【推荐1】Israeli company Watergen has produced an appliance that can generate clean,drinkable water out of air. The device,called GENNY, is small enough to be used in a home or office but can generate up to 30 liters of water a day.

GENNY takes air in and passes through a filter(过滤器)to remove dust and dirt. The filter is powerful enough to work with high air pollution. The air is directed through GENius,a heating and cooling process which causes water in the air to condense(凝结).This water is then passed through several more filters and minerals are added to improve the flavor of the water. Finally, the water is stored in a tank where it is continually circulated to keep it fresh. Therefore,the water produced by GENNY is often of a higher quality than water running through filtration systems attached to the city's water lines.

The technology of GENius is much better than other technologies that generate water from air. It produces four to five times more water per kilowatt-hour.Watergen has other products that use this same technology on a larger scale, the largest of which can produce up to 5,000 liters of water per day.

As an added bonus,during the water generation process, GENNY can emit clean air which is healthier for people to breathe.

At the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, GENNY was named the Energy Efficient Product of the Year. The award series recognize the world's top high-tech home products.

Last year,Watergen's large-scale products were donated to authorities in Brazil,Vietnam and India. They also assisted rescue and recovery efforts during the 2018 California wildfires and provided clean,safe water for the residents of Texas and Florida in the aftermath of the devastation caused by hurricanes Harvey and Irma.

Watergen also seeks to help protect the environment by reducing waste generated by plastic water bottles. People are called upon to put the water from GEENY into reusable bottles so that plastic ones don't get used and thrown away.

1. What does GENNY accomplish by adding minerals to the water?

A．It keeps the water fresh.

B．It helps kill harmful bacteria.

C．It satisfies local water regulations.

D．It makes the water taste better.

2. Which of the following can best describe GENius?

A．Energy-efficient.

B．Cost-saving.

C．Time-saving.

D．Environment-friendly.

3. What does the underlined word "emit" in paragraph 4 probably mean?

A．Cut down.

B．Blow away.

C．Give off.

D．Use up.

4. What can Watergen do using its large scale products?

A．Consume plastic waste.

B．Respond to natural disasters.

C．Test water quality globally.

D．Relieve drought in some countries.

【推荐2】Chinese researchers have developed a robot designed to help doctors treat the new coronavirus and other highly contagious (传染的)diseases.

The machine has a long robotic arm attached to a base with wheels. It can perform some of the same medical examination tasks as doctors. For example, the device can listen to sounds made by patients'hearts and lungs.

Cameras record the robot's activities, which are controlled at a distance so doctors can avoid coming in close contact with infected patients. Doctors and other medical workers can run the machine from a nearby room, or from much farther away.

The robot's main designer is Zheng Gangtie, an engineer and professor at China's Tsinghua University in Beijing. He told Reuters news agency that he got the idea for the machine when the number of cases of the COVID-19 virus was rising quickly in the city of Wuhan.

One of Zheng's friends, head of Bering's Tsinghua Changgung Hospital, told him that one of the biggest problems in dealing with COVID-19 was that healthcare workers treating patients were getting themselves infected. Zheng said he wanted to do something to help this situation.

So the engineer gathered a team and went to work on the robot. Zheng said the team was able to change two robotic arms. The new robot is almost completely automated (自动化的), Zheng said. It can even disinfect itself after performing actions involving patient contact.

"Doctors are all very brave," Zheng told Reuters. "But this virus is just too contagious…We can use robots to perform the most dangerous tasks."

However, Zheng said he had heard from some doctors that it would be better not to build such robots. This is because many patients still desire a personal presence to help calm them during treatment.

The team now has two robots and both have been tested by doctors at hospitals in Beijing. One machine was once taken to Wuhan's Union Hospital, where doctors there were trained to use it.

Zheng would like to build more of the robots, but money from the university has run out, each robot costs about$72,000 to make. He does not plan to commercialize the design, but hopes that a company can begin that process.

1. What are Paragraph 4 and 5 mainly about?

A．When the robot was designed.	B．How the robot is controlled.
C．Who the robot is intended for.	D．Why the robot was invented.

2. The underlined word"disinfect"in Paragraph 6 most probably means _____.

A．clean

B．destroy

C．decorate

D．break

3. What difficulty is Zhang Gangtie faced with?

A．Patients refusing to use the new robot.

B．Healthcare workers getting themselves infected.

C．Being short of money to produce more of the robots.

D．Having no teammates to commercialize the design.

4. Which of the following might be the best title of the passage?

A．Doctors are Fighting against Coronavirus

B．Coronavirus is Under Control in China

C．Chinese Robot is Invented to Replace Doctors to Cure Diseases

D．Chinese Robot is Designed to Help Doctors Fight Coronavirus

【推荐3】As a senior school graduate, with COVID-19 cases rising and lockdown hitting, I’ve had plenty of concerns. Losing my graduation ceremony was one of them. But being unable to lend a hand to my community at such a terrible time was the greatest concern. Except for wearing my mask, following the health officials’ guidelines, and assisting seniors to get their groceries, there wasn’t anything more I could do.

Then it struck me. Solving COVID-19 relied only on individual steps and the goodwill of human awareness. But the next challenge we have to deal with ahead is climate change known as the silent pandemic without a vaccine. So all I could think of was: Why don’t we do the same for it, and try to deal with global warming through our everyday activities?

I have decided to take a gap year and created an app to help people reduce carbon emissions from their shopping and transport activities. Even though I’d never written any program before, my will was greater than any excuse I could think of. The first version was just a one-screen app. Through the lockdown, I’ve had only 70 people to test the concept with and barely created any impact. Plus, the process of leading a social organization seemed like a small boat in a rough sea to me. But instead of giving up, I chose to fill the gap. And the coolest thing was that the more I was learning, the more people got interested in the idea. Through every leadership program, I built a stronger user community where each person was equally passionate and brave to make a change. Their enthusiasm was my greatest fuel for innovation.

Today, through the app, over 4,000 people reduced more than 150,000 kg carbon emissions. The app turned into an international movement. I proved to myself that miracles really happen when you dare to make a change.

1. What was the author’s greatest concern during COVID-19?

A．Being unable to help his neighbours.	B．Losing the graduation ceremony.
C．Having to stay at home every day.	D．Having to wear a mask every day.

2. What can we know about the app from the passage?

A．It is for leading an organization.	B．It is a well-designed one-screen app.
C．It became an instant hit when first invented.	D．It inspires people worldwide to make a change

3. How can we describe the author?

A．Kind and humorous.	B．Determined and creative.
C．Brave and adventurous.	D．Friendly and cautious.

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

A．Education is the key to success	B．Ups and downs make one strong
C．Real changes come from a daring heart	D．Creativity results from challenging authority

【推荐1】True heroes are all around us. Some help others, and others are simply good role models. My hero is my brother Thomas.

When Thomas and I were little, we used to go to the playground a lot. Kids would be scared of him and ask, “Is your arm broken?”

Thomas would respond by explaining what happened: he was born without the left arm. If they ran away, he wouldn’t let it bother him.

Thomas is expert at both cross-country(越野跑) and track. He is a 4:46 miler, which with the setback he has makes it an even greater accomplishment. Missing an arm affects his balance, which affects his leg drive. The work he has put in, however, has made up for this. He practices so hard that anything short of success would seem a disappointment.

Thomas used to play baseball like it was a religion. His idol was Jim Abbott, a pitcher(投球) for the California Angels. Abbot was a very good pitcher who only had one arm. “I looked up to Abbott because I saw what I could achieve,” Thomas said. Thomas had a lot of trouble giving up baseball for: track because he felt like he was taking the easy way out, though he liked track more.

One of Thomas’ best friends, Brad, didn't even notice Thomas only had one arm for a few weeks after meeting him. “He carried himself so confidently, so I felt okay admitting that I hadn’t noticed”, said Brad. Not only is Thomas a confident person who is not ashamed of his arm, he is often the center of attention in sports and school.

Thomas seems to have accepted his disability. I see it as more of a difficulty, and difficulties can be overcome. Sometimes, if you try hard enough, you can overcome impossible things. As the great distance runner Steve Prefontaine said, “To give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the gift.”

1. Which of the following words best describe Thomas?

A．Courageous and modest.	B．Determined and religious.
C．Confident and strong-willed.	D．Energetic and changeable.

2. Why did Thomas give up baseball for track?

A．Because he had a preference for, track.

B．Because his idol encouraged him to change.

C．Because he thought track was easier for him.

D．Because he couldn't play baseball with single arm.

3. The underlined sentence in the last paragraph is intended to remind us __________

A．giving is receiving.	B．nothing is impossible.
C．hard work leaves no regrets.	D．difficulties are gifts from God

【推荐2】In valleys with thick plants, different-sized round and square buildings with faded yellow clay walls and wooden roofs, tulou lie in mountainous villages in Longyan, Fujian Province. There are more than 23,000 tulou in Yongding, which became well-known after 46 were given World Heritage status by UNESCO in 2008. “The structures were awarded because they are exceptional examples of a building of tradition and function demonstrating a particular type of communal (共有的) living and defensive organization, and, in terms of their harmonious relationship with their environment, an outstanding example of human settlement,” UNESCO said.

The giant multi-storied tulou were built with wood and mud walls. Constructed from the 15th to 20th centuries, these massive communal homes were sited based on feng shui principles, which claim to use energy forces to harmonize individuals with their environment. Tulou are also purposefully resting amid tea, tobacco, rice plantations and abundant forests of pine and bamboo.

Throughout history, tulou residents have mostly been Hakka — migrants in southern China. Population pressures created conflict between the Hakka and their neighbors, so they built their homes to double as defending. The buildings are mainly four or five stories high. The first floor serves as the kitchen, the second is used for grain storage and the upper floors act as living areas. The structures are mainly symmetrical (对称的), and their defensive features include ironclad gates, escape tunnels, narrow openings for weapons under the dark-tiled roofs, and a water well. For their defensive function, only rooms on the third floor and higher have windows, which are very small. With sufficient food, the residents could survive in the event of a lengthy conflict.

Communal living is integrity to these villages, where the closed wall design boosts social interaction. Residents gather in the courtyard for ceremonies such as ancestor worship and weddings. Tulou is such an extraordinary piece of architecture, living up to the title given by UNESCO.

1. What do we know about tulou?

A．Over 23,000 tulou were given World Heritage status.

B．Among 23,000 tulou, only 46 became famous globally.

C．Tulou is the most outstanding Chinese human settlement.

D．They’re exceptional buildings of tradition and function.

2. What is most important for residents during a long period of conflict?

A．Enough food.	B．Escape tunnels.
C．Small windows.	D．Defensive weapons.

3. What is probably the author’s attitude to the protection of tulou?

A．Unconcerned.

B．Favorable.

C．Negative.

D．Unclear.

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

A．Tulou: Given the World Heritage Status by UNESCO in 2008

B．Tulou: a Special Chinese Structure Combining Living and Defending

C．Tulou: Different-Sized Round and Square Buildings

D．Tulou: in Harmony with Their Environments

【推荐3】Dr. Michael Prager, a leading Botox expert, said that a growing number of women are developging something called “computer face”. He also said that professionals who worked long hours in front of a screen were ending up with saggy jowls（颚骨）,“turkey neck” and deep-set wrinkles on their forehead and around their eyes.
The Botox expert said that, of all his clients, office workers were most likely to show premature (过早的) signs(迹象) of aging. “If you are one of the unfortunate people who frown（皱眉）while you are concentrating on the screen then, over time, you will end up with frown lines.” Dr. Prager said. “What is perhaps more surprising is the number of women with saggy jowls because they are sitting in one position for so long. If you spend most of the time looking down then the neck muscles shorten and go saggy, eventually giving you a second neck.”
Dr. Prager, who has a practice near Harley Street in London, said he encourages his clients to put a mirror next to their computer so they can see if they are frowning at the screen. “When people are stressed or thinking hard about something, then they will often put on a ‘grumpy face’ without even knowing what they are doing. When my clients put a mirror next to their desk, they are often surprised by the angry, frowning face which stares back at them.”
He said, “The women I am seeing at the moment have only been using computers at work for the last decade or so. But women in their 20s have grown up with them and use them for every single task. I think the problem is going to become much, much worse. In another ten years, they could be looking quite awful.”
Dr. Prager said there were several simple steps which could avoid “computer face” such as regular screen breaks and stretching the neck muscles. And, of course, there was always Botox. He said that, after a couple of sessions of Botox, the habit of “grumpy face” could be broken.
1. According to the passage, what makes women develop a “computer face”?

A．Frowning every now and then.

B．Concentrating on computers frequently.

C．Working too long in front of a screen.

D．Sitting in the same place for a long time.

2. According to the passage, which of the following are signs of aging?

A．Saggy jowls and short necks.

B．Turkey neck and frown lines.

C．Deep-set wrinkles and angry faces.

D．Second neck and stressed muscles.

3. The underlined word “grumpy” in Paragraph 3 probably means?

A．happy

B．surprised

C．angry

D．relaxed

4. From the last 2 paragraphs, we can know that ________.

A．“computer face” is avoidable

B．we should give up using computers

C．we should break the habit of “grumpy face”

D．the younger generation is worse at computers