paragraph 2 mean?

A．Getting the food anywhere.

B．Growing food at home.

C．Better quality of organic food.

D．Growing interest in organic food.

3. Why does Sue Flock say it is a very fast-growing market?

A．Because of a rapid increase in the demand for it.

B．Because it is produced on large farms.

C．Because it can’t be produced on family farms.

D．Because of its proper prices.

【推荐1】
1. When you find a gift in a geocache, you _________.

A．make a note of the gift on the website.

B．can borrow the gift, but have to return it.

C．are allowed to take the gift if you replace it with something else.

D．take a photo of the gift as proof that you have found it

2. The writer thinks that the most enjoyable kind of geocaching is when _______.

A．you have to find a public webcam.

B．you have to find a series of geocaches.

C．you have to find a geocache and then hide it in a different place.

D．you simply have to find one geocache.

3. The writer has written the blog mainly to _________.

A．suggest that people try geocaching.

B．publicise a geocaching event in Sweden.

C．warn the reader that geocaching is addictive.

D．explain the differences between letterboxing and geocaching.

【推荐3】Come to build robots!

Robots are fun to play with, but did you know that they are equally fun to build? Don’t worry, it’s easier than you may think. You don’t have to know lots about electronics or be a genius at engineering to have a go at creating your own robot. There are lots of simple kits (配套原件) and resources available that make it easy to build a robot in your own home, and if you don’t feel confident enough to have a go at home, there are plenty of clubs that offer courses in robot-building for young people.

◇Why to build?

“Creating a robot teaches you in great about how it is put together and how it works, “says Steve Hubbard, of Robot Fun, which hosts robotics master classes for teens in Suffolk. “As you build and test a robot, you also learn how to fix it when things go wrong, as they always do.” Building and programming a robot is a practical application of science and engineering and a great way of learning how to solve all sorts of problems. You don’t need any special skills. If you can build with Lego or draw a line, you can build and program a robot.

◇How to start?

Matthew Applegate runs the Creative Computing Club in Ipswich, Suffolk. He says, “The Lego Robots kits are amazing. You can use cardboard, glue sticks and string to make a prototype (雏形).’’ Some kits can be expensive but there are ways to build your robots using things around the house. You can build an arm with cardboard, straws and string, adding it to a low-cost kit.

Building robots is really great. It isn’t easy at first，but when you get better, you will be surprised how much you can do. Come to get your first robot kit and make it whirr into life!

For details on how to build a Raspberry Pi buggy:tinyurl.com/TW J-robotbuggy
For details on how to join a robot club:tinyurl.com/TW J-members
For more information on kits and classes:tinyurl.com/TW J-resources
For more information on robots and their history:tinyurl.com/TW J-realrobots
1. What’s essential to build a robot at home?

A．Good skills at electronics.

B．Necessary parts to put together.

C．Much knowledge on engineering.

D．Rich experience in playing with robots.

2. If you want to know more about different robot kits,you can visit________.

A．tinyurl.com/TW J-robotbuggy	B．tinyurl,com/TW J-realrobots
C．tinyurl.com/TW J-resources	D．tinyurl.com/TW J-members

3. What is the main purpose of the passage?

A．To encourage teens to learn to solve problems by building robots.

B．To explain the advantages of building one’s own robots.

C．To analyse the need of teens to build their own robots.

D．To advertise a method of building robots with fun.

【推荐1】Social change is more likely to occur in societies where there is a mixture of different kinds of people than in societies where people are similar in many ways. The simple reason for this is that there are more different ways of looking at things present in the first kind of society. There are more ideas, more disagreements in interest, and more groups and organizations with different beliefs. In addition, there is usually a greater worldly interest and greater tolerance(容忍) in mixed societies. All these factors tend to promote social change by opening more areas of life to decision. In a society where people are quite similar in many ways, there are fewer occasions for people to see the need or the opportunity for change because everything seems to be the same. And although conditions may not be satisfactory, they are at least socially accepted customs.
Within a society, social change is also likely to occur more frequently and more readily in the material aspects of the culture than in the non-material, for example, in technology rather than in values; in what has been learned later in life rather than what was learned early; in the less basic and less emotional aspects of society than in their opposites; in the simple elements rather than in the complex ones; in form rather than in substance(物质); and in elements that are acceptable to the culture rather than in strange elements.
Furthermore, social change is easier if it is gradual. For example, it comes more readily in human relations on a continuous scale rather than on a sharp one. This is one reason why change has not come more quickly to Black Americans as compared to other American minorities, because of the sharp difference in appearance between them and white counterparts.
1. Which of the following factors tends to promote social change?

A．Different points of view	B．Less emotional people
C．Advanced technology	D．Similar interests

2. Why is social change less likely to occur where people are quite similar in many ways?

A．Because the social tolerance in such a society is greater.

B．Because the social interests are fairly shared.

C．Because the conditions are generally satisfactory.

D．Because the present situation is commonly accepted.

3. What does the underlined word “one” refer to in the passage?

A．Change

B．Relation

C．Scale

D．Reason

4. The passage mainly talks about social change in terms of .

A．why and how	B．where and what
C．what and why	D．how and when

【推荐2】An unusual experiment in Botswana suggests that painting eyes on the rear (臀部) ends of cows may help protect them from large predators (食肉动物) like lions. Protecting cows could also end up protecting the lions from angry farmers.

Large predators like lions are under pressure. Much of the land they used to roam (徜徉) has been taken over by humans. Many are hunted illegally. One serious threat to large predators comes from farmers, who often shoot or poison them after losing farm animals for their attacks.

This has long been a problem in the Okavango Delta. Some parts of the Okavango are protected, but there are also many small farms in the area, with between 6 and 100 cows. Lions are the biggest threat to cattle in the area. At night, farmers normally keep their animals in closed areas protected from predators. But in the daytime, when many predators are most active, the cattle are allowed out to eat grass.

Scientists from the University of New South Wales wondered if painting pictures of eyes on the cows' rear ends might protect them. The idea isn't as strange as it may sound. There are many examples of animals such as butterflies or fish using fake “eyes” to protect themselves.

Working with over 2,000 cows 8 on 14 different farms in the Okavango area, the scientists tested their ideas in a four-year study. The researchers separated the cows into three different groups. They painted large eyes on the rear ends of one group of cows. The second group got simple Xs. The final group got nothing.

The eyes worked very well. Of the 683 cows with eyes painted on them, none were killed in the four-year period. Cows with nothing on their rear ends didn't do so well. Fifteen of the 835 cows with bare backsides were killed. The scientists were surprised to learn that even Xs seemed to give the cows some protection. Only 4 of the 543 cows with Xs were killed.

1. What makes farmers become a threat to large predators?

A．Hunting them for meat.

B．Defending themselves.

C．Protecting farm animals.

D．Shooting them for pleasure.

2. Why are butterflies mentioned?

A．They are close to life.

B．Their colors vary.

C．They are fierce enough.

D．Their fake eyes work.

3. How is the fifth paragraph carried out?

A．By listing the number of cows.

B．By presenting the facts of tests.

C．By analyzing the varieties of tests.

D．By showing the differences of tests.

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

A．Protecting Cows Proves Urgent.

B．Lions Become Enemies of Cows.

C．Fake Eyes Protect Cows from Lions.

D．Cows Are in Danger of Extinction.

【推荐3】My name is Michelle. I'm 27 years old, and I've been writing letters to my pen pal in England for 14 years.

Yes, a pen pal. Rachel and I have been writing letters to each other since the 8th grade. My reading teacher at the time helped our class find pen pals through a company called International Youth Service (unfortunately closed in 2008).

On February 28, 2006, I received a letter back from the girl from England. Our letters started to turn into novellas(中篇小说) pretty quickly. We began spilling our guts to each other about all sorts of teenage stuff—boys, namely.

We continued writing letters throughout college, but they started to slow down with the age of the Internet and Facebook. It was both a blessing and a curse, because if I needed to share something with her right away, I didn't have to wait two weeks for a response. But there was still no better feeling than opening up my mailbox and seeing past the advertisements and campus happenings and finding a letter with her handwriting on the envelope waiting for me.

One would think that we are more connected than ever in a world of text messaging and social media—but honestly, I don't think this could be further from the truth. We are losing the personal touch, the quality of the time it takes to put into a friendship. Think about letter writing—it's not expensive. An international stamp costs $1.15.

It's not the expense. It's the time. The time it takes to go to the store and pick out a card or stationary. The time it takes to actually hand-write a letter. The time it takes to address the envelope, go to the post office, pay, and mail the letter out. And I believe this is what makes letter writing so personal and special.

1. How did Michelle find a pen pal?

A．By reading a novel.

B．By travelling to England.

C．Through the Internet.

D．Through a company.

2. Why did Michelle’s letter writing slow down ?

A．Because the Internet occupied more communication.

B．Because she didn’t want to wait too long for a reply.

C．Because opening up the mailbox is troublesome.

D．Because too many advertisements took up the mail box.

3. What happens in a world of text messaging and social media?

A．We become closer to each other.

B．We are losing the quality time of friendship.

C．Letter writing becomes more expensive.

D．Letter writing becomes cheaper.

4. What can be inferred from the last paragraph?

A．Letter writing takes too much time.

B．Letter communication needs several steps.

C．Time spent in letter writing makes it valuable.

D．Time spent in letter writing makes it expensive.