【推荐1】Janet Fein is an 84-year-old woman. Last week, she received her bachelor’s degree from The University of Texas at Dallas.

Fein has had a full life. She has raised five children and then had a career as a secretary until she retired at age 77. But even then, she was not ready to take it easy and rest during a well-earned retirement.

“I didn’t have anything to do in retirement and I didn’t think that playing bingo was up to my speed,” Fein told the Associated Press. She said she decided to major in sociology because she felt it was “substantial”.

Fein grew up in the Bronx area of New York City. She said that in high school. she just wanted to finish and get a job. After graduating early, at the age of 16, she went to work as a secretary at a dress manufacturer.

After getting married, she spent 18 years staying home with her children. She held several jobs throughout her life, including 20 years as a secretary at a Dallas hospital. That is the job she retired from in 2012. She also worked for 20 years on earning an associate degree, which she received in 1995.

But Fein told the AP she also wanted to earn a bachelor’s degree “with all of my heart”. Even with all of her life experiences, she said she enjoyed reading, writing papers and learning new things. “With each class I already knew a lot, but then I also learned a lot. And that made me happy.”

Carmel Dyer is director of the UTHealth Consortium on Aging at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston. She says that keeping active and giving yourself something to look forward to “is just a really positive move”.

Her college advisor was Sheila Rollerson. She told the AP that Fein never showed signs of giving up even with all of her difficulties. “She just kept plugging along.” Rollerson said.

Renee Brown is one of Fein’s caregivers. She says Fein has also inspired her. At 53, she plans to begin nursing school to further her career.

1. What can we learn about Fein from the text?

A．She enjoyed playing bingo after retirement.

B．She worked as a secretary at the age of 18.

C．She had got a bachelor’s degree in nursing.

D．She didn’t give up despite all the difficulties.

2. What is Carmel Dyer’s attitude towards Fein?

A．Cautious.

B．Approving.

C．Unconcerned.

D．Doubtful.

3. Which of the following best describes Fein’s life?

A．It was tough and terrible.	B．It was full and meaningful.
C．It disturbed her caregiver’s life.	D．It encouraged her children greatly.

4. What can we conclude from the text?

A．No pain, no gain.	B．Failure is the mother of success.
C．It’s never too old to learn.	D．Action speaks louder than words.

【推荐2】Jerry was the kind of guy you love to hate. He was always in a good mood and always had something positive to say. Seeing this style really made me curious, so one day I went up to Jerry and asked him, “I don’t get it! You can’t be a positive person all the time. How do you do it?” Jerry replied, “Each morning I wake up and say to myself, ‘Jerry, you have two choices today. You can choose to be in a good mood or you can choose to be in a bad mood.’ I choose to be in a good mood.”

“Yeah, right, but it’s not that easy,” I protested. “Yes, it is,” Jerry said. “Life is all about choices. When you cut away all the junk, every situation is a choice. You choose how you react to situations. You choose how people will affect your mood. You choose to be in a good mood or bad mood. The bottom line it’s your choice how to live life.”

Several years later, I heard that Jerry did something you are never supposed to do in a restaurant business he left the back door open one morning and was held up at gunpoint by three armed robbers While trying to open the safe, the robbers panicked and shot him. Luckily, Jerry was found immediately and sent to the local hospital. After 18 hours of surgery and weeks of intensive care, Jerry was released from the hospital with fragments of the bullets still in his body.

I saw Jerry about six months after the accident. When I asked him about the incident, he replied, “Wanna see my scars?” I declined to see his wounds, but did ask him what had gone through his mind as the robbery took place. “The first thing that came into my mind was that I should have locked the back door,” Jerry replied. “Then as I lay on the floor, I remembered that I had two choices I could choose to live, or choose to die. I choose to live.”

Jerry lived thanks to the skill of his doctors, but also because of his amazing attitude. I learned from him that every day we have the choice to live fully. Attitude, after all, is everything.

1. Which of the following can best describe Jerry?

A．Optimistic.

B．Responsible.

C．Kind-hearted.

D．Careless.

2. What does the underlined phrase “cut away all the junk” mean?

A．Pick up the junk on the ground regularly.	B．Ignore the unnecessary parts of something.
C．Choose to be in a good mood.	D．Never be affected by others.

3. Which of the following could be the best title?

A．The choice of life.

B．Attitude is everything.

C．How to live fully.

D．An unexpected robbery.

【推荐3】“Do you feel any better, Henry?” Rinaldi seated himself in the chair next to the bed. "You know what's happening? They are planning to give you a medal.”

“No way! What did I do?”

“But you have been seriously injured. You at least will get a bronze one. And if you did something special, they will give you a silver one. Did you do anything special?”

“No, nothing!”

“Weren't you carrying anybody while you were wounded?”

“Of course not.”

“Well, I heard you insisted on letting other patients get treated before you.”

"I didn't insist very strongly.”

“That's alright. I don't think it's a problem. I'm pretty sure that you can get a silver one! We are all full of pride when we think about you.”

“So, how did the battle go?”

“Didn't you read the newsletter? We took that little town and got almost a thousand enemies to give up!”

“How are you doing?”

'I'm doing very well! I'm becoming a better doctor every day. But enough about me...do you still hurt? How are the wounds? How's your head doing? The doctor's chart says that your head is all right. You were really unlucky to have that major work on you! He's not a good doctor. He is more like a meat cutter. It must drive you mad to stay in this bed all day long! Please get out of here as soon as possible. I miss you. The room is so empty now that there's nobody sharing it with me."

“What about Miss Barkely?”

“Of course, I will go and ger her. But you rest for a while. And here, I brought you some alcohol to take away some of the pain. By the way, I think the priest wants to come to see you. You know, sometimes I wonder if you two aren't lovers,” he said laughing.

“Shut up, you stupid Italian!”

“I have to go now. Get well soon! I have no one to joke with.”

1. What's the relationship between Henry and Rinaldi?

A．Official and solider

B．Roommates

C．Lovers

D．Doctor and patient

2. The underlined word "work" in the passage refers to_      .

A．news

B．argument

C．wound

D．medal

3. We can know from the passage that_              .

A．Rinaldi didn't know Henry very well.	B．the priest and Miss Barkely are lovers.
C．Henry was very badly wounded in the head.	D．Henry probably got wounded in the battle.

4. Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

A．Rinaldi is a pleasant guy.

B．A silver medal was awarded to Henry.

C．Henry got a thousand enemies to give up.

D．Rinaldi was more like a meat cutter than a doctor.

【推荐1】Called 'the man who shaped America' and 'the father modern industrial design', Raymond Loewy must be one of the most influential designer of all time. He revolutionized the industry, working as a consultant for more than 200 companies and creating designs for everything from packaging to refrigerators, from cars to the interiors of spacecraft.

Loewy's design all had one thing in common. They were shaped by the MAYA principle - Most Advanced Yet Acceptable. His idea was that people will not accept solutions to design problems if the solutions are too different from current designs.

After a short period as a fashion illustrator, Loewy started his career in industrial design in 1929 by re-designing a copying machine for the British manufacturer, Sigmund Gestetner. The 28-years-old designer completed the task in three days and the design of the machine lasted for the next 40 years.

The Gestetner duplicator was the beginning of many design which used streamlining. He described this as 'beauty through function and simplification'. He spent the next 50 years streamlining everything from postage stamps and company logos to the interiors of stores. The famous Greyhound bus and Studebaker car show his use of streamlining in action.

He is perhaps most famous for his re-design of the Lucky Strike packaging. In 1940 , the President of the Lucky Strike Manufacturing Company, Goerge Washington Hill, be Loewy $50,000 that he could not improve the appereance of the green and red Lucky Strike . Loewy accepted the challenge. He changed the background of the packet from green to white. Then he put the red lucky strike target on both sides of the packet. This made it more eye-catching and greatly increased sales. It is now recognised as a design classic.

Loewy's logo design aimed at 'Visual retention'. He wanted to make sure that anyone who saw the logo, even for a short while, would never forget it. He designed many highly visible logos for famous companies such as Shell Oil , Exxon, Greyhound and Nabisco.

By the mid 20th century, his industrial design firm was so famous that he could say 'the average person, leadinga normal life lose is bound to be in daily contact with some of the things, service or structure' designed by his firm.

1. Loewy’s biggest influence was in ______ .

A．completely changing the industry

B．successfully shaping Americans’ taste

C．changing people’s idea about design

D．building a professional design team

2. Loewy’s designs were based on the idea of ______.

A．offering original but not revolutionary answers to problems

B．providing completely different design

C．providing most immediately recognizable designs

D．speeding up the design process

3. The word “retention”(in paragraph 6) most probably means ______.

A．keeping	B．escaping
C．forgetting	D．remembering

4. What can we infer from the last paragraph?

A．Loewy provided service to ordinary people.

B．Loewy’s design were famous and influential.

C．Loewy’s design firms existed all over the world.

D．Loewy was welcomed and respected by the public.

【推荐2】It is often difficult for farmers to recognize diseases quickly enough to protect their crops. Now, some farmers are using a simple device (装置) directly in the field to find viruses (病毒) before they spread.

In Tanzania, farmers struggle to recognize diseases in an urgent effort to avoid great crop damage. This process is often not easy when farmers are acting on their own. If they do not know what is attacking their crops, they cannot decide the best way to fight the disease.

A device from British technology company Oxford Nanopore is changing that. The device takes out DNA from plants and helps farmers recognize what is harming their crops so that they can change to the improved crops.

Laura Boykin worked with the University of Western Australia and brought the device to a Tanzanian farm-owned by Asha Mohamed. The testing recognized a number of viruses in the cassava fields near Mohamed’s farm. “So what would have normally taken six months has just happend in a couple of hours. And that’s possible because of amazing technology, which can give farmers results real-time.” Once the viruses were recognized, Asha Mohamed was given two kinds of seeds that are resistant to the diseases.

In another case, DNA was collected from a pawpaw tree farm in Kenya. With that test, the technology was able to recognize the diseases affecting Naomi Mumo’s crops. Laura Boykin says she returned to Mohamed’s farm nine months later. “After nine months of her growing the improved crops, we harvested her plants and she saw large rise in the total amount of crops.

The speed at which farmers recognize diseases can mean the difference between the successor failure on large areas of crop land. Now, the use of such simple and easily transportable DNA sequencing (测序) devices is making that possible.

1. According to Paragraph 1, what problem are some farmers faced with?

A．They always suffer a poor harvest.

B．They fail to find helpful doctors.

C．They know little about modern faring technology.

D．They have difficulty in recognizing crop diseases quickly.

2. What do we know about the device from Oxford Nanopore?

A．It was developed by scientists from Australia.

B．It helps prevent the spread of crop diseases.

C．It recognizes crop diseases by testing DNA.

D．It should be used with the help of researchers.

3. Which of the following words has a similar meaning with “resistant” in paragraph 4?

A．harmful	B．recognizable
C．unaffected	D．Appointed

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

A．DNA technology wins great popularity among farmers.

B．DNA technology helps farmers recognize crop diseases.

C．The economic development in Tanzania.

D．The benefits of modern farming.

【推荐3】Solar panels that grow spinach (菠菜) by pulling in steam from the air could offer a low-cost strategy to produce crops in the desert, a new study says. A new system, called WEC2P, consists of solar panels coated with hydrogel (水凝胶) which suck in steam from the environment. The hydrogel-lined solar panels are mounted on top of a large metal box that turns steam from the air into liquid water for growing crops.

Over two weeks of hot weather last summer, researchers conducted a plant-growing experiment by using WEC2P in Saudi Arabia. They used the water only collected from air to irrigate 60 water spinach seeds planted in a plastic plant-growing box. Over the course of the experiment, the solar panel, with a size similar to the top of a student desk, also generated a total of 1,519 watt-hours of electricity. Spinach seeds sprouted and grew normally to seven inches (18cm) with a crop survival rate of 95 percent.

According to the researchers, the technology offers a “low-cost strategy” to improve food and water security. It’s described as “low cost” because the hydrogels use the material as cheap as $1 per kilogram, although the combined cost of building and adopting such a system would be much more. As well as powering the growth of crops, harvesting steam from the air can also provide clean drinking water.

“Our goal is to create a system of clean energy, water, and food production, especially the water-creation part in our design,” said Wang, “Our design makes water out of air using solar energy that would have been wasted and is suitable for small farms in remote places like deserts and oceanic islands.”

             One potential issue with the system is that it relies on high levels of humidity (湿度) — when there’s a lot of steam in the surrounding air — and may not be quite as effective in very dry areas. The performance and furthermore the cost of the system will have to be further and significantly improved before it can be made economically attractive.
1. What can we learn about the researchers’ spinach planting last summer?

A．It was fruitless.	B．It was successful.
C．It was perfect.	D．It was ineffective.

2. Why is the technology described as “low cost”?

A．Because it’s easy to collect steam from the air.

B．Because of the low cost of building the system.

C．Because of the wide application of the system.

D．Because the material used in hydrogels is inexpensive.

3. What do researchers plan to do next?

A．They will harvest the steam from the air.

B．They will stay away from very dry areas.

C．They will reduce dependence on humidity.

D．They will cut down the cost of the system.

4. What does the text mainly talk about?

A．Solar panels grow crops in the desert by pulling in steam.

B．Solar panels produce energy in the desert by taking in sunlight.

C．Hydrogels turn vapour from the air into water for growing crops.

D．Hydrogels harvest steam from the air to provide clean drinking water.

【推荐1】I was in my third year of teaching creative writing at Ralph McKee Vocational School when one of my students, 16-year-old Mikey, gave me a note from his mother. It explained his absence from class the day before.

I had seen Mikey writing the note at his desk, using his left hand to change his handwriting. I said nothing. Students had been forging (伪造) excuse notes since they learned to write, and if I were to confront each forger I’d be busy 24 hours a day.

I threw Mikey’s note into a desk drawer along with dozens of other notes. While my students took a test, I decided to read all the notes I’d only glanced at before. The writing ranged from imaginative to senseless.

I was having an idea.

Students complained and said it was hard putting 200 words together on any subject but when they forged excuse notes, they were brilliant. The notes I had could be turned into a collection of Great American Excuses. I read:

“The stove caught fire and the wallpaper went up and the fire department kept us out of the house all night.”

“His sister’s dog ate his homework and I hope it chokes him.”

The writers of these notes didn’t realize that honest excuse notes were usually dull: “Peter was late because the alarm clock didn’t go off.”

One day I distributed the excuse notes to my classes.

“Mr. McCourt, who wrote these?” asked one boy.

“You did,” I said. “I omitted names to protect the guilty. They’re supposed to be written by parents, but you and I know the real authors. Yes, Mikey?”

“So what are we supposed to do?”

“This is the first class to study the art of the excuse note and practice writing them. You’re so lucky to have a teacher like me who has taken your best writing and turned it into a subject worthy of study.”

Everyone smiled as I went on, “You didn’t settle for the old alarm clock story. You used your imaginations. So try it now. Imagine you have a 15-year-old who needs an excuse for falling behind in English.”

The students produced excuses, ranging from a 16-wheeler crashing into a house to a severe case of food poisoning blamed on the school cafeteria. They said, “More, more. Can we do more?”

So I said, “I’d like you to write—” And I finished, “‘An Excuse Note from Adam to God’ or ‘An Excuse Note from Eve to God.’” Heads went down. Pens raced across paper.

Before long the bell rang. For the first time ever I saw students so immersed in their writing they had to be urged to go to lunch by their friends.

1. What was the author’s attitude towards students’ forging the excuse notes at the beginning of the story?

A．Favorable

B．Unconcerned

C．Negative

D．Critical

2. By saying “I was having an idea” (Para. 4), the author probably means that ______.

A．he decided to read all the excuse notes to the students

B．he realized that Mikey was good at writing excuse notes

C．he understood why so many students forged excuse notes

D．he found that the excuse notes could be used in writing class

3. The author asked the student to practice writing excuses with the aim of ______.

A．punishing them for writing lunatic excuse notes

B．asking them to reflect on the story about Adam

C．exercising their imagination in creative writing

D．telling them to write an excuse note skillfully

【推荐2】Malmon was a freshman at the University of Pennsylvania when she got a call from her mother that would change her life: Her fun, outgoing older brother, Brian, had taken his own life.

When Malmon returned to school after Brian’s funeral, she was still grieving. But when she looked for help on campus, there was no place to turn. “Back then,” says Malmon, “students weren’t encouraged to talk about their mental health. I started reflecting on the fact that there was an urgent need to get that conversation going.”

She was only 19 and had no experience with mental health issues, but that didn’t stop her from launching Open Minds at Penn. Now, 20 years later it is the largest young adult mental health organization in America, with more than 550 branches at high schools and colleges. “What I’m most inspired by is that my generation and the generations coming behind me are taking on mental health as a social justice issue,” says Malmon. “Open Minds is changing not only their campuses, it’s changing their families too.”

Open Minds’ peer-to-peer education techniques are more important than ever. The American College Health Association’s 2019 National College Health Assessment found that 45 percent of students reported feeling so depressed in the previous 12 months that it was difficult to function; 66 percent felt deep anxiety; and 13 percent seriously considered suicide—the act of killing oneself.

Malmon’s goal has always been to remind the public to pay attention to the language we use to talk about mental illness. The word “suicide” is an example. You don’t commit a heart attack or cancer, says Malmon. “Suicide is the only death where we use that word ‘commit,’” she says. “If we take that word out of our daily talk, we can make significant changes in how we think about suicide and people are brave to talk about it and reach out for the help they need as soon as they need it.”

1. What contributed to Malmon launching Open Minds?

A．Her professor’s instruction.	B．Her brother’s death.
C．Her desire for success.	D．Her mother’s encouragement.

2. What does the underlined word “grieving” in Paragraph 2 mean?

A．Feeling sad.	B．Feeling ashamed.
C．Feeling shocked.	D．Feeling awkward.

3. What is Malmon’s attitude to the fact that “commit” and “suicide” are used together?

A．Positive

B．Uncaring

C．Favorable

D．Disapproving

【推荐1】While traditional wisdom tells us that we should eagerly catch every opportunity that comes our way, playing a little hard to get has its advantages. Studies have shown that opportunities are seen to be more valuable as they become less available, according to Robert Cialdini, a leading expert on influence, who said “What the scarcity principle says is that people are more attracted to rare opportunities.”

Appearing available can work against you, according to Jeremy Nicholson, a social psychologist. If you're excited about a work opportunity, it indicates that you are in low demand.

“Making something harder to get,” Dr. Nicholson said, “tends to increase at least the perception of value.” If you are meeting with hiring managers or potential clients, Dr. Nicholson recommends that responding in a way that respects their interest without being too eager. Dr. Nicholson advises, with responses like: “I do have a couple of other projects to deal with. However, I could do this for you if you want.”

“It's easy to become excited when an opportunity presents itself,” Ms. Ryan, founder of Human Workplace, said, “but remember that your power in any negotiation is related to your ability to walk away. Don't accept an offer before fully considering the opportunity.” Once you have interest, turn that into diligence. Ms. Ryan recommends reading up on the organization from third-party perspectives, and checking out job-search websites to see what employees and ex-employees say about it. Keep in mind: The goal is to approach any negotiation cautiously and with a clear head.

Appearing less available isn't about limiting our enthusiasm, but about trusting in our own self-worth so we can be proactive, experts say. This means mindfully transforming our excitement into strategy. “Emphasizing the uniqueness of your resources and your cooperative approach can help you more quickly advance your goals,” said Shirli Kopelman, a professor at the Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan.

1. Why is it necessary for us to appear scarce when we face opportunities?

A．Because we should strictly follow the principle about scarcity.

B．Because we should eagerly grasp opportunities coming our way.

C．Because we should value opportunities in the competitive society.

D．Because we should show rare opportunities to increase our advantages.

2. What does the underlined word “proactive” mean?

A．Accessible.

B．Strategic.

C．Enthusiastic.

D．Limited.

3. Which of the following statements is the suggestion given by Ms. Ryan?

A．Being eager enough and ready.	B．Being cautious and clear headed.
C．Being confident and interested.	D．Being skillful and accomplished.

4. According to Shirli Kopelman, which is the best way to help us achieve our goals?

A．Not being too hard on our career.	B．Noting controlling our enthusiasm.
C．Applying excitement to negotiations.	D．Stressing scarcity and cooperation ways.

【推荐2】To Whom It May Concern:

Your address was forwarded to us by Why Bother Magazine. All of us here think The International Institute Not Doing Much is the best organization in the world. You know how to avoid unnecessary activities! We closely followed the advice in your article. First, we replaced all our telephones with carrier pigeons. Simply removing the jingle of telephones and replacing them with the pleasant sounds of birds has had a remarkable effect on everyone. Besides, birds are cheaper than telephone service. After all, we are a business. We have to think of the bottom line. As a side benefit, the birds also fertilize the lawn outside the new employee sauna.

Next, we sold the computers of, to Stab, Grab, Grit, and Nasty, a firm of lawyers nearby. Our electricity bill went way down. Big savings! The boss is impressed. We have completely embraced paper technology. Now that we all use pencils, doodling is on the increase, and the quality of pencil woman ship is impressive, as you can tell from my handwriting in this letter. By the way, if you can, please send this letter back to us. We can erase and reuse it. Just tie it to Maggie’s leg and she’ll know where to take it.

Now it’s very calm and quiet here. You can notice the difference. No more loud chatter on the telephones! All we hear is the scratching of pencil on paper, the sound of pigeons, and the delivery of inter-office correspondence by paper airplane.

Wonderful! I’ve always wanted to work for an insurance company ever since I was a little girl. Now it’s perfect.

Sincerely yours,

Eleanor Lightly

Spokeswoman and ComPany Hair Stylist

ABC Activity Insurance: Insure against overdoing it

1. Which of the following best describes the life the author is leading?

A．simple, slow-paced life.

B．A life of hard work and security.

C．A religious, peasant-like life.

D．A life away from paper and pencils.

2. Where is Eleanor’s letter sent to?

A．Why Bother Magazines

B．ABC Activity Insurance Company

C．Stab, Grab, Grit, and Nasty Law Firm

D．The International Institute of Not Doing Much

3. What is true about Maggie?

A．She works as a manager in the author’s company.

B．She sometimes helps fertilize the lawn outside the sauna.

C．She often helps with inter-office correspondence using e-mail.

D．Her handwriting has improved a lot after entering the company.

【推荐3】An Online Event

Depending on advanced theory and brand new results from powerful telescopes, Mack explores possible finals for the universe and what they’d look like. If you’re interested in all of this, you’re welcome to Mack’s inspiring lecture, after which there’ll be a question and answer session.

Early bird tickets offer ￡12 discount before October 6.

Your ticket includes:

● Live lecture lasting 60 minutes including Q & A with Katie Mack

● Access to a recording of the talk so that you can watch it over again with the next 12 months

● Additional content from New Scientist magazine

About the speaker:

Katie Mack is known for her humorous comments and for making science accessible. She has over 350,000 followers including JK Rowling on Twitter.   Throughout her career as a researcher, Mack has studied dark matter, black holes, and the formation of the first galaxies. Her new book The End of Everything is a great exploration of the destruction of the universe.

Event information:

This online event will start at 1:00 pm on Thursday, October 13.

Booking information:

Tickets can’t change to any other New Scientist event. Refund(退票) can only be done if New Scientist cancels this event.   Neither New Scientist nor its parent company will be responsible for any additional expenses caused by ticket holders in relation to the event. Tickets are available ahead of time through Eventbrite.

1. What will the lecture be mainly about?

A．The future of the universe.	B．The history of the universe.
C．The formation of the universe.	D．The characteristics of the universe.

2. What will ticket holders be allowed to do?

A．Refund if they are not available.	B．Discuss with the speaker in time.
C．Obtain a free CD about the lecture.	D．Win some New Scientist magazines.

3. What is a fact about Katie Mack according to the text?

A．She is famous for writing science fiction.

B．She has made great achievements in physics.

C．She is one of the most popular scientists online.

D．She has drawn many approved conclusions on space.