【推荐1】The first thing you should know about Nightfood, a new “sleep-friendly” ice cream，is that it's a genius idea. There are certainly still some doubts whether it actually works. But many people have trouble sleeping, and many people love eating ice cream，and the possibility of cookies-and-cream-flavored Ambien (一种助眠药), even though that's not exactly how the product functions，is going to be irresistible to people with sleep problems everywhere.

“Part of me is like，I’m jealous I’m not part of this marketing programme,” said Raj Dasgupta，assistant professor of clinical medicine specializing in sleep at Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern California. “They knew exactly how to appeal to customers.”

You could eat Nightfood any time of day without feeling sleepy，but the product is designed for sleep because surveys have shown one of the most common times people tuck into a pint of ice cream is at night, probably while watching Netflix. But can junk food really solve your sleep problems? Probably not, Dasgupta said.

The best way to improve your sleep is to practice good sleep hygiene: have a set bedtime and wake time every day，avoid caffeine and screens late at night, and, uh, do not eat within two hours of your bedtime. But our willpower fails us in the face of a “Russian Doll” binge with a pint of mint chocolate chip.

“They know no one is going to listen to this advice，so，might as well cater to (迎合) them,” Dasgupta said. Sugary snacks “are the no-no foods you don’t want someone to eat before bed. If they’re going to eat it anyway，I’d rather they grab the nutritious one rather than the Twinkie or the cupcake.”

And here's the thing： It actually tastes really good. Unlike other “functional” ice creams that boast of higher protein and lower sugar and fat, Nightfood uses real sugar — no alternative .sweeteners. There is milk and cream in it. It has fewer calories than your typical pint，but you would hardly know it from the texture or taste.

Nightfood is not the only sleep-friendly product on the market. There are also several carbonated sleep drinks, including Som and Neuro Sleep. They might help a bit, but Dasgupta cautions that sleep-promoting foods are not a cure-all.

“You’re not just going to start eating this food and get great sleep. There's other things that go into it, too,” like your overall health, stress level and the amount of time you spend aimlessly scrolling through Twitter in bed.

1. What does Raj Dasgupta mean by saying “Part of me is like，I’m jealous I’m not part of this marketing programme”？

A．The idea of the new “sleep-friendly” ice cream is wonderful.

B．He wanted to be part of a marketing programme.

C．He envied the profit that workers in the ice cream marketing made.

D．He wanted to work as an advertiser instead of a doctor.

2. What can we know from this passage?

A．People often turned to ice cream before bed.

B．Nightfood doesn’t taste as good as other ice creams.

C．Nightfood uses only a little alternative sweeter.

D．Nightfood can keep you awake all the time.

3. What's NOT a good way to improve people's sleep，according to the passage?

A．To have a set bedtime and wake time every day,

B．To avoid caffeine and screens late at night

C．Not to eat within two hours of bedtime.

D．To eat a NightPood before going to bed. .

4. What’s the best title of this passage?

A．Nightfood, a delicious ice cream

B．Nightfood, a cure for insomniac

C．Nightfood, a replacement for sugary snacks

D．Nightfood, a healthy likely sleep-helper

【推荐2】Food and inventions are a hot topic. Here's a look at some fascinating angles(角度） on food production.

Looks Delicious

It's been said that people eat with their eyes.     1    . That's why stores usually sell the best-looking produce and throw away the rest. A 3D food printer(打印机） can help fight this food waste. It can turn unattractive foods into something that people will eat. The printer produces an eatable paste through a nozzle,creating complex shapes that are impossible to form by hand.

Early 3D food printers only made fancy desserts.     2    .The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has experimented with 3D food printers. It hopes to use them to produce more exciting foods during long space flights.     3    

It takes a lot of land, water, and other natural resources to raise animals to be used for food.As the world's population increases, it'll become more difficult to feed everyone. In 2003, the United Nations published a paper that addressed this problem. Their solution ? Eat bugs! Bugs don't require nearly as many resources as cows,pigs, or chickens do. The idea might sound strange,but bugs are already on the menu in many countries.     4    . Beetles, ants, crickets... They are also excellent sources of protein, minerals and healthy fat.

Keeping Track

Blockchain is a digital database or list of records spread across a network of computers. The information stored in the database is publicly available. The technology was originally developed for the digital currency,Bitcoin.Now some companies use it to track food production.Farmers and employees enter information as various products make their way to customers.     5     authorities can see exactly when and where it was harvested. They can then track all the other vegetables from that crop and warn consumers. Sharing with information could help minimize the number of people who get sick.

A．Bugs are Good

B．Animals are Good

C．If a vegetable gets stolen,

D．If a vegetable turns out to be polluted,

E．Now they make pasta, pizza and burgers.

F．In other words,people tend to eat things that look good.

G．And bugs are not merely good for the environment.

【推荐3】France is fighting food waste with firm determination. A new law has been passed in the country that will ban grocery stores from throwing away unsold food. If it’s still safe to eat, the food must be donated to charity; if not, it goes to farmers for use as animal feed.

Supermarkets will no longer be allowed to destroy unsold food by intention in order to prevent people from eating it. There are many people who forage for food in dumpsters behind stores, wanting to take advantage of the perfectly safe food that gets thrown away on a daily basis. Food waste is a global problem. It is reported that the average French person throws out 20 to 30 kilograms of food a year — 7 kg of which is still in its wrapping.

Not everyone is happy about the new legislation.

A group of food foragers stated their concerns in an open letter: “Food waste is a deep problem.” They are worried that it creates the illusion of doing one’s part — a “false and dangerous idea of a magic solution” — while failing to address the deeper reasons for such waste.

“The fight against food waste is everyone’s business, but we can’t win it unless we completely change the structures within our food system that are responsible for this waste.”

The supermarkets aren’t pleased because their food waste represents only 5 to 10 percent of the 7.1 million tons of food wasted annually in France. By contrast, restaurants waste 15 percent and consumers 67 percent. “The law is wrong in both target and intent,” argues Jacques Creyssel, head of the distribution organization for big supermarkets. “Big stores are already the major food donors.”

Despite the naysayers, France’s new law is a move in the right direction. Wasting food absolutely needs to become a socially abhorrent thing to do. If legislation is what’s needed to get people thinking about conservation, then it’s not a bad thing.

1. What should we do about unsafe food that is unsold in grocery stores?

A．Sell it at a discount.	B．Donate it to charity.
C．Use it as animal feed.	D．Destroy it on purpose.

2. What do we know about the food foragers?

A．They are greatly concerned about the law.

B．They have addressed the main cause of such waste.

C．They want to change the structures of our food system.

D．They think fighting against food waste is their business.

3. How much food is wasted by restaurants every year in France?

A．About 1 million tons.	B．About 4 million tons.
C．About 5 million tons.	D．About 7.1 million tons.

4. What’s the author’s attitude towards the law on forbidding food waste?

A．Critical.

B．Indifferent.

C．Supportive.

D．Disappointed.

【推荐1】I first visited China in 1979, a few months after our countries normalized relations. China was just beginning to remake its economy, and I was in the first Senate Delegation (参议院代表团)to witness it. Traveling through the country last month, I could see how much China had changed in 32 years.

Then , as now there were concerns about what a growing China meant to America and the world. Some here see China's growth as a threat. Some Chinese worry our aim in the Asia-Pacific is to contain China's rise. I don't agree to these views. We are clear about concern like China's growing military abilities. That is why we are working with the Chinese military to understand and shape their thinking. It is why the president has directed the United States to keep a strong position in the area. I am sure that a successful China can make our country more prosperous(繁荣的),not less. We share common challenges and responsibilities. The Chinese leaders I met with know their country must shift from an economy driven by exports, investment and heavy industry to one driven more by consumption and services. As Americans save more and Chinese buy more, this change will speed up, opening opportunities for us. Even as the United States and China cooperate, we also compete. I strongly believe that the United States can and will benefit from this competition.

Maybe more important, the nature of 21^st century competition favors the United States. In the 20^th century, we measured a nation's wealth mainly by its natural resources, its land mass, its population and its army. In the 21^st century, the true wealth of a nation is found in the creative minds of its people and their ability to innovate (创新).As I told students in Chengdu, the United States is born for innovation. Competition is the base of our society. We owe our strength to our political and economic system and to the way we educate our children. We not only tolerate but celebrate free expression and debate. Our universities remain attractive to the world's students and scholars.

Fundamental rights are universal. Liberty unlocks a people's full potential , while its absence causes unrest. Open and free societies are best at promoting long-term growth. We have our own work to do. We need to ensure that any American willing to work can find a good job. We need to keep attracting the world's top talent. I've traveled half a million miles around the world. I always come home feeling the same confidence in our future . Some may warn of America's failure, but I'm not among them. And let me reassure you : based on my time in China, neither are the Chinese.

1. In the author's eyes,          .

A．the growing China has become a threat to America.

B．there's only competition between China and America.

C．Chinese universities have surpassed American ones.

D．a bright future is waiting for both China and America.

2. After reading the passage, we can infer this passage is a (an)____.

A．speech

B．notice

C．announcement

D．script

3. The author's opinion of the cooperation between China and America is____.

A．critical

B．optimistic

C．pessimistic

D．indifferent

4. According to the passage, the author may be a (an)         .

A．senior official of America	B．businessman of China
C．senior official of China	D．actor of America

【推荐2】We are not who we think we are.
The American self-image is spread with the golden glow of opportunity．We think of the United States as a land of unlimited possibility，not so much a classless society but as a place where class is mutable—a place where brains，energy and ambition are what counts，not the circumstances of one's birth.
The Economic Mobility Project， an ambitious research led by Pew Charitable Trusts， looked at the economic fortunes of a large group of families over time， comparing the income of parents in the late 1960s with the income of their children in the late 1990s and early 2000s．Here is the finding: "The 'rags to riches' story is much more common in Hollywood than on Main Street． Only 6 percent of children born to parents with family income at the very bottom move to the top.
That is right， just 6 percent of children born to parents who ranked in the bottom of the study sample， in terms of income， were able to bootstrap their way into the top． Meanwhile， an incredible 42 percent of children born into that lowest are still stuck at the bottom，having been unable to climb a single rung of the income ladder.
It is noted that even in Britain---a nation we think of as burdened with a hidebound class system-children who are born poor have a better chance of moving up． When the studies were released，most reporters focused on the finding that African-Americans born to middle-class or upper middle-class families are earning slightly less，in inflation-adjusted dollars，than did their parents.
One of the studies indicates，in fact，that most of the financial gains white families have made in the past three decades can be attributed to the entry of white women into the labor force．This is much less true for African-Americans.
The picture that emerges from all the quintiles，correlations and percentages is of a nation in which，overall，"the current generation of adults is better off than the previous one"，as one of the studies notes.
The median income of the families in the sample group was $55，600 in the late 1960s; their children's median family income was measured at $71，900．However，this rising tide has not lifted all boats equally．The rich have seen far greater income gains than have the poor.
Even more troubling is that our nation of America as the land of opportunity gets little support from the data．Americans move fairly easily up and down the middle rungs of the ladder，but there is "stickiness at the ends" —four out of ten children who are born poor will remain poor，and four out of ten who are born rich will stay rich.
1. What did the Economic Mobility Project find in its research?

A．Children from low-income families are unable to bootstrap their way to the top.

B．Hollywood actors and actresses are upwardly mobile from rags to riches.

C．The rags to riches story is more fiction than reality.

D．The rags to riches story is only true for a small minority of whites.

2. It can be inferred from the undertone of the writer that America，as a classless society，should ________.

A．perfect its self-image as a land of opportunity

B．have a higher level of upward mobility than Britain

C．enable African-Americans to have exclusive access to well-paid employment

D．encourage the current generation to work as hard as the previous generation

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

A．The US is a land where brains，energy and ambition are what counts.

B．Inequality persists between whites and blacks in financial gains.

C．Middle-class families earn slightly less with inflation considered.

D．Children in lowest-income families manage to climb a single rung of the ladder.

4. What might be the best title for this passage?

A．Social Upward Mobility.

B．Incredible Income Gains.

C．Inequality in Wealth.

D．America Not Land of Opportunity.

【推荐1】Rising numbers of older adults are unable to care for themselves, often leading to serious health problems and even death, according to state and local government agencies. So-called self-neglect cases generally involve the inability to perform basic self-care, such as providing oneself with food, personal health, medication and safety.

Seniors who no longer drive, for instance, are often unable to get to medical appointments, worsening health problems that can make them unable to care for themselves. A fall can result in body injuries leaving one bedridden and unable to care for oneself. Failure to pay bills for public services could lead to service cutoffs. Forgetting to pay rent could lead to the loss of a home.

Mr. Mc-Cormack, 75 years old, and his wife, 71, both had mental illness and stayed in hospitals from time to time, unable to care for their possessions. Despite repeated visits to their home by local officials, the Mc-Cormacks refused assistance. But after they were found living in their car parked outside their house in December 2017, officials removed them from their home and helped them settle in a nursing home.

Self-neglect cases, like above, involved 144, 296 people across the country in 2018, according to a report. The federal government doesn't have comparable data for previous years, but several state and local service providers say they are seeing the self-neglect problem rise.

The reasons seniors stop caring for themselves vary, including illness, depression and poverty. The loss of the spouse or a neighbor who previously kept an eye on an individual often starts a decline into self-neglect, experts say. And the key to reducing self-neglect cases is providing services to enable seniors to remain in their homes safely, such as reliable transportation for medical appointments and shopping, as well as affordable home help.

1. What is the function of Paragraph 2?

A．Give examples of self-neglect cases.	B．Introduce a new topic for discussion.
C．Arouse readers' interest.	D．Summarize the previous paragraph.

2. What can we infer about the Mc-Cormacks?

A．They accepted help from others.	B．They took good care of themselves.
C．They ended up living in the nursing house.	D．They couldn't afford to go to hospital.

3. What is the main idea of the passage?

A．Self-care benefits greatly the seniors.

B．Investigations are conducted on self-neglect.

C．Self-neglect rises among the elderly.

D．The government promotes self-care of the seniors.

4. Where can the passage probably be found?

A．In a guidebook.	B．In a newspaper.
C．In a fairy tale.	D．In a science fiction.

【推荐2】Students at an elementary school in California, with the help of their art teacher, created a telephone hotline that people can call to get cheerful advice from kids during difficult times. In just days, the hotline began getting thousands of calls an hour.

The hotline is available in English and Spanish. It offers the happy voices of children of different ages sharing positive messages. For example, by pressing 3, you can hear a group of kindergartners saying together:“You can do it! Keep trying, don’t give up!” Pressing 4 triggers the sounds of children giggling and laughing—a sound certain to bring a smile to anyone’s face.

Jessica Martin, who teaches art at West Side School in Healdsburg, California, thought her students just might have the magic words needed to bring calm to people in difficult times. ”To hear the pure joy from kids is extremely comfortingshe says.

Students working on the hotline should first think of what they would like to say to encourage someone else. When they were ready, Ms. Martin recorded each one. Later, she sorted out the recordings into the different parts of the telephone hotline. Pressing 1 brings up ideas for people who are “feeling mad, frustrated, or nervous“. Helpful suggestions include: ”punch your pillow“, “jump on the trampoline”, or ”go get a cookie“. Pressing 2 results in “words of encouragement and life advice”, which includes messages like: ”The world is a better place with you in it.“ And “You are okay!”

Words of the hotline spread quickly on social media. The hotline has become incredibly popular with stressed adults, patients in hospitals, older people in homes_, and others who just want to hear the happy voices of children.

1. What is Jessica’s main purpose in launching the hotline project?

A．To get cheerful advice from kids.

B．To make hotline calls available to people in need.

C．To bring comfort to people in depression.

D．To spread the happy voices of children.

2. You are likely to be advised to have some snacks by________.

A．Pressing 1	B．Pressing 2
C．Pressing 3	D．Pressing 4

3. Who is most likely to dial the hotline?

A．A child who wants to share positive messages.

B．An adult who has just been promoted in his career.

C．A youngster who embraces the comforts of ordinariness.

D．A senior who has been diagnosed cancer.

4. Which of the following can best describe the students?

A．Thoughtful and cheerful.	B．Confident and diligent.
C．Hopeful and successful.	D．Optimistic and unbelievable.