【推荐1】Freedom of the press is rightly protected in most societies, yet it is just this protection that sometimes allows this freedom to be made bad use of. The press has a strong influence which can bring about significant changes to the lives of ordinary people. The story of the first quintuplets(五胞胎) in America clearly showed the power of the press.

There was a poor family living in Aberdeen, a small town in the U.S.A.Raising five children was already a struggle for the poor parents of this family. When the mother learned that it was another four girls and one more boy that were on the way,she and her husband were shocked beyond belief. Without a doubt, they were going to face even more urgent money problems.

However, this event changed their lives in ways they had never expected. The day after the birth of the five babies, there were sixty reporters and photographers waiting outside their door. The couple soon made national headlines, for they had become the parents of the first quintuplets in America.

The family gained fame and money overnight. Newspapers and magazines offered them huge sums of money for the rights to publish their stories as well as their photos. Gifts poured in not only from unknown people, but also from baby food and soap manufacturers who wanted to advertise their products. Though their lives were indeed improved, reporters kept pressing for interviews, which forced the family to hire lawyers to act as spokespeople for them at news conferences.

Moreover, the birth also brought great changes to Aberdeen. A new highway had been developed, since this town was likely to attract thousands of visitors. Even the name of the town on the road signs was changed to "Quint-City, U.S.A. " Locals also discussed the possibility of setting up a "quint museum" to satisfy the curiosity of the public and to protect the family from gossipy visitors at the same time.

While the babies were still quietly sleeping in the hospital, their parents began paying the price for fame. It would never again be possible for them to lead normal lives. The town itself received so much attention that almost each of the locals there was affected more or less. This was the power of the press, but such power could easily be misapplied.

1. How did the parents feel when they knew the oncoming quintuplets?

A．Unbelievable.	B．Disappointed.
C．Proud.	D．Confident.

2. Which of the following was the result of the event?

A．The museum became popular.

B．Transportation to Aberdeen improved.

C．The production of baby food increased.

D．More newspapers and magazines came out.

3. What is the author's attitude towards the power of press applied to this event?

A．Unconcerned.	B．Puzzled.
C．Supportive.	D．Sceptical.

【推荐2】People are being tricked into Facebook with the promise of a fun, free service without realizing they’re paying for it by giving up loads of personal information.
Most Facebook users don’t realize this is happening. Even if they know what the company is up to, they still have no idea what they’re paying for Facebook because people don’t really know what their personal data is worth.
The biggest problem, however, is that the company keeps changing the rules early on you keep everything private. That was the great thing about Facebook. You could create your own little private network. Last year. The company changed its privacy rules so that many things; your city, your photo, your friends’ names were set, by default (默认)to be shared with everyone on the Internet.
According to Facebook’s vice-president Elliot Schrage, the company is simply making changes to improve its service, and if people don’t share information. They have a “less satisfying experience.
Some critics think this is more about Facebook looking to make more money. In original business model, which involved selling ads and putting them. At the side of the pages totally, who wants to took at ads when they’re online connecting with their friends?
The privacy issue has already landed Facebook in hot water in Washington. In April. Senator Charles Schumer called on Facebook to change its privacy policy. He also urged the Federal Trade Commission to set guidelines for social networking sites. “I think the senator rightly communicated that we had not been clear about what the new products were and how people could choose to use them or not to use them,” Schrage admits.
I suspect that whatever Facebook has done so far to invade our privacy, it’s only the beginning，which is why I’m considering cancelling my account. Facebook is a handy site, but I’m upset by the idea that my information is in the hands of people I don’t know. That’s too high a price to pay.
1. What do we learn about Facebook from the first paragraph?

A．It is a website that sends messages to users who want to get married.

B．It earns money by putting on advertisements.

C．It makes money by selling its users’ personal data.

D．It provides loads of information to its users.

2. What does the author say about most Facebook users?

A．They are unwilling to give up their personal information.

B．They don’t know their personal data enriches Facebook.

C．They don’t identify themselves when using the website.

D．They care very little about their personal information.

3. Why does Facebook make changes to its rules according to Elliot Schrage?

A．To provide better service to its users.

B．To obey the Federal guidelines.

C．To improve its users’ connection

D．To expand its business.

4. Why does the author plan to cancel his Facebook account?

A．He is dissatisfied with its present service.

B．He finds many of its users untrustworthy.

C．He doesn’t want his personal data badly used.

D．He is upset by its frequent rule changes.

【推荐3】Aspirin was discovered in 1897, and an explanation of how it works followed in 1995. That, in turn, has encouraged some research leads on making better pain relievers through something other than trial and error. This kind of discovery—answers first, explanations later—is called "intellectual debt". We gain understanding of what works without knowing why it works. We can put that understanding to use immediately, and then tell ourselves we'll figure out the details later. Sometimes we pay off the debt quickly; sometimes, as with aspirin, it takes a century; and sometimes we never pay it off at all.

In the Age of Intelligence, while machine learning presents lots of problems and gets things wrong, at least we know enough to be wary of the predictions produced by the system and to argue that they shouldn't be blindly followed: but if a system performs perfectly（and we don't know why）, then we come to rely on it and forget about it and suffer consequences when it goes wrong.

It's the difference between knowing your car has faulty brakes and not knowing: both are bad, but if you know there is a problem with your brakes, you can increase your following distance, drive slowly and get to a mechanic as soon as possible. If you don't know, you' re likely to find out the hard way, at 80mph on the highway when the car in front of you comes to a sudden stop and your brakes give out.

We don't have much by way of solutions. Most important, we shouldn't trick ourselves into thinking that machine learning alone is all that matters. Indeed, without life value, machine learning may not be meaningful answers at all.

1. What is the purpose of mentioning aspirin in the first paragraph?

A．To present the research process of aspirin.

B．To introduce a similar situation machine learning faces.

C．To show the difficulty in explaining how aspirin works.

D．To prove we can use something even when we don't understand.

2. What does the underlined word "wary" probably mean in Paragraph 2?

A．Negative.

B．Doubtful.

C．Anxious.

D．Watchful.

3. How does the writer prove that it's potentially worse if a system performs perfectly?

A．By telling a story.	B．By giving a definition.
C．By doing an experiment.	D．By making comparison.

4. Which of the following statements is the writer likely to agree with?

A．It's OK as long as a system works well.	B．It's impossible to pay off Intellectual debt.
C．It's unwise to rely blindly on machine learning.	D．It makes no sense to pay attention to life value.

【推荐3】For the British, the home is a private place in which he or she goes to hide away from the troubles of life. It is very seldom that one would be invited to a British person’s home. It is rude to knock on a person’s door if you into. Never ask how much the house or any of the items in it costs.

To the American, most of them want their home to be a place where they can entertain and share their lives with their friends. They may be glad to show you around their houses. They may also be pleased when you show your interest and pleasure in their houses.

Both British and American people will engage in (参与) quite a bit of chat and a drink or two before the meal is served. After the first mouthful, you should say how delicious the food is and ask something about it. Remember, never eat with your mouth open and make very little noise while eating. It would be nice of you to help your host in any way. Maybe offer to pour some drinks or clear up after the meal.

1. British people ________invite friends to their home.

A．often

B．always

C．seldom

D．never

2. If your British friend invites you to his home, ________.

A．you can use anything you like	B．you can ask how much his house is
C．you may ask the cost of the items in it	D．you are not free to go wherever you wish

3. When you show your interest and pleasure in Americans’ houses, they maybe________.

A．angry

B．happy

C．sad

D．worried

4. What’s the main idea of the text?

A．Differences between British and American home.

B．Differences between British and American table manners.

C．Development of table manners of British and the United States.

D．Some manners on visiting British and American people’s home.