【推荐1】Imagine how you’d feel if you had to get more than 9,000 tons of junk out to the sidewalk. That’s how much trash is floating around in space. In fact, there’s about 4 million pounds flying over our heads in low-Earth orbit. Daan, a Dutch artist, and his team at Space Waste Lab have come up with a creative plan that could clear up space junk in a spectacular fashion.

①Most space waste comes from dead satellites and rockets. Functioning satellites are the backbone of the information systems that keep our world running smoothly. But all the satellites eventually become obsolete within just a few decades. When they die out, there’s the problem of them drifting in outer space, collecting in what scientists call the “graveyard orbit.”

Maybe you’re thinking, “Why should I care about garbage 12,500 miles above me?” Well, all that fun stuff that satellites help beam down to us—mobile games, Instagram, cat videos—could be shut down by space waste. Lots of old junk floating around up there, plus new satellites added each year, means more and more high-speed collisions (碰撞). And when chunks of junk crash into one another, they break apart into millions of pieces, quickly building up speed and turning into fast-moving objects, which are dangerous to operational satellites as well as astronauts working on the International Space Station.

②Space waste is a problem that’s escalated so much, some scientists say that by 2050 we’ll be forced to stop launching new spacecraft altogether, including new satellites. Think about that for a minute. When the last satellites finally become disused, GPS, cell phones, and the Internet will no longer function.

③So we have to find a way to deal with this space garbage, and Daan pictures a sort of trash pickup, which involves groups of small spacecraft casting large nets into orbit that would collect space debris (碎片) and send it back toward Earth at top speed. Here’s the best part—while reentering Earth’s atmosphere, the pieces of junk would burn up all at once, creating a light show similar to hundreds of shooting stars falling in the night sky. A spectacle indeed!

To get ready for such an amazing effort, Space Waste Lab has been traveling to major cities across Europe and enlightening the public on the problem of the junk in space. ④But Daan doesn’t just talk about ways to relieve the problem—he’s created something a little grander than that. In October 2018, his team launched Space Waste Lab Performance, an outdoor art exhibition that shows the location of each piece of space trash using large lasers that make each debris look a bit like a star wandering slowly and silently over the sky, allowing viewers to wave and say, “Hallo, space trash!”

1. The word “obsolete” (paragraph 2) is closest in meaning to “______”.

A．accessible	B．profitable
C．floating	D．outdated

2. According to the passage, which sentence best replaces the question mark in the diagram?

A．Working satellites can be damaged and astronauts can be hurt.

B．Satellites can help people track the weather and find new locations.

C．There is more junk floating in space each year as new satellites are added.

D．The Space Waste Lab Performance can show people where satellites are located.

3. Which of the following best supports the idea that space waste should be dealt with very soon？

A．Sentences ①	B．Sentence ②
C．Sentence ③	D．Sentence ④

4. Which of the following might be the best title of the passage?

A．Space Junk Harms Digital Systems

B．Artists’ Proposal to Save Space

C．A New Glimpse into Outer Space

D．Test of Waste Collection Nets

【推荐3】Criminals who try to pass off fake art as the real deal should be careful now. A new identification method could make recognizing fakes much easier. The technique allows scientists to tag paintings and other artworks with tiny pieces of DNA, which act like a signature. If an artwork missed the tag, people would immediately know it was an illegal copy.

DNA is normally found inside the cells of all living things. However, researchers at the State University of New York at Albany, who developed the tagging technique, have created DNA in a lab, whose code is just as unique as that of DNA found in nature.

The scientists would apply the engineered DNA to a small tag and place it on an artwork. Over time, the DNA in the tag would bond with the art at a molecular(分子的) level. That way, even if the tag is removed, the DNA remains. Possible buyers and sellers can use a scanner to read a DNA tag or, if the tag is missing, swab(擦拭) the artwork to test for DNA inside. Then they check the molecular marker against a database of artists to make sure the work is real.

Some famous artists have already agreed to try this high-tech way to sign their art. That’s because fakes are huge problems in the art world. It’s said that as many as two out of every five artworks sold these days are fakes. Some seem so convincing that experts are needed to prove whether they’re real or not.

Although a painting may be perfectly copied, it would be nearly impossible to copy a DNA tag. Applying the tag doesn’t harm the work itself. Even better, they each cost only about $150—an inexpensive price for a technology that could save museums, art galleries, and private collectors billions.

1. What’s the main idea of the third paragraph?

A．How the DNA tag works.	B．How the DNA tag is made.
C．What a database is used for.	D．What can be done if the DNA tag is lost.

2. Which of the following is NOT the advantage of the DNA tag?

A．It is affordable.	B．It can hardly be copied.
C．It can renew automatically.	D．It does no damage to the artworks.

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

A．Authentic.

B．Elegant.

C．Attractive.

D．Complex.

4. What might be the best title of the text?

A．Copying a DNA Tag	B．Spotting a Fake
C．The Discovery of DNA	D．A New Application of Natural DNA

【推荐1】Gus Wenner runs Rollingstone.com; his father gave him the job. But Jann Wenner, the magazine's co­founder and publisher, was quick to assure critics of the appointment process that his son is terribly talented and had to prove himself before being given the post. Apparently Gus worked his way up from more junior positions with the company, and demonstrated, according to his father, the “drive and discipline and charm, and all the things that show leadership.” Gus Wenner is 22 years old.

He is certainly not the only kid out of college, or even out of high school, working at daddy's firm. Family contacts are a common way of finding both temporary internships and longtime careers. Opportunities for the children of top 1 percent are not the same as they are for the 99 percent.

This is hardly a shock, but it is precisely the type of inequality that reveals the hard­ to­ define promise of the “Just Do It” version of the American dream and deepens our cynicism(愤世嫉俗) about how people get ahead. As a consequence, it weakens support for public policies that could address the lack of upward mobility among children born at the bottom, who ought to be given priority. A strong tie between adult outcomes and family background annoys Americans. When an organization conducted a nationally representative survey asking about the meaning of “the American dream”， some typical answers included: “Being free to say or do what you want” and “Being free to accomplish almost anything you want with hard work.”but also “Being able to succeed regardless of the economic circumctances in which you were born.”

This is exactly the reason that “the American dream” is not only a defining metaphor for the country, but also why Americans have long been willing to tolerate a good deal more economic inequality than citizens of many other rich countries. A belief in the possibility of upward mobility not only morally justifies inequality as the expression of talents and energies, but also extends a promise to those with lower incomes. After all, why would you be a strong advocate for reducing inequality if you believe that you, or eventually your children, were likely to climb the income ladder?

Hard work and perseverance(毅力) will always be ingredients for success, but higher inequality has made having successful parents, if not essential, certainly a central part of the recipe.

The belief that talent is something you are born with, and that opportunities are open to anyone with ambition and energy, also has a dangerous consequence. When the public policy is focused on the difficult situation of the poor, this belief can help the concept resurface that the poor are “undeserving” and are the authors of their own situation. Yet we actually know a good deal about why children of the poor have a higher chance of being stuck on poverty as adults.

The recipes for breaking this intergenerational trap are clear: a nurturing(培养) environment in the early years combined with accessible and high­quality health care and education promote the capacities of young children, heighten the development of their skills as they grow older, and eventually raise their chances of upward mobility.

Talent is nurtured and developed, and even genes are expressed differently depending upon environmental influences.

The 1 percent are the goal for these upper­middle­class families, who after all have also experienced significant growth in their relative standing. The graduate and other higher degrees that they hold, for which they put in considerable effort, have put them on the upside of the wave of globalization and technical change that has transformed the American job market.

An age of higher inequality gives them both more resources to promote the capacities of their children, and more encouragement to make these investments since their children now have all the more to gain.

For them, an American dream based on effort and talent still lives, and as a result they are less likely, with their considerable cultural and political influence, to support the reshaping of American public policy to meet its most pressing need: the future of those at the bottom.

1. What do we know about Gus Wenner?

A．He will prove himself competent in the future.

B．He has some work experience in the company.

C．He is the co­founder and publisher of the magazine.

D．He is too young to be in charge of the company.

2. The phenomenon illustrated by the appointment of Gus Wenner ________.

A．stops people from dreaming the American dream

B．encourages the government to carry out public policies

C．reduces the level of people's tolerance of economic inequality

D．narrows the possibilities of people at the bottom moving upward

3. By saying “Being able to succeed regardless of the economic circumstances in which you were born，” the respondents of the survey ________.

A．showed their upset about the inequality

B．expressed their gratitude for the fairness

C．indicated their determination to succeed

D．gave their satisfaction with the circumstances

4. We can infer from the passage that the public policy for the poor faces opposition from ________.

A．the lower class	B．all classes of society
C．the top one percent	D．the upper middle class

5. What is the best title for the passage?

A．How old are you?	B．What is your talent?
C．Who is your daddy?	D．Where is your future?

【推荐3】Children as young as ten are becoming dependent on social media for their sense of self-worth, a major study warned.

It found many youngsters(少年）now measure their status by how much public approval they get online, often through “likes”. Some change their behaviour in real life to improve their image on the web.

The report into youngsters aged from 8 to 12 was carried out by Children's Commissioner (专员) Anne Longfield. She said social media firms were exposing children to major emotional risks, with some youngsters starting secondary school ill-equipped to cope with the tremendous pressure they faced online.

Some social apps were popular among the children even though they supposedly require users to be at least 13. The youngsters admitted planning trips around potential photo-opportunities and then messaging friends—and friends of friends — to demand “likes” for their online posts.

The report found that youngsters felt their friendships could be at risk if they did not respond to social media posts quickly, and around the clock.

Children aged 8 to 10 were "starting to feel happy" when others liked their posts. However, those in the 10 to 12 age group were "concerned with how many people like their posts", suggesting a “need” for social recognition that gets stronger the older they become.

Miss Longfield warned that a generation of children risked growing up "worried about their appearance and image as a result of the unrealistic lifestyles they follow on platforms, and increasingly anxious about switching off due to the constant demands of social media.

She said: "Children are using social media with family and friends and to play games when they are in primary school. But what starts as fun usage of apps turns into tremendous pressure in real social media interaction at secondary school."

As their world expanded, she said, children compared themselves to others online in a way that was "hugely damaging in terms of their self-identity, in terms of their confidence, but also in terms of their ability to develop themselves".

Miss Longfield added: "Then there is this push to connect—if you go offline, will you miss something, will you miss out, will you show that you don't care about those people you are following, all of those come together in a huge way at once." "For children it is very, very difficult to cope with emotionally." The Children's Commissioner for England's study—life in Likes—found that children as young as 8 were using social media platforms largely for play.

However, the research—involving eight groups of 32 children aged 8 to 12—suggested that as they headed toward their teens, they became increasingly anxious online.

By the time they started secondary school—at age 11—children were already far more aware of their image online and felt under huge pressure to ensure their posts were popular, the report found.

However, they still did not know how to cope with mean-spirited jokes, or the sense of incompetence they might feel if they compared themselves to celebrities(名人) or more brilliant friends online. The report said they also faced pressure to respond to messages at all hours of the day—especially at secondary school when more youngsters have mobile phones.

The Children’s Commissioner said schools and parents must now do more to prepare children for the emotional minefield(雷区) they faced online. And she said social media companies must also "take more responsibility". They should either monitor their websites better so that children do not sign up too early, or they should adjust their websites to the needs of younger users.

Javed Khan, of children's charity Bamardo's, said: "It's vital that new compulsory age-appropriate relationship and sex education lessons in England should help equip children to deal with the growing demands of social media.”

“It’s also hugely important for parents to know which apps their children are using.”

1. Why did some secondary school students feel too much pressure?

A．They were not provided with adequate equipment.

B．They were not well prepared for emotional risks.

C．They were required to give quick responses.

D．They were prevented from using mobile phones.

2. Some social app companies were to blame because ________.

A．they didn't adequately check their users' registration

B．they organized photo trips to attract more youngsters

C．they encouraged youngsters to post more photos

D．they didn't stop youngsters from staying up late

3. Children's comparing themselves to others online may lead to ________.

A．less friendliness to each other

B．lower self-identity and confidence

C．an increase in online cheating

D．a stronger desire to stay online

4. According to Life in Likes, as children grew, they became more anxious to ________.

A．circulate their posts quickly

B．know the qualities of their posts

C．use mobile phones for play

D．get more public approval

5. What should parents do to solve the problem?

A．Communicate more with secondary schools.

B．Urge media companies to create safer apps.

C．Keep track of children's use of social media.

D．Forbid their children from visiting the web.

6. What does the passage mainly talk about?

A．The influence of social media on children.

B．The importance of social media to children.

C．The problem in building a healthy relationship.

D．The measure to reduce risks from social media.

【推荐1】British singer-song writer James Blunt shot to fame in 2005 with his single You're Beautiful and album(专辑) Back To Bedlam, and since then he remained the top of the UK singles chart.

Before James Blunt became a musician, he served in the army to fight for Queen and country. He spent four and a half years there, with six months in Kosovo as part of the peacekeeping force. Before leaving the army, Blunt had decided to achieve his dream of becoming a musician. In 2003, he was discovered by music producer Linda Perry who signed him to her Custard label. However the road to success never runs smoothly. It seemed that he would become another struggling singer trying to live from hand to mouth (勉强维持生计) when his first two singles failed to make an impact on the British charts. But everything changed when his third single You're Beautiful made it all the way to No.1 on the UK singles charts, and remained there for five weeks. The album Back to Bedlam soon followed and quickly became one of the biggest selling records of the year, remaining then continual weeks at No.1. Since then, he has sold more than three million records, making him the first British artist to top the American singles charts in nearly a decade.

Blunt, 34, a throwback (返祖者) to the 1970s softrock golden age, has been quoted   by Western media as saying that he will never get used to people screaming at him in the street.

His success proves a lasting theory: You spend years chasing the right song. Then, if you're lucky, and if the song really takes off, you spend the rest of your life trying to escape it, or learning to live with it, a few years removed from You're Beautiful, he can still fill stages worldwide with fans who stay until the end.

1. What do we learn from the passage?

A．Blunt was discovered by Linda Perry before joining the army.

B．Blunt has already become famous before joining the army.

C．Blunt spent five years in the army altogether.

D．Blunt had the dream of becoming a musician before leaving the army.

2. Which of the following can describe James Blunt's life as a musician before he sang the   song You're Beautiful ?

A．Difficult	B．Happy
C．Boring	D．Smooth

3. We can infer from the last paragraph that_________.

A．Blunt is well-known in the world for his talent.

B．Blunt's fame as a musician came easily.

C．Blunt wasn't lucky enough to win his fans' support.

D．Blunt has to face the inconvenience that his fame has caused.

4. What is the passage mainly about?

A．The song You're Beautiful

B．The latest album of James Blunt

C．The success of James Blunt as a musician

D．The whole life of James Blunt

【推荐2】The practice of students endlessly copying letters and sentences from a blackboard is a thing of the past. With the coming of new technologies like computers and smartphone, writing by hand has become something of nostalgic (怀旧的）skill. However，while today’s educators are using more and more technology in their teaching, many believe basic handwriting skills are still necessary for students to be successful---both in school and in life.

Virginia Berninger, professor of educational psychology at the University of Washington, says it’s important to continue teaching handwriting and help children acquire the skill of writing by hand.

Berninger and her colleagues conducted a study that looked at the ability of students to complete various writing tasks---both on a computer and by hand. The study, published in 2009, found that when writing with a pen and paper, participants wrote longer essays and more complete sentences and had a faster word production rate.

In a more recent study, Berninger looked at what role spelling plays in a student’s writing skills and found that how well children spell is tied to know well they can write. “Spelling makes some of the thinking parts of the brain active which helps us access our vocabulary, word meaning and concepts. It is allowing our written language to connect with ideas.” Berninger said.

Spelling helps students translate ideas into words in their mind first and then to transcribe(转换）“those words in the mind written symbols on paper or keyboard and screen,” the study said. Seeing the words in the “mind’s eye” helps children not only to turn their ideas into words, says Berninger, but also to spot spelling mistakes when they write the words down and to correct then over time.

“In our computer age, some people believe that we don’t have to teach spelling because we have spell checks,” she said. “But until a child functional spelling ability of about a fifth grade level, they won't have knowledge to choose the correct spelling among the options given by the computer.”

1. What makes writing by hand a thing of the past?

A．The absence of blackboard in classroom.

B．The use of new technologies in teaching.

C．The lack of practice in handwriting.

D．The popular use of smartphones.

2. Berninger’s study published in 2009 .

A．focused on the difference between writing by hand and on a computer.

B．indicated that students prefer to write with a pen and paper.

C．found that good essays are made up of long sentences.

D．discussed the importance of writing speed.

3. Which of the following best shows the role of spelling?

A．Spelling improves one’s memory of words.

B．Spelling ability is closely related to writing ability.

C．Spelling benefits the translation from words into ideas.

D．Spelling slows down finding exact words to express ideas.

4. What does “mind’s eye” in paragraph 5 mean?

A．Window.	B．Soul
C．Picture.	D．Imagination.

5. What conclusion could be drawn from the passage?

A．Computers can help people with their choice of words.

B．Spell checks can take the place of spelling teaching.

C．Handwriting still has a place in today’s classrooms.

D．Functional spelling ability develops fast in the fifth grade.

【推荐3】A Welsh restaurant has handed back its Michelin star, with the owners saying they rejected the award because they wanted to focus on putting family first. Stephane Borie, Sarah Francis and Kathryn Francis, owners of the Checkers restaurant in Montgomery, Powys, announced they had returned the star rating—regarded as the pinnacle for any restaurant before publication of the 2019 edition of the Michelin Guide on 1 October.

Sarah Francis and her husband, Stephane Bone, have three young children while Kathryn Francis has two. “I don’t know how we’ve done it for all these years” said Sarah Francis. “It has been a joy to have the star and the most amazing news when we got it. It was great for trade and brilliant for the town. But more for us, it’s about taking the business in a new direction and putting our family first. It means we can work in the day and have our evenings to ourselves.”

The restaurant will relaunch in November as Checkers Pantry, and will open for breakfast and lunch with drinks and cakes available throughout the day. Bone will continue to cook at the Checkers.

The Checkers first appeared in the Michelin guide in 201L Sarah Francis said: “We’ve loved getting it, loved keeping it and always nervous every year as to whether we were going to be in the guide. So to give it back was a big decision but the sensible one.”

A top French restaurant, Le Suquet, withdrew from the listings last year, having held a three- star rating for nearly two decades. The chef (主厨) Sebastien Bras said he no longer wanted to cook at his restaurant under the “huge pressure” of being judged by the inspectors, Michelin said it was the first time a French chef had asked to be dropped from its restaurant guide in this way.

In September, the British celebrity chef Marco Pierre White reportedly said he did not want to give Michelin guide inspectors permission to visit his new restaurant in Singapore.

Simon Wright, restaurateur, food writer and former AA food guide editor, said decisions such as that by the Checkers were “often a reflection of the enormous pressure and additional expectation that comes with a Michelin star”.

1. The word “pinnacle”‘ is closest in meaning to_________.

A．valued devotion	B．unexpected outcome
C．most worthwhile effort	D．most successful part

2. Why did the owners of the Checkers restaurant decide to return its Michelin star?

A．To focus more on dessert.

B．To expand its business overseas.

C．To have more time with the family.

D．To divide the profits between them.

3. What did Sarah Francis say about their decision?

A．They disagreed on it.	B．It was a wise decision.
C．It was a wrong decision.	D．They regretted it soon.

4. According to the passage, why has more than one restaurant handed back the Michelin star?

A．It is stressful to get and keep it.

B．The inspectors are too strict.

C．The star foils to benefit the as expected.

D．More and more restaurants are qualified.

【推荐1】Before you make friends, you have to decide who you want to be your friends. Most people like to have friends who like to do the same kind of things they do.
The quickest way to make a friend is to smile. When you smile, people think you are friendly and easy to talk to. It may not be easy at first to smile, but remember most people will stay away from a scared or angry looking face.
One easy way to start a conversation with someone is to say something nice about him. Think about how great you feel when someone says something nice to you. Doesn’t it make you want to keep talking to that person?
Ask your new friends questions about themselves. Who’s their favorite singer, where do they live, what do they do after school are all good questions to start a conversation. Make sure you have something to add to the conversation, too. When someone asks you a question, do have an answer for them. There’s nothing that will stop a conversation quicker than a shrug (耸肩) for an answer.
Kids who show an interest in other kids and who are kind and friendly make good friends. Remember, everyone wants to be around people who like to do similar things and people who are nice to them.
1. This passage gives us some advice on _________.

A．how to make friends

B．what kind of person you can make friends with

C．how to start a conversation

D．the importance of smile

2. Most people like to make friends with those______.

A．who are sad every day.

B．who share the same interest

C．who are fond of talking

D．who say bad things to them

3. According to the third paragraph, most people enjoy talking to one _______.

A．who is always smiling

B．who seems to be friendly

C．who praises them

D．who points out their shortcomings.

4. The underlined (划线的)part in this passage means “_______”.

A．being very proud	B．making no answer
C．knowing nothing	D．not hoping to answer

【推荐2】Do you know how to use a mobile phone without being rude to the people around you?
Talking during a performance irritates (激怒) people. If you are expecting an emergency call, sit near the exit doors and set your phone to vibrate (振动). When your mobile phone vibrates, you can leave quietly and let the others enjoy the performance.
Think twice before using mobile phones in elevators, museums, churches or other indoor public places—especially enclosed spaces. Would you want to listen to someone’s conversation in these places? Worse yet, how would you feel if a mobile phone rang suddenly during a funeral! It happens more often than you think. Avoid these embarrassing situations by making sure your mobile phone is switched off.
When eating at a restaurant with friends, don’t place your mobile phone on the table. This conveys the message that your phone calls are more important than those around you.
Mobile phones have sensitive microphones that allow you to speak at the volume you would on a regular phone. This enables you to speak quietly so that others won’t hear the details of your conversations. If you are calling from a noisy area, use your hand to direct your voice into the microphone.
Many people believe that they can’t live without their mobile phone. Owning a mobile phone definitely makes life more convenient, but limit your conversations to urgent ones and save the personal calls until you are at home.
1. What should you do when you need to answer a phone call during a performance?

A．Call back after the performance.

B．Answer it near the exit door.

C．Talk outside the exit door.

D．Speak in a low voice.

2. Putting your mobile phone on a restaurant table may make your friends think_____.

A．you prefer to talk to your friends at the table

B．you value your calls more than your friends

C．you are enjoying the company of your friends

D．you are polite and considerate of your friends

3. When you are calling in a noisy area, you are advised to _____.

A．use a more sensitive microphone

B．shout loudly into your microphone

C．go away quietly to continue the phone call

D．use your hand to help speak into the phone

4. The author implies that the use of mobile phones in such places as museums should be_____.

A．limited	B．expected
C．encouraged	D．recommended

【推荐3】Commuters of the future could get some relief from congested roads especially the peak-hour traffic if Uber’s plans for flying taxis work out.

The battery-powered aircraft looks like a cross between a small plane and a helicopter, with fixed wings and rotors (旋转器). It was presented at an international technology conference in Lisbon, Portugal.

Catering for the need of shorter city travel time, the vehicle is intended to soar over traffic congestion. Uber hopes it will eventually become a form of convenient mass transport and cost commuters aboard less than using their own car, though initially it will be more expensive than that, Uber’s Chief Product Officer Jeff Holden said.

The scheme still faces plenty of challenges, including certification of the new vehicle by authorities, pilot training and constructing urban air traffic management systems that prevent collisions.

Holden declared that Uber is joining NASA’s project to expand air traffic systems, which scores of other companies already belong to.

He told The Associated Press in an interview that he has no dollar figure for the total investment. He said Uber is putting some of its own money into the project, developing software, while other investors are also involved, such as aircraft manufacturers that are developing the vehicle and real estate companies that are providing so-called “skyports” where people will catch their airborne taxi.

Uber is making a bid to reform and polish up its image which has been damaged by certain negative news. Holden said those episodes did not slow development of the flying taxi project of the great company that is in transition.

1. What result is Uber’s flying taxis aimed to achieve?

A．Shorter city travel time.	B．Smooth flow of traffic.
C．Higher economic efficiency.	D．Convenience of people’s life.

2. Which of the statement is correct according to Holden?

A．Flying taxis are more cost-effective than driving private cars.

B．Uber has to cooperate with NASA to reach it’s goal.

C．The success of this project, if possible, will polish up Uber’s image.

D．The final achievement of Uber’s goal relies not only on the company itself.

3. What does the underlined word “episodes” in the paragraph probably mean?

A．trouble	B．exchange
C．incident	D．process

4. What is implied in the last paragraph?

A．Uber is committed to developing the flying taxi project.

B．Uber is to accomplish it’s transition period in the near future.

C．Uber’s reputation used to be ruined by rumors.

D．Uber has recovered from it’s damaged image.