【推荐1】Don't drive your kids to school. Let them ride a bike to school.

In England 8.3 million children travel to school every day. It is reported that only a small number of pupils cycle to school (under 2%), although one in three children would actually like to.

Experts say that to stay healthy, children need at least one hour of moderate (适度的) exercise every day. But only six out of ten boys and four out of ten girls get that. One of the reasons is that parents have developed a habit of driving their children to school when they could just walk or ride a bike to school.

Teachers often say that children who walk or ride a bike to school are more ready to listen to their classes, ask and answer questions in class than those driven by car, and the school journey is a good chance for children to learn about road safety and other life skills. Also, for many children, riding a bike is more fun than going to school by car.

Most parents know the benefits. Then what's stopping them from letting their kids ride a bike? Safety is the number one worry for them. But actually riding a bike is not as dangerous as parents think it is.

When you decide to buy a bike, you should be aware (意识到) that a bike that is too big or too small is dangerous. Don't try to get a bike that your child will “grow into”. Get the right size in good working order. Generally, 20­ inch wheels are on bikes for 5-8 year old; 24 ­inch wheels are for 9-11 year old; 26 ­inch wheels are suitable for those over 11, and some older children should even take bikes with 28 ­inch wheels, but the main thing is that the bike fits your child.

1. This passage is mainly written for ________.

A．teachers whose students have asked their parents to drive them to school

B．children who have asked their parents to drive them to school

C．parents who drive their children to school

D．parents who drive to work

2. Which of the following benefits of cycling to school is NOT mentioned in the passage?

A．It will help children keep healthy.

B．It will make children more active in class.

C．It will make children feel freer.

D．It will be more fun for children.

3. Parents don't allow their children to ride a bike to school mainly because ________.

A．their children don't want to

B．they are worried about their children's safety

C．they don't know what size bike to choose

D．they haven't enough money to buy a bike

4. Generally, what size bike is suitable for a 10­year­old child?

A．A bike with 20­inch wheels.

B．A bike with 24­inch wheels.

C．A bike with 26­inch wheels.

D．A bike with 28­inch wheels

【推荐2】Main people believe that the only way to make our communities safer is to build more prisons. But there's a way to better protect cities and towns by doing just the opposite.

In many countries throughout the world, prison populations have risen dramatically over the past decade. One of the main reasons for this is the large number of repeat offenders, that is people who break the law again are once freed from jail. Statistics show that about one in four prisoners freed every year return to jail within three years.

This is partly because ex-prisoners face huge difficulty finding employment. More than a third of them cannot find any job at all. Data show that having a job greatly reduces the chances that a person will commit a crime again or commit one in the first place. Released prisoners who do manage to find steady employment are 50 percent less likely to return to prison. Rather than harming a community, having a job helps ex-prisoners to change their ways and make a positive and productive contribution to their communities.

What's more, helping these men and women find jobs would also save taxpayers a lot of money. Few prisoners would save governments millions or possibly even billions of dollars annually: the costs of building and operating jails.

There are many things that the government can do to help ex-prisoners find work. More job training programs should be introduced to provide prisoners with work skills before they are freed. Companies and factories should also be given tax benefits if they employ ex-prisoners. Such programs have been shown to work in several countries.

Such policies of course assure that freed criminals actually want to work. But shouldn't they be given the chance? Our goal, after all, shouldn’t be to incarcerate as many prisoners as possible, but to build a society that doesn't need to put such a large percentage of its population in jail. We should take a step in that direction and help prisoners find self-respect and purpose through work.

1. What percentage of freed prisoners returns to prison within three years?

A．65%.	B．50%.
C．33%.	D．25%.

2. Which of the following best describes the content of the fifth paragraph?

A．Facts.	B．Arguments.
C．Recommendations.	D．Requirements.

3. What does the underlined word "incarcerate" in the last paragraph mean?

A．set free	B．lock up
C．employ	D．separate

4. Which of the following would the author agree with?

A．Tougher punishment will reduce crime.

B．Most prisoners do not deserve to be in prison.

C．Economic conditions are a major cause of crime.

D．Prison populations are likely to increase in the future.

【推荐3】Old Problem, New Approaches

While clean energy is increasingly used in our daily life, global warming will continue for some decades after CO₂ emissions(排放) peak. So even if emissions were to begin to decrease today, we would still face climate change. Here I will stress some smarter and more creative examples of climate adaptation.

When it comes to adaptation, it is important to understand that climate change is a process. We are therefore not talking about adapting to a new standard, but to a constantly shifting set of conditions. This is why, in part at least, the US National Climate Assessment says that: “There is no ‘one-size fits all’ adaptation.” Nevertheless, there are some actions that offer much and carry little risk or cost.

Around the world, people are adapting in surprising ways, especially in some poor countries. Floods have become more damaging in Bangladesh in recent decades. Mohammed Rezwan saw opportunity where others saw only disaster. His not-for-profit organization runs 100 river boats that serve as floating libraries, schools and health clinics, and are equipped with solar panels and other communicating facilities. Rezwan is creating floating connectivity (连接) to replace flooded roads and highways. But he is also working at a far more fundamental level: his staff show people how to make floating gardens and fish ponds to prevent starvation during the wet season.

Elsewhere in Asia even more astonishing actions are being taken. Chewang Norphel lives in a mountainous region in India, where he is known as the Ice Man, The loss of glaciers there due to global warming represents an enormous threat to agriculture. Without the glaciers, water will arrive in the rivers at times when it can damage crops. Norphel’s inspiration came from seeing the waste of water over winter, when it was not needed. He directed the wasted water into shallow basins where it froze, and was stored until the spring. His fields of ice supply perfectly timed irrigation(灌溉) water. Having created nine such ice reserves, Norphel calculates that he has stored about 200,000 m³of water. Climate change is a continuing process, so Norphel’s ice reserves will not last forever. Warming will overtake them. But he is providing a few years during which the farmers will, perhaps, be able to find other means of adapting.

Increasing Earth’s reflectiveness can cool the planet. In southern Spain the sudden increase of greenhouses (which reflect light back to space) has changed the warming trend locally, and actually cooled the region. While Spain as a whole is heating up quickly, temperatures near the greenhouses have decreased. This example should act as an inspiration for all cities. By painting buildings white, cities may slow down the warming process.

In Peru, local farmers around a mountain with a glacier that has already fallen victim to climate change have begun painting the entire mountain peak white in the hope that the added reflectiveness will restore the life-giving ice. The outcome is still far from clear. But the World Bank has included the project on its list of “100 ideas to save the planet”.

More ordinary forms of adaptation arc happening everywhere. A friend of mine owns an area of land in western Victoria. Over five generations the land has been too wet for cropping. But during the past decade declining rainfall has allowed him to plant highly profitable crops. Farmers in many countries are also adapting like this—cither by growing new produce or by growing the same things differently. This is common sense. But some suggestions for adapting are not. When the polluting industries argue that we’ve lost the battle to control carbon pollution and have no choice but to adapt, it’s a nonsense designed to make the case for business as usual.

Human beings will continue to adapt to the changing climate in both ordinary and astonishing ways. But the most sensible form of adaptation is surely to adapt our energy systems to emit less carbon pollution. After all, if we adapt in that way, we may avoid the need to change in so many others.

1. What is special with regard to Rezwan’s project?

A．The project receives government support.

B．Different organizations work with each other.

C．His organization makes the best of a bad situation.

D．The project connects flooded roads and highways.

2. What did the Ice Man do to reduce the effect of global warming?

A．Storing ice for future use.	B．Protecting the glaciers from melting.
C．Changing the irrigation time.	D．Postponing the melting of the glaciers.

3. What do we learn from the Peru example?

A．White paint is usually safe for buildings.

B．The global warming trend cannot be stopped.

C．This country is heating up too quickly.

D．Sunlight reflection may relieve global warming.

4. According to the author, polluting industries should ______.

A．adapt to carbon pollution	B．plant highly profitable crops
C．leave carbon emission alone	D．fight against carbon pollution

5. What’s the author’s preferred solution to global warming?

A．Setting up a new standard.	B．Reducing carbon emission.
C．Adapting to climate change.	D．Monitoring polluting industries.

【推荐3】At first look, the playground at the Children’s Guild-Transformation Academy in Baltimore, Maryland, looks like any other. It has swings, slides, and places for children to climb and crawl. But the playground is not just a place for fun. It is also a place where students can learn, grow and gain independence. Everything — from the kind of surface it sits on, to the color of its sitting areas, to the placement of the surrounding fence — is specifically designed for kids with autism (自闭症).

Mark Rapaport is the managing director of autism services at the Transformation Academy. He said the school accepts students aged 5 to 21 with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and are lower-functioning.

Rapaport said the goal of Transformation Academy is to make the students as independent as possible in an effort to help them prepare for adult life. The school aims to provide help with developing communication and social skills, as well as practical abilities like cleaning or cooking.

The playground designed by Maryland company Sparks@Play, using structures manufactured by Landscape Structures, Inc. took a month to develop, said Dan Hack. He works for Sparks@Play and helped lead the playground’s design. Hack said he and others spent weeks getting to know the students and understanding their needs before any building was started. The design process involved physical therapists, occupational therapists, and other specialists. The huge $500,000 project was funded with support from the state of Maryland and the nonprofit Orokawa Foundation.

Parts of the playground that seem small are very important for children with autism and other disabilities. The surrounding fence extends into a wooded area to make it seem more open. And the ground under the play areas is made of soft, but solid materials to support students using wheelchairs or crutches. The benches on the outside of the playground look simple from far away, but are “one of our most inclusive sensory” elements, Hack said. They have many different colors that bring about feelings of calm and curiosity. They are also made with smooth material that can be felt and moved. The academy’s Rapaport said if a child starts to feel uneasy, they can sit down and feel the bench, which can help them relax.

1. Why is the playground in Baltimore designed with special materials?

A．To make it superior to other playgrounds.	B．To better serve children with autism.
C．To improve the quality of the playground.	D．To make it easier for kids to climb and crawl.

2. What can we learn from the playground project?

A．It took a month to complete the project.	B．The design process is simple and easy.
C．The result of the project is uncertain.	D．It’s a money-consuming project.

3. What is the last paragraph mainly about?

A．The scale and the structure of the playground.

B．Ways for kids to free from the stress and relax themselves.

C．The underlying logic and reasonable factors of the playground.

D．The advantages of the playground for autism and disabled kids.

4. Which best describes the playground in Baltimore?

A．Advanced.

B．Environmental-friendly.

C．Functional.

D．Convenient.