【推荐2】Are you sometimes a little tired and sleepy in the early afternoon? Many people feel this way after lunch. They may think that eating lunch is the cause of the sleepiness. Or, in summer, they may think it is the heat. However, the real reason lies inside their bodies. At that time – about eight hours after you wake up – your body temperature goes down. This is what makes you slow down and feel sleepy. Scientists have tested sleep habits in experiments where there was no night or day. The people in these experiments almost always followed a similar sleeping pattern. They slept for one long period and then for one short period about eight hours later.

In many parts of the world, people take naps in the middle of the day. This is especially true in warmer climates where the heat makes work difficult in the early afternoon. Researchers are now saying that naps are good for everyone in any climate. A daily nap gives one a more rested body and mind and therefore is good for health in general. In countries where naps are traditional, people often suffer less from problem such as heart disease.

Many working people, unfortunately, have no time to take naps. Though doctors may advise taking naps, employers do not allow it! If you do have the chance, however, here are a few tips about making the most of your nap. Remember that the best time to take a nap is about eight hours after you get up. A short sleep too late in the day may only make you feel more tired and sleepy afterward. This can also happen if you sleep for too long. If you do not have enough time, try a short nap – even ten minutes of sleep can be helpful.

1. Why do people feel sleepy in the early afternoon according to the text？

A．They eat too much for lunch.

B．They sleep too little at night.

C．Their body temperature becomes lower.

D．The weather becomes a lot warmer.

2. If you get up at 6:30 am, what is the best time for you to take a nap？

A．About 12:30 pm.

B．About 1:30 pm.

C．About 2:30 pm.

D．About 3:30 pm.

3. Why do employers not allow workers to take naps？

A．taking naps is no good for health.

B．taking naps may lead to heart attack.

C．taking naps may lead to low working efficiency.

D．taking naps takes up the working time and reduces production.

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

A．Just for a Rest

B．All for a Nap

C．A Special Sleep Pattern.

D．Taking Naps in Warmer Climate.

【推荐3】What we know of prenatal development makes all this attempt made by a mother to mold the character of her unborn child by studying poetry, art, or mathematics during pregnancy seem totally impossible. How could such extremely complex influences pass from the mother to the child? There is no connection between their nervous systems. Even the blood vessels of mother and child do not join directly. An emotional shock to the mother will affect her child, because it changes the activity of her glands and so the chemistry of her blood. Any chemical change in the mother’s blood will affect the child for better or worse. But we can not see how a looking for mathematics or poetic genius can be dissolved in blood and produce a similar liking or genius in the child.

In our discussion of instincts we saw that there was reason to believe that whatever we inherit must be of some very simple sort rather than any complicated or very definite kind of behavior. It is certain that no one inherits a knowledge of mathematics. It may be, however, that children inherit more or less of a rather general ability that we may call intelligence. If very intelligent children become deeply interested in mathematics, they will probably make a success of that study.

As for musical ability, it may be that what is inherited is an especially sensitive ear, a peculiar structure of the hands or the vocal organs connections between nerves and muscles that make it comparatively easy to learn the movements a musician must execute, and particularly vigorous emotions. If these factors are all organized around music, the child may become a musician. The same factors, in other circumstance might be organized about some other center of interest. The rich emotional equipment might find expression in poetry. The capable fingers might develop skill in surgery. It is not the knowledge of music that is inherited, then nor even the love of it, but a certain bodily structure that makes it comparatively easy to acquire musical knowledge and skill. Whether that ability shall be directed toward music or some other undertaking may be decided entirely by forces in the environment in which a child grows up.

1. Which of the following statements is not true?

A．Some mothers try to influence their unborn children by studying art and other subjects during their pregnancy.

B．It is utterly impossible for us to learn anything about prenatal development.

C．The blood vessels of mother and child do not join directly.

D．There are no connection between mother’s nervous systems and her unborn child’s.

2. A mother will affect her unborn baby on the condition that ______.

A．she is emotionally shocked

B．she has a good knowledge of inheritance

C．she takes part in all kind of activities

D．she sticks to studying

3. According to the passage, a child may inherit ______.

A．everything from his mother

B．a knowledge of mathematics

C．a rather general ability that we call intelligence

D．her mother’s musical ability

4. If a child inherits something from his mother, such as an especially sensitive ear, a peculiar structure of the hands or of the vocal organs, he will _____.

A．surely become musician

B．mostly become a poet

C．possibly become a teacher

D．become a musician on the condition that all these factors are organized around music

【推荐1】If someone created a flying machine capable of tracking you down by listening for your voice, you might be terrified. But what if you were trapped in ruins after a natural disaster and first responders couldn’t locate you? Maybe then a human-seeking drone wouldn’t be such a terrible idea. That concept is the focus for engineers at Germany’s Fraunhofer FKIE Institute, who’ve built a drone to find people by discovering human screams.

“The human-seeking drone would be ideal for post-disaster situations, such as earthquakes, hurricanes and wildfires,” said Macarena Varela, one of the lead engineers. “They could hover over an area that rescuers have difficulty getting to and locate exactly where people may be trapped.”

Locating people by sound presents its share of challenges. An auditory（听觉的）system would need to tell human cries from sounds that often happen in nature, such as animal calls and wind. It might also need to recognize patterns associated with kicking, clapping or other ways people try to get the attention of rescue teams.

Engineers took those situations into consideration when building out their concept drone. They recorded themselves screaming, tapping and creating other noises that might be a sign of people in trouble. Then, they analyzed each sound frequency to find common characteristics and used those to train artificial intelligence software. They also worked to remove the noise created by the drone and other environmental sounds.

Once the software part was complete, the team placed tiny digital microphones under the drone and used signal processing techniques that enabled them to track where human noises are coming from. The microphones also enhanced(改善）the volume and clarity of the speech. So far, they have conducted successful open field experiments, finding that the drone can estimate(估计) a victim’s location within a few seconds of picking up sound.

Next, they would like to add a higher frequency microphone to a drone to get more audio sound signals. “The idea is to pick up noises from hundreds of meters away,” Varela said. In the real world, victim’s location data might one day be sent wirelessly to emergency workers carrying a tablet PC.

1. What is the advantage of the human-seeking drone over rescuers?

A．Its easy access to disaster scene.

B．Its long working hours.

C．Its high speed of flying.

D．Its quick estimation of data.

2. What can the auditory system do?

A．Send victim’s location data to a tablet PC.

B．Pick up sounds from far away.

C．Recognize human cries.

D．Improve the quality of human screams.

3. Why did engineers analyze each sound frequency?

A．To remove the noise.

B．To find shared features.

C．To record the screams.

D．To enhance the volume.

4. What is the main idea of the text?

A．Flying machines can track rescuers.

B．Rescuers use drones to locate disaster survivors.

C．Human-seeking drones will replace rescuers.

D．Engineers ensure drones to give better rescue performance.

【推荐1】The COVID-19 pandemic has spread far and wide. Because of this, countries around the world have implemented containment measures(实施遏制措施)to help stop the virus in its tracks. As more and more people stay inside to stay safe, the outside world seems to have become much quieter. In fact, scientists have seen this change in their research, too.

Seismologists–scientists who study earthquakes–have heard less seismic(地震的)noise recently. Seismic noise is made from vibrations(震动)in the ground that are caused by things like ocean waves and human activity, such as construction work and traffic. This noise makes it difficult for scientists to pick up seismic activity that is made at the same frequency.

Thomas Lecocq,a scientist at the Royal Observatory of Belgium, located in Brussels, was the first to notice this phenomenon.

According to Lecocq, the amount of seismic noise in Brussels has been reduced by about 30 to 50 percent since mid-March. Interestingly enough, this is around the same time Belgium started its containment measures.

Because of this reduction in background noise, scientists like Lecocq have been able to pick up on smaller earthquakes that some seismic stations–like the one in Brussels–wouldn’t have been able to before.

This phenomenon isn’t unique to Brussels, though. Once Lecocq shared his findings online, seismologists from all over the world echoed similar findings.

Celeste Labedz, a graduate student at the California Institute of Technology, mentioned in a tweet that Los Angeles also experienced less background noise.

Researchers from the UK, France and New Zealand also noted a decrease in background noise since containment measures were put in place.

These global efforts to contain the COVID-19 virus have helped to shed light on seismic activity that may have gone unnoticed. It also shows that people are listening to health officials and following lockdown guidelines.

“From the seismological point of view, we can motivate people to say,‘ You feel like you’re alone at home, but we can tell you that everyone is home.…Everyone is respecting the rules.’Lecocq told CNN.

1. What did seismologists find out recently?

A．More smaller earthquakes are likely to happen.

B．Less seismic activity has been detected recently.

C．Seismic noise is caused by vibrations underground.

D．Reduced seismic vibration makes Earth quieter.

2. What can we learn from Paragraphs 4-8?

A．More data on smaller earthquakes is being collected.

B．More seismic noise is being picked up.

C．Scientists will shift their focus to smaller earthquakes.

D．Future big earthquakes can be more accurately predicted.

3. The underlined word “echoed” in Paragraph 6 is closest in meaning to“______”.

A．questioned

B．demanded

C．explored

D．repeated

4. What can we conclude from the text?

A．human activities cause more seismic noise than ocean waves.

B．The drop in seismic noise is unique to Europe.

C．The phenomenon proved that people are following the lockdown rules.

D．Many seismologists wanted tighter restrictions for their research.

【推荐2】It is every kid’s worst nightmare and six-year-old Jaden Hayes has lived it - twice. Firstly, he lost his dad when he was four and then last month his mom died unexpectedly in her sleep.

“I tried and I tried and I tried to get her awake - I couldn't,” said Jaden. Jaden was understandably heartbroken.

But there was another side to his grief. A side he first made public a few weeks ago when he told his aunt, and now guardian, Barbara DiCola, that he was sick and tired of seeing everyone sad all the time. And he had a plan to fix it.

“And that was the beginning of it,” said Barbara. “That’s where the adventure began.”

Jaden asked his aunt Barbara to buy a bunch of little toys and bring him to downtown Savannah, Georgia near where he lives, so he could give them away.

“I’m trying to make people smile,” said Jaden.

Jaden targeted people who weren’t already smiling and then turned their day around. He’d go out on four different occasions now and he was always successful. Even if sometimes he didn’t get exactly the reaction he was hoping for.

It was just so overwhelming to some people that a six-year-old orphan would give away a toy- expecting nothing in return - except a smile.

“I’m counting on it to be 33, 000,” said Jaden. When asked if he thought he could make that goal, he answered, “I think I can.”

1. Why did Jaden give the toys to other people?

A．Because he wanted to fix the toys.

B．Because he wanted to see more people.

C．Because he wanted to give the toys away.

D．Because he wanted to make people happy.

2. What can we learn from the passage?

A．Jaden lived with his aunt.

B．Jaden targeted people who were not happy.

C．Jaden got nothing he wanted all the time.

D．Jaden was sick and tired of seeing everyone.

3. Which of the following words can best describe Jaden?

A．Helpful and impatient.	B．Creative and tricky.
C．Optimistic and courageous.	D．Ambitious and greedy.

【推荐3】In Mexico, first Oaxaca's state legislature (立法机关) passed a ban on selling or giving out high-calorie packaged foods and sugar-sweetened drinks to minors (未成年人) recently. Less than two weeks later, Tabasco state approved a prohibition too. Now at least a dozen other states in Mexico are considering similar legislation.

Two-thirds of those who died from COVID-19 in Mexico had health problems such as obesity and diabetes, according to Health Department officials. That has led to a new urgency to change diets so that the younger generation doesn't suffer those diseases. The country consumes large amounts of sugar-sweetened drinks and processed snacks. One-third of Mexicans aged 6 to 19 are overweight, according to UNICEF. They can suffer many health issues, especially in adulthood.

Assistant Health Secretary Hugo, who has called soda "bottled poison", has been calling on citizens to cut back on junk food. He said the country's overweight health issue is the fault of a nutritional environment that has been developed to favor those junk food products instead of health.

In addition to Tabasco, Chihuahua state is debating a junk food ban. A federal senator from Oaxaca says he wants to make it a national law. A nationwide law would not be easy. There are powerful commercial interests that don't want it to happen. The business owners' association COPARMEX said the lawmaking “will be a barrier to commercial freedom”.

Public health groups applauded the junk food ban for minors as it is another encouraging step toward nutrition. With their effort, in the rural Oaxacan town, citizens have physically blocked chips and soda delivery trucks from entering, saying they don't want outsiders to bring in junk food. Almost all teenagers there know about health problems related to junk food thanks to the non-profit workshops from the health group. “I'd be annoyed at first,” said 16-year-old Wendy, “but I'd adapt. And maybe I'd think twice and buy fruit or something healthy instead.”

1. What is behind the new urgency to change diets?

A．COVID-19 death cases.	B．Pressure from the public.
C．The nutritional environment.	D．Wide consumption of packaged foods.

2. Some states make a law change to _______ .

A．advocate a healthier lifestyle	B．met healthier food demand
C．cut junk food production	D．win support from young people

3. What did public health groups do about the ban?

A．They tried to win grocers' support.	B．They funded the research on diseases.
C．They stopped the delivery of junk food.	D．They raised citizens' awareness of health issues.

4. What can be a suitable title for the text?

A．Action to Fight Against Global Health Problem	B．Ways of Losing Weight by Eating Smart
C．Move to Ban Junk Food Sales to Minors	D．Advice on How to Have a Balanced Diet

【推荐1】When former American President Bill Clinton travelled to South Korea to visit President Kim Young Sam,he repeatedly referred to the Korean president’s wife as Mrs.Kim.By mistake, President Clinton’s advisers thought that Koreans have the same naming customs as the Japanese. Clinton had not been told that,in Korea,wives keep their family names.President Kim Young Sam’s wife was named Sohn Myong Suk.Therefore,she should be addressed(称谓) as Mrs.Sohn.
President Clinton arrived in Korea directly after leaving Japan and had not changed his culture gears.His failure to follow Korean customs gave the impression that Korea was not as important to him as Japan.
In addition to Koreans,some Asian husbands and wives do not share the same family names.This practice often puzzles(使困惑) English-speaking teachers when talking with a pupil’s parents.They become puzzled about the student’s correct last name.Placing the family name first is common among a number of Asian cultures.
Mexican naming customs are different as well.When a woman marries,she keeps her family name and adds her husband’s name after the word de(of).This affects(影响) how they fill in forms in the United States.When requested to fill in a middle name,they generally write the father’s family name.But Mexicans are addressed by the family name of the mother.This often causes puzzlement.
Here are a few ways to deal with such difficult situations:don’t always think that a married woman uses her husband’s last name.Remember that in many Asian cultures,the order of first and last names is reversed(颠倒).Ask which name a person would prefer to use.If the name is difficult to pronounce,admit it,and ask the person to help you say it correctly.
1. The story of Bill Clinton is used to______.

A．improve US-Korean relations

B．introduce the topic of the text

C．describe his visit to Korea

D．tell us how to address a person

2. The word “gears” in Paragraph 2 is closest in meaning to______.

A．action plans	B．naming customs
C．travel maps	D．thinking patterns

3. When a woman marries in Korea,she______.

A．continues to use her family name

B．uses her husband’s given name

C．shares her husband’s family name

D．adds her husband’s given name to hers

4. To address a married woman properly,you’d better______.

A．use her middle name

B．use her husband’s first name

C．ask her which name she likes

D．change the order of her names

【推荐2】When John was growing up, other kids felt sorry for him. His parents always had him weeding the garden, carrying out the garbage and delivering newspapers. But when John reached adulthood, he was better off than his childhood playmates. He had more job satisfaction, a better marriage and was healthier. Most of all, he was happier.

These are the findings of a 40-year study that followed the lives of 456 teenage boys from Boston. The study showed that those who had worked as boys enjoyed happier and more productive lives than those who had not. "Boys who worked in the home or community gained competence (能力) and came to feel they were worthwhile members of society," said George Vaillant, the psychologist (心理学家) who made the discovery. "And because they felt good about themselves, others felt good about them."

Vaillant’s study followed these males in great detail. Interviews were repeated at ages 25,31 and 47. Under Vaillant, the researchers compared the men’s mental-health scores with their boyhood-activity scores. Points were awarded for part-time jobs, housework, effort in school, and ability to deal with problems.

The relationship between what the men had done as boys and how they turned out as adults was surprisingly sharp. Those who had done the most boyhood activities were twice as likely to have warm relations with a wide variety of people, five times as likely to be well paid and 16 times less likely to have been unemployed. The researchers also found that IQ and family social and economic class made no real difference in how the boys turned out. Working — at any age — is important. Childhood activities help a child develop responsibility, independence, confidence and competence — the underpinnings (基础) of emotional health. They also help him understand that people must cooperate and work toward common goals. The most competent (能干的) adults are those who know how to do this. Yet work isn't everything. As Tolstoy once said, “One can live magnificently in this world if one knows how to work and how to love to work for the person one loves and to love one's work.”

1. Vaillant’s words in Paragraph 2 serve as ___________.

A．a description of personal values and social values

B．an analysis of how work was connected with competence

C．an example for parents’ expectations of their children

D．an explanation why some boys grew into happy men

2. Vaillant’s team obtained their findings by _______.

A．recording the boys’ effort in school

B．evaluating the men’s mental health

C．comparing different sets of scores

D．measuring the men’s problem solving ability

3. What does the underlined word "sharp" probably mean in Paragraph 4?

A．Quick to react.

B．Having a thin edge.

C．Clear and definite.

D．Sudden and rapid.

4. What can be inferred from the last paragraph?

A．Competent adults know more about love than work.

B．Emotional health is essential to a wonderful adult life.

C．Love brings more joy to people than work does.

D．Independence is the key to one’s success.

【推荐3】At CES (Consumer Electronics Show) 2020, one of the more well-represented gadget (小器具) categories was definitely consumer robots—but none was more adorable than a new robot pet from industrial robot startup Elephant Robotics.

This robot pet is a fully autonomous companion that can respond to touch and voice—and even play with toys, and it's hard not to love the thing after spending even just a brief amount of time with it. Marscat's pedigree (血统) is a bit unusual, since Elephant Robotics is focused on building what's known as “cobots”, or industrial robots that are designed to work alongside humans in settings like factories or assembly (装配) plants.

Elephant Robotics, which was founded in 2016, already produces three lines of these cooperative robots and has sold them to customer companies around the world, including in Korea, the U. S. , Germany and more.

This new product is designed for the home, however, not the factory or the lab. Marscat is the startup's first consumer product, but it obviously benefits immensely from the company's expertise and experience in their industrial robotics business. Marscat walks, runs, sleeps, sits. stretches, bites nails and even buries litter although she won't produce any waste. It may express different emotions by different meows (喵) or gestures. Marscat is unique from its eyes，body to personality. It has six characters which can be changed. She may be energetic or lazy，social or shy. Her personality develops through the way the users pet her.

While Marscat provides that kind of functionality out of the box, it's also customizable and programmable by the user. Inside, it's powered by a Raspberry Pi, and it ships with Marscat SDK, which is an open software development library that allows you to fully control and program all of the rohat's functions. This makes it an interesting gadget for STEM (Science, technology. engineering, math) education and research, too.

1. How does Marscat differ from cobots?

A．Cobots is used more widely.	B．Marscat is for family company.
C．Marscat is more difficult to operate.	D．Cobots is a good housework helper.

2. What can we infer about Marscat from Paragraph 4?

A．It is like a real cat.	B．It has unchanged personality.
C．It can speak to its owner if necessary.	D．Its litter box needs cleaning regularly.

3. What does the underlined word “library” in the last paragreph refer to?

A．A bookstore.	B．A control room.
C．Marscat SDK.	D．A Raspberry Pi.

4. What's the author's attitude to Marscat's future?

A．Questioning.	B．Conservative.
C．Prejudiced.	D．Confident.