【推荐1】After decades of playing catch-up with the U.S. and Russian space programs, China did something neither nation nor any other had done this December: land a spaceship on the dark side of the moon.

Strictly speaking, of course, the moon has no dark side. But because of the way it orbits Earth, our natural satellite shows us only one side － the other is hidden from our view. No one even saw the far side until 1959, when the Soviet Luna 3 spaceship flew around for a look and sent back photos. No astronaut or spaceship went there until this December, when the China National Space Agency (CNSA) launched a 2,500-pound lander called Chang’e-4 to the southern end of the lunar far side.

Chang’e-4 operated a small rover (探测车) to survey the geography there for the first time ever. By examining the geography of its landing area, Chang’e-4 could solve longstanding puzzles about the moon, including how it formed 4.5 billion years ago. Chang’e-4 also carried a very small ―lunar biosphere (生态圈) ‖ containing silkworm eggs and a tiny greenhouse designed to grow potatoes in order to study the growth of the seeds on the moon.

Besides Chang’e-4, China plans to launch Chang’e-5 in 2019. Its mission will be to gather moon rocks using an orbiter, a lander or collector, an ascent stage (上升器) and a capsule that will separate from the orbiter and return the rocks to the earth. ―With these missions, the Chinese will have shown complete mastery of flight in the space between the earth and the moon,‖ said Paul Spudis, an experienced lunar researcher based in Houston.

CNSA has already outlined ideas for Chinese astronauts to follow the robots to the moon. Pei Zhaoyu, deputy director of CNSA’s Lunar Exploration and Space Program Center, told that China plans a permanent robotic lunar station in about 10 years and suggested a human presence on the moon another decade or so after that. Spudis said China’s ambitious Chang’e-4 and Chang’e-5 missions should send human’s plans for lunar return into rapid development.

1. What do we know about the dark side of the moon from the first two paragraphs?

A．Two western countries have taken its photos.

B．It is hidden from people’s view due to the earth’s orbit.

C．China is the first country to land a spaceship there.

D．It exists because the sun never shines there.

2. Why did Chang’e-4 operate a small rover?

A．To study the geography of the lunar dark side.

B．To grow potatoes on the moon.

C．To examine the growth of eggs and seeds.

D．To survey the lunar biosphere.

3. Which of the following can move apart from the orbiter of Chang’e-5?

A．The lander.	B．The collector.
C．The ascent stage.	D．The capsule.

4. What is Spudis’s attitude to China’s Chang’e-4 and Chang’e-5 missions?

A．Cautious.	B．Disapproving.
C．Ambiguous.	D．Favorable.

【推荐2】What are your retirement plans? Keep working? Get more exercise? Or learn something new? You may put them on hold. There’s a chance that, sooner or later, you might have to move further than you were thinking, as far as mars.

On Thursday, National Geographic will show the first-ever Mars show home, giving earthlings (地球人) an idea of what their life could look like on the Red Planet. In the not-so-distant year of 2037, the igloo-shaped structure could be the home of your future.

It shows a house built using recycled spacecraft (航天器) parts and Martian soil, called regolith, which has been microwaved into bricks. Some parts of the home are recognizable—a kitchen, a bedroom—but there are fundamental differences that are important to human survival.

As the Martian atmosphere is around one hundredth as thick as the Earth’s, people will need permanent (永久的) shelter from the sun; society will move largely indoors. Most buildings will be connected by underground passages and the houses won’t have windows. The homes will have simulated solar lighting, or natural light that has been bent several times.

Walls will need to be 10 to 12 feet thick to protect people from dangerous rays (光线) that can pass through six feet of steel, and a double air-locked entrance to keep the home under proper pressure.

“We don’t think of our houses as things that keep us alive, but on Mars your house will be a survival centre,” says Stephen Petranek, author of How We’ll Live on Mars. This is not just the stuff of sci-fi. “10 to 20 years from now there will certainly be people, on Mars.” Petranek says.

“We’ve had the technology for 30 years to land people on Mars, but we haven’t had the will,” Petranek says. But two main factors have “completely swung public attitudes”.

The private companies’ participation has forced government agencies to speed up their game, and influential films such as Gravity and The Martian have caught society’s eye.

1. What can we know about the show home from the text?

A．It has no windows or doors due to security concern.

B．Its design presents the idea of environmental protection.

C．It has thick walls keeping the home under proper pressure.

D．Its underground passages connect all the building together.

2. What do the underlined words “put them on hold” in Paragraph 1 probably mean?

A．Put them off.

B．Give them away.

C．Carry them through.

D．Take them seriously.

3. According to Petranek, what has sped up the process of sending people to Mars?

A．The great influence of the Mars show home.

B．The development of related technology.

C．The competition from private companies.

D．The popularity of influential books on Mars.

4. What is the best title for the text?

A．Living on Mars: Possible or Not

B．Sending People to Mars: Yes or No

C．First-ever show home: How Is It Made

D．Future Home on Mars: What Will It Be Like

【推荐3】It’s an ordinary morning，like all the others．But instead of being woken up by the buzzing of an alarm clock, you’ll be roused by the smell of freshly made coffee，light entering your room as the curtains open automatically，and a gentle back massage（按摩）provided by your high-tech bed.
This is what a typical(典型的) person's life will be like two decades from now，according to The Guardian. Want to know more?
After you get up, your apartment will be like an electronic orchestra with you as the conductor. With simple moves of your hand and spoken instructions, you’ll be able to control your apartment’s temperature, humidity, music and lighting. You’ll be able to look through the day’s news on translucent screens while your breakfast waits for you in the automatic oven.
As you move into your kitchen, you might accidentally hit your toe on a cupboard. If you do, you’ll grab your cell phone and open the diagnostics(诊断) app. Inside your phone there will be a tiny microchip(芯片) that uses X-ray waves to scan your body. The scan will tell whether your toe is bruised or broken.
After breakfast, your driverless car will take you to work. While you “drive”, your central computer system will suggest a list of chores(家务事) that your housekeeping robots can do that day and it will also remind you to buy a gift for your mother’s upcoming birthday.
As you can see, with the help of advanced technology, our lives will be more efficient(有效率的). Technology will mitigate our forgetfulness and free us of many small burdens that distract us, such as buying a ticket. Our brain will therefore be able to focus on more important things like preparing for a presentation or doing “deep thinking”.
However, the development of technology might have some disadvantages as well. By 2036, we’ll be relying heavily on the virtual(虚拟的) world, which will mean that all of our data will be stored in the cloud, a remote digital storage system with near limitless capacity(容量). That will increase the possibility of someone else accessing, sharing or manipulating(操控) our personal information.
1. What might be the author’s purpose in writing the text?

A．To stress the importance of developing technology.

B．To remind people not to depend too much on computers．

C．To introduce one new invention that will benefit our future lives.

D．To describe how advanced technologies will affect our future lives.

2. According to the text, in two decades, ________.

A．you’ll be able to rely on an electronic orchestra to wake you up instead of an alarm clock

B．a tiny microchip in your phone will treat you when you are sick

C．you will be able to adjust the conditions of your apartment via oral instructions or simple hand gestures

D．technology will be smart enough to help us with important things like preparing for a presentation

3. What does the underlined word “mitigate” in Paragraph 6 mean?

A．Make up for.

B．Worsen.

C．Cure.

D．Take advantage of.

【推荐1】The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) (儿科学) just released its updated guidelines for children’s media use.

The recommendations reflect what all parents know: children need less screen time, which indicates that they desperately need more free time to develop their imagination, a sense of wonder and discover their passion and purpose.

Our children are over-stimulated, over-scheduled and under pressure to perform academically and beyond school. This weakens their ability to build creative thinking skills essential to self-discovery. Creativity occurs when kids have time for curiosity and exploration. With children spending up to eight hours a day on media devices and additional hours engaging in scheduled activities, opportunities for growth disappear.

What we are not so sure about is how to get our kids to want the free, screenless time which we know will benefit them. It may sound counter-intuitive (违背直觉的) but today’s kids need coaching to experience and discover the benefits of free time.

What came to parents easily a few decades ago has become a challenge for our generation. It’s not that yesterday’s parents knew more about child development; they simply had fewer choices. Boredom and relaxation were an inescapable part of daily life. Today, they mean, “I’m a bad parent and not doing enough to get my kid ahead.”

Recently, I had an eye-opening revelation while watching my 11-year-old daughter play in a softball game. I have six children and have attended dozens of such game. I know the drill—or thought I did. Families settled in for the day with lawn chairs, cold drinks and cousins. These brothers and sisters would gradually chat with each other. Games of catch and hide-and-seek began, and friendships were formed then. At crucial moments, the newfound friends turned their attention to the field to cheer on their teams.

But that wasn’t happening. Though there were at least 15 children by the sidelines (球场边线), I didn’t hear any of them. They sat in silence using their individual tablets (平板电脑). Even with the score tied in the final inning (垒球比赛的一局), not a single child watched the game or spoke to each other. The situation was strange and revealing: Kids have more planned activities and passive entertainment at their fingertips than ever before, but less free time to dream, imagine and focus on what they truly love.

I understand that making time for “nothing” is difficult in a world where we are constantly worried our kids will fall behind if they aren’t good at academics. But I refuse to sit back and watch this loss of childhood. We are taking back childhood. Imagination needs time and space to blossom.

If your kids are like mine, asking them to imagine will at the beginning be difficult. That’s because they haven’t developed the skills and muscle memory to make it second nature. I hope the AAP guidelines prompt all of us to set needed screen time limits for our children. Personally, I am practicing strategies to “develop imagination” in my children. Imagination, like a sport, requires practice, training, motivational speeches, rewards and extreme patience.

1. What can we learn from Paragraph 3 and Paragraph 4?

A．Parents are not sure whether the free, screenless time benefits their children.

B．Children have the ability to imagine because they perform well academically.

C．Opportunities for growth disappear when children have time for curiosity or exploration.

D．Kids don’t have time to develop their imagination because of media devices and scheduled activities.

2. Why today’s parents find it a challenge to develop children’s imagination compared with yesterday’s parents?

A．Because kids have more free time to dream and imagine.

B．Because kids don’t know how to experience and discover the benefits of free time.

C．Because today’s parents have fewer choices compared with yesterday’s parents.

D．Because today’s parents are bad parents and not doing enough to get kids ahead.

3. What did the children do when they watched a softball game recently?

A．They chatted and played hide-and-seek games.

B．They didn’t watch the game but used their tablets.

C．They developed friendships with brothers and sisters.

D．They watched the game attentively and cheered on their teams.

4. It’s difficult to make time for “nothing” because       .

A．kids are given too much time and space to imagine

B．today’s parents all expect their kids to sit silently using their individual tablets

C．today’s parents set needed screen time limits for the kids according to the AAP guidelines

D．kids are over-stimulated, over-scheduled and under pressure to perform academically and beyond school

5. Which of the following is the best title of the passage?

A．How we are endangering our kid’s imagination

B．When kids should engage in scheduled activities

C．Whether it is difficult for kids to imagine in the beginning

D．Why kids need guidance on how to discover the benefits of free time

【推荐2】According to the findings of a new study, telling kids they’re smart enhances the idea that intelligence is a genetic gift rather than a skill that ran he improved, and children who think their intelligence is fixer! are not likely to pay attention to mistakes and recover from them.

In the study publisher! online, researchers looked at 123 children who were about 7. The team assessed the children to determine whether they had a “growth mindset（思维定式）”. They asked the children to complete a fast-paced computer task while their brain activities were recorded. During the recording, researchers noted that brain activity stopped within a half-second after making a mistake. The larger the brain response was, the more the child focused on the error.

Based on the data they collected, the researchers concluded that children with a “growth mindset” were much more likely to have a larger brain response after making a mistake, and in turn were more likely to improve their performance by paying closer attention to the task after making an error.

For parents, the lessons are clear: for starters, don’t pay praises that suggest intelligence is fixed. If a child hands you an A test, don’t say “You are smart!” Instead say “Wow, that study really paid off!”

Second, focus on using errors to work together and learn. Many parents and teachers shy away from mentioning a child’s mistakes, telling them “It’s OK. You’ll get it next time.” without giving them the opportunity to figure out what went wrong. Instead, it’s better to tell the child that mistakes happen, and to pay attention and work to figure out where and how they made the mistake.

1. What’s the resold of telling kids they’re clever?

A．They may think efforts are useful.

B．They may be attentive to their mistakes.

C．They may think they’re very clever.

D．They may think intelligence is fixed at birth.

2. How would children with a “growth mindset” react to their mistakes in the study?

A．They would be more careful to their mistakes and more likely to improve.

B．They had a smaller response and would pay no attention to their errors.

C．They would he less attentive to their errors and pay little attention to their mistakes.

D．They are more likely to have a larger brain response before making a mistake.

3. What does the author advise the parents to do when their kids make mistakes?

A．Comfort the kids and stress the efforts they made.

B．Tell them it’s OK and they will get it next time.

C．Praise the progress they made but not their smartness.

D．Let the child think about what mistakes they made.

4. What floes the passage mainly talk about?

A．Praise the children for their intelligence.

B．How to Heal with kids’ performance at school.

C．Proper response to kids’ mistakes and progress.

D．The reflection on kids’ smartness and development.

【推荐3】请认真阅读下面短文，并根据所读内容在文章后表格中的空格里填入一个最恰当的单词。 注意：请将答案写在答题卡上相应题号的横线上。每个空格只填一个单词。

Many of today's young people have a difficult time seeing any moral dimension to their actions. There are a number of reasons why that’s true, but none more important than a failed system of education that avoids teaching children the traditional moral values that bind Americans together as a society and a culture. That failed approach, called ''decision-making'', was introduced in schools 25 years ago. It tells children to decide for themselves what is right and what is wrong. It replaced ''character education'', which didn't ask children to reinvent the moral wheel, but encouraged them to practice habits of courage, justice and self- control.

Decision-making curriculums pose ethical dilemmas to students, leaving them with the impression that all morality is problematic and that all questions of right and wrong are based on people's own ideas. Youngsters are forced to question values and virtues they've never acquired in the first place. The assumption behind this method is that students will arrive at good moral conclusions if they are given the chance. But the actual result is moral confusion.

This kind of confusion further encouraged by values-education programs that are little more than courses in self-worth. These programs are based on the questionable assumption that a child who feels good about himself or herself won't want to do anything wrong. But it is just as reasonable to make an opposite assumption: namely, that a child who always believes in and accepts himself will conclude that he or she can't do anything bad.

It is time to throw ''decision-making'' and ''none-judgementalism'' into the rubbish heap of failed policies, and return to a proved method. Character education provides a much more realistic approach to moral formation. It is built on an understanding that we learn morality not by debating it, but by practicing it.

Children Must Be Taught to Distinguish Right from Wrong

Problem	Many young people find it     1     to see their actions in a moral way.
Reason	Replacing character education, the decision-making approach does not teach children     2     morality but emphasizes subjective judgment on right and wrong.
Consequences	●     3     decision-making curriculums were meant to give students the chance to       4    good moral conclusions by themselves, they make students     5     confused, due to the     6     of criteria on what's right and wrong. ● Values-education programs     7     students' moral confusion. Those with self-acceptance will make the assumption that they can't do anything wrong. ● Public education based on decision-making approach, which     8     to guide youngsters on the right track, fuels the explosion of serious     9     problems.
Solution	An immediate shift back to character education is needed. Moral formation can be achieved by means of     10    .

【推荐1】Climate change leads to a threat to the world’s sandy beaches, and as many as half of them could disappear by 2100, a new study has found. Even by 2050 some coastlines could be unrecognizable from what we see today, with 10% to 12% facing severe erosion (侵蚀).

Using updated sea level rise predictions, the researchers analyzed how beaches around the world would be in a future with higher seas and more damaging storms. They also considered natural processes like wave erosion, as well as human factors-like coastal building developments, all of which can affect a beach’s health. The study found that sea level rise is expected to outweigh these other factors, and that the more heat-trapping gases humans put into the atmosphere, the worse the influences on the world’s beaches are likely to be.

It’s hard to overstate just how important the world’s beaches are. They cover more than one third of the world’s coastlines, and protect coastal areas from storms. Beaches are also important economic engines, supporting relaxation, tourism and other activities. And in some areas, the beach is more than a vacation destination. In places like Australia, life near the coast revolves around the beach for much of the year.

Some of the world’s most popular beaches are already taking action. Places like Miami Beach are trucking in thousands of tons of sand to patch up (修复) badly eroded shorelines, while others have built sea walls and breakwaters in an attempt to hold precious sand in place. But the financial and environmental costs of these projects are huge, and scientists say rising seas and more powerful storms, supercharged by a warmer climate, will make this a losing battle.

However, the researchers did find that humans have some control over what happens to the world’s beaches. If the world’s governments are able to stick to modest cuts to heat-trapping gas pollution, the researchers found that 22%of projected beach losses by 2050 could be prevented, a number that grows to 40%by 2100 if greenhouse gases are limited.

1. Which is the biggest contributor to severe beach erosion?

A．Damaging storms.	B．Wave erosion.
C．Coastal building.	D．Sea level rise.

2. What can we infer from Paragraph 3?

A．It is hard to protect coastal beaches.

B．One third of storms take place near beaches.

C．Beaches are of great significance to our lives.

D．Most Australians live on beach tourism.

3. What does the underlined word “this” refer to in Paragraph 4?

A．Popularizing the beaches.

B．Holding sand in place.

C．Reducing the project costs.

D．Stopping global warming.

4. What is the best title for the text?

A．Half beaches could disappear by 2100.

B．Climate change is doing harm to our lives.

C．The beach is more than a vacation destination.

D．Governments are taking action to fight wave erosion.

【推荐3】“Do not tell anyone”. We often hear these words when someone tells us a secret. But keeping a secret is hard. We’re often tempted（引诱）to “spill the beans”, even if we regret it later.

According to the professor, Asim Shah, keeping a secret may well “become a burden”. This is because people often have an “eager and anxious urge（冲动）to share it with someone”. An earlier study, led by Anita, a scientist at the University of Notre Dame, US, suggested that keeping a secret could cause stress. People entrusted（托付）with secrets can suffer from depression, anxiety, and body aches, reported the Daily Mail.

Secrets are so often getting out. Why do people share them at all? Shah explained that people often feel that it will help them keep a person as a friend. Another reason people share secrets is guilt over keeping it from someone close to them. A sense of distrust can develop when people who are close do not share it with each other. “Keeping or sharing secrets often puts people in a position of either gaining or losing the trust of someone, ”according to Shah.

He added that talkative people could let secrets slip out. But this doesn’t mean that it is a good idea only to share secrets with quiet people. A quiet person may be someone who keeps everything inside. To tell such a person a secret may cause them stress, and make them talk about the secret.

Shah said that to judge whether to tell someone a secret, you’d better put yourself in their position, Think about how you would feel to be told that you mustn’t give the information away. Shah also recommended that if you accidentally give up someone’s secret you should come clean about it. Let the person know that their secret isn’t so secret anymore.

1. Why does the author say keeping a secret may “become a burden”?

A．Because people are born not to be able to keep secrets.

B．Because when people have secrets, their bodies ache.

C．Because keeping secrets is certain to cause depression.

D．Because keeping secrets could probably be harmful to health.

2. How many reasons have been mentioned in Paragraph 3 why people tend to share secrets?

A．2.

B．3.

C．4.

D．5.

3. What does the underlined words “spill the beans” mean?

A．To fall by accident.	B．To let out secrets on purpose.
C．To spread secrets to everyone around.	D．To give away secrets unintentionally.

4. What can we learn from the passage?

A．Quiet people are more likely to keep the secrets to themselves.

B．Sharing secrets helps establish friendship or get over the, sense of guilt.

C．Putting yourself in others’ shoes helps realize the importance of keeping secrets.

D．A person who is asked to keep a secret will suffer from psychological problems only.