【推荐1】Small space gardening is both efficient and convenient. Being able to produce food without a large area is a truly useful skill. And among all the foods, few are better than potatoes.

    1     Besides, just about everyone likes them. Seriously, have you ever met someone who doesn’t enjoy potatoes one way or another?

Now, learn how to grow potatoes in a box.     2     Read on and think about all the great food you could make using this easy guide.

Before growing potatoes, let’s first build a 4 by 4 wooden box.     3     What’s best about this box is that you can use it, again and again, for different growing seasons.

The first step is cutting the 2×2 inches board into pieces of 33 inches in length; four pieces will be enough. Then, take the 2×6 boards and cut them into 12 lengths of 21 inches and 12 lengths of 24 inches. Make some holes in these and attach the bottom row on the 2×2 boards. Place this part over the soil and plant potatoes about 4 inches deep. Wait about five months for the potatoes to grow up.     4    

You see, you don’t need a huge vegetable garden to grow potatoes.     5     Now, start your creative handy work, and you will have a green thumb.

A．Once they’ve grown, dig up, eat up, and enjoy!

B．Make sure you use woods which are food grade.

C．They are tasty, multifunctional (多功能的), and easy to grow.

D．The DIY square garden design is easy and inexpensive.

E．Make sure you don’t cover more than a third of the plant.

F．With your hands reach in the box and grab your potatoes.

G．A small garden design used wisely will give you all you need.

【推荐3】Feeling upset is a normal part of life. Something stressful may occur everywhere, and make you angry or anxious. We can’t control what is happening around us.     1     Here are some useful ways to keep our cool when we feel frustrated.

    2    

Conflicts with others can be difficult to deal with. Sometimes we need to leave from the unpleasant condition. It is OK to say, “I’m going to take a break” and go for a walk or find a quiet place to sit and cool off. The goal is to give yourself some space to calm down and consider what to do next.

Do breathing exercises to relax

When we’re upset, our nervous system will speed up our heart rate and muscles tense. It prepares the body as if to meet an attack.     3     If possible, find a safe place, sit comfortably and focus on your breath, breathing deeply and evenly. Mindful breathing helps us calm our feelings.

Lift your mood with laughter

Laughter relieves the tension we feel when depressed. We can think of a joke or watch a video that always makes us roar with laughter. Afterward, you may be able to lift the fog of frustration. Make sure what you use is not mean-spirited, though.     4    

Change your language

Once things appear disappointing, many of us might punish ourselves with unkind words. In fact, it doesn’t have to be this way.     5     For example, instead of saying “I always mess things up,” we could say, “I made a mistake, but I’ll do it better next time.”

A．Keep yourself away from the noise

B．Remove yourself from the situation

C．We should turn negative thoughts into positive statements.

D．Those kinds of humor can actually make us feel more down.

E．Thus, we can be physically and mentally entertained from that.

F．You can soften such physical reaction by using practical techniques.

G．However, we can decide how we behave and react to the troubles we face.

【推荐1】The Surprising Benefits of Taking a Cold Shower

You’ll procrastinate (拖延) less.

Putting things off is a habit everyone would love to lose. No one wants to take a cold shower, but the more routinely you bite the bullet and get it over with, the more you’re training your body not to get hung up on those moments of hesitation. As time goes on, this habit will extend to other areas of life.

You’ll be more resistant to stress and depression.

Brief changes in body temperature like a cold shower have been theorized to help brain function and activate beta-endorphin (B-内啡肽) and noradrenaline (去甲肾上腺素) in the brain. Beta-endorphins are “feel-good” molecules that give a sense of well-being. Noradrenaline is an adrenal hormone (肾上腺激素) that helps depressed people feel more “up” naturally. Cold water bathing, meanwhile, also reduces the cortisol hormone (皮质醇激素), which usually kicks into action when stress and anxiety take over.

You’ll get sick far less.

Cold showers lead to higher numbers of white blood cells circulating throughout your body, which is never a bad thing. Those helpful little cells work hard to protect you from disease and illness.

Your skin and hair will glow.

Cold water tightens your skin that gives a natural glow to the skin. When it comes to your hair, cold showers close and fortify your hair cuticles while adding more strength to them. Moreover, cold water also doesn't harm the natural barrier of your skin and hair.

1. Which of the following can make you less anxious?

A．Noradrenaline.	B．Alpha-endorphin.
C．White blood cells.	D．The cortisol hormone.

2. How are your skin and hair after cold showers?

A．Tight.

B．Strong.

C．Natural.

D．Shiny.

3. Where is the text most likely from?

A．A diary.

B．A magazine.

C．A novel.

D．A guidebook.

【推荐2】One of Britain' s most outstanding scientists says the growth in the use of electronic tablets and smart phones is causing people to spend so much time indoors that they need to take regular vitamin D supplements to make up for the lack of sunlight they receive naturally.

Geneticist Steve Jones said he himself was a follower to the cause and urged others to follow. “I never thought I would be a person who would take vitamin supplements；I always thought it was absolute nonsense. But now I take vitamin D every day. Today, because I knew the sun wasn't going to shine, I took an extra one,” he said.

Exposure to the sun is the major source of vitamin D. However, people are spending less and less time outdoors in many areas. The problem is particularly serious in Scotland. "The Scots are the whitest people in the world because their entire body systems are crying out for vitamin D," he said, adding that life expectancy in Scotland is two years shorter than in England or Wales. Multiple sclerosis (多发性硬化症), a medical condition which is often seen in northern Europe, is also higher in Scotland than in England.

Vitamin D helps with the absorption of Ca, which helps keep bones strong. And Jones said the fact that rickets (佝偻病) was making a comeback in Britain after nearly 50 years was another sign of how changing behavior patterns were bringing physical harm.

Jones admitted that concerns over the damaging effects on skin of long-time exposure to the sun were reasonable, but said sunlight was healthy and necessary for the human body, and could help in lowering blood pressure. "If you lie on the beach for an hour, you will drop your blood pressure by about 10 points, because it relaxes your blood vessels (血管). So, get out in the sun while we still can," he said.

1. How are people affected by the rise of technology according to the text?

A．They are more sensitive to sunlight

B．They take more vitamin D supplements.

C．They get less vitamin D than before.

D．They become addicted to electronic games.

2. What’s Jones’ attitude towards taking vitamin D supplements now?

A．Skeptical.	B．Cautious.
C．Worried.	D．Supportive.

3. Why are the Scots the whitest people in the world?

A．Because they are in great need of sunlight.

B．Because their blood pressure is very low.

C．Because they enjoy a short period of sunshine.

D．Because they are easy to get multiple sclerosis.

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

A．Get out and gain more Vitamin D

B．Keep away from tablets and phones

C．Pay attention to the importance of sunlight

D．Take vitamin D supplements to keep healthy