【推荐1】With coronavirus outbreaks at different stages around the world, in many countries lockdowns are being carefully eased off while urging citizens to keep on practicing the social distancing rules. Singapore is trying a new way of carrying it out—a robot dog.

The government has arranged Spot, a yellow and black robotic dog made by Boston Dynamics Company, at one local park. The same robot has been previously seen dancing to hit song “Uptown Funk.”However, 2020 is an extremely difficult year and the company is trying to assist the national coronavirus-control effort. In turn, the job has been handed over to Spot.

The four-legged robot dog patrols(巡查) the park and broadcasts a pre-recorded message to encourage visitors to observe safe distancing measures. As it walks around the park, the dog says in a female voice, “Let's keep Singapore healthy. For your own safety and for those around you, please stand at least one meter apart. Thank you.”

Spot is one of the world's most advanced robots and unlike wheeled robots, it is capable of going pretty much anywhere a dog can go and can walk up to three miles per hour over different areas, making it ideal for operation in public parks and gardens. Furthermore, it is remotely controlled and has cameras with 360-degree vision and analytic tools to scan the surroundings and help officials estimate the number of people gathering in the park.

For now, the pilot project is currently set to run in a limited trial for two weeks at one park during off-peak(非高峰)hours. But if all goes well, authorities will consider expanding the program to improve enforcement(强制)of social distance throughout on Singapore

Spot is also being used in other ways during the public health crisis beyond just patrolling a park. The government says it's also using Spot in another capacity- at a local isolation facility where the robot helps bring medicine to patients.

1. What do we know about Spot in the passage?

A．It's a dog-like robot that can speak.	B．It’s a robot that can sing a popular song.
C．It’s a wheeled robot that can walk anywhere.	D．It's a robot newly invented during the pandemic.

2. How does Spot carry out its duty in the park?

A．It enforces people to follow the rules.	B．It politely reminds people to keep apart.
C．It works day and night to patrol the park.	D．It warns visitors against littering anywhere.

3. What is mainly talked about in paragraph 4?

A．Some smart features of the robot.	B．The robot dog's basic equipment.
C．The working condition of the robot.	D．The experiment process of the project.

4. What is the best title of the text?

A．Spot, A Dog like Robot, Walks In The Park	B．A New Program Is Expanding In Singapore
C．A Multi-skilled Robot Goes Beyond The Park	D．Singapore Leads The Top In Fighting The Crisis

【推荐1】Black has long been praised for its ability to better women’s figures and suit every occasion. But the color has a side-effect—it ages the face.
While black does give the appearance of a slimmer figure by making the shadows less visible, wearing it next to the face brings out a negative effect. Black clothing can highlight （突出） dark lines under the chin, shadows around the eyes and wrinkles on the face. The effect can be as serious as making women feel exhausted, self-conscious and upset. Wrinkles and sunken areas appear deeper and more pronounced, meaning the effect is more obvious in older women.
Dark scarves, hats and high-collared coats are apparently particularly likely to emphasize aging features of the face. But fear not. The effect can be tempered by a splash of color around the neck—in the form of a scarf or a piece of jewelry—or a low neckline.
Famous actress Joan Collins is among the few who can get away with the side-effect. But those who should consider changing their dresses include many European stars. The majority of women who have what is known as a “warm” skin tone, based on yellow and gold colors, will not look young and healthy with black against their faces. Warm skins do not match well with black against their faces as it takes away all the golden glow that they have as a basic skin tone. Black looks for dark things on the face and highlights them, particularly as women age.
The good news for those who like black dress is that a simple test can help determine whether they can wear black well: Hold the color up against your face, stand in front of the mirror and look for dark lines under the chin, shadows around the eyes or lines on the face that are highlighted. If there are no dark areas or shadows, you can probably wear black close to your face and look great. Otherwise, change your ways.
1. According to the passage, wearing black clothes probably ________________.

A．makes the wearer less energetic

B．gives away the wearer’s age

C．darkens the wearer’s skin tone

D．makes the wearer feel confident

2. The underlined word “tempered” in Paragraph 3 can be replaced by _______________.

A．observed

B．ignored

C．weakened

D．measured

3. We can infer from the passage that _______________.

A．high-collared coats are not suitable for warm-skinned women

B．a woman from eastern Asia may not look young with black against her face

C．men with deep wrinkles would look unhealthy in black

D．Joan Collins has a warm skin tone

4. The black dress will be probably suitable for you on condition that there are no ___________.

A．wrinkles on your face

B．dark circles around your eyes

C．sunken areas that are highlighted

D．dark areas or shadows on the face

【推荐2】For Deaf People, Face Masks with Windows Mean More Than Smiles

For the last few months, Michael Conley has felt very alone. Conley is a deaf man, and he reads lips to understand what people are saying to him. However, people have been wearing masks to help slow the spread of COVID-19, a new virus that spreads from person to person when infected people breathe out virus particles (颗粒).

People who are deaf and hard of hearing communicate in many different ways. Some might learn to read lips. Many people also use American Sign Language (ASL). It is a way to communicate using gestures and signs for people who are deaf and hard of hearing.

For both reading lips and ASL, being able to see someone's face and facial expressions is critically important. Particularly for ASL, facial expressions play a role in grammar and wording.

Helping Lip Readers See Mouths Move

Conley told his co-worker, Chris LaZich, about his situation. LaZich asked her friend, Helton, for help. Ingrid Helton is a costume designer with the San Diego Opera. She makes masks with plastic windows for hearing people to wear, making it possible for lip readers to see mouths move.

For a long time, lip readers have struggled to understand hospital workers who wear masks. The problem has only gotten worse during COVID- 19. Many interpreters for the deaf have not been able to enter hospitals because they could catch the virus.

More Challenges For Deaf People

Now, more people are wearing masks outside of hospitals, too. This creates even more challenges for deaf people.

When people began wearing masks, Conley felt cut off from the world. Since he could not read lips, he did not know when people were speaking to him or what they were saying.

Conley was nervous to go to the pharmacy or the grocery store. Once, he felt so nervous to enter his favorite restaurant that he waited outside for 45 minutes. He did not know what he would do if a masked worker asked him questions about his order. Luckily, the employee recognized him and pulled down her mask to talk to Conley. Conley was grateful for her action.

Not everyone knows Conley, though, and would not know he is deaf. He carries pieces of paper with him so he can ask people to write what they are saying. This way, other people don't have to remove their mask. However, it also means touching the same paper, Touching common surfaces can spread germs. Spreading germs risks contracting COVID-19. Because of that, Conley was refused service many times.

“It makes you lose your confidence,” said Conley, who has been deaf his entire life. However, Helton's windowed masks helped him get his independence back. Conley and his co-worker, Chris LaZich, tried out the masks and he had no trouble reading LaZich's lips.

1. Where can you probably read the passage?

A．In a newspaper.	B．In a diary.
C．In a guidebook.	D．In a medical report.

2. How did Conley feel when people began to wear masks?

A．He felt the situation couldn't be changed.	B．He felt it difficult to recognize people.
C．He felt cut off from the world.	D．He felt lonely and angry.

3. What is the special value of windowed masks for deaf people?

A．To help them meet other deaf people.	B．To keep them safe from COVID-19.
C．To comfort them emotionally.	D．To satisfy their social needs.

4. Which of the following could be the best ending of the passage?

A．Soon she started her company called Happy Laugh Masks.

B．The windowed masks helped slow the spread of the virus.

C．Through her mask's window, LaZich smiled at him.

D．Helton said store owners liked the masks as well.

【推荐3】The scientists placed underwater speakers in areas where coral had been dying in Australia’s northern Great Barrier Reef. They played certain sounds over a period of about 6 weeks and studied the results. The team reported that twice as many fish arrived in areas where the sounds of healthy coral were played. Among the arriving fish were species that feed on all major food sources.

The researchers noted the importance of having many different kinds of fish return to the area. Different species of fish perform many activities that support the ocean environment and sea life. “Damaged reefs have a higher chance of recovery if they have healthy fish population,” the scientists wrote in the report.

Steve Simpson said that “healthy coral reefs are remarkably noisy places.” They contain the sounds of many kinds of shrimp, fish and other sea creatures. Young fish listen for these sounds when they are looking for a place to settle. He added that reefs “become ghostly quiet” when they suffer destruction that is usually related to human-caused pollution. Coral damage can cause unappealing smells and sounds that drive shrimp and fish away.

Mark Meekan is a fish biologist. He said that the return of these fish is the first step to seeing major improvements in reef health. “Recovery is underpinned by fish that clean the reef and create space for corals to regrow,” he said. Tim Gordon says he believes sound can be used to bring back dead coral in areas suffering major destruction in oceans across the world.

University of Bristol professor Andy Radford said the underwater sounds are a promising way to fight coral reef damage at the local community level. But he noted that other threats need to be reduced as well. These include climate change, pollution and overfishing. From local management innovations to international political action, we need meaningful progress at all levels to paint a better future for reefs worldwide.

1. Why did researchers attract fish by playing sounds underwater?

A．To study the population of fish.	B．To catch fish as major food sources.
C．To recover damaged reefs naturally.	D．To record the sounds of healthy corals.

2. How did Steve explain the coral reefs?

A．By presenting the research results.	B．By making comparisons.
C．By listing some specific data.	D．By giving some examples.

3. What does the underlined word “underpinned” in Para.4 mean?

A．Destroyed.

B．Affected.

C．Supported.

D．Attacked.

4. What does Professor Andy stress?

A．Reef needs protection at all levels.

B．Climate change is more serious than reef damage.

C．Overfishing threatens world coral reef.

D．Pollution needs international political action.