【推荐1】

According to the ancient Greek mythology, King Midas might be one of the world’s earliest alchemist, who was granted by the god Dionysus the magic power to turn anything he touched into gold. Unfortunately, the king soon realized that this ability was more of a curse than of a gift as he had to suffer the loss of many of life’s real pleasures, including the taste of good food and the embrace of his beloved daughter.

While the story of the greedy Midas is meant to warn against becoming a slave to one’s desires, it also reflects our human greed for gold. This extremely attractive metal has captivated humans over thousands of years, ever since the days of the ancient Egyptians, and has been the basis of currency for many civilizations over centuries.

Today gold remains the foundation of the luxury jewellery industry and, in recent years, has become one of the most prominent materials in the production of our latest necessity --- modern electronics. Gold is used to make many of the devices we love, such as cellphones, tablets and laptops. This is due to its highly efficient electrical properties and its resistance to   corrosion, which are unmatched by any other metal. But the manufacturing of just 40 mobile phones requires approximately one gram of gold, which corresponds to nearly a ton of mined ore. Given the persistent rise in electronics production, and the limited and decreasing supply of gold, how will we maintain the supply of this precious material for many years to come?

One solution might be found in the recycling of electronic waste, a process often referred to as urban mining. Given that a metric tonne of recycled laptop circuit boards can have between 40 and 800 times more gold than found in a metric tonne of ore, it seems unreasonable to redeposit the precious metal into the earth via landfills. Despite this, and the fact that urban mining is growing more cost-effective by the day, only 20 per cent of all electronic waste is currently recycled. In 2017, the Global E-Waste Monitor projected that the amount of electronic waste generated by the end of 2021 would reach 52.2 million metric tonnes.

It is estimated that the value of the gold in our garbage exceeds €10 billion   ($11.2 billion). On top of that, the many other precious metals in the garbage, such as silver, copper and platinum, add even more value to our waste. Therefore, given its economic and technological importance, it is time to consider whether other sources of gold, which are not yet decidedly possible to access, can also be exploited in the future.

While King Midas might have appealed to the gods for an easy solution to acquire gold, modern alchemists use the latest technology to achieve ancient dreams. It is these qualities that might eventually lead to environmentally mindful and energy-efficient technologies for extracting gold from incredible places.

1. The underlined word “captivated” in paragraph two can be best replaced by .

A．cultivated

B．jailed

C．satisfied

D．tempted

2. Which of the following is NOT one of the many uses of gold in history and modern time?

A．aiding the business of waste recycling industry.

B．being used in manufacturing jewellery.

C．constituting an essential part of electronic devices.

D．forming the basis of currency.

3. According to paragraph four, what is the purpose of “urban mining”？

A．To save more laptop circuit from being wasted.

B．To deposit more precious gold.

C．To preserve gold for future use.

D．To make a profit by recycling life garbage.

4. The author uses the story of “King Midas” to .

A．analyze the loss caused by electronic waste

B．illustrate the magic power of urban mining

C．interest the readers with the rich history of ancient Greece

D．warn the world against becoming slaves to material gains

【推荐2】I love my smart phone — it’s my little connection to the larger world that can go anywhere with me. I also love my laptop computer, as it holds all of my writing and thoughts. Despite this love of technology, I know that there are times when I need to move away from these devices and truly communicate with others.

On occasion, I teach a course called History Matters for a group of higher education managers. My goals for the class include a full discussion of historical themes and ideas. Because I want students to thoroughly study the material and exchange their ideas with each other in the classroom, I have a rule — no laptops, iPads, phones, etc. When students were told my rule in advance of the class, some of them were not happy.

Most students assume that my reasons for this rule include unpleasant experiences in the past with students misusing technology. There’s a bit of truth to that. Some students assume that I am anti-technology. There’s no truth in that at all. I love technology and try to keep up with it so I can relate to my students.

The real reason why I ask students to leave technology at the door is that I think there are very few places in which we can have deep conversations and truly engage complex ideas. Interruptions by technology often break concentration and allow for too much dependence on outside information for ideas. I want students to dig deep within themselves for inspiration and ideas. I want them to push each other to think differently and make connections between the course material and the class discussion.

I’ve been teaching my history class in this way for many years and the evaluations reflect student satisfaction with the environment that I create. Students realize that with deep conversation and challenge, they learn at a level that helps them keep the course material beyond the classroom.

I’m not saying that I won’t ever change my mind about technology use in my history class, but until I hear a really good reason for the change, I’m sticking to my plan. A few hours of technology-free dialogue is just too sweet to give up.

1. Some of the students in the history class were unhappy with _________.

A．discussion topics	B．the course material
C．the author’s class rules	D．others’ misuse of technology

2. The underlined word “engage” in Para.4 probably means_________.

A．accept

B．explore

C．change

D．reject

3. According to the author, the use of technology in the classroom may_________.

A．affect students’ concentration on course evaluation

B．encourage students to have in-depth conversations

C．help students to better understand complex themes

D．keep students from doing independent thinking

4. It can be inferred from the last paragraph that the author_________.

A．is quite stubborn (固执的)	B．will give up teaching history
C．will change his teaching plan soon	D．values technology-free dialogues in his class

【推荐3】For thousands of years, people have known that the best way to understand a concept is to explain it to someone else. “While we teach, we learn,” said Roman philosopher Seneca. Now scientists are bringing this ancient wisdom up-to-date. They’re documenting why teaching is such a fruitful way to learn, and designing innovative ways for young people to engage in instruction.

Researchers have found that students who sign up to tutor others work harder to understand the material, recall it more accurately and apply it more effectively. Student teachers score higher on tests than pupils who’re learning only for their own sake. But how can children, still learning themselves, teach others? One answer: They can tutor younger kids. Some studies have found that first-born children are more intelligent than their later-born siblings (兄弟姐妹). This suggests their higher IQs result from the time they spend teaching their siblings. Now educators are experimenting with ways to apply this model to academic subjects. They engage college undergraduates to teach computer science to high school students, who in turn instruct middle school students on the topic.

But the most cutting-edge(最前沿) tool under development is the “teachable agent” — a computerized character who learns, tries, makes mistakes and asks questions just like a real-world pupil. Computer scientists have created an animated (动画的) figure called Betty’s Brain, who has been “taught” about environmental science by hundreds of middle school students. Student teachers are motivated to help Betty master certain materials. While preparing to teach, they organize their knowledge and improve their own understanding. And as they explain the information to it, they identify problems in their own thinking.

Feedback from the teachable agents further enhances the tutors’ learning. The agents’ questions compel(强迫) student tutors to think and explain the materials in different ways, and watching the agent solve problems allows them to see their knowledge put into action.

Above all, it’s the emotions one experiences in teaching that facilitate learning. Student tutors feel upset when their teachable agents fail, but happy when these virtual pupils succeed as they derive(获得) pride and satisfaction from someone else’s accomplishment.

1. What are researchers rediscovering through their studies?

A．Seneca’s thinking is still applicable today.

B．Better learners will become better teachers.

C．Human intelligence tends to grow with age.

D．Philosophical thinking improves instruction.

2. How does teaching others benefit student tutors?

A．It makes them aware of what they are strong at.

B．It motivates them to try novel ways of teaching.

C．It helps them learn their academic subjects better.

D．It enables them to better understand their teachers.

3. What do we learn about Betty’s Brain?

A．It is a character in a popular cartoon.

B．It is a teaching tool under development.

C．It is a cutting-edge app in digital games.

D．It is a tutor for computer science students.

4. What do students do to teach their teachable agents?

A．They motivate them to think independently.

B．They ask them to design their own questions.

C．They encourage them to give prompt (迅速的) feedback.

D．They use various ways to explain the materials.

5. What is the key factor that eases student tutors’ learning?

A．Their sense of responsibility.	B．Their emotional involvement.
C．The learning strategy acquired.	D．The teaching experience gained.

【推荐1】Since the earliest days of the United States, Americans have begun their day by eating whatever is most easily available. These foods often include bread, eggs or leftovers — food left over from the night before. Today, ease is still an important factor when it comes to breakfast. However, what people eat has changed over time. Some of today’s common breakfast foods, such as cereals (谷类食物), are popular because of very effective marketing.

“Advertising was practically invented to sell cereals. One of the first ways advertising was successfully or effectively used was to convince mothers that it was okay for their children to eat instant cereals. They offered working mothers a chance to let kids take care of themselves in the morning,” says Heather Arndt Anderson. She is the writer of the book Breakfast: A History.

Advertising also played an important part in orange juice becoming a morning drink. In 1916, farmers grew more oranges than usual, so advertisers began saying, “Drink an orange.” They aimed to persuade people that drinking orange juice was a healthy way to start the day.

Pancakes have also been around for a very long time. Researchers believe the world’s oldest naturally preserved human mummy (木乃伊) ate a pancake-like food as one of his last meals. Researchers think pancakes may have been made in the morning because they are much quicker to prepare than bread. Cooks could then have time to make fresh bread for dinner.

Americans still eat some of the same breakfast foods — like bread and eggs — that their ancestors did. Writer Heather Arndt Anderson notes that people’s concerns about healthy food choices have also stayed the same. She hopes more Americans will see leftovers as breakfast foods. After all, they taste good and are a great way to reduce waste.

1. What is the advantage of the instant cereal?

A．It makes kids healthier.	B．It saves mothers’ time.
C．It satisfies everybody’s taste.	D．It costs less than other foods.

2. What was the advertisers’ final purpose of saying “Drink an orange”?

A．To market the orange juice.

B．To recommend a popular lifestyle.

C．To promote oranges as a healthy breakfast item.

D．To encourage farmers in planting more oranges.

3. Why does the author mention a mummy in paragraph 4?

A．To explain the origin of pancakes.

B．To present the benefit of pancakes.

C．To prove the long history of pancakes.

D．To show the wide spreading of pancakes.

4. What is the main idea of the text?

A．The History of the Americans’ Diet.

B．The Effects of Advertising Foods.

C．The Importance of Having Healthy Meals.

D．The Development of the Americans’ Breakfast.

【推荐2】There are energy savings to be made from all recyclable materials, sometimes huge savings. Recycling plastics and aluminum, for instance, uses only 5% to 10% as much energy as producing new plastic or smelting (提炼) aluminum.

Long before most of us even noticed what we now call “the environment”, Buckminster Fuller said, “Pollution is nothing but the resources (资源) we are not harvesting. We allow them to be left around because we’ve been ignorant of their value.” To take one example, let’s compare the throwaway economy with a recycling economy as we feed a cat for life.

Say your cat weigh 5kg and eats one can of food each day. Each empty can of its food weights 40g. In a throwaway economy, you would throw away 5,475 cans over the cats 15-year lifetime. That’s 219kg of steel — more than a fifth of a ton and more than 40 times the cat’s weight.

In a recycling economy, we would make one set of 100 cans to start with, then replace them over and over again with recycled cans. Since almost 3% of the metal is lost during reprocessing, we’d have to make an extra 10 cans each year. But in all, only 150 cans will be used up over the cat’s lifetime — and we’ll still have 100 left over for the next cat.

Instead of using up 219kg of steel, we’ve used only 6kg. And because the process of recycling steel is less polluting than making new steel, we’ve also achieved the following significant savings:in energy use — 47% to 74%; in air pollution — 85%; in water pollution — 35%; in water use — 40%.

1. What does Buckminster Fuller say about pollution?

A．It is becoming more serious.	B．It is the resources yet to be used.
C．It destroys the environment.	D．It benefits the economy.

2. How many cans will be used up in a cat’s 15-year lifetime in a recycling economy?

A．50.

B．100.

C．150.

D．250.

3. What is the author’s purpose in writing the text?

A．To introduce an environmentalist.	B．To promote the idea of recycling.
C．To discuss the causes of pollution.	D．To defend the throwaway economy.

4. Where do you think the text may come from?

A．A novel.

B．A fiction.

C．Sports column of newspaper.

D．A magazine.