【推荐1】You can’t see your sleeping pets brain waves, but its behavior can tell you when your cat might be dreaming. If you watch closely, you’ll see that as she falls asleep, her breathing becomes slow and regular with her body still. She has entered the first stage of sleep, called slow-wave sleep. After about 15 minutes you’ll notice a change in her breathing. Her eyes move under her closed lids, her paws twitch (抽动) and she flicks (尤指用手指或手快速地轻抚) an ear. She has entered dreaming. Although she twitches and makes little grunting (嘟嘟) noises, messages from her brain to the large muscles in her legs are blocked, so she can’t run about. She is in a state of “sleep paralysis (麻痹)”.

Michel Jouvet, a French scientist, interrupted their sleep paralysis. Even though they were completely asleep, the dreaming cats began to run for balls that Jouvet couldn’t see and arched (弓起) their backs at unseen enemies. He figures he was watching them act out their dreams! Obviously, the dreaming cats seemed to be practising important cat skills: following, pouncing (猛扑), and fighting.

In another study, Matt Wilson recorded rats brain waves while they learned mazes (迷宫). One day, he left the brain-wave-recording machine on while the rats fell asleep. The pattern of brain waves in the sleeping rats matched the pattern from the maze so closely that Wilson could figure out exactly which part of the maze each rat was dreaming about!

Many researchers now think that in both people and animals, one purpose of dreams is to practise important skills and figure out recent learning. This may explain why so many people dream about fighting and escaping, skills that were probably important to our ancestors, and why dreaming affects our ability to learn.

Do all animals dream? From looking at the brain waves of sleeping animals. How often animals dream seems to be tied to body size. Cats dream about every 15 minutes, mice every 9 minutes, and elephants every 2 hours. And though cows and horses usually sleep standing up, they only dream when lying down.

1. What does Michel Jouvet find in his study?

A．The dreaming cats are in a state of body paralysis.

B．The dreaming cats often practise their important skills.

C．The eyes of dreaming cats moved while bodies are still.

D．The muscles of the dreaming cats are blocked to move.

2. What can you know about dreaming from the passage?

A．Dreaming a lot can help humans learn more.

B．Learning mazes is the basic skill for cats to learn.

C．Rats often dreams to make certain their recent learning

D．Fighting and escaping are not important skills for ancestors.

3. Which animal may dream most frequently?

A．Rats.	B．Dogs.
C．Cows.	D．Elephants

4. How does the author develop his passage?

A．By making comparisons.	B．By using figures
C．By telling stories	D．By showing facts

【推荐2】We often hear "Honesty is the best policy, and no one likes to be called a liar. But is dishonesty always wrong? Not necessarily.

According to psychologists, there are two types of lies: lies that help your relationships and the people around you are called pro-social lies; and lies that hurt them are called antisocial lies.

How often have you clicked "Like" on Moment Wechat, not because you actually like what your friends posted, but because you want to show your support? This white lie is an example of a pro-social lie. But when people tell lies on social networks to make their own lives seem more exciting, or to make others jealous, this is antisocial lying.

Workplace lies range from harmless lies to destructive untruthful statement. An example of a pro-social workplace lie is complimenting someone on their presentation—even though it was only average—because you know they were nervous beforehand. In this case your intention is simply to protect your colleague’s feelings. However, people sometimes tell bigger lies at work for the purpose of avoiding blame or to stay on the boss’s good side. These are antisocial lies. It's antisocial because your boss is likely to discover the truth and as a result, will probably stop trusting you.

Lying is also a significant part of the natural world. So it’s little wonder we resort to it almost reflexively. Human babies sometimes pretend to cry, check to see if anyone is listening, and then start crying again. By the age of five, children learn to say things that are completely untrue, and most nine-year-olds have mastered keeping secrets to protect themselves.

Lying can be incredibly harmful to our relationships and to the people around us. But that’s only true for antisocial lies. Pro-social lies have the opposite effect — they can actually help us.

1. What may help us tell a pro-social lie from an antisocial lie?

A．The purpose it serves.	B．The way it is told.
C．The occasion where it is told.	D．The people it is told to.

2. Why do we praise a colleague’s ordinary presentation?

A．To keep a positive relationship.	B．To make our boss feel better.
C．To ease his/her nervousness.	D．To avoid hurting his/her feelings.

3. What does “resort to” in Paragraph 5 mean?

A．Admit to.

B．Turn to.

C．Show respect to.

D．Look forward to.

4. Which statement is supported by the passage?

A．We usually tell pro-social lies to protect our own feelings.

B．Lying always hurts both the liar and the person being lied to.

C．Lying on social media is pro-social, but face-to-face lying isn’t.

D．Sometimes, making people feel good outweighs telling the absolute truth.

5. Which might be the best title of the text?

A．Lies that harm us.	B．Lying is a second nature.
C．Lies that we need to tell.	D．Honesty is the best policy.

【推荐2】Not only does the use of plastic water bottles hurt your wallet, but it also causes pollution, wastes energy, and surprisingly wastes water. Only 23% of the plastic in America ends up in recycling bins, meaning over $1 billion worth of plastic is treated as rubbish a year. Recently, Skipping Rocks Lab has invented a kind of water bottle called Ooho.

It’s a kind of convenient, clear water bottle that can either be drunk or eaten. To drink it, you can either get rid of the membrane (膜) or tear a hole in the membrane with your teeth to pour the water into your mouth. To eat it, you simply put the whole bottle in your mouth. It’s completely insipid so you needn’t worry about any taste.

It aims for large outdoor events where tons of plastic bottles are used and frequently left behind as litter. Too much plastic is sure to do harm to the environment, which could account for the purpose of such a new invention.

The team has been working for the past two years to develop the technology and materials that are needed to produce Ooho. The price for an only bubble (泡状物) or a unit of bubbles hasn’t been decided yet, but it costs about two cents to create a unit, which is cheaper than plastic bottles. The team has also been selling Ooho water bottles in London for the past six months.

Ooho is catching many people’s attention and has raised over $1 million in only three days. It’s mostly being sold at events at the moment to interest the buyers while the production machine is getting up and running. It’s quickly making a rise, so keep an eye out for these bottles of the future.

1. How is most plastic in America dealt with?

A．It is wasted by people.

B．It is reused as new energy.

C．It is buried under the ground.

D．It is applied to new technology.

2. What does the underlined word “insipid” in paragraph 2 probably mean?

A．Sweet.

B．Delicious.

C．Tasteless.

D．Interesting.

3. What can we infer about the Ooho?

A．It plans to be sold at a very low price.

B．It has some advantages over plastic bottles.

C．It has taken the place of plastic bottles in London.

D．Proper materials of making Ooho are hard to find.

4. What’s the author’s attitude towards Ooho’s future?

A．Doubtful.

B．Uninterested.

C．Worried.

D．Positive.

5. Who might be the target readers?

A．Scientists.

B．Experts.

C．Environmentalists.

D．The public.

【推荐3】Tu Youyou, the 85-year-old Chinese pharmacologist（药理学家），received the Nobel Prize for medicine in Stockholm on December 10,2015. Tu is the first Chinese Nobel winner in physiology（生理学）or medicine. Also, in 2011, she became the first Chinese person to receive the US-based Lasker Award for clinical medicine.
Based on a fourth-century Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) text, together with her team, she managed to get artemisinin(青蒿素）from sweet wormwood through trial and error and developed an important drug that has significantly reduced death rates among patients suffering from malaria. Tu delivered a speech titled Artemisinin is a Gift from TCM to the World. She has urged more research into the benefits of traditional Chinese medicine and called for joint efforts worldwide to fight against malaria and develop more potential uses for TCM, which she called a "great treasure" with thousands of years' history and empirical knowledge. She said that by combining TCM with modem scientific technologies, "more potential can be discovered in searching for new drugs " .
According to the WHO, more than 240 million people in sub-Saharan Africa have benefited from artemisinin, and more than l. 5 million lives are estimated to have been saved since 2000 thanks to the drug. Apart from its contribution to the global fight against malaria, TCM played a vital role in the deadly outbreak of SARS across China in 2003.
Besides treating viruses, TCM has been most effective in diagnosing diseases, cultivating fitness, treating difficult multisource illnesses, and using nonmedical methods such as acupuncture (钟刺疗法) and breathing exercises.
However, TCM, which is based on a set of beliefs about human biology, is seldom understood or accepted by the West. Tu's success will bring more recognition and respect for TCM, experts say. The Western world should learn to appreciate the value of the treasures of TCM, which will lead to more basic scientific research into ancient TCM texts and ways to explore research findings worldwide.
1. In this passage the author mentions _ prize( s) that Tu Youyou received.

A．one

B．two

C．three

D．four

2. The underlined word "malaria" in Paragraph 2 refers to "a kind of        ".

A．medicine

B．animal.

C．plant

D．disease

3. What can we learn from the passage?

A．This success may encourage Easterners to learn more about Chinese medicine.

B．Nothing remains to be done in researching into TCM theories and texts.

C．More research into the value of TCM should be carried out worldwide.

D．TCM only contributes to the fight against malaria and SARS in China.

4. What's the passage mainly about?

A．TCM is based on thousands of years of practice in China.

B．Nobel winner, Tu Youyou, strongly supports TCM research.

C．Artemisinin is now widely used to fight against Malaria.

D．Westerners will appreciate the value of the treasures of TCM.

【推荐1】According to a new study, running 50 minutes a week, at a pace between a 10- and 7.5-minute mile,helped lower the risk of death from cancer,cardiovascular disease and other causes.Working out more than that didn't mean more health benefits, say the researchers,based on a review of a number of studies.

Because running is a popular form of physical activity, study coauthor Zeljko Pedisic and his workmates chose to take a bird's eye view of what past studies of running and the risk of death had concluded. The team collected 14 papers that collectively studied over 230,000people for the effects of running on cardiovascular disease, cancer and other causes of death. Most participants(参与者) were from U.S. and European populations.

Pooling the results from these 14 studies showed that running led to lowering the risk of cancer-related death by 23%, the risk of cardiovascular-related death by 30%, and the risk of death from all other causes by 27%. Those benefits appeared even when people ran relatively slowly and for under an hour a week--less time than the World Health Organization recently.

There are some warnings to the research, though. Among other things, possibly these benefits were found because all the 14 studies of running and the cause of death only included healthy people from the get-go, the authors write. Also, only two of the papers recorded how people’s running habits changed over the years, and how often people ran was self-reported in other papers.

Though the results suggest that people might need less of a workout than the WHO might suggest, that doesn’t mean it's time to change those standards, Pedisic says. There are several other health factors that need to be examined besides the risk of death, he says, and people need other ways to get fit, too.

1. What's the new study mainly about?

A．Running as slowly as possible could keep you healthy.

B．Running led to lower risks of death than other activities.

C．Running for less than an hour a week could lower risks of death.

D．Running more than 50 minutes a week was bad for health.

2. It can be learnt from the 14 studies that__________.

A．12 of the studies self-reported how often people ran

B．most of the studies recorded people's running habits

C．only people from America and Europe were included

D．running lowered the risk of death from cancer by 30%

3. What can be inferred from the last paragraph?

A．The new study results need to be further proved

B．The WHO needs to change its standards for running.

C．People should run more than what the WHO advises.

D．Running is one of the best ways to keep fit.

【推荐2】Nowadays there is less and less contact between the old and the young. There are many reasons for this, but the result is the same: increasing numbers of children without grandparents and old people who have no contact with children. And more old people who are lonely and feel use- less, along with more and more families with young children who desperately need more support. It’s a major problem in many societies.

That’s why intergenerational programmes, designed to bring the old and the young together, are growing in popularity all over the world, supported by UNESCO and other local and international organisations. There are examples of successful initiatives all over the world. Using young people to teach IT skills to older people is one obvious example. Using old people as volunteer assistants in schools is another, perhaps reading with children who need extra attention.

One successful scheme in France is combining a residential home for the elderly with a creche/nursery school in the same building. The children and the residents eat lunch together and share activities such as music, painting, gardening and caring for the pets which the residents are encouraged to keep. In the afternoons, the residents enjoy reading or telling stones to the children and, if a child is feeling sad or tired, there is always a kind lap to sit on and a cuddle (依偎). There are trips out and birthday parties too.

The advantages are enormous for everyone concerned. The children are happy because they get a lot more individual attention and respond well because someone has lime, for them. They also learn that old people are not different or frightening in any way. And of course, they see illness and death and learn to accept them. The residents are happy because they feel useful and needed. They are more active and more interested in life when the children are around and they take more interest in their appearance too. And the staff are happy because they see an improvement in the physical and psychological health of the residents and have an army of assistants to help with the children.

1. What is the social problem talked about in Paragraph 1?

A．A generation gap.	B．Caring for children.
C．Intergenerational contact.	D．The support for the aged.

2. What do the programmes mentioned in Paragraph 2 aim to do?

A．Make the old take care of children.

B．Help the old people learn new things.

C．Encourage the young to care for the old.

D．Increase contact between the old and the young.

3. What is special about the scheme in France?

A．Joining an elderly house with a kindergarten.

B．Hiring old people as child - care workers.

C．Helping children face misfortunes bravely.

D．Using children to accompany the old.

4. In which aspect does the scheme benefit the old?

A．It builds up their strength.

B．They live a healthier life.

C．It creates a family atmosphere.

D．They are closer to their relatives.

【推荐3】After an old lady from Radviliškis, Lithuania got too sick to live on her own, she was admitted to a hospital. Sadly, all of her remaining relatives were scattered all over the world, so nobody could take care of the pets she was forced to leave behind. While authorities had spent months searching for ways to save her animals, “Vyšnių sodas,” a rescue shelter from Vilnius, Lithuania, stepped up. After they arrived, one of the animals, a little dog named Pluto, was clearly the one who needed help the most.

Pluto had lost a lot of weight. “Suffering from Mange(兽疥癣), his body was reduced to skin and bones. His eyes were hopeless, filled only with endless pain.”

“Upon arriving at our shelter, Pluto appeared to have been completely given up,” Žukauskaitė added. “He didn’t want to get up for anything. He wasn’t eating, and was doing his business right under himself.”

The vets cleaned him, removing the dirty from his skin. The first procedure Pluto received took 5 hours. “Still, he was feeling miserable and his burning skin was being treated a few times each day. Eventually, because of the Mange infection, Pluto had to be isolated without the possibility of going out for a walk.”

“The pup had been going through living hell for 3 months. After the isolation, he had to relearn how to walk.” But that was only the half of his remaining troubles. “Pluto was afraid of everything and everyone.”

“It took six months before Pluto gathered the courage to step outside,” Žukauskaitė said. “His first steps were very tough for him. He was so afraid, even the grass under his feet creeped him out.”

“Thanks to the endless patience and love provided by our staff, however, Pluto started socializing. As he introduced himself to his surroundings and the other dogs, Pluto started eating more, too. Even though he’s cautious around people, he has regained most of his weight and we find Pluto playing with other dogs more and more.”

1. According to the first paragraph, we can know__________

A．The old lady has a great many relatives in the country.

B．Nobody was willing to look after the sick pets.

C．The old lady had no choice but to abandon her pets.

D．It was the authorities that rescued Pluto.

2. What was the most serious problem did Pluto have?

A．He was too thin.	B．He suffered from mental illness.
C．He was too dirty	D．He missed his old and sick owner.

3. What is the main idea of the text?

A．A homeless dog was seriously sick in a shelter.

B．An abandoned dog got careful treatment in the USA.

C．Vets were playing an important role in curing animals.

D．People rescued an abandoned dog to regain faith in life.

【推荐1】Let me explain a bit by telling you where the challenge came from. I have many things in common with my dad, like music taste and sense of humour, but sadly reading isn’t one of them. I can happily spend a whole day curled up with a book but my dad can’t read a book for longer than about 5 minutes. He reads emails, websites and documents for work, but not books. I think that sitting down to read for just 15 minutes a day is a good way to relax. Giving yourself a goal or a challenge is a good way to change a habit or achieve something, so why not try to create a new habit of reading?

I know lots of people would rather relax on their computers or in front of the TV. Everyone is different and has their own interests, but I think there are lots of benefits from reading, which screen-based activities (games, films, TV) don’t have.

One thing I personally love about reading is being transported to another world. I often forget the time or things that are going on around me! Reading is a great way to switch off before you go to bed, so you can truly relax. I know you can be transported to a different world in a film or a TV show, but I think books do it better. While watching a film, I often talk to my flatmates, send texts, or paint my nails. A book, on the other hand, commands your full attention.

Reading gives you the chance to get to know hundreds of new people! It also teaches you to see things from other people’s point of view, and understand other people’s decisions or opinions, With a book, you can hear everything a character is thinking or feeling—you really can be inside someone else’s head!

So give it a go! Take 15 minutes when you’re waking up, going to bed, eating lunch, or having a coffee. If you read a lot, why not try 15 minutes of an English book, or pass the challenge on to someone else? Good luck, and happy reading.

1. What can we learn about the author’s father?

A．He is kind-hearted	B．He lacks humor.
C．He has a gift for singing.	D．He doesn’t like reading

2. Why is the author fond of reading?

A．Because she bears too much pressure.	B．Because it benefits her a lot.
C．Because it’s the best way to kill time.	D．Because she hates to be in front of the TV or computers.

3. What is the difference between reading and watching TV according to the author?

A．Reading needs more attention than watching TV does.

B．Watching TV makes one more relaxed than reading does.

C．Reading can widen people’s interest while watching TV can’t.

D．Watching TV brings one to a different world while reading doesn’t.

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

A．Reading helps to relax.	B．Is reading really challenging?
C．The 15 minutes reading challenge.	D．The gap between my father and me.

【推荐2】London North Eastern Railway(LNER) offers direct train services between London Kings Cross and Leeds every 3 minutes, taking just under 2h 22m or 2h 12m on the fastest service. New Azuma trains from LNER were introduced on the London to Leeds route in 2019. You can also travel from London to Leeds through indirect services in around 2h 30m with Grand Central Railway. TransPennine Express or Northern Rail trains-usually with a change at York or Doncaster.

LNER trains come with a variety of convenient(便利的) services, including free WiFi, space for five bicycles, free pet boarding and a cafe/bar serving hot and cold drinks and snacks. If you're travelling in First Class, you can enjoy at-seat dining and a free meal.

Information is correct at time of writing(September 2020). May be subject to change.

Find out more information about how to buy cheap train tickets to Leeds.

1. Which of the following offers the fastest service to get to Leeds?

A．Northern Rail trains

B．TransPennine Express.

C．Grand Central Railway.

D．London North Eastern Railway.

2. What is an advantage of First Class over others?

A．Free WiFi.	B．A free meal.
C．Free pet boarding.	D．A hot drink.

3. If you arrive in Leeds at 12:28, which platform should you take?

A．Platform 1.

B．Platform 5.

C．Platform 6.

D．Platform 12.

【推荐3】Do you like running enough to make it a habit? Tierney Wolfgram does; she has made running a lifelong career and isn't stopping.

In February, the 16-year-old from a high school, US, competed at the 2020 US Olympic Trials. She finished the marathon(42.195 km)with a time of 2:42:47 as the youngest competitor in the race and ranked 76th out of 390 runners. However, the cross-country(越野的)season was postponed to winter because of the COVID-19. So she jumped at the opportunity to train for another race-the Parkway Marathon in California. In November, Wolfgram broke the Women's American Junior marathon record with her time of 2:31:49. The old record was 2:34:32, which had stood since 1984.

“I'm completely stunned, ”said Wolfgram's coach.   “I knew she was going to break it, but she really showed out！”

During the run, Wolfgram once hit a wall pretty hard, but she overcame it to finish. “I guess I can say I gave it my all, ”she told Runner's World. “When I finished, all I was thinking was I felt super happy,” Wolfgram said This was only her third marathon. In 2018, when Wolfgram was 15 years old, she ran her first marathon just because she wanted to see if she had the ability to do it. “I believed that I would get faster as the distances got longer. . . I'm still glad that I did it. ”

When preparing for that first marathon, she ran up to 120 miles per week. Although her parents didn't have any background in running, they helped Wolfgram train. At first, her dad would take her out in the morning and run about 13 miles. The distance would gradually increase each day. On top of her runs in the morning, she would do cross-country practice after school.

Now Wolfgram will consider attending the Olympics Games in 2024 after it's scheduled.

1. What can we learn about Wolfgram from Paragraph 2?

A．She was the champion at the 2020 US Olympic Trials.

B．She put off the cross-country season for the COVID-19.

C．She broke an Olympic marathon record in November.

D．She prepared for the Parkway Marathon in California.

2. What does the underlined word “stunned”in paragraph 3 refer to?

A．Doubtful

B．Worried.

C．Shocked.

D．Interested

3. What inspired Wolfgram to run her first marathon?

A．Her parents' encouragement.	B．Her desire to prove she could do it.
C．Her coach's support and help.	D．Her hope to break the national record

4. Which section of a newspaper does the passage probably come from?

A．Sports.

B．Lifestyle

C．Culture.

D．Opinion