【推荐1】You throw a flying disc (飞盘). Your friend catches it. Well done!

Flying discs are fun toys. They are becoming popular in China. On the Internet, there are more than thousands of posts about disc games, talking about things like rules and dress codes.

Flying discs are very beginner-friendly. It is easy for anyone to throw a disc almost anywhere they want to, from a field to a beach. No special skills are needed. Boys and girls can also play together, making it a good activity to socialize.     1    

For those who want to compete, there are many choices. They can try the team disc sport called “ultimate”.     2     There are no judges. You must overcome your desire to cheat. Put simply, it makes us better people. In another game called “disc golf”, players try to hit faraway targets with a disc. Like in golf, the lowest number of throws wins.

    3     They started with pie tins (烤盘), which inspired the birth of the toy. After enjoying the pies, some university students soon found that the empty pie tins could be tossed (扔)around. They had great fun with them in the 1930s. In 1948, a man named Walter made a plastic disc with his partner Warren.     4     The discs quickly became popular.

A．It could fly farther and higher than a pie tin.

B．Flying discs have a history of nearly 100 years.

C．Unlike other games, it encourages honesty and fair play.

D．All these make the flying discs popular with young people today.

E．In fact, young people enjoyed this fun activity almost a century ago.

F．Social activities like attending parties will improve your communicative skills.

【推荐3】Chinese volleyball superstar Zhu Ting has inspired a new English word. "Stay awesome and ZHUperb!" wrote a blogger at a US-based volleyball website. The word combines "Zhu" and "superb (卓越的)", to describe the 27-year-old player.

Zhu's excellent scoring performances put her among the Top 10 Global Outstanding Athletes for this year's Heracles Prize of the Big Ben Award. As the captain, Zhu "created the new golden age of women's volleyball in China", the award said. Zhu is considered a national hero by many in China, with good reason. Before this year's World Cup victory, she helped the national volleyball team win the 2015 FIVB World Cup, the 2015 Asian Women's Volleyball Championship, and the 2016 Rio Olympic Games.

Although she's a superstar now, it hasn't been easy for Zhu to get to where she is. Born to a farming family in Henan province, Zhu earned a chance to attend a local sports school at age 13. She became well known to the public by helping China's U20 team win the 2013 FIVB U20 World Championship. Shortly after, Zhu joined the national team and began playing under legendary coach Lang Ping.

At first, the 1. 98-meter-tall Zhu found it difficult to move quickly and stay balanced. But Lang Ping took advantage of her height and trained her to jump high and smash balls. Her work paid off. Zhu is now an outstanding player. "Hard work and talent are equally important. I'll move forward step by step," she told People's Daily.

1. Why was "ZHUperb" created?

A．To create a new game.	B．To introduce a volleyball website.
C．To describe the volleyball superstar.	D．To celebrate her winning of World Cup.

2. What does paragraph 2 mainly tell us?

A．Zhu Ting's training.	B．Zhu Ting's personal qualities.
C．Zhu Ting's achievements.	D．Zhu Ting's future plan.

3. When did Zhu Ting become famous to the publics

A．In 2000.

B．In 2013.

C．In 2015.

D．In 2016.

4. What was the purpose of Lang Ping's plan for training Zhu Ting?

A．To build up her confidence.

B．To make use of her advantages.

C．To train her to be the captain of the team.

D．To instruct her to move forward step by step.

【推荐1】Apple on Tuesday said its revenue fell 5 percent in the first quarter, compared with $ 88.3 billion a year earlier, as chief executive Tim Cook admitted that people are holding on to their iPhones longer.

Revenue from the maker of iPhones came in at $ 84.31 billion, slightly higher than the company estimated earlier this month, when it warned that sales would fall to about $84 billion. At the time, Cook cited a slowdown in China's economy as well as President Trump's trade war for weakening iPhone demand. It was Apple's first warning in more than 15 years.

Apple's stock jumped more than 4 percent in after-hours trading.

In its results, Apple aid net sales of iPhones were down by more than $9 billion compared with the same quarter last year. Cook conceded that many Apple users are "holding on to their older iPhones a bit longer than in the past," which contributed to lower iPhone demand. But he also pointed to shifts in foreign exchange (外汇) values that made Apple products more expensive in certain markets.

Consumers are holding on to their smart-phones for three years or longer. The Washington Post reported last month. But higher selling prices - with some high-end models costing over $1,000 - have been able to compensate for fewer new phones sold.

Sales increased in other categories such as services, wearables and tablets. Altogether, Apple reported net income of $ 19.97 billion for the quarter compared to $ 20,01 billion in the same period a year earlier. The popularity of Apple's smart-watch has driven significant growth in the company's wearables segment, according to the company.

"Our wearables business is approaching the size of a Fortune 200 company," said chief financial officer Luca Maestri.

While Cook acknowledged the continuing economic slowdown in China, he said it is "not in our DNA to stand around waiting for macroeconomic conditions to improve." One effort Apple is undertaking in response, Cook added, is to encourage customers to trade in their old devices and receive credit toward purchasing new phones. Apple offered deep discounts on its iPhone XR around the holidays, for instance, for people trading in recent devices.

More than two-thirds of Apple customers in China who bought an iPad or a Mac last quarter were first-time purchasers of those devices, Cook said.

Apple, which became the world's first company worth $1 trillion (万亿) last year, also said it is expecting lower revenues next quarter - between $ 55 billion and $ 59 billion - compared with the same time last year, when it reported revenues of % 61.6 billion. The company attributed the lower guidance to the same foreign exchange and macroeconomic factors it cited for the quarter that ended in December.

Shareholders were already reeling from (感受到……的负面影响) Apple's acknowledgement this week of a major flaw in its mobile operating system that allowed attackers to eavesdrop (窃听) on the recipient of Face-Time calls. Apple told users it is aware of the issue and that it plans to release a software update this week.

Tuesday marked the first of Apple's earnings reports in which the company did not report the number of iPhones it sold in the quarter. But the company did say that the total number of iPhones active world-wide now stands at 900 million - a positive sign for Apple as it seeks to convert many of its customers into users of its services such as Apple Pay and Apple Music.

1. According to Tim Cook, all of the following accounted for weakening iPhone demand EXCEPT ________.

A．Apple users keep their Apple devices longer than before

B．the macroeconomic conditions home and abroad were not ideal

C．the changing foreign exchange values

D．a major bug in its mobile operating system

2. What can we learn from the underlined sentence?

A．Apple is about to take the initiative to turn around its business.

B．Apple is not good at dealing with macroeconomic conditions in a foreign country.

C．Apple is not worried about China's economic slowdown because of its huge consumer base.

D．Apple is sure of overcoming the temporary downturn in sales with its technology.

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

A．One of Apple's goals is that its services can appeal to more consumers.

B．On Tuesday, Apple didn't publicize its earnings reports because of its poor performance.

C．Apple's wearables category has a good chance of surpassing a Fortune 200 company.

D．iPhone's increased prices contribute to the drop in iPhones sold worldwide.

4. What can be inferred from the passage?

A．Apple has sold 900 million iPhones around the world.

B．Apple was the world's most valuable company at one point last year.

C．Tim Cook was confident about Apple's future revenues despite current difficulty.

D．An increasing number of users began to dislike their Apple devices.

【推荐3】Space X has launched the third test flight of its Starship spacecraft, the largest and most powerful rocket, ever built, which aims to carry astronauts to the moon and, eventually, to Mars. The 120-metre system, which weights about 5,000 tonnes when fully fuelled, took off from Space X’s spaceport, named Starbase, on the Gulf of Mexico in Boca Chica, Texas. It entered space several minutes later and the six Raptor engines powered it to its expected orbit.

Two previous attempts ended in the explosion of both the spacecraft’s 33-engine booster, nicknamed Super Heavy, and the cruise vessel, which is designed to eventually carry up to 100 astronauts. Stacked together, they stand at 10 metres taller than the Saturn V rocket that sent humans to the moon in 1969.

Space X is much more tolerant of risk than Nasa and has a flight-testing strategy that aims to frequently push its spacecraft prototypes to the limit, and, beyond. Its first Starship launch attempt lasted four minutes and, the second lasted eight, with the latter reaching space. The company says frequent flight testing will provide valuable data that will help it design and, develop a more robust rocket.

“Each of these flight tests continue to be just that: a test,” Space X said in a statement before the third launch attempt, in an apparent attempt to manage expectations in case the system exploded. “They aren’t occurring in a lab or on a test stand, but are putting flight hardware in a flight environment to maximize learning.”

The third flight aimed to conduct the first ever re-light of Space X’s signature Raptor engine while in space, open a payload door, and make a controlled re-entry of Starship in the Indian Ocean. Both the upper and lower segments of Starship are designed to eventually power themselves safely back to Earth for a soft landing so that they can be reused, which will be significantly cheaper than building entirely new parts for each mission.

Elon Musk, Space X’s billionaire founder, hopes Starship will be the first step on a human journey further into space that ever before. To do this, Musk intends to begin the colonization of Mars so that humanity can survive a planet-destroying event on Earth. Several other Starship systems are already in production for future tests. The company has announced longer term plans to use the spacecraft as a shuttle for commercial travel on Earth, promising trips from London to Tokyo in less than an hour.

1. What set the third test flight apart from the other two?

A．Being the first to make a controlled re-entry of Starship.

B．Being significantly cheaper than the other launches.

C．Being the first ever to enter the expected orbit.

D．Being the first starship spacecraft to enter the space.

2. What can be inferred from paragraph 3?

A．Space X’s first Starship launch attempt lasts eight minutes.

B．Both Space X and Nasa have a flight-testing strategy.

C．Space X’s first Starship travels farther than the second.

D．Space X will make the best of the frequent flight-testing data.

3. Which of the following is not the reason why Space X take a flight-testing strategy?

A．To manage expectations in case the system exploded.

B．To maximize learning in a flight environment.

C．To push its spacecraft prototypes to the limit, and beyond.

D．To protect the earth from being destroyed by disasters.

4. What is the best title of the text?

A．Space X will make Starship power itself back to Earth safely.

B．Space X will adjust the starship system and commercial travel.

C．Space X has launched the third test flight of its Starship spacecraft.

D．Elon Musk aims to carry astronauts to the moon and then to Mars.