【推荐1】Most e-bikes have rechargeable lithium-ion (锂离子) batteries, the same that power smartphones and laptops. All these batteries have the potential to fail when damaged,overcharged or operated in extreme temperature conditions. E-bike batteries, though, are much bigger — between 50 to 100 times more — than the ones in our personal electronics,and pose a greater risk.

On May 20, a folding bike in a South London apartment began smoking, then within seconds a big fire erupted. According to Dom Ellis, deputy commissioner for the LondonFire Brigade, the bike’s owner purchased it second-hand to commute (通勤) to work and bought an aftermarket battery from an unclear online marketplace.

Lithium-ion batteries are popular because they’re easily rechargeable. But if something fails, they can overheat, said Anna Stefanopoulou, professor of mechanical engineering at the University of Michigan. This kicks off a bad cycle called thermal runaway. The melting battery materials fuel the flames, sending out more heat, and that heat also creates a flammable (易燃的) gas, she said. In other words, when a battery breaks down, the fire is self-sustaining (自我维持的) and hot.

Electric cars also contain lithium-ion batteries, but fires are less common compared with e-bikes. Cars have cooling systems and their batteries are more protected, she said. Any electric vehicle battery replacements would also likely take place through an authorized facility.

E-bikes, on the other hand, don’t have temperature regulators and their batteries are more exposed to the environment and possible impact, so minor manufacturing flaws (生产缺陷) can become problems, Stefanopoulou added. She said the cheaper batteries can suffer from flaws and low-quality control.

E-bike riders also tend to use their batteries more actively. A huge battery in an electric car can last more than 200 miles, and drivers top them off (加满) regularly. E-bike commuters are used to draining their batteries again and again throughout the week, which can add to the stress.

1. Why are e-bike batteries much more dangerous than the ones in personal electronics?

A．They are of much larger.

B．They are of different materials.

C．They are easily overcharged or damaged.

D．They are operated in extreme temperature conditions.

2. What was the main problem with the folding bike causing a fire on May 20?

A．It was purchased from another user second-hand.

B．It was produced by an unqualified manufacturer.

C．It was already out of date when second-hand bought.

D．Its original battery was replaced with an aftermarket one.

3. Why are electric car fires less common compared with e-bikes?

A．Electric cars seldom use lithium-ion batteries.

B．Electric car batteries are not exposed to heat or fires.

C．Electric cars are equipped with battery-protection systems.

D．Electric cars are equipped with better lithium-ion batteries.

4. What can be a suitable title for this text?

A．How to Protect E-bike Batteries

B．Why E-bike Batteries Break Down

C．Why E-bike Battery Fires Are Deadly

D．How to Prevent Fires from E-bike Batteries

【推荐2】A new wearable device that wraps around your finger like a plaster can harvest sweat while you sleep and use it to generate electricity, according to the developers from University of California, San Die go.

Most power producing wearable device require wearers to perform intense exercise or depend on external sources such as sunlight or large changes in temperature. But the new strip uses a passive system to generate electricity from sweat in your fingertips, even if you are sleeping or sitting completely still. This is because the finger tips are the sweatiest part of the body. So, thanks to a smart sponge material, this can be collected and processed by conductors.

The energy harvester produced small amounts of electricity when the wearer presses down or starts to sweat, or from light finger tapping. It does this by converting activities like typing, texting, or playing the piano into extra charge.

Finger tips have one of the highest concentrations of sweat grands in the body, with coach finger producing between 100 and 1,000 times more sweat than most other areas, according to the researchers.

Co-first author doctoral student Mr. Bin said: “The reason why we feel sweatier on other parts of the body is that those spots are not well ventilated (通风的). By contrast, the finger tips are always exposed to air, so the sweat evaporated as it comes out. So rather than letting it evaporate, we use our device to collect this sweat, and it can generate a significant amount of energy.”

The device is equipped with electrical conductors or electrode (电极) made from a carbon foam, which absorbs any finger sweat. Enzyme (酶) on the electrode then cause a chemical sweat molecule to generate electricity.

The device only stores up a little bit power at the moment, and would take about three weeks of constant wear to power a smart phone, but the researchers hope to increase capacity in future.

1. How is the new device different from other wearables?

A．It is cost-effective.	B．It is harmless to skin.
C．It required no exercise.	D．It produced electricity.

2. What does the underlined word “evaporate” in paragraph 5 mean?

A．Changes into a gas.	B．Freezes in the air.
C．Drops to the ground.	D．B c comes bigger in amount.

3. What is the disadvantage of the device?

A．It is extremely small in size.	B．It is very difficult to operate.
C．It has a very limited power capacity.	D．It relies much on temperature changes.

4. Which of the following is a suitable title for the text?

A．Sweats Fingertips	B．Power from Fingertips
C．An Electrical Conductor	D．A Rechargeable Device

【推荐3】Someone who types while on a video call may be giving away more information than they realize. A computer model can work out the words that the person is typing just by tracking the movements of their shoulders and arms in the video stream.

"There are significant movements that occur when typing, " says Murtuza Jadliwala at the University of Texas at San Antonio. "We think if we are able to model them scientifically, we should be able to infer different keystrokes by looking at the video data."

Jadliwala and his colleagues developed a model to do just that. They mapped the movements onto a keyboard and cross-referenced the results against a dictionary of commonly typed words, finding it could correctly identify the words being typed 75% of the time. However, their experiment was based on the fact that the typists used traditional physical QWERTY keyboards in the video. The randomized keyboard, which is different from the traditional QWERTY keyboard, can prevent it from making accurate inferences. Those who wear clothing with some sort of sleeve are also less likely to be analysed accurately.

The computer model removes the background information from a frame of a video call. It then detects the outer edges of the shoulder by analysing each frame using an image processing technique called optical flow, which watches closely how pixels (像素) change in a video and maps arm movements onto a keyboard.

Jadliwala says pixelating (打上马赛克) the shoulders would lessen the effect of the issue, but Alan Woodward at the University of Surrey, UK, argues that such a solution defeats the purpose of video calling. "The whole point of a video call is to see people," he says, adding that it is alarming that video calls can reveal so much.

1. Which of the following may affect the model's identification accuracy?

A．The speed of typing.	B．The head movement.
C．The position of keys on the keyboard.	D．The color of the typist's clothing.

2. What is paragraph 4 mainly about?

A．What matters most in analysing the frame.

B．How the background information is removed.

C．How the computer model works.

D．What role optical flow plays in the experiment.

3. What does Alan Woodward think of the finding?

A．Promising.

B．Shocking.

C．Convincing.

D．Disappointing.

4. Which of the following can be the best title for the text?

A．Software can spy on what you type on video calls

B．You are giving away your secret unconsciously

C．Is it safe to type when chatting on the phone?

D．Who are spying when we are on video calls?

【推荐1】Do you download (下载) music? Do you buy CDs? Do you listen to music on your phone? Do you prefer to watch music or just to listen? Have you ever seen your favourite band or singer perform live? There are so many ways to discover, buy and listen to music!

In the UK, people enjoy live music.

The O2 in London is the second largest live music arena (场地) in Europe. There you can see world­famous singers and bands such as One Direction, Justin Bieber, Scissor Sisters, Prince, The Rolling Stones, Elton John, and Take That. This large hall has space for 20,000 people. It also has 548 toilets! Tickets are not cheap. You need to pay more than 50 pounds to see a concert at The O2.

What about free live music? There are music festivals across Britain every year that are completely free. Last year more than 150,000 people went to the Tramlines free music festival in Sheffield in the north of England. The festival is held every July. Last year there were 900 performances (表演) from all over the world.

What are you and your friends listening to these days? Hip hop, dance, rock, heavy metal, rap, urban, reggae... Personal interests are very different among British people. If a kind of music exists (存在) then somebody likes it.

A shopping centre in Birmingham, in central England, recently discovered what kind of music some local teenagers don't like. This is what happened…Shoppers and shop owners complained to the police about teenagers behaving badly in the shopping centre. When a new sound system in the centre started playing Bach, Mozart and Beethoven, the antisocial behaviour stopped. The young people causing problems had gone! Classical music was clearly not popular with these particular teenagers!

1. What can we learn about The O2?

A．Tickets aren't very expensive.

B．Great concerts are often held there.

C．It is the largest music arena in Europe.

D．People can enjoy free live music there.

2. The numbers in Paragraph 4 are given to show ________.

A．free live music is quite popular

B．live music should be completely free

C．music has the power to bring people together

D．Tramlines is the best choice for music lovers

3. Why did the young people leave the shopping centre?

A．They didn't find what they wanted.

B．They were angry with shoppers.

C．They didn't like classical music.

D．They were afraid of the police.

4. What did the author want to show by telling the story in the last paragraph?

A．Teenagers like going shopping.

B．Few people like classical music.

C．People have different tastes in music.

D．Teenagers behave badly while shopping.

【推荐2】There are three of us in the laboratory: Jules, me and Dr. Leonards. Leonards asks me to sit in front of Jules. As I do, he looks me in the eye and starts to move his face through a series of emotions-happy, confused, surprised, glaring. I'm attracted by his display, feeling delight when he grins and feeling serious when his eyes narrow angrily. None of this would be a surprise, of course, if Jules were a human. But he's a robot head on a table.

The most special thing is that, consciously(有意识地), there's no mistaking Jules for a real person. Although he has surprisingly realistic skin, his eyes don't fit firmly against his lids, and he has a terrible hairpiece. Yet, as I walk into the room, I experience a complex worry of feeling in his direction. It's not at all like entering an empty space. It's a bit awkward for Jules’ shining false hair. Some unconscious part of me is responding to him as if he's real. This matters, because if we're to one day live comfortably along with robots , an understanding of how we instinctively(本能地) react to them is significant. The study of these issues is the frontier of a new scientific research; human-robot interaction.

Jules was built as part of an attempt to understand the emotions that can be communicated by a human. “All the robots we've built so far don't have that rich emotions. We wanted to build a robotic face, with small motors that mimic(模仿) all the muscles you have, so we could discover what it could express. "Such research is becoming increasingly important, says Dr. Leonards, partly because our rapidly ageing population will soon need the help of robots with which they can effortlessly interact.

1. What does the author think of Jules?

A．He ignored him in his place.	B．He didn't treat him as only a robot.
C．He was afraid of his being there.	D．He mistook him for a real person.

2. What is the purpose to build such a robot?

A．To help humans of old ages.	B．To carry out a scientific research.
C．To take the place of human labour.	D．To make an interaction with human.

3. What does the underlined word “grins” mean in Paragraph1?

A．Smiles.	B．Shakes.
C．Worries.	D．Cries.

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

A．Human And Robot	B．Success Of Making A Robot
C．Robot Will Replace Man	D．Difference Between Man And Robot

【推荐1】Growers are finding new ways to extend the British asparagus (芦笋) season and meet demand for this tasty and healthy crop.

Asparagus is believed to have been enjoyed as long ago as the ancient Egyptian, Greek and Roman empires. It promotes healthy bacteria in the large intestine (肠) and can help reduce bloating (胀气). A source of vitamins K and C, it also has numerous benefits to the immune system generally.

Fans of asparagus will be delighted to know that nowadays there’s more opportunity than ever to get hold of homegrow n product. One of the country’s leading asparagus growers and pioneers of extending the British season is the Chinn family. The family grows Wye Valley-branded asparagus and sells into supermarkets, local restaurants, wholesale markets and processors.

The company has been growing asparagus since 2004 and has developed a reputation for innovation, using modern production and packing techniques to lock in the freshness immediately after harvesting. The traditional British asparagus season runs from 23 April to 21 June, but Chris Chinn says by using new varieties and polytunnels to protect the crop, his farm has massively extended that from February to late June.

Called “the Usain Bolt of vegetables”, British asparagus can actually grow up to 10cm in a single day. It thrives in free-draining sandy soils, and, as Chris puts it, “does not like wet feet”. That has made the past few months a big challenge for growers with the amount of rain that’s fallen so far this year.

In spite of that, this season, the Chinns pushed the envelope once again, harvesting the first commercial volumes for sale in a local Food store in early February — the earliest it’s ever been available. “This especially early crop is the product of innovative methods, and environmental sustainability is a key concern with us using only the sun’s heat, and on-farm compost,” says Chris. “We are absolutely delighted to be first to market with British asparagus once again.”

Chris says that with all asparagus spears picked and packed by hand, getting enough seasonal labour onto the farm is a constant headache for growers. There is hope, though, that technology will ultimately be able to help.

1. According to the passage, what can we know about the British asparagus?

A．It is a forgiving plant in low-lying areas.

B．It grows fast and can’t tolerate light shade.

C．It is good for immunity and physical well-being.

D．It grows in winter and likes growing in wet fields.

2. What does the underlined phrase “pushed the envelope” most likely mean?

A．Boosted the volume.	B．Unfolded the letter.
C．Reduced the pollution.	D．Stretched the boundaries.

3. What might be talked about in the paragraph that follows?

A．How to extend the asparagus season.

B．The reason for seasonal labor shortage.

C．Some technology to solve the labor shortage.

D．The constant headache for asparagus growers.

4. Which of the following can be the best title for the passage?

A．New Ways to Harvest the Asparagus

B．Asparagus, the Usain Bolt of Vegetables

C．Innovations to Extend the Asparagus Season

D．The Chinns, the Innovator of Growing Asparagus

【推荐2】French adventurer-scientist Roland Bourdeix has a grand vision for how to preserve a thousand or more genetic varieties of coconut trees. Imagine, as he does, turning dozens or hundreds of remote Pacific islands into coconut sanctuaries. Each island would contain just a few varieties of these trees.

But why? Are coconut trees, the source of oil and newly trendy coconut water, somehow in danger?

Not exactly. At least not for now. There are plenty of coconut palms all over the tropics, and coconut production has been slowly growing. But that masks a potential long-term problem, says Stephan Weise, Deputy Director General for Research at Bioversity International in Rome. Most coconut production comes from a small part of the coconut’s gene pool (基因库). Producers rely on a handful of high-producing varieties or hybrids (杂交品种). Those commercial varieties are slowly overwhelming (压倒)traditional varieties that people in the tropics have grown thousands of years. Those are the storehouse of the coconut’s genetic diversity: All of the colors, shapes, tastes, and survival tools that this species possesses — and may need again someday.

Conserving (保护)such diversity in agricultural crops is a familiar problem, but the situation with coconuts is a little bit different, Weise says.

First of all, scientists can’t yet preserve a particular kind of coconuts in refrigerated “gene banks,” as they do with standard seeds. They can’t dry, freeze, and preserve coconuts for decades. Instead, coconuts have to be preserved as living trees, growing outside.

This leads to the second problem. Coconut varieties growing in the open air often won’t reproduce themselves successfully. Their flowers pick up pollen (花粉)from other trees nearby, which often turn out to be commercial varieties or hybrids. And when that happens, some genes may be lost altogether.

So what’s the secret to preserving these coconuts? For starters, scientists have set up a dozen open-air coconut gene banks. They’re reproducing each variety through careful hand-pollination of the trees. But Weise says that’s expensive and labor-intensive.

This brings us back to Roland Bourdeix’s crazy-sounding idea. The key to preserving coconut biodiversity more cheaply, he thinks, is isolation. And there’s no more isolated place than a lonely Pacific island. Just convince people on one of these islands to plant coconut trees from a single variety, and the problem is practically solved. He’s found several islands where the inhabitants are willing to help turn his vision into reality. One of them is well-known already: The Tetiaroa Atoll in French Polynesia, an idyllic retreat once owned by Marlon Brando.

1. Why is it important to preserve the traditional varieties of coconut?

A．The traditional varieties are more commercial.

B．They can help explain the history of people living in the tropics.

C．They contain genetic diversity.

D．It can help the tourism on remote Pacific islands.

2. How do scientists usually conserve agricultural crops?

A．They freeze them.	B．They hand-pollinate them.
C．They grow them out of labs.	D．They mix them with other breeds.

3. Why are Pacific islands ideal for the conservation of coconut trees?

A．They are owned by celebrities, which can help promote public awareness of the issue.

B．They are among the most isolated places in the world.

C．The inhabitants on the islands are innocent enough to be deceived.

D．The labor on those islands is cheaper.

4. The best title for the article can be _________.

A．A Crazy Gardener

B．Remote Islands for Preserving Coconut Genes

C．Advantages of Traditional Coconut Trees

D．Loss of Coconut Genes