【推荐1】You know this: continuous learning and improvement are essential to our work and life. But your time is limited and there is only so much you can absorb at a given period. How does one learn faster and more effectively?

If knowledge is power, knowing how to learn effectively is the superpower.    1    Use them to absorb more information in a short time, understand content at a deeper level and carry out what you’ve learned effectively.

Increase desirable difficulty

Like building muscles, the harder you train, the stronger you get. So does learning. The harder your brain has to work to recall a memory, the greater you increase in learning.

This is what separates studying with practicing and testing.Practicing and testing are not equal to studying. They are greater than studying because it requires work to dig out the me memory of what you’ve studied and learned.

    2    Instead, increase the desirable difficulties so that you learn and remember the knowledge better over the long run.

    3    

Sleep plays an extremely important role in our cognitive (认知的）development, which includes learning. While your brain sleeps, the flow of cerebrospinal fluid(脑脊液)in the brain increases and clears out harmful toxins built up during your waking hours.

To improve your learning ability, make sure you get enough high-quality sleep every day. If you have the time flexibility, try taking 30 to 60 minutes nap after lunch. Naps are sleeping too.

Make use of the environment

Our environment shapes our behavior more than we think or like to admit.    4    The environment plays an important role, too. You can use this in two ways.

First, the environment we study and practice becomes the cause when we’re performing. If you’re practising for a performance, for example giving a speech, practice it in the same environment where you’re going to perform. Doing this makes practicing easier as it goes and it translates into the actual performance as well.

You can also use the environment to exposes yourself to many contexts when learning new content or practicing a new skill.    5    

A．Improve your sleep and take naps.

B．Make self-learning effective for you.

C．The same goes for learning .

D．Here are some skills to help you get closer to the superpower you ever wanted.

E．This helps your brain to make more connections for that particular content or skill.

F．To learn more effectively, stop avoiding challenges and difficulties.

G．Luckily, you can improve efficient learning habits and learning styles help you learn faster.

【推荐2】Nearly 700,000 people have taken part in the world’s largest wildlife survey, helping to countthe numbers of wild birds in the UK. The Big Garden Bird watch is organized every year by a charity called the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB). It is a chance for people to record the birds that visit their garden, balcony or local green space. The survey gives the RSPB a snap shot of how different types of birds are doing, and whether their populations are going up ordown.

This year more than 11 million birds were counted. The house sparrow was the most commonly-seen garden bird, with more than 1.7 million recorded sightings. However, despitehitting the top spot, its numbers are lower than in 2021.

There was a rise in greenfinch numbers, which gives hope that the species may be recovering from a big drop in population over the last 30 years, mainly caused by disease. The survey alsoshowed that numbers of jay, a colourful member of the crow family, have increased by 73%compared to 2021.

Almost 60,000 schoolchildren took part in the survey, which involved spending an hour innature counting different types of birds. Wood pigeons were the most commonly spotted by schools,with an average of eight seen by the schools that took part. Blackbirds came a close second.

The Big Garden Birdwatch has been running since 1979, providing valuable information onthe welfare of the UK’s wild birds for the last 43 years. The RSPB’s chief executive officer. Rebecca Speight said, “I’s been brilliant to see so many people taking part this year, taking timeout to watch and reconnect with birds.” she added. “Spring is amazing. Spring sees the return of nature’s biggest music festival, the dawn chorus. Open your back door, a window or simply stepoutside and listen.”

1. The Big Garden Birdwatch is held every year to ________.

A．make a survey on the world’s wildlife

B．develop family relationship in the UK

C．learn the present situation of UK’s wild birds

D．encourage people to take photos of the wild birds

2. What can we know about the house sparrow?

A．It is usually spotted by schoolchildren.

B．Its number decreases compared to last year.

C．It is the most commonly-seen bird in the world.

D．It is B colorful member of the crow family.

3. What is the purpose of the passage?

A．To instruct how to which the birds.

B．To describe different kinds of birds.

C．To argue for the protection of wild birds.

D．To introduce a bird counting activity in the UK.

4. What is the author’s attitude towards the activity?

A．Objective.

B．Disapproving.

C．Positive.

D．Unclear

【推荐3】Tony Wang, who has been living in London since high school, says: “The weather is always the best topic to start a conversation with here, and complaining about wet shoes and a destroyed hairstyle can bring people closer.” “I spend most of my time thinking about two things: what to eat, except potato, and what to wear to handle another cold, windy, rainy day.”

As early as 1894, John Barbour had already noticed the trouble that came with changeable weather and also the need for waterproof clothing. So, he started by supplying oilskins to outdoor workers, such as fishermen and sailors. He soon opened his first store, named J. Barbour & Sons, in South Shields, a port on the River Tyne in the northeast of England. Now, 125 years later, Barbour is a family business that’s been passed down five generations.

The brand’s most iconic (标志性的) product, the jacket with a rugged weatherproof waxed cotton shell, corduroy collar, corrosion-proof brass buttons and pockets for storage and drainage eyelets, has been improved over the decades, but it is still manufactured by hand. The brand has now reached over 40 countries, including China. And it gathered three Royal Warrants as manufacturers of waterproof and protective clothing: 1974 from the Duke of Edinburgh; 1982 from the Queen and in 1987 from the Prince of Wales.

This year, the British brand Barbour marks its 125th anniversary. And besides improving the classic and professional jackets, Barbour has also been attracting more consumers with the artsy sense. For this, it has been collaborating with other brands and artists, including Engineered Garments, a fashion brand from Japan; and Alexa Chung, a British model and BBC presenter, who owns a namesake fashion brand. Most recently, Barbour made the paintings of Hayden Kays, a London-based artist, wearable.

At the end of June, Kays was invited to celebrate the launch of the collaboration at Galeries Lafayette Shopping Mall in Shanghai. Kays brought two paintings this time, presenting the importance of love. One is named Look Into My Love, a colorful circle like a bull’s-eye. “This work is hypnotic, because I think love can make me go crazy. Love is great, and everyone loves love,” he says.

“Barbour is an amazing partner, and the brand has got such a strong British identity and heritage, and at the same time, connects British brands and artists to Chinese consumers through collaboration, excited to see people wearing my artworks thousands of miles away from home,” Kays says. Lyu Yi, the general sales manager of China Outfitters Holdings Limited Company, who’s managing the development of Barbour in China, says: “Barbour is maintaining its British genes by combining its sense of fashion and art, to add extra artistic value to clothing.”

1. What’s the function of Paragraph 1?

A．To bring about the main topic of the text.

B．To show that weather greatly affects people’s daily life.

C．To show that weather is the best choice for a conversation.

D．To explain why conversations about weather can bring people closer.

2. Barbour’s most iconic product_________.

A．has reached over 40 countries

B．is a jacket with waxed cotton collar

C．is rarely manufactured by hand now

D．possesses more good qualities these years

3. The underlined word “hypnotic” in Paragraph 5 probably means “              ” .

A．unexpected

B．incredible

C．attractive

D．special

4. What might be the best title for the passage?

A．UK Brand Barbour works a wonder

B．UK Brand Barbour Takes the Art Route

C．The Development of UK Brand Barbour

D．People's Love for UK Brand Barbour

【推荐1】Say you are a 17th century construction worker who’s worked hard to build a splendid tower for the dead wife of your emperor.
Now say that the emperor orders your fingertips cut off so you can never build another one. Yes, this story is about the Taj Mahal, one of the most famous buildings in the world. And the tale behind the construction is just as impressive (令人赞叹的) as the building itself.
First, there’s the emperor of northern India, Shah Jehan, also called the King of the World. In 1612, Shah Jehan married Mumtaz Mahal. Mad in love, they had 14 children over the next 20 years. But then sadness came. As Mumtaz was about to give birth to child number 14, she said she heard her unborn baby cry out. It was a sign of death. And as Mumtaz lay dying, she asked Jehan to build a lasting memorial (纪念物) to celebrate their love.
The heartbroken Jehan ordered his wife’s dying wish carried out, and more than 20,000 workers worked nearly 22 years to complete the construction. In 1653, Jehan placed Mumtaz’s remains under the center of the building.
Later, son number five, Aurangzeb, murdered his brothers and took over the power from his aging father. Jehan lived the rest of his days, eight years, imprisoned not far from the Taj Mahal. Jehan was only allowed to climb onto the top of his prison to see the timeless treasure from a distance. But never again would he be allowed to visit it until he was buried next to his wife.
Today 25,000 people visit the Taj Mahal each day. Though the reason for building the tower was a strange and sad story, people who see its breath-taking beauty are reminded of the happiness that inspired its construction.
1. The first two paragraphs were written mainly to show that ______.

A．the Taj Mahal is an unusual historic building

B．India has some of the most famous buildings in the world

C．ancient Indian emperors were cruel

D．construction workers led a hard life in ancient India

2. The Taj Mahal was first built as ______.

A．a memorial building	B．a tourist attraction
C．a prison	D．a gift to Mumtaz

3. From the passage we can learn that Mumtaz probably died in ______.

A．1626

B．1653

C．1632

D．1634

4. The underlined word “happiness” in the last paragraph refers to “______”.

A．the happiness Jehan felt on completing the Taj Mahal

B．the pleasure tourists experience when visiting the Taj Mahal

C．the married happiness of the emperor and his wife

D．the great pleasure Jehan once found in exercising his power