【推荐2】PM2.5 refers to fine particles (2.5 micrometres or smaller in diameter ), which are produced by combustion (氧化），including motor vehicles , power plants , forest fires, and some industrial processes .

The WHO tracks air quality ( how much PM 2.5 is in the air ) at 1622 locations in 92 countries -- but all are urban areas , while Pakistan , Egypt and Mongolia are among the most polluted countries according to the report , this only refers to pollution in its cities . Air quality in the Karakoram mountain range or the Gobi Desert will, of course , be fresh .Similarly ,Russia appears to be among the worst performing countries -- but its ranking is based only on air quality in Moscow . Of the 92 countries to feature , Australia has the least polluted urban areas , followed by Brunei and New Zealand. Estonia is Europe’s top performing nation ,followed by Finland and Iceland .The UK just misses out on the top 20, coming 21st. .

London’s annual PM2.5 mean is 12μg/m3. That puts it below the WHO target and behind a lot of world capitals. Of those countries for which the WHO had data ,Madrid , Oslo , Dublin, Montevideo, Helsinki, Ottawa , Washington DC and Canberra perform better than London .Top of the table are Stockholm and Tallinn, with an annual mean of 5μg/m3, followed by Edinburgh ,with 6. London exceeds Paris and Berlin , however ( both 16), and is the same as Lisbon (also 12).

Stockholm was the first city to be crowned European Green Capital in 2010---and it clearly hasn’t rested on its great honors . Since taking the accolade (荣誉），the Swedish capital has continued to keep on with eco-initiatives and has successfully decreased carbon emissions by 25 per cent since the Nineties. The city aims to be fossil-fuel free by 2050 , a target it hopes to achieve by improving public transport ,decreasing waste and increasing biodiversity, among other things . The city also has a strong culture of cycling , which has kept many residents out of cars .

1. What is the WHO air quality report probably about ?

A．PM2.5 in the air.

B．Quantity of polluted air.

C．PM2.5 in the dust.

D．Quantity of combustion air.

2. Which country is the least polluted for the urban areas of 92 surveyed countries ?

A．Russia	B．Australia
C．Finland	D．New Zealand

3. What can we conclude from Stockholm was crowned European Green Capital ?

A．The trees are the most in Stockholm.

B．There is no air pollution in Stockholm.

C．PM2.5 in Stockholm is the lowest in the world.

D．Eco-environment in Stockholm is better protected .

4. What does the passage mainly talk about?

A．The definition of PM2.5.

B．The findings of air quality study.

C．The importance of protecting nature.

D．The WHO air quality report in 92 countries.

【推荐3】A new report says plastics are responsible for $13 billion in damage to the oceans and the undersea environment. The findings were announced recently at a United Nations conference.    1    

Plastic thrown away carelessly makes its way into rivers and other waterways.     2     After a while, it collects in the sea. And plastic never goes away. Plastic is not biodegradable — destroyed by bacteria or natural processes. Instead, it just breaks up into smaller pieces over time. The oceans contain a lot of chemicals and other pollutants.     3     That means harmful material may get into our food supply.

    4    Human beings cause pollution and they can take steps to stop it. They can use fewer single use product containers and throw plastics away correctly. Plastic recycling programs also works — where old bottles and other plastics are collected, broken down and used to make new products. We could reuse bottles in our households many times if we wish to, rather than end it after the first use. We could, when we get rid of that plastic, recycle it and reuse it, which replaces the need for raw materials.

The report also calls on panies to improve methods for using plastics.     5    And it calls for information about the way plastic is thrown out or removed from use. By putting a new value on plastic, industry has a special reason to clean up the environment. But all of the companies must join to deal with the problem.

A．The plastic eventually reaches coastal areas and ocean waters.

B．But people can make a big difference.

C．Plastics should be gathered together and reused.

D．Then, fish may eat the plastics.

E．It is convenient to use plastic bags in everyday life.

F．It asks for them to better measure and direct plastic use.

G．The report tells about harm to sea life and what might be done to improve the situation.

【推荐2】Have you ever run into a careless cell phone user on the street? Perhaps they were busy talking, texting or checking updates on WeChat without looking at what was going on around them. As the number of this new “species” of human has kept rising, they have been given a new name — phubbers(低头族).

Recently, a cartoon created by students from China Central Academy of Fine Arts put this group of people under the spotlight. In the short film, phubbers with various social identities bury themselves in their phones. A doctor plays with his cell phone while letting his patient die, a pretty woman takes selfie(自拍照)in front of a car accident site, and a father loses his child without knowing about it while using his mobile phone, a wide range of similar events eventually leads to the destruction of the world.

Although the ending sounds overstated, the damage phubbing can bring is real. Your health is the first to bear the effect and result of it. “Constantly bending your head to check your cell phone could damage your neck,” Guangming Daily quoted doctors as saying, “the neck is like a rope that breaks after long-term stretching.” Also, staring at cell phones for long periods of time will damage your eyesight gradually, according to the report.

But that’s not all. Being a phubber could also damage your social skills and drive you away from your friends and family. When staying together with family or friends, many people tend to stick to their cell phones while others are chatting happily with each other and this creates a strange atmosphere, Qilu Evening News reported.

It can also cost you your life. There have been lots of reports on phubbers who fell to their death, suffered accidents, and were robbed of their cell phones in broad daylight.

1. For what purpose does the author give the example of a cartoon in Paragragh2?

A．To advertise the cartoon made by students.

B．To inform people of the bad effects of phubbing.

C．To indicate the world will finally be destroyed by phubbers.

D．To warn doctors against using cell phones while treating patients.

2. Which of the following is NOT a risk a phubber may have?

A．His social skills could be affected.

B．He will cause the destruction of the world.

C．His neck and eyesight will be gradually harmed.

D．He might get separated from his friends and family.

3. Which of the following may be the author’s attitude towards phubbing?

A．Objective.

B．Supportive.

C．Optimistic.

D．Opposed.

4. What may the passage talk about next?

A．Advice on how to use a cell phone.

B．People who are addicted to phubbing.

C．The possible consequences of phubbing.

D．Measures to reduce the risks of phubbing.

【推荐3】At one point or another, you’ve probably heard someone speak with confidence on a topic that they actually know almost nothing about. This phenomenon is known as the Dunning-Kruger effect, which refers to the finding that people who are relatively unskilled or unknowledgeable in a particular subject sometimes have the tendency to overestimate their knowledge and abilities.

In a set of studies, researchers Justin Kruger and David Dunning asked participants to complete tests of their skills in a particular field. Then, participants were asked to guess how well they had done on the test.     1     This effect was most pronounced among participants with the lowest scores on the test.

David dunning explains that “the knowledge and intelligence that are required to be good at a task are often the same qualities needed to recognize that one is not good at that task.” In other words, if someone knows very little about a particular topic, they may not even know enough about the topic to realize that their knowledge is limited. Importantly, someone may be highly skilled in one area, but be influenced by the Dunning-Kruger effect in another field.     2    

If people who know very little about a topic think they’re experts, what do experts think of themselves? Interestingly, Dunning and Kruger found that although experts typically guessed their performance was above average, they didn’t realize quite how well they had done. They often make a different mistake:     3    

What can people do to overcome the effect? Dunning and Kruger once had some of the participants take a logic test and then complete a short training course on logical reasoning. After the training, the participants were asked to assess how they’d done on the previous test.     4     Afterward, the participants who scored in the bottom 25 percent lowered their estimate of how well they thought they had done on the initial test. In other words, one way to overcome the effect may be a learn more about a topic.

The Dunning-Kruger effect suggests that we may not always know as much as we think we do.     5     However, by challenging ourselves to learn more and by reading about opposing views, we can work to overcome the effect.

A．They assume that everyone else is knowledgeable, too.

B．Researchers found that the training made a difference.

C．This happens when people don’t know much about a topic.

D．All of them had a more accurate view of their performance.

E．They found that participants tended to overestimate their abilities.

F．This means that everyone can potentially be affected by the Dunning-Kruger effect.

G．In some fields, we may not know enough about a topic to realize that we are unskilled.

【推荐1】Yuan Longping, known as the “father of hybrid rice (杂交水稻之父)”, is one of China’s most famous scientists. Yet, he considered himself as a farmer because he continually worked the land in his research. Indeed, his slim but strong body was just like that of millions of Chinese farmers, to whom he devoted his life.

Yuan was born in 1930 in Beijing. His parents wanted him to pursue a career in science or medicine. However, what concerned him most was that farmers often had poor harvests and sometimes even had a serious shortage of food to eat. To tackle this crisis, he chose to study agriculture and received an education at Southwest Agricultural College in Chongqing.

After graduating from Southwest Agricultural College in 1953, he worked as a researcher. Yuan realized that larger fields were not the solution. Instead, farmers needed to boost yields (产量) in the fields they had. How this could be done was a challenging question at the time. Yuan was convinced that the answer could be found in the creation of hybrid rice. A hybrid is a cross between two or more varieties of species. One characteristic of hybrids is that they usually attain a higher yield than conventional crops. Through intense effort, Yuan overcame enormous technical difficulties to develop the first hybrid rice that could be used for farming in 1974. This hybrid enabled farmers to expand their output greatly.

Witnessing the development of hybrid rice, Yuan once said “I saw my super hybrid rice plant growing as high as sorghum (高粱). The panicle (head of rice) was as large as a broom, and the grains as big as peanuts. I was very happy to rest under them with my assistant.”

Today, it is estimated (估计) that about 60 percent of domestic (国内的) rice consumption in China is made up of crops produced from Yuan’s hybrid species and his species have allowed China’s farmers to produce around 200 million tons of rice per year.

1. Why did Yuan Longping consider himself a farmer?

A．Having a figure like farmers.	B．Researching the land constantly.
C．Leading a life in the countryside.	D．Graduating from an agricultural college.

2. What does the underlined word “tackle” in paragraph 2 mean?

A．Sharpen.

B．Unearth.

C．Get rid of.

D．Give rise to.

3. What is the main advantage of hybrid rice?

A．Its higher yield.	B．Its creation process.
C．Its poor harvests.	D．Its varieties of species.

4. What is Yuan’s attitude to the development of the hybrid rice?

A．Satisfied.

B．Unbearable.

C．Unspeakable.

D．Cautious.

【推荐2】How do you address people in English when you want to talk to them? The following may be some simple rules the beginners should follow.

1. When talking to a stranger, there is often no special form of address in English. Usually, if you want to catch the attention of a stranger, it is necessary to use such a phrase as “Excuse me”.

2. In British English “Sir” and “Madam” are considered to be too formal for most situations. They are used mostly to address customers in shops or restaurants. While in American English “Sir” and “Madam” are not so formal and are commonly used between strangers, especially with old people whose names you don’t know.

3. When you talk to some people you know, you can use their names. If you are friends, use their first names; if your relationship is more formal, use “Mr.”, “Mrs.”, “Ms.”,etc. before their family names.

4. There are many other forms of address which can be used between friends and strangers. However, many of these are limited in use. For example, “pal” and “mate” can be used between strangers, but are usually only used by men talking to other men.

1. According to the passage, “Excuse me” is mainly used to ________.

A．address a person you don’t know	B．apologize to others
C．catch the attention of a stranger	D．suggest good manners

2. If John Smith is your best friend，according to the passage you should often call him ________.

A．John

B．Smith

C．Mr. John

D．Mr. Smith

3. Which of the following is NOT true?

A．“Sir” and “Madam” are used more often in America than in England.

B．People often use “Mr.” “Mrs.” or “Ms.” before the first names of those people who they don’t know very well.

C．“Pal” and “mate” are usually only used among men.

D．While addressing friends, people just use their first names.

【推荐3】Each Sunday, people can hear the music of the Mission Dolores Basilica in San Francisco. The Spanish missionaries（传教士）built the church in 1791. It was the start of a special kind of neighborhood: the Mission District.
The area is a place with a long and varied history. One community member says that it’s important for people to understand the many levels of history in the neighborhood. He feels that _______ is a big part of understanding what it means to be a real San Franciscan.
One of the most interesting parts of the district is its people. Over the years, immigrants have come to the area from Ireland, Germany, and Italy. But the most recent immigrants are mainly from Latin America. It’s easy to see the style that these recent additions give to the neighborhood. You can see it in the art on the walls, taste it in the food, and hear it in the music!
Juan Pedro Gaffney, the director of the Spanish Choir（唱诗班）of San Francisco, says that the people there share the pain and the happiness of their friends and family members and that music has always been a basic part of cultural identity in the district. He feels that the music of the district is colorful and lively.
But it isn’t just its music that’s colorful and lively. Its art is full of life as well.
The local art community stays close to the area’s culture and tradition. A local arts organization often leads people on walks through the district. They visit streets like Balmy Alley, which is famous for its murals （壁画）. Even though the meanings behind the murals are always changing, they are still very powerful. One artist explains that they are fighting for fairness in the community and to help the environment through murals. Apparently, they’re something the community likes.
Many of these artists feel that the district is a successful neighborhood where new immigrants are welcome. “People see that they’re not so different from each other,” says one artist. “There are a lot of things that bind（捆绑）the immigrants through culture and tradition.”
1. The underlined phrase “this knowledge” in Paragraph 2 refers to ____________.

A．having memories of the Spanish missionaries

B．knowing the history of the Mission Dolores Basilica

C．realizing what it means to be a real San Franciscan

D．understanding the many levels of history in the neighborhood

2. The author shows the multi-culture of the Mission District from the aspects of ____________.

A．literature and sports

B．music and murals

C．buildings and clothes

D．customs and festivals

3. It can be inferred from the passage that in the Mission District ____________.

A．immigrants from different cultures live in harmony

B．Latin American music and foods are the most attractive

C．the Spanish Choir stands out in the competition of different cultures

D．new immigrants have to give up their own culture to be welcome

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

A．The Mission Dolores Basilica

B．A Special Type of Neighborhood

C．Music of the Mission District

D．The Spanish Choir of San Francisco