【推荐1】When someone gives you advice, listen without judgment, try to find value in what you’re hearing, and say: “Thank you”. This wise advice is easy to understand yet hard to practice. I’ll give you an example from my life when I totally blew it in term of practicing what I teach.

In my work I travel constantly. I always put off going to the airport until the last second. My wife, Lyda, was sitting next to me in the front seat. I was racing along and not paying much attention. Lyda cried out: “Look out! There is a red light up ahead.”

Being a trained behavioral science professional—who teaches others the value of encouraging advice—I naturally screamed at her: “I know there is a red light up ahead! Don’t you think I can see?” When we arrived at the airport, Lyda didn’t speak to me. I wondered why she seemed mad at me.

During the flight to New York, I did a cost-benefit analysis. I asked myself: “What was the cost of just listening when Lyda called out the warning? Zero.” I then reasoned: “What was the potential benefit? What could have been saved?” Several potential benefits came to mind, including her life, my life, and the lives of other people.

I landed in New York feeling ashamed of myself. I immediately called Lyda and told her my cost-benefit story. I convinced her: “The next time you help me with my driving, I am just going to say, ‘Thank you!’”

A few months passed, and I had long forgotten the incident. Again, I was racing off to the airport, when Lyda cried out: “Look out for the red right!” I was embarrassed, and then shouted: “Thank you!”

I’m a long way from perfect, but I’m getting better. My suggestion is that you get in the habit of asking the important people in your life how you can do things better. And be ready for an answer. Some people may tell you things like “Look out for the red light.” When this happens, remember that there is possibly some potential benefit. Then just say: “Thank you.”

1. What do we know about the author?

A．He is expert at behavioral science.

B．He is gifted in cost-benefit analysis.

C．He seldom takes his wife’s advice.

D．He often runs the red traffic light.

2. The underlined part “blew it ” in Paragraph 1 probably means “_______”.

A．became annoyed with the adviser	B．forgot the practical method
C．failed to say “Thank you”	D．lost personal judgment

3. It can be inferred from the passage that people _________.

A．tend to be defensive when given advice

B．intend to follow others’ suggestions

C．had better study behavioral science

D．should give their opinions patiently

4. The purpose of the passage is to advise people to ________.

A．do a cost-benefit analysis in daily life

B．treasure others’ suggestions

C．learn from the author’s experiences

D．discover potential benefits

【推荐3】I stopped to watch my little girl busy playing in her room. In one hand was a plastic phone ; in the other a toy. I listened as she was speaking to her make-believe little friend and I’ll never forget the words she said, even though it was imagined.

She said, “Suzie’s in the corner because she’s not been very good. She didn’t listen to a word I said or do the things she should.” In the corner I saw her baby doll well dressed. It was obvious that she’d been put there to sit alone and think.

My daughter continued her “conversation”, as I sat down on the floor. She said, “I’m all fed up and I just don’t know what to do with her any more. She cries whenever I have to work and wants to play games too. She tries to help me with the dishes, but her arms just cannot reach... And she doesn’t know how to fold towels. I don’t have the time to teach. I have a lot of work to do and a big house to keep clean. I don’t have the time to sit and play - don’t you know what I mean?”

And that day I thought a lot about making some changes in my life, after listening to her innocent words which cut me like a knife. I hadn’t been paying enough attention to what I hold most dear. I’d been caught up in responsibilities that increased throughout the years.

But now my attitude has changed because in my heart I realize that I’ve seen the world in a different light through my little darling’s eyes. So let the cobwebs(蜘蛛网) cut the corners and the dust bunny rabbit rule the floor. I’m not going to worry about keeping up with them anymore.

I’m going to fill the house with memories of a child and her mother, for we have only one childhood and we will never get another.

1. Who is Suzie?

A．The girl’s phone.

B．A baby doll.

C．The author.

D．The girl’s friend.

2. How did the author feel when hearing her little girl’s words?

A．Interested.

B．Moved.

C．Uncomfortable.

D．Unbelievable.

3. The passage leads us to believe that .

A．the author wants her little girl to have a happy childhood.

B．the author has become lazy because of her daughter.

C．the author cares nothing about her daughter’s happiness.

D．the little girl doesn’t hate her mother any more.

4. What might be the best title?

A．How to deal with my daughter.	B．My lovely daughter.
C．Only one childhood.	D．A world of children.

【推荐1】Have you ever dreamed of visiting a planet in the Milk Way (银河系)？While the trip sounds exciting, it would take years and years to reach your destination. So in the future, bedtime for astronauts may be more than a few hours of regular shut-eye. They would have to sleep for years.

European researchers are now conducting hibernation(冬眠) experiments. The study may help them understand whether humans could ever sleep through the years it would take for a spaceflight to distant planets. “If there was an effective technology, it could make deep-space travel a reality,” said Mark Ayre of the European Space Agency last month.

What seems like science fiction is not completely unlikely. Researchers have been able to use chemicals to put living cells into a sleep-like state. They have now moved on to small, non-hibernating mammals like rats.

A major challenge is the fact that cells can be very simple systems, whereas body organs are far more complex. “It’s like moving from a simple Apple computer to a supercomputer,” said Marco Biggiogera, a hibernation researcher at Italy’s University of Pavia. Just like bears and frogs, the hibernation of human beings would cause a person’s metabolism (新陈代谢) to lower so they would need less energy.

Medical research, however, is just half of a spaceflight hibernation system. There is the challenge of designing a suitable protective shelter(栖身所). Such a shelter would provide the proper environment for hibernation, such as the proper temperature It would also have to monitor (监控) life functions and serve the physiological needs of the hibernator.

According to Ayre, the six-person human Outer Planets Exploration Mission to jupiter’s moon (木星的卫星) Callisto, could be an opportunity to use human hibernation. The mission aims to send six humans on a five-year flight to Callisto, where they will spend 30 days, in 2045.

1. According to the article, the hibernation research ________.

A．is just an idea	B．is always a science fiction
C．has already finished successfully	D．has made some progress

2. There are ________ major challenges facing scientists who study hibernation.

A．two

B．three

C．four

D．five

3. The first use of the hibernation technology ________ the six-person human Outer Planets Exploration Mission to jupiter’s moon Callisto.

A．must he

B．has been planned for

C．is certain to be

D．may be

4. What is the best title for the article?

A．Hibernation Study for Space Travel	B．Welcome to Our Space Travel
C．To Hibernate, to Live Longer	D．Welcome to Milk Way

【推荐2】Robots are smart. With their computer brains, they help people work in dangerous places or do difficult jobs. Some robots do regular jobs. Bobby, the mail carrier, brings mails to a large office building in Washington D.C. He is one of 250 mail carriers in the United States.

Mr. Leachim, who weighs two hundred pounds and is six feet tall, has some advantages as a teacher. One is that he does not forget details. He knows each child’s name, the parents’ names and what each child knows and needs to know. In addition, he knows each child’s pets and hobbies. Mr. Leachim does not make mistakes. Each child goes and tells him his or her name, then dials an identification number. His computer brain puts each child’s voice and number together. He identifies the children with no mistakes. Then he starts the lesson.

Another advantage is that Mr. Leachim is flexible. If the children need more time to do their lessons they can move switches. In this way they can repeat Mr. Leachim’s lesson over and over again. When the children do a good job, he tells them something interesting about their hobbies. At the end of the lesson the children switch Mr. Leachim off.

1. The first paragraph of the passage tells us________.

A．human beings are not as smart as robots

B．robots will take the place of man to rule the earth

C．we can only use robots to do some regular jobs

D．robots can help people in many different ways

2. Mr. Leachim’s________ makes him a good teacher.

A．knowledge	B．appearance
C．advantages	D．energy

3. What is the most important thing Mr. Leachim can do in his lessons?

A．To meet the needs of each student.

B．To talk to the students in different languages.

C．To keep everyone’s interest in his lessons.

D．To introduce more hobbies to the children.

4. Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?

A．There are 250 robot teachers in the United States.

B．Mr. Leachim is run and controlled by electricity.

C．Bobby works in a large office building in Washington D.C.

D．The lessons taught by Mr. Leachim are given on a TV set.

【推荐3】Chocolate is good for your heart, skin and brain. Usually, people think that chocolate is bad for their health. They describe chocolate as “something to die for” or say “death by chocolate”. Now they should bite their tongues! Evidence (证据) is showing that some kinds of chocolate are actually good for you in the following ways:

A happier heart

Scientists at Harvard University recently examined 136 studies on cocoa — the main ingredient (成分) in chocolate and found that it does seem to strengthen the heart.

Better blood pressure

Jeffrey Blumberg from Tufts University recently found that people with high blood pressure who ate 3.5 ounces (盎司) of dark chocolate per day for two weeks saw their blood pressure drop quickly.

Muscle magic

Chocolate milk may help you recover after a hard workout (锻炼). In a small study at Indiana University, people who drank chocolate milk between workouts did better on a tiredness test than those who had some sports drinks.

Better for your skin

German researchers found that chocolate helped protect and increase blood flow to the skin, improving its appearance.

1. What’s the meaning of “bite their tongues” in the first paragraph?

A．Think of it.

B．Speak up.

C．Stop talking.

D．Listen to it.

2. What can we learn from paragraph 4?

A．Sports drinks are better than chocolate milk.

B．Sports drinks can make people easy to be tired.

C．Drinking chocolate milk can keep you energetic at work.

D．Milk is useful to fight against tiredness during our work.

3. Who believe(s) that chocolate might help lower blood pressure?

A．Scientists at Harvard University believe.

B．Jeffrey Blumberg from Tufts University believes.

C．Scientists at Indiana University believe.

D．German researchers believe.

4. What’s the main idea of the text?

A．Chocolate, a Healthy Food.	B．More Chocolate, Less Health.
C．Chocolate and Blood Pressure.	D．Advice on Eating Chocolate.

5. The text is most likely from ________.

A．a health magazine	B．a travel guide
C．a fiction book	D．a biology textbook