【推荐1】We've heard of AI (Artificial Intelligence) taking human jobs, but I bet mayors (市长) don't really think their jobs can be threatened any time soon. They were wrong, and the AI running for the mayor of a Tokyo district was clear proof of that.

AI can't legally run for high-ranking public management positions yet, but one mayoral candidate from Tama City, Tokyo, intended to maximize the use of artificial intelligence in running city affairs. He was running his campaign (竞选运动) as “AI Mayor”. Basically, he was suggesting replacing human public officials with AI and having them collect city data and create fair and balanced policies that will benefit everyone.

“For the first time in the world, AI will run in an election,” human candidate Michihito Matsuda announced on Twitter. “Artificial Intelligence will change Tama City. With the birth of an AI Mayor, we will conduct balanced politics.”

The AI Mayor was campaigning like its human competitors. Posters were shown all over Tama City and campaign trucks were blaring out promises of an AI utopia (乌托邦) and asking for support.

Some people called Michihito Matsuda's campaign a stun (噱头): as a human would still be the one legally in charge. However, others said that they were excited about the future of AI running things in the background, adding that it had to be a better choice.

1. What's the advantage of the AI Mayor according to Michihito Matsuda?

A．Maximizing the use of AI.	B．Replacing human officials.
C．Creating balanced policies.	D．Bringing him beneficial effects.

2. How will AI run for the mayor?

A．It will abolish many old policies.

B．It will ask for support on the Internet.

C．It will make public speeches as a human.

D．It will compete similarly to human competitors.

3. What's the citizens' attitude toward Michihito Matsuda's campaign?

A．They believe AI will win.

B．All consider it to be tricky.

C．Some think it's worthy of expectation.

D．It is supposed to be a failure definitely.

4. What is the best title for the passage?

A．The Advantages of AI	B．AI Runs for the Mayor
C．The Patterns of AI Management	D．Al Replaces Human in Management

【推荐2】Shen Yinjing, a therapist in Shanghai, volunteered to help distressed people in the coronavirus-stricken cities by offering counselling over the phone or by text. Before long she was running an online support group for people being treated in the hospitals for COVID-19 patients. Now Ms. Shen wonders how she should assist those losing their beloved ones because of the disease.     1    

Ms. Shen is among a small group of mental-health professionals who have provided support during the coronavirus outbreak. Hundreds of universities and charities have set up “psychological hotlines” for people suffering from depression.     2    

Such attention reflects a profound change in official and public attitudes. In recent years, the government has begun to stress the importance of mental health in the country’s long-term development goals.     3     The government’s “Healthy China 2030” plan, issued in 2016, called for a stronger “mental-health service system”.

    4     Zhiying Ma from the University of Chicago says that young Chinese, in particular, have grown comfortable using terms such as depression and anxiety when talking about their difficulties. A Chinese government-funded survey published in 2019 found that such disorders were becoming more common in China. The study’s authors suggested that “rapid social change” was intensifying “psychological pressure and stress”.

At the same time, mental-health counseling has become more widely available, particularly for those willing to pay for private treatment.

A．She says shame still surrounds those who seek help from mental-health professionals.

B．A mental-health law, passed in 2012, advised against the previously common practice of confining people in psychiatric wards against their will.

C．Its members provide psychological support for nearly 30 people who lost loved ones to the virus.

D．She worries many people won’t seek help though losing loved ones causes lasting mental pain.

E．Their efforts have enjoyed backing from the government, which has issued many instructions to guide the mental-health response to the disease.

F．These days many Chinese recognize that mental-health problems are common.

【推荐3】There are many people you are well advised to treat kindly: Your child’s teacher, your husband or wife, your boss and so on.     1     Old thinking: Hey, they’re here to serve me. I don’t have to make a special effort to be nice to them.

Dangerously wrong.

A recent New York Times story told the instructive tale of a Uber passenger, Hussein Kanji, who says he’s really not sure how he made his driver angry. All he knows is that his driver-generated rating went way down and the wait for a Uber car became hours instead of minutes.

Beware, Uberians: If you’re feeling angry when you slide into the back seat and you give your driver the silent treatment, your reputation may get damaged in the driver-generated ratings.     2    

Uber isn’t the only front on this battlefield.     3     It helps everyone weed out people with bad attitudes and worse habits. These ratings should cut both ways. A while back, the auction site eBay made many of its sellers angry when it started preventing them from giving negative ratings to buyers. Until then, sellers and buyers had threatened each other with negative reviews. Too many negative reviews could get you thrown off. Then eBay shifted the balance of power to buyers. Sellers can still write a bad comment, but the overall rating cannot be anything but positive. Think positive!

We know that being nice to people all day can be exhausting. We’ve also seen people who shout at those who don’t measure up to their expectations for service.

Uber is reportedly about to come to Chicago.     4     We know Uber is a two-way street. But drivers who get too picky may end up with no passengers.

A．It is a welcome competitor here because it fits the needs of customers in a new way.

B．Thus it has become a place where all is for the best.

C．If you’re among the people one Uber driver described as “generally negative”, watch out.

D．Until now, that best-behavior-required list has not included your Uber driver, or for that matter, taxi drivers.

E．The ability to rate someone’s service is one of the successes of the Internet.

F．Drivers and passengers are never satisfied with each other.

【推荐1】If you are a recent social science graduate who has had to listen to jokes about unemployment from your computer major classmates, you may have had the last laugh. There are many advantages for the social science major because this high-tech “Information Age” demands people who are flexible and who have good communication skills.

There are many social science majors in large companies who fill important positions. For example, a number of research studies found that social science majors had achieved greater managerial success than those who had technical training or pre-professional courses. Studies show that social science majors are most suited for change, which is the leading feature of the kind of high speed, high-pressure, high-tech world we now live in.

Social science majors are not only experiencing success in their long-term company jobs, but they are also finding jobs more easily. A study showed that many companies had filled a large percentage of their entry-level positions with social science graduates. The study also showed that the most sought-after quality in a person who was looking for a job was communication skills, noted as “very important” by 92 percent of the companies. Social science majors have these skills, often without knowing how important they are. It is probably due to these skills that they have been offered a wide variety of positions.

Finally, although some social science majors may still find it more difficult than their technically trained classmates to land the first job, recent graduates report that they don’t regret their choice of study.

1. Compared with graduates of other subjects, social science graduates _____.

A．are ready to change when situations change

B．are better able to deal with difficulties

C．are equally good at computer skills

D．are likely to give others pressure

2. According to the text, what has made it easy for social science graduates to find jobs?

A．Willingness to take low-paid jobs.	B．Readiness to gain high-tech knowledge.
C．Skills in expressing themselves.	D．Part-time work experience.

3. The underlined word “land” in the last paragraph probably means _______.

A．keep for some time	B．successfully get
C．immediately start	D．lose regretfully

【推荐2】In modern society there is a great deal of argument about competition. Some value it highly, believing that it is responsible for social progress and prosperity(繁荣). Others say that competition is bad; that it sets one person against another; that it leads to unfriendly relationship between people.

I have taught many children who held the belief that their self-worth relied on how well they performed at tennis and other skills. For them, playing well and winning are often life-and-death affairs. In their single-minded pursuit(追求) of success, the development of many other human qualities is sadly forgotten.

However, while some seem to be lost in the desire to succeed, others take an opposite attitude. In a culture which values only the winner and pays no attention to the ordinary player, they strongly blame competition. Among the most vocal are youngsters who have suffered under competitive pressures from their parents or society. Teaching these young people, I often observe in them a desire to fail. They seem to seek failure by not trying to win or achieve success. By not trying, they always have an excuse: “ I may have lost, but it doesn’t matter because I really didn’t try.” What is not usually admitted by themselves is the belief that if they had really tried and lost, that would mean a lot. Such a loss would be a measure of their worth. Clearly, this belief is the same as that of the true competitors who try to prove themselves. Both are based on the mistaken belief that one’s self-respect relies on how well one performs in comparison with others. Both are afraid of not being valued. Only as this basic and often troublesome fear begins to dissolve(缓解) can we discover a new meaning in competition.

1. What does this passage mainly talk about?

A．Competition helps to set up self-respect.

B．Opinions about competition are different among people.

C．Competition is harmful to personal quality development.

D．Failures are necessary experiences in competition.

2. Why do some people favor competition according to the passage?

A．It pushes society forward.	B．It builds up a sense of duty.
C．It improves personal abilities.	D．It encourages individual efforts.

3. The underlined phrase “ the most vocal” in Paragraph 3 means _____.

A．those who try their best to win

B．those who value competition most highly

C．those who are against competition most strongly

D．those who rely on others most for success

4. What is the similar belief of the true competitors and those with a “desire to fail”?

A．One’s worth lies in his performance compared with others’.

B．One’s success in competition needs great efforts

C．One’s achievement is determined by his particular skills.

D．One’s success is based on how hard he has tried.

5. Whichint of view may the author agree to?

A．Every effort should be paid back.

B．Competition should be encouraged.

C．Winning should be a life-and-death matter.

D．Fear of failure should be removed in competition.

【推荐3】Is your promotion really necessary? Many workers focus their hopes on climbing the scale of their organizations. The prospect of higher pay helps explain their ambition,but so does the greater status that comes with each successive(连续的) title.

This climb can often end in disappointment. The Peter Principle, developed by Laurence Peter for a book published in 1969, states that workers get promoted until they reach their level of incompetence. It makes perfect sense. If you are good at your job, you rise up the career ladder. Eventually, there will be a job you are not good at and at that point your career will stop.

There is another problem with chasing the promotion fantasy. Many companies have a strong tendency to promote the best sales people. Convincing others to buy goods and services is a useful skill, requiring charm and persistence. But, as the authors point out, these are not the same capabilities as the strategic planning and administrative competence needed to lead a sales team.

The research then looked at what happened after these super-salespeople were promoted Their previous sales performance was actually a negative indicator of managerial success.The sales growth of workers assigned to the star sellers was 7.5 percentage points lower than for those whose managers were previously weaker performers.

The trick to avoiding this curse is to stick to what you like doing. If you enjoy teaching, don't be a headmaster or college principal. If you like writing articles and columns, editing other people’s work may not give the same degree of satisfaction.

Another problem with pursuing frequent promotions is that it turns you into a supplicant, endlessly in search of favourable feedback from the higher-ups. This can lead you to lose control of your work-life balance. In Charles Handy's new book, 21 Letters On Life And Its Challenges, the experienced management theorist recalls an insight when working for Royal Dutch Shell,an oil giant. "In exchange for the promise of financial security and guaranteed work, I had sold my time to complete strangers with my permission for them to use that time for their own purpose,” he writes.

The higher up the ladder you go, the greater the demands are likely to be on your time.The chief executive will expect you to be available at weekends: after all, that is why you get paid the big bucks.

So that shiny promotion may not be for everyone. Beware the curse of overwork an/dissatisfaction. Some people like to devote their whole lives to their job and be at the centre of events. It is best to let them get on with it.

1. What can we learn about"The Peter Principle"?

A．People’s careers are easily spoiled by unrealistic expectations.

B．There are to some degree certain ceilings in people's career paths

C．Incompetent employees tend to have more chances to gain promotions

D．People don't necessarily get promoted by virtue of their competence

2. Why is Charles Handy's new book 21 Letters On Life And Its Challenges mentioned?

A．To put forward useful suggestions on how to get promoted

B．To show how many challenges we face without getting promoted

C．To illustrate the serious consequences of the pursuit of promotion

D．To prove the economic security brought along by the promotion.

3. Which of the following might be the best title of this passage?

A．The Promotion Satisfaction	B．The Promotion Curse
C．The Promotion Strategies	D．The Promotion Prospect

【推荐1】Here are two interesting questions. Are you very happy with your life now ? Are people happier as they get older?A study found that people generally become happier and experience less worry after age 50. In fact, it found that by the age of 85, people are happier with their life than they were at 18.

The finding came from a Gallup survey of more than 340,000 adults between the age of 18 and 85 in the United States.

Arthur Stone in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science at Stony Brook University in New York led the study. His team found that levels of stress were highest among adults between the ages of 22 and 25. Stress levels dropped sharply after people reached their fifties.

Happiness was highest among the youngest adults and those in their early seventies. But the people least likely to report feeling negative emotions were those in their seventies and eighties. The survey also found that men and women had similar emotional patterns as they grow older. However, women at all ages reported more sadness, stress and worry than men did.

The researchers also considered possible influences like having young children, being unemployed or being single. But they found that influences like these did not affect the levels of happiness and well-being related to age.

So why would happiness increase with age? One theory is that, as people get older, they become more thankful for what they have and have better control of their emotions. They also spend less time thinking about bad experiences.

The original goal of the study was to confirm the popular belief that aging is connected with increased sleep problems. The survey did find an increase during middle age, especially in women. But except for that, people reported that they felt their sleep quality improved as they got older.

1. When will adults feel most stressful according to the study?

A．In their seventies.	B．In their fifties.
C．In their twenties.	D．In their eighties.

2. What may make Arthur Stone feel a bit surprised?

A．Women usually live longer than men.

B．Most of old people can't sleep well at night.

C．Middle-age men mostly are very rich.

D．Old people usually have a better sleep.

3. Old people may be happier probably because          .

A．they spend more time considering bad experiences

B．they are most likely satisfied with life.

C．they don't have to work hard every day.

D．they can do whatever they like best.

4. Which of the following may be the topic of this passage?

A．The young people and the old people.

B．The connection of sleep and happiness.

C．Old people's feeling of happiness.

D．Women are not as happy as men with their life.

【推荐2】At Beaver Meadows Ranch on Red Feather Lakes,Colorado,there is a long list of outdoor winter activities for the entire family. Take a winter vacation there.

Ice Fishing

For$10 a day,visitors can try their hand at ice fishing. Ice fishing is available from 9:30 a.m.to 4 p.m. seven days a week. You will need to bring your own ice fishing equipment because it cannot be rented.You will need to have your fishing license too.For more about it,call 800-462-5870.

Hot Chocolate&Cookies Sleigh Ride

Passengers take a 15-to 20-minute sleigh ride through beautiful Colorado country.During the sleigh ride,you’ll have the experience of stopping at an old-time cabin,warming yourself by a fire and eating cookies while drinking hot chocolate.You will need to contact them at 970-231-1955 to set up a time for your sleigh ride.

Winter Horseback Riding

Experience winter horseback riding while viewing the breathtaking beauty of the surrounding 840 acres where Beaver Meadows Ranch makes its home.You’ll be guided on a tour by one of the expert wranglers(牧马人)when the weather permits. One-hour rides cost $35 per person and two-hour rides cost $50. For more information, contact them at 866-881-7679 to set up your horseback riding winter activity.

Other Winter Activities Information

For more information about Beaver Meadows Ranch,or if you’d like to book a room for an adventurous holiday, call 970-881-2450. It’s not very often you can find a one-stop adventure spot full of winter activities.Take advantage of your free time this winter season and enjoy the outdoor scenery in Colorado.

1. If you want to try ice fishing at Beaver Meadows Ranch, you can_______.

A．rent ice fishing equipment there	B．spend at most 6.5 hours fishing a day
C．be guided by experts during bad weather	D．take part in the activity without any permit

2. If you want to enjoy sleigh rides,you will call_____.

A．800-462-5870	B．970-231-1955
C．970-881-2450	D．866-881-7679

3. How much does a couple have to pay if they want to have a two-hour horseback ride?

A．$50.

B．$70.

C．$100.

D．$140.

4. What can we learn from the last two paragraphs?

A．Beaver Meadows Ranch covers 840 acres

B．Expert wranglers there offer riding lessons

C．You don’t need to book a room in advance

D．Colorado is famous for its convenient transportation

5. Where can you most probably read this passage?

A．In the latest news.	B．In a children’s book.
C．In a travel guide.	D．In a sportsman’s diary.

【推荐3】Roboticists at the University of California San Diego have developed an affordable, easy to use system to track the location of flexible surgical robots inside the human body. The system performs as well as current state of the art methods, but the whole system, including the robot, magnets and magnet localization setup, costs around $100. Many current methods also require exposure to radiation, while this system does not.

The system was developed by Tania Morimoto, a professor of mechanical engineering at the Jacobs School of Engineering at UC San Diego, and mechanical engineering Ph. D. student Connor Watson.

“Continuum medical robots work really well in highly constrained (受限的) environments inside the body,” Morimoto said. “But it becomes a lot harder to track their location and their shape inside the body.” The researchers used existing magnet localization methods, which work very much like GPS, to develop a computer model that predicts the robot’s location.

GPS satellites ping (发送) smartphones and based on how long it takes for the signal to arrive, the GPS receiver in the smartphone can determine where the cell phone is. Similarly, researchers know how strong the magnetic field should be around the magnet placed in the robot. They rely on four sensors that are carefully spaced around the area where the robot operates to measure the magnetic field strength. Based on how strong the field is, they are able to determine where the tip of the robot is.

Morimoto and Watson went a step further. They then trained a neural network to learn the difference between what the sensors were reading and what the model said the sensors should be reading. As a result, they improved localization accuracy to track the tip of the robot. “Ideally we are hoping that our localization tools can help improve these kinds of growing robot technologies. We do want to push this research forward so that we can test our system in a clinical setting and eventually translate it into clinical use,” Morimoto said.

1. What be learnt about the system according to the text?

A．It’s complex.	B．It’s low-cost.
C．It’s delicate.	D．It’s radioactive.

2. What is Paragraph 4 mainly about?

A．The system’s working principle.

B．The function of GPS satellites.

C．The reason for inventing the system,

D．The necessity of inventing the system.

3. What do Morimoto and Watson expect of the system?

A．It’ll be environmentally-friendly.	B．It’ll be sold on the Internet soon,
C．I’ll be easy for us to operate.	D．It’ll be tested with real patients.

4. Where is this text most likely from?

A．A diary.	B．A guidebook.
C．A magazine.	D．A novel.

【推荐1】Melissa Brunning of Perth, Australia, was on a ship in Dugong Bay on Australia’s coast, when four nurse sharks swan close to the back of the ship. Several of Brunning’s partners dropped fish in the water near the sharks, one of which measured almost 2 meters in length. However, when it was Brunning’s turn, she tried to feed the shark directly by hand. As the shark took hold of the food, its jaws closed on her finger, and it pulled her into the water—a terrifying moment that one of her friends caught on video. We can see from the video that Brunning was bending towards the water, food in hand, as a nurse shark swam by. As it came nearer, she put her hand down into the water next to its head and then screamed as the shark bit at her finger and pulled her in. Her friends immediately dived into the water to save her. But after the shark set Brunning‘s finger free, she found that her finger was still attached to her hand, though severely hurt. Because the location where she was on holiday was so distant, she didn’t look for treatment until nearly two weeks later, by which time her finger was badly infected.

The accident was unquestionably annoying, but labeling it a “shark attack” was misleading, as Brunning put her hand into the shark‘s mouth voluntarily; the animal simply reacted as it normally would in the presence of food. At least Brunning admitted her responsibility for the incident. It was entirely her fault and the shark was blameless.

Brunning said her future interactions with marine wildlife would be better informed thanks to her annoying experience, as she wanted to “respect marine life, but just leave them alone”.

1. What did the shark want to do?

A．Pull Brunning into the ocean.	B．Attack Brunning unexpectedly.
C．Take a bite of Brunning’s hand.	D．Get the food in Brunning’s hand.

2. Why was Brunning’s finger badly infected?

A．The water in the ocean was heavily polluted.	B．She was keen to enjoy her holiday on the sea.
C．She stayed too far away to get treatment in time.	D．The teeth of the shark were sharp and poisonous.

3. Who is to blame for the incident according to the author?

A．The food.

B．Brunning.

C．The shark.

D．Brunning’s partners.

4. What’s the best title for the text?

A．A story of a careless woman	B．Ways of handling an emergency
C．A lucky escape from a shark attack	D．Hand-feeding sharks: a terrible idea

【推荐2】It's easy to think of your grandparents, retirement years as being all about them. After all, they 've likely spent the last several decades devoting their time and energy to others — their boss, coworkers, clients, or kids. Now, they think, it’s time to finally focus on themselves, and that’s true to an extent. But their post-work life still needs structure and purpose. Without these two key pillars ( 支柱 )life can get boring and lonely very quickly.

One very good way to fill the blank is to give time and energy to others through volunteering. Sure, they won't walk away with a pay check, but the simple act of volunteering their time to a cause comes with numerous other very important benefits.

For retirees Ross and Carol Chenot, volunteering has made their golden years incredibly fulfilling. Ross volunteers with Glean SLO, an organization affiliated ( 隶属于)with the local food bank. " Because we live in a rich agricultural area, Glean SLO (San Luis Obispo is where the SLO comes from) volunteers go into the fields or orchards after the harvester's have gone through and they pick the leftover produce and donate to the food bank," Carol explains. "Literally tons and tons of food get donated that way. "

Carol put together a series of neighborhood “learning sessions”- called Neighborly U — through which people can learn a new skill or hobby. The sessions range in topic, and include computers, crafts, cooking, volunteerism, travel, recreation, entertainment, and self- improvement. So far, Carol says she's conducted 75 classes and has had more than 650 people register. " It reinforces a value of generosity that we want to pass down to others,'' she says.

1. What does your post-work life need according to Paragraph 1?

A．Yourself and your kids.	B．Structure and purpose.
C．Time and energy.	D．Your boss and coworkers

2. How do the retired fill their free time?

A．To volunteer.

B．To attend kids.

C．To have a walk.

D．To work hard.

3. Why does the passage mention Ross and Carol?

A．Because they are both generous.

B．Because their efforts have paid off.

C．Because they have spare time and energy to develop new skills.

D．Because volunteering has made their retirement years satisfying.

4. What does the passage mainly tell us?

A．The joy of volunteering in retirement years.

B．Life can get boring and lonely very quickly.

C．Where to spend the golden retired years.

D．A value of generosity passed down to others.

【推荐3】Inventions make the world better, smarter and even a little bit more fun. Last year, in November, Time magazine published "2018 Top 50 inventions". Here are three of the most interesting inventions for you. Let's take a look.

Lifepack Carry-on Closet

In many cases, traveling is fun, but packing can be quite annoying. No matter how neatly you pack your clothes, you always end up having to pull out everything in order to find what you need. Well, the Lifepack Carry-on Closet designed by the Danish startup Solgaard Design might change that for good.

From the outside, the Lifepack looks like an ordinary suitcase. But inside, it contains a set of retractable shelves to keep clothes in good order and maximize the space. Its shelf system has many extra pockets and is removable. So when you get to your destination, you just need to take out the shelf system and hang it in your hotel closet.

LynQ

Becoming separated from friends in crowds or losing contact with your family in a strange place can be a nightmare.

But now, LynQ, a new location tracker, has a fix.

When you wear LynQ, you use a combination of GPS technology and long-range radio frequencies to find other LynQs to a distance of up to 5 kilometers from you. In addition, an onscreen dot points each user in the right direction, like a compass.

As Time notes, "LynQ solves the three Ws: No more worrying, wandering or waiting around. "

Gravity jet suit

If you're a big fan of Iron Man, you must have been impressed by his amazing jet suit. Now, there is a real gravity jet suit for us to try.

Developed by London-based technology company Gravity Industries, the flying suit is equipped with five power engines—four are built into units close to the hands and one is built into a backpack.

If these engines fuel together, they can provide 1,050 horsepower to make the wearer move at a speed of up to 51 kilometers per hour. So, for people who can balance with the suit on, it's easy to fly.

1. From the description of LynQ, we can learn that_________.

A．it is a traditional advanced GPS system	B．it is a wearable device
C．it is based on a compass	D．it makes its users worry-free

2. Which of the following statements is TRUE?

A．It's easy for people to fly because Gravity jet suit can provide adequate power.

B．You won't worry about losing touch with your family once you wear LynQ.

C．Lifepack Carry-on Closet can make packing easier with unique design.

D．Traveling will become more convenient and cozier with the three inventions.

3. What's the purpose of the passage?

A．To introduce some interesting inventions.	B．To comment on the latest technology.
C．To appeal to more consumers.	D．To promote some creative products.