【推荐1】Discover
Newsmagazine of science, devoted to the wonders and stories of modern science, is written for the educated general reader. Published(出版) by Disney Magazine Publishing Co., Discover tells many of the same stories professionals(专业人员) read in Scientific American. A truly delightful family science magazine, each issue(每期) brings to light new and newsworthy topics to make dinnertime and water-cooler conversations interesting.
Cover Price: $59.88
Price: $19.95($1.66/issue)
You Save: $39.93(67%)
Issues: 12 issues/12 months
Self
Published by Conde Nast Publications Inc., Self is a handbook devoted to women’s overall physical and mental health. Every issue contains usable articles such as “Style Lab”, in which wearable clothes are mixed and matched on non-models and the “Eat-right Road Map”, with tips on how to eat properly.
Cover Price: $35.86
Price: $15．00($2.5/issue)
You Save: $20．86(58%)
Issues: 10 issues/12 months
Instyle
Instyle is a guide to the lives and lifestyles of the world’s famous people. The magazine covers the choices people make about their homes, their clothes and their free time activities. With photos and articles, it opens the door to these people’s homes, families, parties and weddings, offering ideas about beauty, fitness and in general, lifestyles. Publisher: The Time Inc．Magazine Company.
Cover Price: $47.88
Price: $23.88($2.38/issue)
You Save: $24.00(50%)
Issues: 10 issues/12 months
Wired
This magazine is designed for leaders in the field of information engineering, including top managers and professionals in the computer, business, design and education industries. Published by Conde Nast Publications Inc., Wired often carries articles on how technology changes people’s lives.
Cover Price: $59.40
Price: $10.00($1.00/issue)
You save: $49.40(83%)
Issues: 10 issues/12months
1. Which of the following magazines is published monthly?

A．Discover

B．Self

C．Instyle

D．Wired

2. Which two magazines are published by the same publisher?

A．Wired and Instyle	B．Discover and Instyle
C．Self and Discove	D．Self and Wired

3. Which magazine offers the biggest price cut?

A．Instyle

B．Wired

C．Discover

D．Self

4. Those who are interested in management and the use of high technology would probably choose ________.

A．Instyle

B．Self

C．Wired

D．Discover

【推荐2】

COMMERCIAL INVOICE(发货单)
Date: December 10, 2016                              Invoice No: D15454978E Purchase Order No：8928                                Bill of loading/ Air Waybill No:2309456703W
Contact name: Dan Richman Company name: Scan Technology, Ltd. Company address: 2, South Wabash Chicago, IL60637 Telephone number: (1) 319 554 811 E-mail: danrichman@scantech.com			CONSIGN EE（收件人） Contact name: Lee Haojie Company name: First Computers Co. Company address: 35 HeDong Road Beijing, China Telephone number: (86) 134591102 E-mail: haojie@first.com.cn
Goods Description	Model number	Quantity	Country of Origin	Unit Value	Total Value
80211 Handheld Scanner	8021101	3	USA	$120.00	$360.00
80211Base Communicator	8021183	1	USA	$200.00	$200.00
80211 Cables and Connectors	8021111	3	USA	$30.50	$91.50
Comments: Mr. Lee, I am able to offer a 8% discount since your total purchase is above $500. We value your business and are looking forward to more opportunities with you.	Invoice Sub Total				$651.50
	Discount				$52.12
	Insurance				$0.00
	Invoice Total				$599.38
Shipper's signature :Dan Richman	Number of Package				1
	Total Weight				5.15kg

To: Debbie Hu From: Lee Haojie Subject: Handheld Scanners Ms. Hu, I received the parcel from Scan Technology 1 piece. The scanner model they sent is correct, and the quantity is right. However, I’ve discovered the cables and connectors are all wrong. They are not suitable for the model 8021101. Can you do me a small favor and go through the product information website and see if the cables and connectors are still compatible (兼容的）with the 8021101 scanners? I have no wish to unpack the cables and connectors and try connecting them to the scanners. I believe we will have problem asking for an exchange if the cables and connectors are not compatible. If the website suggests an incompatibility, please contact Dan Richman and request an exchange for the collect model. (Refer to the invoice for his e-mail address.) I will only use the scanners for our project once we have resolved the exchange issue. We should not proceed unless we get confirmation (证实）on their compatibility. I am looking to resolve this in the shortest possible time as it would be disastrous to wait for this exchange without making progress on the project. Haojie

1. Which of the following information is NOT included in the invoice?

A．The weight of the individual items.

B．The sender's address.

C．The names of the items sent.

D．The consignee's contact number.

2. What can be indicated from the invoice?

A．Mr. Lee is a regular customer.

B．The company only sends shipments to China.

C．The company provides a discount on purchases of over $ 500.

D．The shipment will arrive at its point of destination on December 10.

3. What is stopping Mr. Lee from opening all the packages?

A．He wants to send them back.

B．He is going to forward them to Ms. Hu.

C．He received some items addressed to someone else.

D．He wants to double-check on the adaptability of some items.

4. Which of the following does Ms. Hu need to know from the invoice if the cables are found to be incompatible with the scanner?

A．Model number: 8021101

B．E-mail address: danrichman@scantech.com

C．Company address: 35 HeDong Road

D．Air Waybill No: 2309456703W

【推荐3】LEGO is the name of a line of toys featuring colorful plastic bricks, mini figures, and other pieces which can be assembled(组装的) to create models of almost anything imaginable. High production quality and careful attention to detail ensure that LEGO pieces can fit together in a range of ways, which is one of the main reasons for the toy’s success.

The LEGO Group had humble beginnings in the workshop of Ole Kirk Christiansen in Demark. Ole Kirk started creating wooden toys in 1932, but it wasn’t until 1949 that the famous plastic LEGO brick was created. The company name LEGO was created by Ole Kirk from a Danish phrase meaning “play well”.

In 1947, Ole Kirk and his son Godtfred obtained samples of interlocking(连锁的) plastic bricks produced by the company Kiddicraft. Two years later, in 1949, they began producing similar bricks, calling them “Automatic Binding Bricks”. These bricks were developed in spirit of traditional wooden blocks that could be stacked(堆放的) upon one another. However, these plastic bricks could be “locked” together. They would stick together, but not so tightly that they couldn’t be pulled apart. It is the most excellent feature of the plastic bricks.

The use of plastic for toy manufacture was not highly regarded by retailers and consumers of the time. Many of the LEGO Group’s shipments were returned, following poor sales. It was thought that plastic toys could never replace wooden ones.

By 1954, Godtfred Christiansen had become the junior managing director of the LEGO Group. Godtfred saw the great potential in LEGO to become a system for creative play, but the bricks still had some problems: their “locking” ability was limited, and they were not very versatile(多样的). It wasn’t until 1958 that the modern-day LEGO brick design was developed. The bricks had much better locking ability and improved versatility.

Over the years, many more LEGO sets, series and pieces were created, with many innovative improvements and additions, resulting in the colorful versatile building toys that we know today.

1. Which statement is NOT true about LEGO?

A．It is famous for its products’ high quality.

B．The plastic LEGO brick was created in 1949.

C．The company name LEGO means “play well” in Danish.

D．It was set up by Ole Kirk Christiansen, a rich businessman.

2. What can be inferred from the passage?

A．LEGO made a lot of money when they used plastic for toys.

B．LEGO bricks did not sell very well at first.

C．LEGO stopped using plastic for toys after a serious problem.

D．Godtfred Christiansen wasn’t a far﹣sighted businessman.

3. What did LEGO do to earn the trust of customers in its products?

A．It reduced its products’ prices.

B．It provided its customers with some cheap gifts.

C．It improved the bricks’ locking ability and enriched its designs.

D．It advertised its products all over the world.

【推荐1】If you grew up watching the kid’s television channel Nickelodeon, you will probably understand that there is nothing greater than enjoying its special bright green slime (水晶泥). The week of May 11, astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS) joined the slime.

Nickelodeon sent two kilos of its green slime into space in the summer of 2019. The Slime in Space project’s idea was to create an educational trip for teachers to use in class. The green slime was also used to guide astronauts through a series of experiments that were designed to learn more about how slime acts in microgravity (微重力，失重).

Researchers from Portland State University (PSU) were excited to design the experiments for the project. Mark Weislogel and his partner designed eight shows for NASA astronauts and European Space Agency astronaut aboard to perform.

If you’re wondering what we could hope to learn from sending slime into space, the answer lies in its very name. Slime is slimy. This is because it is a liquid that is thicker than liquids like water. This makes slime act in unexpected ways in the microgravity of the ISS. Improving our understanding of how thicker liquids act in space may help us improve the design of systems that something was designed with Earth’s gravity in mind.

“Interestingly, we consider liquid on Earth 25 that takes the shape of its container,” Koch tells CNN. “Water just turns into a ball in microgravity, so we’ve had to have a new understanding of different kinds of matter in space. This experiment shows how microgravity can help us understand things on Earth, especially the things we take for granted.”

1. In paragraph 1, the bright green slime is mentioned ______.

A．to be used in an experiment	B．to attract the kids
C．to make advertisements	D．to introduce the topic

2. What is the purpose of conducting the experiments with slime designed in space?

A．To get students interested in space.

B．To make the kids keen on slime.

C．To help us understand how slime acts in space.

D．To learn more about the International Space Station.

3. What is Koch’s attitude towards the experiment with slime?

A．Positive.

B．Worried.

C．Negative.

D．Puzzled.

4. Which of the following can be the best title of the text?

A．Microgravity makes a difference to matters.

B．Kids join the slime so as to become astronauts.

C．Astronauts join the slime in space for science.

D．Experiments are designed with slimy slime.

【推荐2】Experiments aboard the spaceship Columbia have disproved a theory on the human nervous system which won an Austrian professor a Nobel prize 79 years ago.
West German astronaut Ulf Merbold disproved the theory during tests aboard the spaceship yesterday. His discovery is connected with the workings of the inner ear, the body’s balance mechanism(机制).
In l914 Professor Robert Barany won the Nobel prize for Physiology(生理学) and Medicine when he announced that temperature differences affected the inner ear and caused the eyes to blink(眨眼). His theory was accepted by scientists.
But Merbold carried out tests to find if the theory was correct and shocked himself and space officials when he proved it wrong.
According to Barany’s theory the eyes would blink when cold air was blown into one ear and hot air blown into the other.
But if this theory was correct such a movement would be impossible in zero gravity(重力）.
Both Merbold’s eyes continually blinked when the test was carried out.
1. Tests were carried out in outer space in order to _______.

A．find what causes the eyes to blink

B．shock the world

C．win the prize

D．prove the theory

2. Barany’s theory declared to prove _______.

A．how our hearing mechanism works

B．why we constantly move our eyes

C．that eye movement is affected by temperature

D．how hearing reacts(反应)

3. Barany’s theory was proved incorrect in space by the effects of _______.

A．having no weight	B．having no air
C．the pull of gravity	D．hot and cold air streams

【推荐3】Recently, a company has come up with software that can grade our papers for teachers. With this new software, students submitting their papers online can get immediate feedback(反 馈)： no more waiting until the professor gets around to grading their work, probably leaving inky fingerprints on the pages.

Having a program grade papers would obviously free teachers to do other things, but I think it would be a mistake. As a teacher, I may begin to understand students by their conversation or how they respond in class, but when they actually have to put their thoughts on paper， I can learn a huge amount in a short time. I can see how they think and feel in relation to the material before them, and if they have problems in making connections, organizing arguments, and drawing conclusions.

The truth is, students rarely come to college knowing how to write well. This takes a lot of what one of my old professors used to call "correction''. I remember sitting beside him in his office as he went over my papers. He would draw a red pencil through adjectives, suggesting that I find stronger nouns. Don't say it was a "long narrow street. Call it an alley(小巷)if it's an alley. I learned from him how to make sentences more powerful and how to make arguments more persuasive.

Really education lives in sitting side by side with a student, in face-to-face exchange of ideas and feelings. Grading papers often represents the beginning of a good exchange.

I think my best teaching moments have occurred off-stage, late at night. I would spot a problem in a student paper and respond at length, in writing, in the margins(页边空白). This would lead to a meeting in my office, where the student would come back at me to discuss what I'd written. The conversation would continue for a very long time.

I don't think any software program is ever going to replace people in education. It may offer some help, but it's not the real thing.

1. What are the advantages of the software?
a. It saves teachers a lot of time.
b. It gives students a quick response.
c. It improves teacher-student relationships.
d. It helps teachers find out students' progress.

A．ab

B．ad

C．be

D．cd

2. The author develops Paragraph 3 by ______.

A．giving an example

B．offering instructions

C．making a comparison

D．providing explanations.

3. In the author's opinion, grading students' papers ______.

A．is time-consuming and difficult

B．has no effect on students' studies

C．affects teachers' freedom and development

D．is beneficial to teacher-student communication

4. The author mainly argues that ______.

A．Software cannot replace real education

B．Educational software should be limited

C．Students should develop good writing skills

D．Professors should improve their academic ability.

【推荐1】UW’s Jason Shogren and Linda Thunstrom, along with Jonas Nordstrom of the Lund University School of Economics and Management, have documented that two-adult households with children emit over 25 percent more carbon dioxide than two-adult households without children.

The study involved an analysis of expenditures on goods and services by households in Sweden. The researchers found that parents with children at home consume goods and services that emit CO2 in the areas of food, such as meat, and transportation, such as gasoline, at higher rates than childless households.

The economists note that time constraints (约束) become more demanding, and convenience may become more important, when people have children.

“Parents may need to be in more places in one day,” resulting in people driving themselves instead of using public transportation or bicycling, the researchers wrote. “They also need to feed more people. Eating more pre-prepared, red meat carbon-intensive meals may add convenience and save time.”

The distinction in the carbon footprints of Swedish households with and without children is particularly striking, as concerns about climate change are more pronounced in Sweden than most other developed counties. Most Swedes believe climate change is real and have accepted sizable CO2 taxes, and households with children are given financial aid, which helps to alleviate some of the time shortage for parents to a certain extent.

“If we’re finding these results in Sweden, it’s pretty safe to assume that the distinction in carbon footprints between parents and nonparents is even bigger in most other Western countries,” Thunstrom says.

“Becoming a parent can transform a person, he or she thinks more about the future and worries about future risks imposed on their children and of spring,” Shogren says. “But, while having children might be transformational, our results suggest that parents’ concerns about climate change do not cause them to be ‘greener’ than non-parent adults.”

1. According to the study, compared with the households without children, the households with children __________.

A．emit more carbon dioxide

B．consume more goods and services

C．attach more importance to the quality of goods and services

D．are less concerned about carbon footprints

2. Why do two-adult households with children have higher carbon footprints?

A．They prefer to eat red meat prepared in advance.

B．They aren’t concerned about climate change.

C．They drive cars more as a consequence of time pressure.

D．They need to purchase more goods and services.

3. The underlined word “alleviate” in paragraph 5 refers to __________.

A．solve

B．heighten

C．worsen

D．ease

4. What is the main idea of the passage?

A．Being a parent will cause a person to be more concerned about carbon emission.

B．Carbon footprints grow with parenthood because of increased time constraints and the need for convenience.

C．The increasing expenditures on goods and services by households help raise the awareness of carbon footprints.

D．The difference in carbon footprints between parents and nonparents is much severer in other western countries than in Sweden.

【推荐1】An amazing occurrence happened in South Africa when 31 elephants made a "Journey To Pay Their Respect" to their hero who had saved their lives and many other animals. Lawrence Anthony (1950-2012), a legend (传奇人物) in South Africa and author of 3 books including the bestseller The Elephant Whisperer, bravely rescued wildlife and elephants all over the globe, including the courageous rescue of Baghdad Zoo animals in 2003. On March 7, 2012, Lawrence Anthony died.

Two days after his passing, the wild elephants showed up at his home led by two old female elephants. Separate wild groups arrived to say goodbye to their beloved man-friend. A total of 31 elephants had patiently walked over 12 miles to reach his South African House. Witnessing this sight, humans were obviously in awe (敬畏) because of not only the precise timing that these elephants sensed about Lawrence's passing, but also because of the deep memory and emotion the beloved animals showed in such an organized way.

Walking slowly — for days — they made their way in a one — by — one queue from their home in the wild bush to his house. Lawrence's wife, Francoise, was especially touched, knowing that the elephants had not been to his house prior to (在……前面的) that day for well over 3 years!

They knew where they were going and they seemed to know why they were going to Lawrence's home. The elephants obviously wanted to pay their deep respects, honoring their human friend who had saved their lives — so much respect that they stayed for 2 days and 2 nights without eating anything.

After honoring Lawrence Anthony in the only way they could, then one morning, they left, making their long journey back home.

1. When did the elephants appear at Lawrence Anthony's house?

A．On March 5, 2012.	B．On March 7, 2012.
C．On March 9, 2012.	D．On March 11, 2012.

2. Which paragraph(s) shows the elephants were intelligent, emotional and well organized?

A．Paragraph 1.	B．Paragraph 2.
C．Paragraph 2 and 3.	D．Paragraph 3 and 4.

3. What makes Lawrence Anthony a legend?

A．The bestseller The Elephant Whisperer.

B．The wild elephants' amazing occurrence.

C．His rescues of wildlife all over the world.

D．His special way of living with wild animals.

4. What is the best title for the text?

A．An honorable legend	B．A long journey back home
C．Well-organized wild elephants	D．The day they remembered

【推荐2】A 17-year-old Bangladeshi boy has won this year’s International Children’s Peace Prize for his work to fight cyberbullying(网络欺凌)in his country.

The prize winner，Sadat Rahman，promised to keep fighting online abuse until it no longer exists. “The fight against cyberbullying is like a war，and in this war I am a fearless fighter，”Sadat Rahman said during a ceremony on November 13 in The Hague，the Netherlands. He added，“If everybody keeps supporting me，then together we will win this battle against cyberbullying. ”

Rahman developed a mobile phone application that provides education about online bullying and a way to report cases of it. He said he began his work on the project after hearing the story of a 15-year-old girl who took her own life as a result of cyberbullying. “I will not stop until were receive no more cases through the app，”Rahman said at the ceremony.

The award comes with a fund of over $118，000，which is invested by the KidsRights Foundation. The group chooses projects to support causes that ale closely linked to the winner’s work.

Past well-known winners of the prize include Pakistani human rights activist Malala Yousafzai and Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg. And the students who organized the March for Our Lives event in 2018 after a deadly mass shooting at their school in the American state of Florida also won the prize.

Yousafzai praised Rahman’s work during the ceremony. She spoke through video conferencing. “All children have the fight to be protected from violence no matter if it is physical or mental，offline or online，”she said. “Cyberbullying damages that fight. ”

1. What does Sadat Rahman devote himself to?

A．Battling online violence.	B．Helping poor children.
C．Being a brave fighter.	D．Removing school bullying.

2. What caused Sadat Rahman to start his project?

A．People’s lack of education.	B．His own experience of being bullied.
C．A girl’s death from cyberbullying.	D．The wide use of mobile phone apps.

3. What is Paragraph 5 mainly about?

A．The March for Our Lives event.	B．Human rights activists in the world.
C．A horrible mass school shooting.	D．Some previous winners of the prize.

4. What can we infer from Yousafzai’s words?

A．Rahman’s efforts have paid off.

B．Cyberbullying should be got rid of.

C．All children have the right to fight against violence.

D．Children are faced with physical and mental bullying.

【推荐3】A local grocery store here has been remodelled and not a single one of the changes is good for those of us who shop there. The grocery aisles have been rearranged with some going in one direction and others going in another. The aisles have been pushed closer together, making it harder to get through them. It seems like all of these changes have been for the purpose of slowing the shoppers down so they will make more impulse buys. As I walked through the store today, no one was smiling and everyone was unhappy about it.

The change that bothered me the most, however, was in the check-out aisles. Only a few cashiers were left working with huge sections changed into self-scanning check-outs. It saddened me to see this. I knew that people were probably going to lose their jobs because of this change. I got in a cashier aisle and patiently waited while I saw some other people struggling to figure out how the self-scanning machines worked. I swore at that moment never to use one myself even if I had to wait longer every time I shopped there.

When I finally arrived at the front of the aisle, I saw the cashier was someone I knew. I greeted her with a smile. She smiled back with warmth and kindness that touched my soul. We chatted happily while she scanned and bagged up my groceries. I felt a friendship and a connection with her that warmed my heart. I wished her well before I left.

Machines can do a lot for us, but there are many things they can't do. They can't smile or love. Only we can do that. It is time that we should realize that profits aren't more important than people and that machines aren't more important than us. It is time that we should learn that loving each other and this world is what life is all about.

1. What may account for the store's changes?

A．To make more profits.	B．To satisfy the shoppers.
C．To offer more products.	D．To make shopping easier.

2. What's the result of the use of self-scanning machines according to the author?

A．It will attract more customers.	B．It has reduced the cashiers' burden.
C．It has brought shopper more convenience.	D．It will make many people unemployed.

3. How did the author feel when he met the cashier?

A．Calm.

B．Glad.

C．Angry.

D．Surprised.

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

A．Machines or Us?	B．Why Use Machines?
C．Are Changes Necessary?	D．How Does the World Change?