【推荐1】The answer to traffic jams on the highways around airports could be electric air taxis. But this is not a futuristic dream. United Airlines is helping to make it a reality.

The carrier is ordering 200 electric air taxis, also called eVOTL planes, from Eve Air Mobility which designed vehicles for short distance-like going from city centers to airports-that can seat four passengers. The eVOTL planes take off and land like helicopters.

These vehicles that are due to be delivered in 2026 can fly from rooftop to rooftop. These types of vehicles are more environmental than using ground transportation. That’s because the air taxis use electric engines that have no carbon emissions(碳排放). This will reduce pollution and noise levels by 90 percent, according to United Airlines and Eve Air Mobility.

“Our agreement with Eve shows our confidence in the urban air mobility market and serves as another important step toward our goal of net zero carbon emissions by 2050,” said Michael Leskinen, president of United Airlines Ventures. “We’ll get there not with empty gestures, but by taking the harder path of actually reducing the emissions from flying.” If the company meets its goal of reducing its carbon footprint to net zero, it will be the first US airline to do so.

This isn’t United’s first try for environmental protection. The company started using bio-fuel(生物燃料) in flights from Los Angeles in 2016. It was the first airline in the US to promise to significantly use bio-fuel and this could cut emissions by 60 percent. From baby steps to flying ones, this airline is working on its commitment to the environment. Hopefully this is just one part of a global commitment to green the airline industry.

1. How does the author introduce the takeoff and landing of eVOTL planes?

A．By providing a long list.	B．By using experts’ words.
C．By making a comparison.	D．By referring to a news report.

2. What can we learn about the eVOTL planes?

A．They make no noise when flying.	B．They each can hold eight passengers.
C．They are designed for long distances.	D．They are friendly to the environment.

3. What can be inferred about United Airlines?

A．It promises to use bio-fuel in 2050.	B．It has a pioneering spirit.
C．It stopped carbon emissions in 2016.	D．It shows no interest in electric air taxis.

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

A．The Promising Future of Air Travel Is Seen Now

B．More Companies Are Developing Green Technologies

C．Electric Air Taxis Will Make Getting to the Airport Easy

D．Electric Air Taxis Will Be Put Into Wide Use in the Future

【推荐2】Have you ever wanted to see your dreams after you woke up? Artificial intelligence (AI) technology may help you do this in the near future!

Researchers from Osaka University in Japan have trained an AI system to recreate images in people’s heads. The pictures AI has created include a teddy bear, an airplane and a clock tower. The technology is 80 percent accurate, reported Science magazine.

Previously there have been AI models that can turn a word or phrase into images. The AI has studied lots of images and their text descriptions. Over time, the AI can find patterns and recreate pictures if you first input text.

This time, the researchers took a step further. They trained the AI to link people’s brain scan data with images. They asked four people to look at 10, 000 different images, and let the AI find patterns of blood flow in the brain. Then the patterns can be related to the images.

If people looked at an airplane, the AI would use the brain scan data to create an image of a very cloudy airplane. Then, it would turn on the previous “text - to - image” model. By feeding the keyword “airplane”, the AI would improve the image and make it more real.

“It’s a new method that combines textual and visual information to ‘decipher the brain’”, Ariel Goldstein from Princeton University told Science magazine.

Researchers said the technology could someday help people with paralysis to communicate. It might also help scientists understand dreams or even how other animals see the world.

1. What do we know about the AI system mentioned in Paragraph 2?

A．It can help train people’s minds.	B．It can fully present people’s dreams.
C．It was created for drawing people’s heads.	D．It can recreate pictures in people’s heads.

2. How did the previous AI models turn phrases into images?

A．By understanding the meaning of the words.

B．By finding patterns in images and their text descriptions.

C．By drawing pictures according to users’ orders.

D．By finding different photos from the internet.

3. What is the working process of the new AI system?

A．relate with image→scan blood flow→improve the text→turn into the image

B．relate with image→turn into text→scan blood flow→improve the image

C．scan blood flow→relate with image→turn into text→improve the image

D．scan blood flow→turn into text→relate with image→improve the image

4. What is the last paragraph mainly about?

A．How to know the way animals see the world.

B．How people with paralysis talk with others.

C．What the new AI technology could be used for.

D．How AI technology affects people’s dreams,

5. Which part of a newspaper may this text appear?

A．Entertainment.	B．Health.
C．Education.	D．Science.

【推荐3】Smartphones have changed lives in so many ways. They help people communicate, navigate, remember to pick up the laundry, and more. Now, smartphones may also help keep people safe while they travel.

A recent study, published in the journal Nature Communications Engineering, led by researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Senseable City Laboratory, has shown that smartphone sensors are nearly as good at collecting information about bridge safety as sensors. The researchers conducted the study on the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, California and a smaller bridge in Ciampino, Italy.

The researchers drove over the Golden Gate Bridge, their sensor apps running, one hundred and two times. They also gave the app to seventy-two drivers who regularly cross the bridge over the course of their days. Once they had the data from the phones, they compared that data to the information from two hundred and forty sensors that had been placed on the bridge. Surprisingly, they found that the data from their phones pretty much matched the data from the sensors.

In Italy, the researchers collected the data from two hundred and eighty trips across the bridge, and compared it to the data from six sensors that had been placed on the bridge. Though the results differed a bit, the results were still quite similar.

“We still have work to do, but we believe that our approach could be scaled up easily—all the way to the level of an entire country,” told a researcher. “It might not reach the accuracy that one can get using fixed sensors installed on a bridge, but it could become a very interesting early-warning system. Small differences could then suggest when to carry out further analyses.”

Millions of smartphone-carrying people drive over bridges every day. If the new method is put into use, it will go a long way towards making bridges much safer.

1. What is the recent study about?

A．Smartphones can change people’s everyday life.

B．Smartphones can entertain people in many ways.

C．Smartphones may keep people comfortable on the road.

D．Smartphones can detect the condition of bridges.

2. Why does the author mention “San Francisco” and “Ciampino” in paragraph 2?

A．To present the locations of the study.	B．To tell how the study was carried out.
C．To stress the accuracy of the data.	D．To make a comparison.

3. How did the researchers get the result of the study?

A．By fixing sensor apps on certain bridges.

B．By comparing data from two different sources.

C．By collecting information about bridge safety.

D．By referring to different drivers’ comments.

4. What do the researchers think of their bridge-detecting approach?

A．It’s time-consuming.	B．It’s challenging.
C．It’s promising.	D．It is far from satisfactory.

【推荐1】Training for a marathon can be a marathon itself. Here are tips on preparing for the big day. Learn how to be prepared for the race and how to treat your body after that long run. 

●   How should you prepare before the marathon?

Your last long run should take place about three weeks prior to the marathon. It takes that long for the muscle damage caused by training to go. Adding one more long run could have minimal gain, if any, and may cause an athlete to suffer from “dead legs” during the event.

Like you reduce your work to restore your muscles, focus on sleep the week prior to the race. Your body will appreciate it. Even if nervousness stops you from getting sleep the night before the race, the extra sleep you got during this week will make up for this.

Be sure you have on hand your water and food sources for the race. Drink lots of water during the week before the race. This optimizes your hydration (补水) before you hit the start line. Eat a diet rich in complex carbohydrates, such as breads, rice, pasta and potatoes. This helps maximize your energy stores. Don’t experiment with new foods this week. Carbohydrate loading (碳水循环) is not a simple process. Try it some other time, perhaps before other long runs. 

●   What should you do after the race?

No matter what the results are, be proud of yourself. You can learn from every race. Some tips for your post-marathon:

Drink. Even though you drank during the race, you will still be a little dehydrated.

Keep moving. Do lower intensity exercises, such as walking for 60 minutes after the race. This will ease a lot of the post-race muscle pain. Stretch gently. But don’t plan on running during the week after the race. Walking, swimming or cycling at an easy pace will work well.

Do allow your body to recover. An extreme athletic event like a marathon is incredibly stressful on the body. The body needs the rest; otherwise, problems such as injuries, fatigue, decreases in performance and immune suppression can result.

1. According to the text, which preparation for a marathon is recommended?

A．Add one more long run before the race.

B．Sleep as long as you like.

C．Keep hydrated.

D．Try new food.

2. Which sport should NOT be done after a marathon race?

A．Walking.

B．Wrestling.

C．Swimming.

D．Cycling.

3. In which section of a website can readers find this article?

A．Sports.

B．Business.

C．Entertainment.

D．Arts.

【推荐3】Jonathan the tortoise, the world’s oldest land animal, turned 190 over the weekend on the island of St. Helena, where he enjoyed a “cake” of seasonal fruits, leafy greens and vegetables, including carrots carved into the number “190”.

Jonathan was brought to St.Helena from the Seychelles in 1882 as a gift. According to Guinness World Records, Jonathan surpassed the previous record holder, Tu’i Malila, who lived in the 1770s until 1965and could be even older. He arrived in St.Helena as a fully mature tortoise, meaning he was at least 50 in 1882.

“The vet is still feeding him by hand once a week to boost his calories, vitamins, minerals and trace elements, as he is blind and has no sense of smell. His hearing though is excellent and he loves the company of humans, and responds well to his vet Joe Hollins’ voice as he associates him with a feast, Guinness World Records said.

“The tortoise enjoys the sun but on very hot days takes to the shade. On mild days, he will sunbathe his long neck and legs stretched fully out of his shell to absorb heat and transfer it to his core,” according to Hollins. When it’s cold, Jonathan has been known to “dig himself into leaf mold or grass cuttings and remain there all day.”

In most cases, the lifespan of a tortoise or turtle depends on the species and level of care they receive. They generally live much longer in captivity than in the wild, because in the wild, they must find their own food in addition to evading predators while not getting medical treatment. Larger turtle and tortoise species also tend to live longer than their smaller counterparts. For more information about animal record holders, click here.

1. When might Jonathan be born?

A．In 1882.

B．In 1770.

C．In 1965.

D．In 1832.

2. Which of the following statement is TRUE according to the text?

A．Jonathan had a birthday cake made of fruits, meat, and vegetables.

B．Jonathan was born and raised on the island of St. Helena.

C．Jonathan is the Guinness World holder of the oldest land animal.

D．Jonathan is a very old but healthy tortoise with full senses.

3. Which is not a reason why a tortoise in the wild has a relatively shorter lifespan?

A．Species differences.	B．Food shortage.
C．Lack of medical treatment.	D．Animal enemies.

4. Where can we probably find this article?

A．In a science fiction.	B．On a news website.
C．In a travel brochure.	D．In a biology textbook.