【推荐1】In late June, two companies were given permits to sell chicken meat that has been grown in a lab. The companies say they will be serving the meat in restaurants this summer.

Unlike normal chicken meat, lab-grown meat isn’t created by raising and killing chickens. Instead, it’s a meat product developed from animal cells that are grow n in a lab. The process is called “cell-based” or “cultured” meat.

The process of creating lab-grown meat is completely different from the normal meat raising process. Scientists have known for a long time how to keep living cells alive and grow them in a lab. In this case, experts choose cells that can grow quickly and will have good flavour. The first cells come from live animals. Then the cells are grown inside large steel tanks, where they’re fed with everything they need to grow. In a few weeks, the cells grow into sheets of meat. The companies then form this meat into more familiar shapes that can be cooked and sold.

The companies say that their meat is better for the environment than meat from animals. Raising animals for food uses huge amounts of land and water. It also creates a lot of pollution. Raising animals for food create s about 15% of the world’s greenhouse gases. That’s why cutting back on eating meat is one of the easiest ways to fight climate change.

There are many companies these days that focus on making plant-based meat substitutes (替代物). But since lab-grown meat is made from animal cells, it is very hard to tell it apart from actual meat. It looks, smells, and tastes like chicken.

Polls (民意调查) have shown that many people aren’t too interested in lab-grown meat. Lots of people believe that “it just sounds strange”. But Russel Phillips, a biologist, suggests people give it a try. He says that once people try the meat, they will be amazed. The common response must be, “Oh, it tastes like chicken.”

But right now, the meat is far more expensive than meat from animals. Now that the companies have been approved, they have the huge challenge of figuring out how to make much more meat far more cheaply. It will probably be a long time before you’re able to buy lab-grown chicken in stores.

1. To produce lab-grown meat, the companies should________.

A．study how to feed live animals.	B．decide where to store meat products.
C．add different flavours to sheets of meat.	D．select cells suitable for producing meat.

2. As for producing lab-grown meat, Paragraph 4 is mainly about its________.

A．future.

B．advantage.

C．techniques.

D．process.

3. What is Russel Phillips’ attitude toward lab-grown meat?

A．Doubtful.

B．Worried.

C．Supportive.

D．Uninterested.

4. The lab-grown meat still has a problem with its________.

A．quality.

B．safety.

C．price.

D．taste.

【推荐2】On February 6, 2020, American astronaut Christina Koch arrived back on Earth after 328 days in space. Her time in space is just one of the records set by herself. That’s the longest spaceflight ever made by a woman, and just one of the many things Ms. Koch achieved in space.

Ms. Koch took off from Earth for the International Space Station (ISS) on March 12, 2019. While in space, she made 5, 248 trips around the Earth, travelling 2, 237 million kilometers, which is roughly the same as 291 trips to the Moon and back. During her 11 months on the ISS, Ms. Koch took part in six spacewalks, spending over 42 hours in all outside the station. In October of 2019, Ms. Koch led the first ever all-female spacewalk with Jessica Meir.

But for most astronauts, space travel isn’t about setting records. It’s about doing science. Ms. Koch took part in a wide variety of special experiments, including studying how crystals grow in space, how atoms behave in extreme cold and learning more about growing plants in low gravity. Growing plants in space could be an important way to provide food on future trips. She also tested a new way of separating liquids from gases. This experiment could lead to simple methods of cleaning water and air in space, which could be very important for future space travel.

Ms. Koch isn’t just a scientist and an astronaut. She is also being studied. She’s part of a NASA program studying how astronauts are affected by being in space for long periods of time. Her trip was only 12 days shorter than the American record set by Scott Kelly in 2016. As they did with Mr. Kelly, NASA scientists are looking carefully at ways Ms. Koch’s body has been affected by her time in space. That research is important for the longer space trips NASA hopes to make in the future, such as for a base on the moon or a trip to Mars.

1. Which of the following is an achievement Ms. Koch has made?

A．Making the longest spaceflight by herself.	B．Leading the first women-only spacewalk.
C．Cleaning water and air successfully in space.	D．Staying outside the ISS continuously for 42 hours.

2. What do the figures in Paragraph 2 suggest?

A．Koch made historic breakthroughs in space.	B．Koch went through a life-threatening space trip.
C．Koch completed admirable tasks in the space travel.	D．Koch is the most experienced astronaut in NASA.

3. What do we know from the text?

A．Astronauts are competing to set new records.	B．Koch’s team produced their own food in space.
C．NASA has founded a scientific base on the moon.	D．Koch’s research is significant for space exploration.

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

A．Record-Setting Astronaut Koch Returns to Earth	B．US Astronauts Carried out Experiments in Space
C．Spacewalks Have Successfully Been Done on the ISS	D．NASA is Studying Astronauts for Longer Space Trips

【推荐3】Federal regulators(调整者) Wednesday approved a plan to create a nationwide emergence alert (警报) system using text messages delivered to cell phones.
Text messages have exploded in popularity in recent years, particularly among young people. The wireless industry’s trade association, CTIA, estimates（估计） more than 48 billion text messages are sent each month.
The plan comes from the Warning Alert and Response Network Act, a 2006 federal law that requires improvements to the nation’s emergency alert system. The act tasked the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) with coming up with new ways to alert the public about emergencies.
"The ability to deliver accurate and timely warnings and alerts through cell phones and other mobile services is an important next step in our efforts to help ensure that the American public has the information they need to take action to protect themselves and their families before, and during, disasters and other emergencies," FCC Chairman Kevin Martin said following approval of the plan.
Participation in the alert system by carriers –telecommunications companies is voluntary, but it has received solid support from the wireless industry.
The program would be optional for cell phone users. They also may not be charged for receiving alerts.
There would be three different types of messages, according to the rules.
The first would be a national alert from the president, likely involving a terrorist attack or natural disaster. The second would involve "approaching threats," which could include natural disasters like hurricanes or storms or even university shootings. The third would be reserved for child abduction (绑架) emergencies, or so-called Amber Alerts.
The service could be in place by 2010.
1. What is the purpose of the approved plan?

A．To warn people of emergencies via messages.

B．To popularize the use of cell phones.

C．To estimate the monthly number of messages.

D．To promote the wireless industry.

2. The improvement to the present system is in the charge of ____.

A．CTIA	B．the Warning Alert and Response Network
C．FCC	D．federal regulators

3. The carriers’ participation in the system is determined by _____.

A．the US federal government	B．mobile phone users
C．the carriers themselves	D．the law of the United States

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

A．Cell Phone Alerts Protecting Students	B．Cell Phone Alerts by Wireless Industry
C．Cell Phone Alerts of National Disasters	D．Cell Phone Alerts Coming Soon

【推荐1】Ben Lecomte, a French long-distance swimmer, dropped into the water Tuesday at Choshi, Japan, and embarked on his attempt to become the first person to swim across the Pacific Ocean, BBC News reports.

Six years in the planning, the 5,500-mile effort is expected to take five to six months, with Lecomte swimming eight hours a day and covering an average of 30 miles daily, according to his website.

His route to San Francisco will take him through the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, an area three times the size of France where large amounts of garbage and plastic waste have collected, CNN reports.

Lecomte will be accompanied by a specially outfitted support boat named Discoverer. He will take rest periods on the boat, but it will return him to his stopping point each day to make sure he swims the entire distance.

In addition to accomplishing a first, Lecomte said, he wants to draw attention to the problems of ocean pollution and climate change. A team of scientists plan to conduct research for 12 scientific institutions, including NASA and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, while he is making his swim.

Lecomte is no stranger to feats of long-distance open-water swimming. In 1998, he swam 4,000 miles across the Atlantic Ocean. On that swim he encountered sharks and stingrays. This time, he said, he will be wearing a shark-repellent bracelet.

One of the challenges will be making sure he has enough energy each day, and Lecomte said he intends to consume 8,000 calories daily.

1. The purpose of Lecomte’s swimming across the Pacific Ocean are the followings except ________.

A．becoming the first to swim across the Pacific Ocean

B．raising people’s awareness of ocean pollution

C．letting people realize the problem of climate change

D．planning to conduct research for scientific institutions

2. How long will it take Lecomte to swim across the Pacific Ocean?

A．about 700 hours.

B．about 1000 hours.

C．about 1400 hours.

D．about 1800 hours.

3. Which of the following statement is true according to the passage?

A．Lecomte is a short-distance swimmer.

B．No one has ever swum across the Pacific Ocean.

C．Lecomte intends to swim across the Pacific Ocean alone.

D．Lecomte was once attacked by sharks when swimming in the Pacific Ocean.