【推荐1】There are nearly 2,800 working satellites in space, which we depend on for technology we use every day, such as video calls, online maps, satellite TV, and weather tracking. Scientists use them to study space and learn more about our planet.

But there are many other satellites in orbit (轨道) that are no longer working. They're among the objects cluttering (使杂乱) up space. Some of these eventually fall back toward Earth, either landing or burning up in the atmosphere. But much of this space junk (垃圾) circles Earth for years. Space junk is a problem. Debris (残骸)   floating around Earth puts technology and future space tasks at risk. Experts are working on ways to solve it.

Orbital debris, a type of space junk, is any human-made object that has slopped working but continues to float around the Earth. This includes satellites that are no longer used and pieces of spacecraft, such as rocket stages. It has been a large problem since the 1960s.

Space junk also includes broken pieces of objects. These occur when satellites hit against things. They also result from an object crashing into an old rocket stage that still contains fuel, causing an explosion (爆炸) . There have been more than 250 space explosions since the 1960s. These tiny broken pieces can damage working satellites, which can affect research in space.

Companies all over the world are working to clean up the area surrounding our planet. A company based in Japan will test the method of using magnets (磁石) to collect space debris. Another mission is led by a company based in Switzerland. It plans to carry out a debris-removal spacecraft in 2025. The craft will get hold of a piece of an old rocket, slow it down, and move it back to Earth. Eventually, the debris will burn out like a shooting star.

Governments are trying to help too. Some are updating their country's space guidelines to limit the amount of debris created. Space is so large that the problem won't be solved by a single organization or a single country. We have to work on this together.

1. What is the biggest harm that space junk does to human beings?

A．It will fall back toward the Earth.	B．It circles the Earth for years.
C．It puts other space objects in danger.	D．It will burn up in the atmosphere.

2. How will the Swiss company clean up the Earth orbit?

A．By making the orbital debris fall back to Earth.	B．By putting the pieces all together.
C．By collecting space junk with magnets.	D．By sending space junk into deep space.

3. What does the author suggest on cleaning up space junk?

A．Strict laws.	B．Global efforts.
C．Stopping in space exploration.	D．Setting up professional organizations.

4. What does the text mainly talk about?

A．Earth and its satellites.	B．The problem of space junk.
C．Ways of cleaning up space junk.	D．The various uses of man-made satellites.

【推荐3】From the moon to Mars, scientists have been hunting for alien life in the solar system for decades. However,Venus was not regarded as an ideal place because of its hot temperature and dry atmosphere. But a recent discovery of truces of a gas in the clouds of Venus has excited astronomers, as it may serve as a potential sign of life.

On Sept 14, the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada announced that scientists have detected phosphine (磷化氢) in the clouds of Venus. Phosphine is a color-less, toxic gas that has a smell of garlic. Though it contains poison, it is viewed as a possible sign of life because on Earth the gas is made by microorganisms(微生物) that live in oxygen-free environments.

“I was very surprised-stunned, in fact,” astronomer Jane Greaves of Cardiff University in Wales and lead author of the research told MSN, “There is a chance that we have detected some kind of living organism in the clouds of Venus.”

This layer of clouds is about 48 kilometers above the Venus surface with its temperature ranging from 30 to 200 degrees Fahrenheit (about-1 to 93°C). Scientists have assumed that if life exists on Venus, this cloud deck(云盖) is likely the only place where it would survive.

Scientists went through every possibility that could have led to the formation of phosphine gas in Venus clouds, including volcanoes,lightning strikes,small meteorites(陨石) falling into the atmosphere. But they ruled all of them out. It was concluded that there is no explanation for the existence of this gas in Venus clouds, other than the presence of life, USA Today reported. Although the detection of phosphine is not strong evidence for life, this finding is great enough to change scientists’ view on Venus, which is though to be a completely inhospitable(不适合居住的) planet.

1. What does the underlined word “toxic” in Paragraph 2 mean?

A．waste.

B．poisonous.

C．useful.

D．clean.

2. What can we learn from the text?

A．The cloud deck is rich in phosphine.

B．The higher the cloud is above Venus, the warmer it is.

C．Various living organisms have been detected oil Venus.

D．If life exists on Venus, it is likely in the cloud deck.

3. What did scientists conclude about the phosphine gas detected on Venus?

A．It could be formed as a result of the falling of meteorites.

B．It could be a sign that there is life in Venus9 clouds.

C．It could he caused by volcanoes and lightning strikes.

D．It proves that Venus is another hospitable planet.

4. What is the text mainly about?

A．A newly detected gas may indicate possible existence of life on Venus.

B．Scientists found the most hospitable place on Venus.

C．Phosphine that has been formed on Venus means alien life is present.

D．The environment on Venus changed in favor of life.

【推荐3】High school biology teacher Kelly Chavis knew smartphones were a problem in her class. But not even the students realized how much of a problem the devices were until Chavis did an in-class experiment.

For one class period, students used a whiteboard to count every Snapchat, Instagram, text, call that appeared on their phones. Chavis is among a growing number of teachers, parents and health experts who believe that smartphones are now partly to blame for increasing the levels of student anxiety. “One girl, just during the one hour, got close to 150 Snapchat notifications. 150!” she said.

Jean Twenge, a psychology professor at San Diego State University in California, said it is not a coincidence that youth mental health issues have risen with the number of phones. “This use of phones has led to a loss of sleep and face-to-face interactions necessary for their growth,” she said.

Researchers are still not sure whether phones cause student depression or depression causes phone use. But nearly 60 percent of parents said they worry about the influence of social media on their child’s physical and mental health.

Both schools and parents are starting to take steps to deal with the problem. Many public schools pay outside companies to watch students’ social media activity for signs of anxiety. Other schools invite in yoga teachers and comfort dogs to help calm students.

1. What’s the purpose of Chavis’s experiment?

A．To see how many students have smartphones.

B．To find out how popular her students are.

C．To show smartphones influence teenagers greatly.

D．To tell her students how to use smartphones wisely.

2. How did Kelly Chavis feel about the result?

A．Shocked.

B．Excited.

C．Satisfied.

D．Frightened.

3. Which of the following is true according to Jean Twenge?

A．Students are now under great stress.

B．Students spend too much money on smartphones.

C．Over-using phones cause drops in students’ grades.

D．Over-using phones may harm students’ body and mind.

4. What might be talked about if the passage is continued?

A．How other schools deal with students’ phones.

B．Whether the ways to handle phones are effective.

C．How some parents deal with their children’s phones.

D．Whether students are willing to give up using phones.

【推荐1】A team of scientists says that playing sounds underwater can get fish to return to areas with severely damaged coral reefs(珊瑚礁).In an experiment, they found fish returned after hearing recordings of the sounds like a healthy ocean reef. The research results were reported in Nature Communications.

The scientists placed underwater speakers in areas where coral had been dying in Australia’s northern Great Barrier Reef. They played the sounds over a period of about six weeks in 2017 and studied the results. The team reported that twice as many fish arrived in the areas where the sounds of healthy coral were played. The sounds also led to a 50 percent increase in the number of species present in the area, the researchers found. The researchers noted the importance of having many different kinds of fish return to the area. Different species of fish perform many activities that support the ocean environment and sea life.

Steve Simpson is a professor at the University of Exeter who helped lead the research. He explained, “Healthy coral reefs are remarkably noisy places. They contain the sounds of many kinds of shrimp, fish and other sea creatures. Young fish listen to these sounds when they are looking for a place to settle. Reefs become extremely quiet when they suffer destruction that is usually related to human-caused pollution. Coral damage can drive shrimp and fish away. But the experiment suggested that the use of underwater loudspeakers was an effective way to get young fish to come back.”

Mark Meekan is a fish biologist. He said that the return of the fish is the first step towards seeing major improvements in reef health. “Recovery is underpinned (巩固) by fish that clean the reef and create space for corals to regrow,” he said. University of Bristol professor, Andy Radford, said the underwater sounds are a promising way to fight coral reef damage at the local community level. But he noted that other threats need to be reduced as well. These include climate change, pollution and over fishing.

1. Why can underwater speakers make fish return?

A．Because the fish prefer music around their habitats.

B．Because they play sounds as a healthy reef does.

C．Because the fish know the places with them become better.

D．Because they can drive the natural enemies of fishes away.

2. What effect do different kinds of fish have on the ocean according to the text?

A．Keeping the ocean’s ecological balance.	B．Removing the remarkable noises.
C．Preventing the pollution caused by human.	D．Driving dangerous creatures away.

3. How does the author prove the significance of this new finding?

A．By quoting different authorities’ words.

B．By comparing the result with another study’s.

C．By offering many statistics.

D．By showing the detailed process of experiments.

4. In which section of a newspaper may this text appear?

A．Education.	B．Entertainment.
C．Environment.	D．Economy.

【推荐2】Traffic Light Reading is one of students’ favorites! And it’s so simple. Here’s what to do: Take three pens in different colors, most suitably red, orange and green. But it’s not too important as long as teachers and students are both clear on the color code they’re going to use.

Students read a text, not worrying too much about how much they understand. Teachers can ask them to reread when students are paying attention to vocabulary. Start by underlining the words that they understand completely (including names, numbers etc.) in green.

Then students reread the text and underline the words that look familiar—they maybe know them but aren’t too sure about them. You guessed i: in orange.

Finally, students read the text a third time underlining the words they clearly don’t understand in red. Sometimes, teachers might want to set students a limit for how many red words they underline, telling them only to underline the words that they believe are seriously blocking their understanding of the text as a whole. Generally, however, students are pleasantly surprised by how few words are red and how many are green. Seeing their ability laid out in a visual way really helps to increase confidence.

Once the whole text is underlined, teachers can give students a limit of 5, 10 or 15 words, depending on the length of the text, and tell them they're only allowed to look these words up in a dictionary. This helps them to recognize words that are actually getting in the way of their understanding of the text and words that they don’t know but actually don’t impact their whole understanding of the text.

This is a useful activity that can be done with a printed text, in a Google Doc, on Real time- Board, or set as a homework task for some independent study.

1. If a student uses red to underline a word, it means that he______.

A．doesn’t know it at all	B．has actually understood it
C．isn’t certain about its meaning	D．has never met with it at all

2. What does the underlined word “impact” in Paragraph5 mean?

A．Increase

B．Form.

C．Affect.

D．Use.

3. In the author’s opinion, Traffic Light Reading_________.

A．needs more eyes than mind

B．trains students’ ability of learning

C．gets the students to study for a long time

D．helps the students speak bravely

【推荐3】阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项(A、B、C和D)中，选出最佳选项。
A guide to the university
Food
The TWU Cafeteria is open 7 am to 8 pm. It serves snacks(小吃), drinks, ice cream bars and meals. You can pay with cash or your ID cards. You can add meal money to your ID cards at the Front Desk. Even if you do not buy your food in the cafeteria, you can use the tables to eat your lunch, to have meetings and to study.
If you are on campus in the evening or late at night, you can buy snacks, fast food, and drinks in the Lower Café located in the bottom level of the Douglas Centre. This area is often used for entertainment such as concerts, games or TV watching.
Relaxation
The Globe, located in the bottom level of McMillan Hall, is available for relaxing, studying, cooking, and eating. Monthly activities are held here for all international students. Hours are 10 am to 10 pm, closed on Sundays.
Health
Located on the top floor of Douglas Hall, the Wellness Centre is committed to physical, emotional and social health. A doctor and nurse is available if you have health questions or need immediate medical help or personal advice. The cost of this is included in your medical insurance. Hours are Monday to Friday, 9 am to noon and 1：00 to 4：30 pm.
Academic support
All students have access to the Writing Centre on the upper floor of Douglas Hall. Here, qualified volunteers will work with you on written work, grammar, vocabulary, and other academic skills. You can sign up for an appointment on the sign­up sheet outside the door two 30­minute appointments per week maximum. This service is free.
Transportation
The TWU Express is a shuttle(班车) service. The shuttle transports students between campus and the shopping centre, leaving from the Mattson Centre. Operation hours are between 8 am and 3 pm, Saturdays only. Round trip fare is $1.
1. What can you do in the TWU Cafeteria?

A．Do homework and watch TV.

B．Buy drinks and enjoy concerts.

C．Have meals and meet with friends.

D．Add money to your ID and play chess.

2. Where and when can you cook your own food?

A．The Globe, Friday.

B．The Lower Cafe， Sunday.

C．The TWU Cafeteria, Friday.

D．The McMillan Hall, Sunday.

3. The Guide tells us that the Wellness Centre   ________．

A．is open six days a week

B．offers services free of charge

C．trains students in medical care

D．gives advice on mental health

4. How can you seek help from the Writing Centre?

A．By applying online.

B．By calling the centre.

C．By filling in a sign­up form.

D．By going to the centre directly.