【推荐1】The Spring Festival is supposed to be a period of time entirely for family reunion. However, as people’s enthusiasm for digital hongbao increased, the amount of the time they spend with family members during the holiday decreases. There has been widespread criticism(批评) over digital hongbao that it has alienated family reunion.
“I used to discuss programs in the Spring Festival Gala(春晚) with my family members, but this year, I hardly had the time to watch the gala because I was staring at my cellphone all the time,” said Kang, a 30–year old radio station editor. “I went to Karaoke with my cousins during the holiday, and I was grasping digital hongbao the whole time, even when I was singing Karaoke.”
“On the last day of the holiday, I started to regret spending too much time on these digital hongbao. Therefore, instead of fighting for hongbao, I watched TV with my mom that night. I left home feeling sorry! I should have spent more time with my parents.”
But Kang said regret came with a sense of achievement when he managed to bring classmates together.
“Next year, I will still play the game, but with less money and for a smaller amount of time,” Kang said.
Dong Chenyu, a teacher from Beijing Foreign Studies University, said it unfair to blame hongbao for destroying family reunion.
“When television was invented, people accused it of standing in the way of face-to-face human communication. The same accusation came up on telephone and text message services when they were first invented. The same goes with digital hongbao,” Dong said.
“It does nothing but offers a new way of human communication. The rest is people’s choice. As long as no one expects to earn money from this and takes this as a means of gambling(赌博), it’s a good way to improve human connections,” Dong said.
1. The underlined word “alienated” in Paragraph 1 most probably means ________.

A．separated

B．reserved

C．encouraged

D．improved

2. How did Mr.Kang feel about digital hongbao according to Paragraph 2?

A．He felt regretted in spending too much money.

B．He had a strong preference for it.

C．He was happy to spend too much of his time.

D．He felt a sense of guilty in getting it.

3. What can we infer from what Mr. Dong said about digital hongbao ________.

A．it will bring us trouble in holiday reunion

B．it will be out of fashion soon in future

C．Mr. Dong is in favor of the digital hongbao

D．lots of people will use it to earn money

4. What’s mainly described in the passage?

A．The Spring Festival is the best time for family reunion.

B．Digital Hongbao is a double-edged sword.

C．People’s holiday enthusiasm has decreased.

D．Digital hongbao has become a popular way to make money.

【推荐3】Did you know that most humans are able to recognize about 1 million different colors? Well, some people can’t recognize this many because of something called colorblindness. If someone is colorblind, that means they can’t see as many colors as others-or, in rare cases, can’t see any colors at all.

Thankfully, special glasses have already, been made to help fix some types of colorblindness. Now, according to new research published in Optics Letters, scientists have brought this solution one step further.

Sharon Karepov and Tal Ellenbogen, engineers from Tel Aviv University in Israel, have found a way to apply this technology to contact lenses (隐形眼镜).This new method is so groundbreaking because it can be customized to fix many different kinds of visual impairments(视觉缺陷).

People are able to see color because of how the eye is structured. At the back of our eyes, there are three different kinds of cone-shaped cells that absorb light waves. When light waves are absorbed, the cells send a message to the brain for the image to be processed.

If something is wrong with these cone-shaped cells, this can cause problems when the brain processes the image. One of the most common types of colorblindness is red-green colorblindness. People who have this type of visual impairment have difficulty telling apart the colors red and green.

“Problems with telling red from green interrupt simple daily routines such as deciding whether a banana is ripe,” Karepov explained. Karepov also stressed the importance of applying this finding to create special contact lenses instead of relying on color-correcting glasses.

“Color-correcting glasses are commercially (商业地)available, however, they are much larger than contact lenses.?Karepov continued. “Our contact lenses...create a customized, simple and long-lasting way to deal with these impairments.”

Whether you prefer to wear glasses or contacts, it’s nice to know that people who are colorblind will soon be able to choose between the two, as well.

1. What can’t people with colorblindness usually do?

A．See anything.	B．Tell apart colors.
C．Lead an independent life.	D．Live without glasses.

2. According to Karepov, why are his contact lenses better than color-correcting glasses?

A．They are smaller and long-lasting.	B．They can be bought now.
C．They are much larger.	D．They can correct colorblindness.

3. What’s the purpose of this passage?

A．To tell us what colorblindness is.

B．To tell us what causes colorblindness.

C．To tell us how to correct colorblindness.

D．To tell us the finding of a new research.

【推荐1】Humpback whales (座头鲸) are among the world’s most endangered whales. The main threats humpback whales face are strikes from ships and getting caught in fishing and waste equipment. Recently, scientists have developed a technology-powered mapping tool to prevent ships from hitting whales in areas off America’s west coast. The system is called Whale Safe. It uses equipment placed in the ocean to identify the presence of whales in the surrounding area.

Whale Safe was recently launched to the north in San Francisco Bay. There is a problem in the bay with ships hitting whales. Wildlife officials reported that a humpback whale washed ashore in the San Francisco Bay with injuries suggesting the animal was killed in a ship strike. It was the fifth whale to be killed by a ship strike in the area in 2022. However, the actual number of whales killed by ships is likely much higher because the bodies of the dead animals are rarely discovered.

The system uses three methods to identify and protect several different whale species. First, it uses flotation devices — known as buoys (浮标) — to record sounds the whales make. Second, it uses computer models to process current and historical ocean data to predict where the whales are most likely to be. Third, it permits trained observers and citizens to report whale sightings through a mobile app. The tool also records shipping activity and ship speeds. The collected data is then sent by satellite to scientists who examine it and seek to provide guidance to ship operators.

The Whale Safe project is supported by the Marine Mammal Center and the Benioff Ocean Science Laboratory. Officials from the Marine Mammal Center say they have plans to expand the system to other areas where whales face a high risk of being hit by ships. “The system combines the latest technology with thoughtful conservation efforts to create a solution to reduce risk to whales. This is where technology meets Mother Nature for the benefit of marine life,” said Jeff Boehm, a leader of the Marine Mammal Center.

1. What is the new tool intended for?

A．Detecting the conditions of ships.	B．Protecting whales from ship strikes.
C．Locating the bodies of the dead whales.	D．Recording the movements of humpback whales.

2. What does the author intend to do in the second paragraph?

A．Provide some advice for readers.	B．Introduce the main idea of the text.
C．Add some background information.	D．Put forward a new topic for discussion.

3. What does paragraph 3 mainly tell us about the system?

A．Its working principles.	B．Its application value.
C．Its major advantages.	D．Its operational guidance.

4. What will the Marine Mammal Center probably do next?

A．Adjust the new system to other sea animals.

B．Provide professional training for ship operators.

C．Apply the system to other places with a high rate of crashes.

D．Seek cooperation with the Benioff Ocean Science Laboratory.

【推荐3】Nao, a small robot, looks like a person. If Nao begged you not to shut it off, what would you do?

Scientists did a study to see how people treat robots that act like people. Eighty-nine people volunteered for the study. They were asked to help to improve Nao’s social skills by finishing two tasks with it.

The tasks with the robot didn’t matter, though. What the scientists really wanted to see was how the participants reacted once the tasks were over. They were asked to talk with Nao and finally shut Nao off but it was not easy to do. Some people did not want to turn the robot off while others took a long time to do it.

People often communicate with non-human objects such as TVs and computers nowadays. But robots seem more like humans. Robots can show social characters themselves, like speaking with human voices or taking the shape of a human body. Scientists said people might have seen Nao’s cries as a sign of independent thought. In turn, this could have led people to see the robot as having the human-like character.

For thousands of years, humans lived in a world where they were the only ones who could have conversations. Our brains learned to react to social situations in a certain way. But our brains are not used to telling the difference between real people and fake people. The robot expressed feelings and desires and that got people to want to treat the robot as if it were alive.

1. Why did scientists use Nao in the study?

A．To communicate with humans.	B．To improve people’s social skills.
C．To help people finish their daily tasks.	D．To learn about how people react to robots.

2. What did participants do when asked to turn off Nao?

A．All of them refused to turn it off.	B．All of them found it hard to operate it.
C．Not all of them took action immediately.	D．All of them followed the order soon.

3. Compared with TVs, robots         .

A．often depend on humans	B．are more similar to humans
C．have independent thought	D．know well about different voices

4. What is the main idea of the passage?

A．How people treat human-like robots.

B．Robots will replace humans.

C．The relationship between humans and robots.

D．Compare robots with TVs and computers.

【推荐1】The best movies for teenagers are listed here. You can pick one for your teen to watch it with you or their best friends.

1. Eighth Grade

Kayla is a shy, socially anxious girl trying to get by the last few weeks of middle school. She earns the “most quiet” girl title in school, but at home, she posts online self-help and motivational videos that not many people watch. Kayla is raised by her single father Mark, who tries to disconnect Kayla from the social media.

2. Dead Poets Society

Mr. Keating, an English teacher, introduces his students, all set to become doctors and lawyers, to poetry and free-thinking. Each of his students deals with several issues. He encourages them to form the Dead Poets Society where they read and write poetry.

3. The Hunger Games

Based on a book by Suzanne Collins, the story is set in a country called Panem, which was once the ruins of North America. Every year, young boys and girls from the 12 districts of Panem fight in the Hunger Games, a televised competition in which the contestants (参赛者) compete against death.

4. The Break fast Club

It begins with five students at the Shermer High School, Claire, a princess, John a criminal, Andrew, an athlete, Brian, a bookworm and Allison, an unfortunate person, who are forced to spend 9 hours together on a Saturday. In spite of their differences, they find that their social problems are more similar than they think. The film tries to encourage breaking social boundaries for positive self-identification in the world.

1. Who helps teenagers form a society?

A．Mr Mark.	B．Mr Keating
C．Suzanne Collins.	D．Ms Claire.

2. Which film is adapted from a book according to the passage?

A．Eighth Grade.	B．Dead Poets Society.
C．The Hunger Games.	D．The Break fast Club.

3. Whom is the passage likely to be intended for?

A．Teachers.	B．Teens.
C．Friends.	D．Parents.

【推荐2】It seems we're always being told to get more sleep. Studies suggest spending less time on sleep can lead to obesity(肥胖) and even cancer. You might even find yourself with a head full of false memories. But rarely does science explore the dark side of sleeping too much. That's because few of us in today's busy world have the luck of exploring that option.

In an August 2018 study, published in the Journal of the American Heart Association, researchers researched the sleep patterns of those“fortunate”few and found they may not be so lucky after all. In fact, they found people who get more than eight hours of sleep have greater health risk compared to those who sleep together less than seven hours. What's more, sleep-aholics-those who manage to get 10 hours a night-stand a 30 percent higher chance of dying compared to the seven-hour crowd.

The wide-ranging global study involved(涉及) more than three million people who self-reported on their sleep habits and came to an eye-opening conclusion: If you tend to sleep a lot, you may want to buy an alarm clock. As with all things in life, sleep is best taken in moderation（适度）.

You may be thinking: What if I only sleep in on Saturday and Sunday, am I still at risk? The answer is yes, according to a 2019 study published in Current Biology.   Researchers discovered that even if a person sleeps more   than seven hours on the weekends but still sleeps less than that on weeknights, they are at risk of gaining weight   and developing sensitivity to insulin, which controls the level of sugar in blood.

For the study, 36 participants were divided into three groups that each had a different sleep schedule: nine   hours every night, five hours every night, and five hours from Monday to Friday and sleeping much on   weekends. People who get too much sleep tend to feel tired and lack energy. Also, both sleep-deprived（睡眠不足的) groups consume more food and gain weight.

1. Why is the harmful effect of sleeping too much seldom studied?

A．Few people have time to sleep too much.	B．Lack of sleep causes much more harm.
C．It turns out to be a healthy sleep pattern.	D．People's health has nothing to do with it.

2. What does the underlined words "those 'fortunate' few" in paragraph 2 refer to?

A．Those leading a relaxing life.	B．Those getting too much sleep.
C．Those with less time to sleep.	D．Those with no sleep problems.

3. What can be learned from the 2019 study?

A．Sleeping much is particularly beneficial to hungry people.

B．Many people sleep more on weekends than on weekdays.

C．An alarm clock of high quality is important for good sleep.

D．People who sleep much only on weekends also have health risk.

4. What is the main idea of the text?

A．It is necessary to save enough time for sleep.

B．Too much sleep can result in gaining weight.

C．Sleeping too much does harm to people's health.

D．People can avoid sleeping much by eating healthily.

【推荐3】84, Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff
192 pages. Little Brown UK via LBS. $ 10.36

Hanff was in search of classic British literature titles that she had been unable to find in New York City when she noticed an ad in The Saturday Review of Literature. She first contacted the shop in 1949 and it fell to Doel to fulfil her requests. In time, a long-distance friendship developed in the form of twenty-year correspondence（通信）between the two and between Hanff and other staff members as well, with an exchange of Christmas packages, birthday gifts and food parcels to help with the post-World War II food shortages in Britain.

Fool by Christopher Moore
311 pages. William Morrow. $26.99

In Fool Christopher Moore takes on Shakespeare, with a retelling of “King Lear” through the eyes of Lear's fool named Pocket. The plot and cast of characters are borrowed more or less from the original, with several Mooreian additions-a second fool, named Drool, and a refrain （叠句）that could come in handy for any adapter of Shakespeare, “There's always a bloody ghost”.

A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini
372 pages. Bloomsbury. $24.93

Mariam is only fifteen when she is sent to Kabul to marry rough Rasheed, who is thirty years her senior. Nearly two decades later, in a climate of growing unrest, tragedy strikes fifteen-year-old Laila, who must leave her home and join Mariam's unhappy household. Laila and Mariam are to find comfort in each other to struggle against starvation, cruelty and fear in a desperate life. Their friendship grows as deep as the bond between sisters and as strong as the ties between mother and daughter.

Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese
541 pages. Knopf. $26.95

Like his main character, Marion Stone, Abraham Verghese is a doctor born in Ethiopia who immigrated to the United States. Marion and his twin brother, Shiva, were left alone at birth when their mother died, and their father, a doctor, disappeared. Fleeing an act of political violence, Marion lands in New York, at a charity hospital called Our Lady of Perpetual Succour, where the events that happen force him to face his past.

1. Which two books mainly focus on friendship?

A．Fool and Cutting for Stone .

B．84, Charing Cross Road and Fool.

C．Cutting for Stone and A Thousand Splendid Suns.

D．84, Charing Cross Road and A Thousand Splendid Suns.

2. Which book is the best choice to learn more about “King Lear”?

A．84, Charing Cross Road.	B．Fool.
C．A Thousand Splendid Suns.	D．Cutting for Stone.

3. What do we know about Shiva from the passage?

A．He is Mariam's husband.	B．He is Laila's mother.
C．He is Verghese’s twin brother.	D．He is Marin's twin brother.

4. What can we know from the passage?

A．Cutting for Stone is published by William Morrow.

B．Abraham Verghese was not born in the U. S. A.

C．A Thousand Splendid Suns is a book about history.

D．Fool is the thinnest book and costs the most.

【推荐1】Thanks to artificial intelligence，cars are beginning to drive by themselves machines can recognize people's faces and people can ask for information and even talk to a smartphone system such as Apple's Siri that uses a human voice．

Just last week Siri tried to join into a conversation that I was having about interest rates． Modern machines equipped with artificial intelligence or AI are no longer used only for automated tasks in manufacturing， but also for more complex activities such as playing chess and creating military simulations．And they understand human speech．

They have been used to create advanced prosthetics for people who have lost their limbs （肢）．More smart machines are in the making，said Arthur Lupia of the National Science Foundation Today's exoskeletons （人形机甲） help human beings，transport very large objects and navigate impossible situations． But this project is about tomorrows exoskeletons．The device that you see here is not just an exoskeleton of the body， it's an exoskeleton of the mind． Scientists say everyone can benefit from using AI． But the general public has questions， said congresswoman Hailey Stevens．As AI powered robots become more common，the question we ask is how we can ensure worker safety alongside these robots．

Well，artificial intelligence is routinely used to monitor workers as some companies do today． For most workers the vital question is whether the intelligent machines will take away our jobs． Experts say very few jobs will be fully automated by the new wave of technologies．While machine learning is now superhuman in many tasks that involved mapping a particular set of inputs into outputs，humans perform better than machines in most other cognitive （认知的） tasks．

But jobs will go through major transformations,says a science professor Erik Brynjolfsson． The challenge is to ensure that no worker is left behind in the process．Experts say well over a half of the children entering elementary school today will end up working in the types of jobs that do not yet exist．They say it is important to reform education to focus on developing skills that machines cannot match，such as creativity and interpersonal skills．

1. Why does the writer mention his own experience with Siri？

A．To stress the role of interest rates．

B．To voice the importance of Siri．

C．To prove that Siri has a human voice．

D．To show that AI improving．

2. What can we know from Paragraph 3？

A．Exoskeletons can deal with any impossible situation．

B．Disabled people can benefit from advanced science and technology．

C．The safety of workers can be guaranteed．

D．Exoskeletons of the mind are widely used today．

3. Which of the following statements is TRUE？

A．Workers are monitored by AI due to their dishonesty．

B．The intelligent machines will take away our jobs．

C．Changes in the types of jobs will take place．

D．Pupils today will create new jobs tomorrow．

4. What is the author's attitude towards artificial intelligence？

A．Viable

B．Ambiguous

C．Negative

D．Indifferent

【推荐2】A butterfly’s wings can have many jobs besides keeping the insect high up in the air. They may be used to attract mates, or to warn potential attackers to stay away. All of these roles, though, depend on their unchanging colouration. This plays into the idea that butterfly wings are dead tissue, like a bird’s feathers. In fact, that’s not true. For example, in some species males’ wings have special cells releasing some chemicals which attract females.

Nanfang Yu, a physicist at Columbia University, in New York, has been looking into the matter. Together with Naomi Pierce, a butterfly specialist at Harvard University, he has now shown, in a paper published in Nature Communications in February, 2020, that butterfly wings are, indeed, very much alive.

In their experiments, the two researchers used a laser(激光) to heat up spots on the wings of dozens of butterfly species. When the temperature of the area under the laser reached 40°C or so, the insects responded within seconds by doing things that stopped their wings heating up further. These actions included a butterfly turning around to minimize its profile to the laser, moving its wings up and down or simply walking away.

Butterflies engaged in all of these heat-minimising activities even when the researchers blindfolded them. That suggested the relevant sensors were on the wings themselves. Dr Yu and Dr Pierce therefore searched those wings for likely looking sensory cells. They found some, in the form of neurons(神经元) that were similar to heat detectors known from other insects. They also uncovered disc-shaped cells that appeared to be similar to pressure-sensitive neurons. They guess that these are there to detect deformation of the wing—information an insect could use to control its flight pattern.

The third discovery they made to contradict the “dead wing” idea was that some butterfly wings have a heartbeat. A butterfly’s wings have veins(静脉). These carry a bloodlike liquid which, researchers have now found in males, shows a pulse(脉搏) of several dozen beats per minute. The source of this pulse appears to be the scent(气味) pad, a dark spot on the wings that produces the female-attracting chemicals. Apparently, this “wing heart” acts as a pump that helps bloodlike liquid through the scent pad.

In all their experiments simulating different environmental conditions, Dr Yu and Dr Pierce consistently found that, different parts of the wing are covered by different sorts of scales(鳞屑). In particular, tubes pass through scales over the scent pads. This improves their ability to spread heat away and helps keep the living parts of a butterfly’s wings alive.

1. A bird’s feathers are mentioned in Paragraph 1 to _____.

A．introduce the latest research findings on a bird

B．highlight the special feature of a bird’s feathers

C．show common knowledge about butterfly wings

D．stress the difference between a butterfly and a bird

2. What can we learn from Dr Yu and Dr Pierce’s experiments?

A．Butterfly wings are complicated living organs.

B．Butterfly wings have little reaction to external heat.

C．The scent pads on some male butterfly wings are their hearts.

D．Heat-minimising activities help detect deformation of the wings.

3. What is the function of scales over the scent pads?

A．Attracting mates.	B．Increasing blood flow.
C．Covering powerful tubes.	D．Producing the cooling effect.

4. Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?

A．Seeing Is Believing	B．More Than Meets The Eye
C．Nothing Seek, Nothing Find	D．Fine Feathers Make Fine Birds

【推荐3】Nobel prize-winners, legendary(传奇的)authors, and famous scientists—you might think all these people were born to be creative. However, that’s not always the case.

While well-known figures like Pablo Picasso and Albert Einstein did their most significant work in their youth, famous American poet Robert Frost and English-born natural scientist Charles Darwin were known as “late bloomers” —people whose talents were not noticeable until later in life.

This idea of “peaking” at different times inspired new research from the United States. “Many people believe that creativity is exclusively(独有地)associated with youth, but it really depends on what kind of creativity you’re talking about,” said Bruce Weinberg, a professor of economics at the University of Chicago and co-author of the study.

According to the study, published earlier this month in the journal De Economist, there are two types of people: conceptual(概念的)and experimental thinkers.

To reach this conclusion, researchers took the 31 previous winners of the Nobel Prize in economics and arranged them according to when they did their most significant work, to identify their creative peaks.

Some peaked from ages 25—29. Classified as conceptual thinkers, these people think outside of the box, coming up with new ideas before they become used to the conventional way of doing things.

The second creative peak came with economists in their 50s. These are experimental thinkers who have been in their fields for a long time. This allows them to learn from errors and experiment with different processes, before eventually finding new solutions.

“Whether you hit your creative peak early or late in your career depends on whether you have a conceptual or experimental approach,” said Weinberg. He added that their study isn’t limited to economics, saying it can apply to other creative disciplines(知识领域). So if you’re struggling to come up with new ideas, don’t panic. Your creative peak may be yet to arrive.

1. What did the study from the US find?

A．Young people are not necessarily more creative than old people.

B．Most people take a conceptual approach when thinking.

C．People’s creative peak in their life is related to their job type.

D．Conceptual and experimental thinkers hit their peaks at different times.

2. What is the characteristic of conceptual thinkers?

A．They tend to challenge conventional rules.	B．They are creative due to their young ages.
C．They are likely to follow traditional rules.	D．They fail to come up with new ideas.

3. What do we know about experimental thinkers?

A．Their talents usually bloom in their 20s.

B．They are good at doing experiments.

C．They work out new methods based on experience.

D．They are more successful than conceptual thinkers.

4. What would Weinberg probably agree with?

A．It’s difficult to find one’s talent in later years.

B．More research needs to be done about creative peaks.

C．Conceptual thinkers could be more successful in the art field.

D．Experimental thinkers from other fields may succeed in their 50s.