【推荐1】A scientist who developed a way to calculate how much water is used in the production of anything from a cup of coffee to a hamburger was awarded the 2008 Stockholm Water Prize.

Professor John Anthony Allan of the University of London in Britain won the award for introducing the idea of “virtual water（虚拟水）”,a calculation method that has changed the nature of trade policy and research.

Allan has written seven books and published more than 100 papers.

The Stockholm International Water Institute said this idea is now embedded（埋藏）in the production of foods and industrial products.The institute said Allan's work had made a big effect on global trade policy and research, especially in water-scarce（缺水的）regions.

“The improved understanding of trade and water management issues on local,regional and global scales are of the highest value for the successful and sustainable（可持续的）use of water resources,”it said.

“People do not only use water when they drink it or take a shower,”the institute said.“Behind the morning cup of coffee,there are 140 liters of water that was used to grow,produce,package and ship the beans.”That is about as much water as a person in England uses on average for all daily drinking and household needs.

"For a single hamburger,about 2,400 liters of water are needed.In the USA,the average person uses nearly 7,000 liters of virtual water every day."It said that was more than three times the average use of a Chinese person.

1. Allan was awarded the prize because______.

A．he wrote seven books on trade policy

B．he published more than 100 papers on water management

C．lie found a new kind of water in water-scarce areas

D．he came up with the idea of virtual water

2. Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

A．The average American uses about 7,000 liters of water a day.

B．The average Chinese uses nearly 2,300 liters of virtual water a day.

C．An Englishman usually drinks about 140 liters of coffee a day.

D．A hamburger usually contains about 2,400 liters of water.

3. What do we learn about John Anthony Allan from the passage?                    .

A．He won the 2008 Nobel Prize.

B．He has written over 100 books.

C．He works at the University of London.

D．He lives in the USA.

4. What effect does the idea of virtual water have?

A．It helps us realize the importance of trade.

B．It helps people do successful business.

C．It helps us make use of water scientifically.

D．It tells us how much water we use a day.

【推荐2】What is a hero? We may think of the fictional characters with supernatural powers or great people who can influence world events. Now, as the nation continues its all-out efforts to fight against the novel coronavirus pneumonia (COVID-19), medical staff (职工) have become heroes in the eyes of the public.

As of Feb 19, a total of 33,000 medical staff outside Hubei province have been working to treat patients around the center of the outbreak.

Zhang Dingyu, the president of Wuhan Jinyintan Hospital, is one of these heroes. Since the hospital received the first seven patients in December, Zhang has been so busy that he barely gets any sleep. Even suffering from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (肌萎缩侧索硬化), the 56-year-old doctor is doing his best to quicken his pace to save precious time for infected patients. “I have to run, racing against time to save more patients from the deadly disease, because I don’t have much time left in my life,” Zhang told Xinhua News Agency.

With the duty of saving lives, many medical professionals like Zhang have been working long hours for days, despite their fear and worries.

Lu Jingjing from Wuhan Children’s Hospital also works at a temporary mobile hospital. She does not let her parents know that she is now working with novel coronavirus-infected patients.

When her parents ask for a video chat, Lu says she is working and lets her husband and children chat with them instead.

“It’s dangerous but we should win the battle with the virus as soon as possible, so that medical staff and patients can go back home,” she told China Daily.

US writer Khalil Gibran (1883-1931) once wrote, “Tenderness and kindness are not signs of weakness and despair, but the manifestations of strength and resolution.” It’s true for the medical workers.

Everyone has fear, especially when it comes to deadly diseases. But for medical staff, saving lives comes first and is enough for them to be brave and stay on the front. They may look like ordinary people in daily life, but in these extraordinary times, they are heroes.

1. What is the author’s main purpose in writing this article?

A．To explain what makes a modern-day hero.

B．To praise medical staff for their efforts to fight the COVID-19.

C．To describe what measures China has taken to deal with the virus.

D．To show the difficulties faced by medical staff treating NCP patients.

2. What do we learn from Zhang Dingyu’s words?

A．His illness has turned him into an impatient man.

B．His illness makes him work without fear.

C．He feels sorry for himself because of his illness.

D．He wants to help as many patients as possible.

3. Why doesn’t Lu Jingjing answer her parents’ video calls?

A．She is too busy and has no time for video chats.

B．She doesn’t want her parents to worry about her.

C．It’s not allowed to make a video call from the hospital.

D．There is no WiFi signal at the temporary mobile hospital.

4. The underlined word “manifestations” in the second-to-last paragraph probably means “________”.

A．results	B．differences
C．signs	D．advantages

【推荐3】The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is mostly a desert. However, this has not stopped the country from creating great building projects. On September 26, UAE officials announced another ambitious project — Mars Science City. Expansive deserts and miles of coastline provide plenty of options for safe rocket launches (发射). And its position on the Earth makes it especially appealing as the spin of the Earth provides an extra push, meaning less fuel is needed to get payloads into orbit. All these seem to make it possible.

The Mars City Project, designed by Bjarke Ingels Group, or BIG, will provide a realistic model to simulate (模仿) living on the surface of Mars, the red planet. It is part of the UAE’s Mars 2117 Project to lead the global race to land humans on Mars and be the first to build a settlement there. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Prime Minister and ruler of Dubai, says, “The UAE seeks international support to develop technologies that benefit humans, and lay the foundation of a better future for more generations to come.”

Built outside Dubai, the 1.9 million square feet city is expected to cost $135 million. It will consist of several dome-shaped laboratories, similar to the ones imagined for the first Mars settlers. Scientists from around the word will be invited to conduct research to come up with methods to create food, water and energy, using techniques which can be copied onto the red planet. The living spaces, where the researchers can live for up to a year, will simulate the planet’s conditions as much as possible.

The research city will also include a museum featuring famous space achievements to help educate and inspire children to undertake space exploration and discovery. To discover whether the construction method works on Mars, the museum’s walls will be 3D printed using the sand from the nearby desert. Now, if they would only add some living quarters for the general public to experience life on Mars without leaving Earth, life would be perfect.

1. What can we conclude about the United Arab Emirates?

A．It is short of fine weather.

B．It is a nice place for launching.

C．It can provide adequate fuel supply.

D．It has the greatest architects in the world.

2. What will scientists do in the laboratories?

A．Educate visitors on trips to Mars.

B．Develop the Mars settlers’ imagination.

C．Find ways to produce food, water and energy on Mars.

D．Create a climate-controlled environment for future use.

3. Why will the museum’s walls be 3D printed?

A．To show famous space techniques.

B．To make full use of the nearby desert.

C．To inspire children to love exploration.

D．To test building skills used by Mars settlers.

4. What’s the best title for the text?

A．UAE to Build Mars Science City

B．UAE’s Great Exploration of Mars

C．UAE to Build First Mars Settlement

D．UAE’s Scientistific Contribution to Humans

【推荐1】Letter to My Younger Self

Dear 17-year-old self,

When your Laker (洛杉矶湖人队球员) dream comes true tomorrow, you need to figure out a way to invest in the future of your family and friends. This sounds simple, but you have to take some time to think it over.

I said invest.

I did not say give.

Let me explain.

Purely giving material things to your siblings (兄弟姐妹) and friends may appear to be the right decision. You love them, and they were always there for you growing up, so it’s only right that they should share your success and all that comes with it. You buy them a car, a big house, and pay all of their bills. You want them to live a comfortable life, right?

But the day will come when you realize that as much as you believed you were doing the right thing, you were actually holding them back.

You will come to understand that you were taking care of them because it made you feel good to see them smiling. That was extremely selfish of you. While you were feeling satisfied with yourself, you were slowly eating away at their own dreams and ambitions. You were adding material things to their lives, but taking away the most precious gifts of all: independence and growth.

Understand that you are about to be the leader of the family. This involves making tough choices, even if your siblings and friends do not understand them at the time.

Invest in their future; don’t just give.

Use your success, wealth and influence to put them in the best position to realize their own dreams and find their true purpose. Put them through school, set them up with job interviews and help them become leaders in their own right. Hold them to the same level of dedication (全身心投入) that it took for you to get to where you are now and where you will eventually go.

I’m writing you now so that you can begin this process immediately and don’t have to deal with the struggle of getting rid of the addiction you caused. That addiction only leads to anger and jealousy from everybody involved, including yourself.

There’s plenty more I could write to you, but at 17, I know you don’t have the attention span (注意力持续时间) to sit through 2,000 words. Trust me, setting things up right from the beginning will avoid a ton of tears and heartache, some of which remains to this day.

Much love,

Kobe

1. According to Bryant, “giving” could make ______.
①him feel satisfied with himself
②him stand out from other players
③his siblings and friends live a comfortable life
④his siblings and friends depend on him

A．①②③	B．①②④
C．①③④	D．②③④

2. According to the article, Bryant probably ______.

A．had never dreamed of playing for the Lakers

B．spent a large sum of money buying houses for himself

C．has a circle of supportive friends

D．had trouble handling family relationships

3. According to the article, Bryant should have ______ when he was younger.

A．shared his success with others

B．refused to live with his siblings

C．looked for well-paid jobs for his siblings

D．inspired his siblings to achieve their goals through hard work

【推荐3】Here’s the list of skiers, who have won four consecutive (连续的) world championships: Nobody.

Well, nobody besides Mikaela Shiffrin, who did it last Saturday in Are, Sweden. The Colorado skier, still just 23, is the best story, really, of this sports winter in the slalom (障碍滑雪).

She pulled it off, despite an illness that challenged her breathing. Shiffrin told NBC after her win that her mother, Eileen, advised her before her second run: You don’t have to do this. But Shiffrin told herself what she had told herself many times before: “I just need 60 seconds.” So she did it, and she got it. Shiffrin is closing in on her third World Cup overall title. She’s ranked No. 1 on the planet in slalom.

In women’s skiing, the mountain is now Shiffrin’s. She’s earned it. Those two (and soon three) World Cup overalls; 56 World Cup individual victories; and, oh yeah, right, three Olympic medals, two of them gold. Shiffrin is already considered a serious threat to Ingemar Stenmark’s record of 86 World Cup victories, and Lindsey Vonn’s 82, though the 34-year-old surely would have collected more had she not suffered repeated injuries during her career. Of course, Shiffrin may wind up chasing someone else’s mark—Austria’s brilliant Marcel Hirscher, 29, now has 68 World Cup wins.

At the same time, Shiffrin loathes all the talk about the numbers and records. “People see the records and statistics. They are asking for more, more, more…it looks easy, but it isn’t. Nowhere close,” Shiffrin wrote. “What I see is training, sleepless nights, pain, doubt, delayed lights, canceled flights, lost luggage, expense, adventure, and some races mixed in there.”

That’s what happens when you’re as good as she is. But nobody’s been as good as she is. In a sense, Shiffrin is just getting started. It’s very possible she will be at her peak powers when the Winter Olympics arrive in Beijing in 2022.

1. What do we know about Mikaela Shiffrin in her recent slalom race?

A．She was not in her best physical condition.

B．She pulled out of the race in the second run.

C．She followed her mother’s advice and succeeded.

D．She told herself a one-minute story before the race.

2. Whose record of World Cup victories is Mikaela Shiffrin getting close to?

A．Eileen Shiffrin’s.	B．Ingemar Stenmark’s.
C．Lindsey Vonn’s.	D．Marcel Hirscher’s.

3. Which of the following best explains “loathes” underlined in paragraph 5?

A．Summarizes.

B．Gives away.

C．Dislikes.

D．Focuses on.

4. What is the best title for the text?

A．Shiffrin Is Moving Mountains	B．Shiffrin Is At Her Peak
C．The Rise And Fall Of A Colorado Skier	D．The Most Popular Winter Sports

【推荐2】US student Vanessa Tahay stands out from the other teenagers in her school. Her skin is dark, her accent is thick, and you ask her, she will tell you these are the things she is proudest of.

Tahay is a poet, and at 18 she’s considered among the best in Los Angele. When she’s onstage, audience often go silent. They also laugh, shout, and cry. But that doesn’t come easily for someone who comes from a village that sits at the base of a huge mountain range in Central America.

When she first appeared at school, she was teased by others for being short and for being different. She never spoke, so they called her “mouse”. “How do I defend myself?” Tahay thought. “I don’t know how.” “Keep going,” her mother would tell her. “At some point, you’ll learn.”

She spent hours after school and on weekends watching the same DVDS: English without barriers. Tahay’s older brother, Elmer, persuaded her to go to the after-school poetry club.

The first time Tahay read the poems in the club, she was astonished. “I wish I could write like that,” she thought “I wanna say something.”

She wrote her first poem about her first year in America. She called it Invisible. The day her turn came to recite in front of the team, she broke down crying. She cried for 15 minutes. “I had so much held in,” Tahay said. “I couldn’t even finish it.”

But she kept at it despite her less-than-perfect grammar, spelling and pronunciation. Still, she wouldn’t tell her friends about her poetry because she worried they’d make fun of her.

But with time, her poems changed her. “They gave me pride,” Tahay said. “They told me I’m worth something.”

“She had this innocence,” her English teacher Kurnick said, “This willingness to be genuine and to show you things you don’t ever see.”

1. What does Tahay take pride in most? (No more than 6 words)
2. What did Tahay’s mother do when Tahay was in trouble? (No more than 10 words)
3. What does the underlined sentence in paragraph 6 probably mean? (No more than 10 words)
4. What’s Tahay’s poem Invisible mainly about? (No more than 5 words)
5. How does Tahay’s story inspire you? Put it in your own words. (No more than 20 words)