【推荐1】People have always been wondering about what our future will look like. Go on reading this text, and you will know what will happen in the next fifty years.
How can we know what the future will look like? To be able to understand the future, you must know the past. What has taken us to where we are today and what has changed along the way? The world has changed a lot in the last 150 years, but we humans are driven by the same basic needs as we were 150 years ago. Will this change in the next 150 years? No.
What inventions have really made a difference in the last 150 years? In the past years, the inventions that have affected most people around the world for everyday living are the telephone, electricity, radio, television, computer, the car and the ability to communicate through the Internet. Then we of course have a lot of inventions that have made life easier, like new medicine, faster transports etc. In general, human beings have been working hard in the last 150 years to make the inventions so that they will be able to get control of the time and the world. Since there is still much to do in this area, this will be the focus at least for the next 150 years.
Why do we need to predict the future? Predicting the future is important for two reasons: first we need to start to think about what kind of future we would like for ourselves and to pass on to the next generation, and then we need to know what decisions we need to make today that will give the best result in the future.
1. What does the author try to tell us in the second paragraph?

A．Our basic needs will not change in the future.

B．The world is quite different from what it was.

C．Humans will no longer enjoy food in the future.

D．The world will be completely changed tomorrow.

2. Our past inventions have made       .

A．our daily life more stressful

B．it easy for us to live

C．our work easily done

D．us work less time

3. What will humans do in order to keep the world under control?

A．To produce more cars for transportation.

B．To spend more time working on the Internet.

C．To work much harder to achieve their goals.

D．To focus on making more inventions.

4. What is the main idea of the last paragraph?

A．What result we’ll receive in the future.

B．The two reasons of predicting the future.

C．The importance of predicting the future.

D．The decisions we make for our future.

【推荐3】It’s exciting to imagine how future humans will have solved the problems we have now, or what amazing new inventions will make our lives more convenient and interesting. We asked top scientists to share their predictions on what the world will be like in a century. If they’re right, the 2114 is going to be really cool.

1. Robots will do your chores and more.

Robots will be doing most of our jobs, from building homes to teaching math. There are already robots that clean floors and pump gas. In the future they will be more complicated and useful. Unfortunately, with robots taking all the jobs, unemployment will be high.

2. You will read minds.

Speaking of being social, we will communicate in an entirely different way. Forget texts and emails. Mind­reading technology will allow us to send thoughts to each other without speaking a word. We will also be able to send thoughts to objects around us. (Instead of pressing “start” on the microwave, you could just think “start”.) Meanwhile, chips implanted (植入) in our brains will improve memory and intelligence.

3. Your car will drive you.

Today, around 30,000 Americans die in car accidents each year. One hundred years from now, accidents will be a thing of the past. According to Mark Safford, consultant or the U.S. department of Transportation, future cars will drive themselves. These electric cars will communicate with other cars on the road to travel safely in close formation at high speeds.

4. You will eat fake meat.

Raising animals is not an efficient way to produce food, and it harms the environment. Cows, chickens, and pigs eat a lot, and then we have to deal with all that poop (粪便). What’s more, that poop can poison lakes, rivers, and streams. Today, scientists can “grow” meat in a lab from animal cells, but it’s expensive and not very delicious. In the future, they will have perfected the process. You’ll order hamburgers that come from factories, not cows. Scientists may even find ways to make lab grown meat tastier and healthier than the real thing.

1. According to the passage, what is likely to happen when robots become more common in the future?

A．People will be much lazier.

B．More people will lose their jobs.

C．People may become physically weaker.

D．More people may become less intelligent.

2. Mind-reading technology will help people to ________.

A．have a good memory	B．talk to other creatures
C．read books efficiently	D．convey messages silently

3. According to the passage, in the future cars will be ________.

A．less popular	B．more expensive
C．much easier to operate	D．much smaller and lighter

4. Future meat will be ________.

A．much more harmless	B．less tasty but healthier
C．more organic and delicious	D．more environmentally friendly

【推荐1】Are you happy? If you aren’t you need to move near friends who are happy. A new study shows that happiness is infectious (易传染的) and can flow through social groups. And the closer you are to someone happy, the happier you’ll be.

The study was carried out by the Harvard Medical School. The researchers discovered that a person’s happiness depends on the happiness of those around them. They collected data on 5,000 adults between 1971 and 2003. Participants were asked to identify their relatives, close friends, place of residence and place of work. They were also asked questions about whether they enjoyed life, and whether they felt hopeful about the future.

The results were very interesting. The researchers found that those who had happy partners had an 8% higher chance of being happy too. And for those with happy children, this increases to 14%. And finally, those with a happy friend who lives less than half a kilometre away are 42% more likely to be happy. “Most important from our perspective is the recognition that people are m social networks, and that the health and well-being of one person affects the health and well-being of others,” one of the researchers explained. “It makes sense that if people around you are happy, that might have an impact on your own happiness.” So, in conclusion, the best thing is to have a happy friend who lives less than a kilometer away from you. Do you have one?

1. How did researchers get their findings?

A．By comparing results.	B．By asking questions.
C．By listing figures.	D．By giving examples.

2. According to the study, who may have the greatest effect on your happiness?

A．Your partner.	B．Your children.
C．Your close friends.	D．Your parents.

3. What does the underlined word “this” in Paragraph Three refer to       .

A．the interesting result.	B．the happy life.
C．the health of the family.	D．the chance of happiness.

4. What is the passage mainly about?

A．Happiness and family.	B．Happiness and health.
C．Friendship and happiness.	D．Friendship and health.

【推荐3】Next time your plane lands, listen to the sound of the tyres hitting the ground. The reason the tyres don’t explode is because they are made of natural rubber. The tyres of cars, motorbikes and trucks are also often made of the same stuff.

Natural rubber comes from trees, Workers cut the trunks of the trees and collect a white liquid called latex. In the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, huge numbers of rubber trees were planted in countries including Malaysia, Burma and Brazil. More than a century ago, scientists discovered how to make man-made rubber, but natural rubber is much stronger and can last much longer. Nearly half the rubber which is produced each year is natural rubber and there is always a need for more.

Rubber trees are not easy to grow. They are affected by changes in temperature, to much or not enough rain, high winds and disease. Some trees survive while others die and it’s all down to their genes. Two British organizations, the Tun Abdul Razak Research Center (TARRC) and The Genome Analysis Center (TGAC), have been working together to look at rubber trees. This is the genes fit together in very long chains of DNA. The genome for a plant such as a rubber tree or animal needs to grow. The genome contains all the information the plant or animal needs to grow. The genome for a plant such as a rubber tree is smaller than a human genome but it is still very long, which is why it has been so difficult to find. As Ewan Mollison of TARRC says, the work has been like putting a picture puzzle together where all the pieces show blue sea and blue sky.

Now scientists can use the rubber tree genome to produce stronger trees. By understanding the genome, they can change the DNA in rubber trees in useful ways. They can also do it much faster than before. In the future, it will be possible to grow trees which survive climate change and disease.

1. What characteristics of natural rubber can be inferred from Paragraph 1?

A．Inexpensive.

B．Flexible

C．Conductive

D．Explosive.

2. What made natural rubber so demanding each year?

A．Quantities of rubber trees were planted in Southeast Asia

B．Rubber trees are not easily affected by the climate change.

C．By now scientists haven’t discovered how to make man-made rubber.

D．Natural rubber is much tougher and more lasting than man-made rubber.

3. What does Ewan Mollison suggest in Paragraph 3?

A．The work sounds as interesting as a picture puzzle.

B．The genome of a rubber tree is as blue as sea and sky.

C．The genome of a rubber tree is not easy to be identified

D．Completing a picture puzzle with sea and sky is difficult.

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

A．The Origin of Natural Rubber	B．The Application of Natural Rubber
C．Natural Rubber: It’s All in the genes	D．Natural Rubber VS Man-made Rubber

【推荐1】I was an only child in the baby boom of the 1960s. I was upset about this and always admired my friend——Jessica. One day I went on holiday with her family. I remember she slammed her bedroom door after a tearful quarrel over a packet of biscuits that had been unfairly distributed. I was supposed to see the misery of her life as the second child of four, but all I could see was drama and excitement.

Nowadays, many single children have more than one child themselves, while those people who have one child most came from big families. It indicates a basic truth about human nature: we often want what we don’t have.

Of course, I have three children. To my annoyance, my children do a lot of grappling and nosily compete for attention. However, in the immediate aftermath (创伤) of inter-sibling (兄弟姐妹间的) slanging (漫骂) match, I often hear my daughter singing in her bedroom . Something has finished as soon as it gets started.

As for the disturbing situation, I turned to my workmate, who is married to an only, she told me, “My husband had no idea of the kids’ arguments. I had five siblings, and everything was up for grabs when I was growing up. So when my son and daughter fight, it’s water off a duck’s back.”

Parents who are only children think we have the power to fix the fight among children, and then find it unimaginably frustrating when we can’t. We often make the situation worse by over-responding to arguments. The psychologist Linda Blair, author of Birth Order, argues that it can be “very tricky” in families where both parents are only children, and that it can sometimes lead to “very anxious households”. If one parent has experience of sibling behavior, he or she can offer advice when irritation arises.

1. What did the writer think of Jessica’s family?

A．It was more enjoy able to have siblings.	B．It was unlucky to be a child of a large family.
C．Jessica’s family was so rich s to go on holiday.	D．It was unfair when Jessica’s parents handed out biscuits.

2. How does the writer’s colleague deal with her children’s arguments?

A．By ignoring.

B．By seeking help.

C．By giving advice.

D．By fixing the fight.

3. What can we learn from the text?

A．People with siblings tend to have lots of kids.

B．In the 1960s people preferred to have only one child.

C．The writer’s daughter is always angry after the arguments.

D．The family relations may be tense if both parents are only children.

4. The text is especially helpful for ________.

A．only children	B．children with siblings
C．married women	D．parents with several kids

【推荐2】As Alice and Mike watched their son Allan graduate from Cambridge University last month, they thought back to the moment he was born.

“I’m so sorry your baby is blind,” a neighbor had said. Even though Allan’s family were middle class and they lived a comfortable life, as a blind child, Allan Hennessy’s future was poor.

The local hospitals could not offer Allan hope of giving him sight because there weren’t enough eye specialists. But when Allan was 6 months old, an opportunity came and Allan’s father seized it. “My dad sold his car, belongings and some of his land to pay for my treatment. We left our home country with very little.”

The opportunity was an operation in London which restored the sight in Allan’s left eye. “My mom remembers the first time I looked at her: the first time we made eye contact. She burst into tears. Since then, I’ve just been rocking on with the little sight I have,” he explained.

For Allan, life as an immigrant was challenging. When he was accepted into Cambridge University, Allan realized there were so many peers at Cambridge.

“I felt visibly different,” he said. When you’re a half-blind guy climbing the greasy pole, everyone can see that and they judge you, even though they are climbing it too.”

But after spending three years at Fitzwilliam College, Allan said it was transformative（改造作用的）. “I met the most amazing people from all over the world.” What would his life be like if he had stayed in his home country? “I wouldn’t have a Cambridge law degree; I wouldn’t even be sighted. My family there have faced terrible events. Perhaps I wouldn’t be alive.”

After graduating this summer, Allan is taking up a scholarship at law school.

“If you’ve got a first-class law degree from Cambridge University, that should set you up for life,” he said. “But when you’re a half-blind immigrant living in Britain today, there is so much more I have to do. The journey has only just begun.”

1. When Allan was born, __________.

A．a local doctor offered to help with his eye problems

B．he lived in a poor area

C．his family was ready to move to London

D．he couldn’t see anything

2. The underlined word “ it” in Paragraph 3 refers to __________.

A．the selling of Mike’s belongings

B．an operation to cure Allan’s eyes

C．the comfortable life in London

D．the bright future of the family

3. How was Allan’s life in Cambridge?

A．He was helped by many of his peers.

B．He worked hard to keep up with his peers.

C．He was bullied by others for many years.

D．He found it challenging but life-changing.

4. We can infer from the last paragraph that Allan__________.

A．won’t stop challenging himself in the future

B．is proud of his achievements in college

C．is determined to help other half-blind students

D．is unsatisfied with his life as an immigrant

【推荐3】Choosing to forget something might take more mental effort than trying to remember it, researchers at The University of Texas at Austin discovered through neuroimaging (神经成像).

These findings, published in the Journal of Neuroscience, suggest that in order to forget an unwanted experience, more attention should be focused on it. This surprising result continues previous research on intentional forgetting, which focused on reducing attention to the unwanted information through redirecting attention away from unwanted experiences or holding back the memory’s retrievals (恢复).

“We may want to get rid of memories that cause nonadaptive responses, such as upsetting memories, so that we can respond to new experiences in more adaptive ways,” said Jarrod Lewis-Peacock, the study’s senior author and an assistant professor of psychology at UT Austin. “Decades of research has shown that we have the ability to voluntarily forget something, but how our brains do that is still being questioned. Once we can figure out how memories are weakened and design ways to control this, we can design treatment to help people rid themselves of unwanted memories.”

Using neuroimaging to track patterns of brain activity, the researchers showed a group of healthy adults images of scenes and faces, instructing them to either remember or forget each image. Their findings not only confirmed that humans have the ability to control what they forget, but that successful intentional forgetting required “moderate (适中的) levels” of brain activity in these sensory and perceptual areas (感官区域)—more activity than what was required to remember.

“A moderate level of brain activity is critical to this forgetting mechanism. Too strong, and it will strengthen the memory; too weak, and you won’t change it,” said Tracy Wang, lead author of the study and a psychology postdoctoral fellow at UT Austin. “Importantly, it’s the intention to forget that increases the activation of the memory, and when this activation hits the ‘moderate level’ sweet spot, that’s when it leads to later forgetting of that experience.” The researchers also found that participants were more likely to forget scenes than faces, which can carry much more emotional information, the researchers said.

“We’re learning how these mechanisms in our brain respond to different types of information, and it will take a lot of further research and replication (重复) of this work before we understand how to control our ability to forget,” said Lewis-Peacock, who has begun a new study using neurofeedback to track how much attention is given to certain types of memories.

"This will make way for future studies on how we process, and hopefully get rid of, those really strong, sticky emotional memories, which can have a powerful effect on our health and well-being," Lewis-Peacock said.

1. Previous studies on intentional forgetting researched ______.

A．the pattern of brain activity

B．the process of recovering a memory

C．the way to reduce attention to unwanted information

D．the amount of attention required by intentional forgetting

2. According to Tracy Wang, forgetting is possible when ______.

A．people respond to new experiences in an adaptive way

B．the activation of the memory reaches a certain level

C．people have the strongest intention to forget

D．the information involves more emotion

3. Lewis continues his study to find out ______.

A．how to control people’s ability to forget

B．where to apply the findings of his team’s latest study

C．what effects upsetting memories have on people’s health

D．if different types of information requires different levels of attention

4. What is the best title of the article?

A．Where does forgetting take place?

B．How does attention affect memory?

C．Forgetting uses more brain power than remembering

D．Forgetting is far more difficult than we once imagined

【推荐1】The snow in Antarctica is turning green and scientists say climate change may be to blame. According to a study at the Cambridge University, microscopic algae blooms (藻类爆发) across the surface of the snow is slowly turning Antarctica’s winter white landscape green. Although microscopic, scientists say they’re able to see the “green snow” from space when the algae blooms all together.

Researchers created a large-scale map of green snow algae along the Antarctic coast using a combination of satellite data and on-the-ground observations over the course of two summers. The study found that the green snow algae bloomed in warmer areas where the average temperatures are just above 0℃ during the southern hemisphere’s (半球的) summer months from November to February.

“As Antarctica warms, we predict the overall mass of snow algae will increase,” said Dr Andrew Gray, lead author of the paper, and a researcher. Researchers say larger blooms of algae can be found north of the Antarctic and South Shetland Islands, where it can spread to higher ground as the snow melts.

The team also discovered some sea birds and mammals influenced the distribution of algae. Over 60% of algae blooms were found within three miles of a penguin settlement. Scientists hypothesize this may be due to their droppings, which act as a “highly nutritious fertilizer.”

“This is a significant advance in our understanding of land-based life on Antarctica, and how it might change in the coming years as the climate warms,” said Dr. Matt Davey in the University of Cambridge’s Department of Plant Sciences, who led the study.

1. What is turning the Antarctic snow green?

A．The melting of snow.

B．The blooming algae.

C．The beautiful landscape.

D．The balanced temperature.

2. Where is microscopic algae most likely to bloom in Antarctica?

A．North of the Antarctic.

B．West of the South Pole.

C．South of the Antarctic.

D．Around the southern hemisphere.

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

A．Confirm.

B．Support.

C．Assume.

D．Warn.

4. What can we learn from the text?

A．Penguins feed on microscopic algae.

B．Antarctic algae grow under the snow.

C．Ground observation lasted for four months.

D．Animal droppings contribute to the algae blooms.

【推荐2】Soil conservation efforts protect soil from wind and water that can blow or wash it away. Good soil produces food crops for both people and animals.

One important form of soil conservation is the use of windbreaks (防风林). Windbreaks are barriers formed by trees and other plants with many leaves. Farmers plant them in lines around their fields. Windbreaks stop the wind from blowing soil away. They also keep the wind from destroying or damaging crops. They are very important for growing grains, such as wheat.

For example, in parts of West Africa, studies have shown that grain harvests can be twenty percent higher on fields protected by windbreaks compared to those without such protection.

Windbreaks are effective when a wall of trees and other plants blocks the wind. The windbreaks should also limit violent motions of the wind to those areas closest to the windbreak.

However, windbreaks seem to work best when they allow a little wind to pass through. If the wall of trees and plants stops wind completely, then violent air motions will take place close to the ground. These motions cause the soil to lift up into the air where it will be blown away. For this reason, a windbreak is best if it has only sixty to eighty percent of the trees and plants needed to make a solid line.

An easy rule to remember is that windbreaks can protect areas up to ten times the height of the tallest trees in the windbreak.

There should be at least two lines in each windbreak. One line should be large trees. The second line, right next to it, can be shorter trees and other plants with leaves.

Windbreaks not only protect land and crops from the wind. They can also provide wood products. These include wood for fuel and longer pieces for making fences. Locally-grown trees and plants are best for windbreaks.

1. What does this text primarily concern?

A．A way to protect soil.	B．Some advice on growing windbreaks.
C．The effect of windbreaks.	D．A way to protect crops.

2. Which of the following is NOT true about windbreaks?

A．If windbreaks stop the wind completely，the soil will be blown away above the windbreaks.

B．Leaving sixty to eighty percent of the trees and plants needed to make a solid line is a best windbreak.

C．A better windbreak should be two lines or more with the same height.

D．Windbreaks work best during an area up to ten times the height of the tallest trees in them.

3. The underlined word "barriers" (Para. 2) refers to .

A．something that is built with trees together with other plants

B．a structure built to forbid passage of wind with trees or other plants.

C．something used to help things control their movement.

D．narrow lines where trees and other plants with many leaves are planted.

4. Which of the following is most likely to show the right area that a windbreak can protect?

A．	B．
C．	D．

【推荐3】Pacific Science Center Guide

◆Visit Pacific Science Center’s Store

Don’t forget to stop by Pacific Science Center’s Store while you are here to pick up a wonderful science activity or souvenir to remember your visit. The store is located (位于) upstairs in Building 3 right next to the Laser Dome.

◆Hungry?

Our exhibits will feed your mind, but what about your body? Our café offers a complete menu of lunch and snack options, in addition to seasonal specials. The café is located upstairs in Building 1 and is open daily until one hour Pacific Science Center closes.

◆Rental Information

Lockers are available to store any belongs during your visit. The lockers are located in Building 1 near the Information Desk and in Building 3. Pushchairs and wheelchairs are available to rent at the Information Desk and Denny Way entrance. ID required.

◆Support Pacific Science Center

Since 1962, Pacific Science Center has been inspiring a passion (热情) for discovery and lifelong learning in science, math and technology. Today, Pacific Science Center serves more than 1.3 million people a year and brings inquiry-based science education to classrooms and community events all over Washington State. It’s an amazing accomplishment and one we cannot achieve without generous support from individuals, corporations, and other social organizations. Visit pacificsciencecenter. org to find various ways you can support Pacific Science Center.

1. Where can you buy a souvenir at Pacific Science Center?

A．In Building 3.	B．In Building l.
C．At the Laser Dome.	D．At the Denny Way entrance.

2. Which of the following about the Pacific Science Center is NOT true?

A．You can have lunch there.	B．The exhibits there will feed your mind.
C．There is no place to store your belongs.	D．Pushchairs and wheelchairs are available to rent.

3. What is the purpose of the last part of the text?

A．To tell about the Center’s history.	B．To advertise coming events.
C．To introduce special exhibits.	D．To encourage donations.