【推荐1】

Most kids grow up learning they cannot draw on the walls. But it might be time to unlearn that training-this summer, a group of culture addicts, artists and community organizers are inviting New Yorkers to write all over the walls of an old house on Governors Island.

The project is called Writing On It All, and it’s a participatory(参与式) writing project and artistic experiment that has happened on Governor's Island every summer since 2013.

“Most of the participants are people who are just walking by or are on the island for other reasons, like they came for the jazz festival, or they just kind of happen to be there,” artistic director of Writing On It All, Alexandra Chasin, tells Smithsonian. com.

The 2020 season runs through June 26.Each session(会期) has a theme, and participants are given a variety of materials and prompts and asked to cover surfaces with their thoughts and art This year, the programs range from one that turns the house into a short piece of collaborative(合作的) writing to one that explores the meaning of exile(流亡) .

Governor's Island is a national historic landmark district long used for military purposes. Now known as “New York's shared space for art and play,” the island, which lies between Manhattan and Brooklyn in Upper New York Bay, is closed to cars but open to summer tourists who come for festivals, picnics, adventures, as well as these “legal graffiti” sessions.

The notes and art scribble on the walls are an experiment in self-expression. So far, participants have ranged in age from 2 to 85. Though Chasin says the focus of the work is on the activity of writing, rather than the text that ends up getting written, some of the work that comes out of the sessions has stuck with her.

“One of the sessions that moved me the most was state violence on black women and black girls,” says Chasin, explaining that in the room, people wrote down the names of names of those killed because of it. “People do beautiful work and leave beautiful messages.”

1. What does the project Writing ON It All invite people to do?

A．Unlearn their training in drawing.

B．Participate in a state graffiti show.

C．Cover the walls of an old house with graffiti.

D．Show their artistic creations in an old house.

2. What do we learn about the participants in the project?

A．They are just culture addicts.

B．They are graffiti enthusiasts.

C．They are writers and artists.

D．They are mostly passers-by.

3. What kind of place is Governor's Island nowadays?

A．It’s a military site that attracts tourists and artists.

B．It’s an open area for tourists to enjoy themselves.

C．It’s an area now accessible only to tourist vehicles.

D．It’s a place in Upper New York Bay formerly used for exiles.

4. What does Chasin say about the project Writing On It All?

A．It creates some meaningful artistic works.

B．It starts the career of many creative artists.

C．It helps increase the influence of graffiti art.

D．It just focuses on the sufferings of black females.

【推荐2】Once upon a time, toys didn’t flash. They never needed new batteries. They just sat there doing nothing…until a child came along and unlocked the fun waiting in an ordinary marble(弹珠) or wooden building block.

But will future children want to play with such old-fashioned toys? Many experts hope so. The American Specialty Toy Retailing Association provides kids with toys that “focus on what the child can do, rather than what the toy can do.” Some toys help kids develop important skills. Too many special functions make play more about the toy and less about the child. In fact, electronic toys could actually slow down language development in babies, according to a 2016 study. The study found that parents spoke to their babies less when the child had a talking toy.

But none of this means that technology and toys shouldn’t mix. Digital toys offer totally new ways to play. Robotic toys may get kids to act as fellows. And augmented-reality toys combine video games with real life. Imaginary things can mix with reality. Or real things can become part of a virtual(虚拟) world. Play-Doh Touch, for example, allows kids to see creatures they’ve made out of Play-Doh and play with them in a mobile game.

Perhaps stacking(堆叠) virtual blocks or playing with virtual marbles could offer the same sorts of open-ended experiences as the real-world variety. Besides, blocks and marbles could change size, fly, or do any number of amazing things. And virtual toys could adjust themselves to a player’s age and developmental level. For example, as the child gets better at stacking, blocks could change, increasing the challenge.

Digital or virtual toys are most popular today. Who knows if there will be a place for old-school wooden blocks？

1. Which of the following best describes old-fashioned toys?

A．They are popular with smart kids.

B．They are too complex to play with.

C．They are seen as environmentally friendly.

D．They are simple but beneficial to kids’ growth.

2. The study in paragraph 2 is mentioned to ________.

A．introduce the functions of electronic toys

B．show the bad influence of electronic toys

C．make more parents buy old-fashioned toys

D．get children interested in old-fashioned toys

3. According to the text, what can kids get from tech toys?

A．Kids can enjoy the company of tech toys.

B．Tech toys can solve all real-life problems for kids.

C．Kids can realize it is no good living in the virtual world.

D．Tech toys can give kids advice on their personal development.

4. What is the author’s attitude towards the future of old-fashioned toys？

A．Confident.	B．Negative.
C．Hopeful.	D．Uncertain.

【推荐3】Toys for Kids

From wooden blocks to electronic games, the best toys for kids make their young users think and dream while building useful skills. Of course, they’re also tons of fun!

●Educational Toys

Many of the best toys for kids combine learning and fun. The GeoSafari Talking Globe provides interactive geography games in a fun electronic format. It was named to Dr.Toy’s Best Classic Toys List in 2016. Professor Noggin’s History of the United States is a fun and informative card game that made FamilyFun. com’s Toy of the Year list.

●Pretend Play

Kids love to pretend, and the best toys for kids can spark their imaginations and lead to hours of fun. The Real Projects Workshop was a grand prize winner in the 2016 FamilyFun.com Toy of the Year awards. With this pretend workshop kids can play with realistic tools while building projects out of foam “wood”. Dora’s Talking Kitchen won “Girl Toy of the Year” in the 2016 Toy Industry Association Toy of the Year Awards.

●Stuffed（填充的）Animals

Every kid needs a cuddly (可抱的) friend. Kids may ask for stuffed animals based on popular television and movie characters, but teddy bears, stuffed dogs, and other plush figures that haven’t appeared on-screen will have long-lasting appeal. For a unique twist on stuffed animals, the Lil’ Luvables Fluffy Factory lets kids stuff their own teddy bears. It was a Toy of the Year grand prize winner at FamilyFun.com.

●Games

Games promote cooperation while encouraging everything from memory skills to exercise. Hullabaloo, from the makers of Cranium, won “Best Game” honors in the 2016 Toy Industry Association Toy of the Year Awards. The game gets kids moving and laughing as they follow instructions from the game’s audio console.

1. How can kids benefit from the educational toys?

A．They can improve their personalities.

B．They can enjoy geography games.

C．They can be active in doing homework.

D．They can gain knowledge while playing.

2. How many kinds of toys won the grand prize in FamilyFun.com Toy of the Year awards?

A．Only one.	B．Two.
C．Three.	D．Four.

3. Which toys can develop kids’ team spirit?

A．Educational.	B．Pretend play.
C．Stuffed animals.	D．Games.

4. How can kids play with the toys made by the Lil’ Luvables Fluffy Factory?

A．They can stuff the toys by themselves.

B．They can play board games with the toys.

C．They can treat the toys as bears.

D．They can interact with the toys.

【推荐2】In 1941, science fiction writer Isaac Asimov stated the Three Laws of Robotics. These laws come from the world of science fiction, but the real world is catching up. A law firm gave Pittsburgh’s Carnegie Mellon University $10 million to explore artificial intelligence. Peter Kalis, chairman of the law firm, K&L Gates, said the development of technology had led to questions that were never taken seriously before. What will happen when you make robots that are smart, independent thinkers and then try to limit their freedom?

Researcher Kalis said, “One expert said we’ll be at a point when we give an instruction to our robot to go to work in the morning and it turns around and says, ‘I’d rather go to the beach.’” He said that one day we would want laws to keep our free-thinking robots from running wild.

With the law firm’s gift, the university will be able to explore problems now appearing within automated industries. “Take driverless cars for example,” Kalis said. “If there’s an accident concerned with a driverless car, what policies do we have in place? What kind of insurance policies do they have?” In fact, people can take a ride in a driverless car in Pittsburgh where an American online transportation network company uses the city as a testing ground for the company’s driverless cars.

The problems go beyond self-driving cars and robots. Think about the next generation of smartphones, those chips fixed in televisions, computers, fridges, etc., and the ever-expanding collection of personal data being stored in the “cloud”. So can Asimov’s Three Laws of Robotics be used in reality? Is it necessary to have a moral guideline that everyone can understand? Whatever it is, doing no harm should be the very first one.

1. What can we learn from the first paragraph?

A．Robot should have more freedom.

B．Technology is running ahead of laws.

C．The Three Laws of Robotics are practical.

D．Peter wants to explore artificial intelligence.

2. What makes humans worry about robots?

A．Robots may be out of control.

B．Robots can do something illegal.

C．Robots can become angry easily.

D．Robots may have many requests.

3. What is the third paragraph intended to tell us?

A．It’s hard for robots to obey rules.

B．A law on robotics is really a must.

C．Driverless cars can cause accidents.

D．Driverless cars are being tested out now.

4. What should the basic law on robotics be according to the text?

A．Robots should be cautiously used in life.

B．Robots should obey Asimov’s Three Laws.

C．Robots should be easy for people to operate.

D．Robots should help with people’s life and work.

【推荐3】Scientists should be allowed to change a person’s DNA in ways that will be passed on to future generations, but only to prevent serious and strongly heritable (遗传) diseases, according to a new report from the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Medicine. However, making changes to these genes in order to improve or change traits such as strength, intelligence or beauty should remain off-limits, the report authors concluded.

Changing the so-called germline (种系) is illegal in the United States. It has largely been considered ethically off-limits here as well, at least while bioethicists and scientists considered the unforeseen effects and unexamined moral dilemmas of using new gene-editing technologies.

However, scientists have moved forward aggressively to explore the possibility of changing disease genes in other adult human cells with a revolutionary technique known as CRISPR-Cas9. It is widely believed that gene editing of this sort could treat patients with metabolic (新陈代谢的) disorders, certain cancers, and a range of other diseases that arise from genetic mutations (突变) — without changing the germline.

Last year, Chinese scientists launched a trial that uses CRISPR-Cas9 in a treatment for lung cancer. While the trial’s outcome is awaited with high anticipation, scientists outside China have expressed concern that ethical reservations in the United States and Europe will put them at a disadvantage.

CRISPR-Cas9 makes gene editing more straightforward, more precise and far more widespread. As such, the National Academies’ report acknowledges that changing heritable DNA in eggs, sperm and early embryos is fast becoming “a realistic possibility that deserves serious consideration.”

The 22-member panel of scientists and bioethicists who produced the report completed a comprehensive review of the issues raised by that prospect.

Clinical trials involving germline editing should only be pursued to treat diseases that cannot be improved with “reasonable alternatives,” the 22-member panel of scientists and bioethicists said. In addition, they added, scientists should convincingly demonstrate they are targeting a gene that either causes or strongly makes a carrier likely to suffer from a serious disease or condition, and that they have weighed the likely risks and benefits of changing that gene.

Finally, scientists should conduct long-term follow-up studies to know how gene editing affects the next generations. Public debate and discussion about the technology should continue, the panel added.

1. In what circumstances can scientists change a person’s DNA?

A．Making a person look much younger.

B．Protecting future generations from some heritable diseases.

C．Using the most advanced gene-editing technologies.

D．Changing the germline for a better function.

2. What is the advantage of CRISPR-Cas9?

A．It can treat diseases more precisely without changing the germline.

B．It can successfully cure people of most deadly diseases.

C．It can change genes in adult human cells.

D．It can stop genetic mutations.

3. What possible conclusion can be drawn according to the passage?

A．Future generations will live longer and become more intelligent.

B．Chinese scientists created CRISPR-Cas9 and put it into use.

C．The gene editing is strictly forbidden for moral dilemmas.

D．The gene editing research is still at the primary stage.

4. What does this report mainly talk about?

A．A new gene-editing technology and concerns about it.

B．A germline-editing technology and approval for it.

C．Clinical trials of gene editing and social values of them.

D．Some germline clinical trials and scientific effects of them.

【推荐1】Popping food into the microwave for a couple of minutes may seem utterly harmless, but Europe's stock of these quick-cooking ovens emit as much carbon as nearly 7 million cars, a new study has found. And the problem is growing. With costs falling and kitchen appliances becoming "status" items, owners are throwing away microwaves after an average of eight years. This is pushing sales of new microwaves which are expected to reach 135 million annually in the EU by the end of the decade.

A study by the University of Manchester calculated the emissions of CO₂—the main greenhouse gas responsible for climate change—at every stage of microwaves, from manufacture to waste disposal. "It is electricity consumption by microwaves that has the biggest impact on the environment," say the authors. The authors also calculate that the emissions from using 19 microwaves over a year are the same as those from using a car. According to the same study, efforts to reduce consumption should focus on improving consumer awareness and behavior. For example, consumers could use appliances in a more efficient way by adjusting the time of cooking to the type of food.

However, David Reay, professor of carbon management, argues that, although microwaves use a great deal of energy, their emissions are minor compared to those from cars. In the UK alone, there are around 30 million cars. These cars emit more than all the microwaves in the EU. Backing this up, recent data show that passenger cars in the UK emitted 69 million tons of CO₂in 2015. This is 10 times the amount this new microwave oven study estimates-for annual emissions for all the microwave ovens in the EU. Further, the energy used by microwaves is lower than any other form of cooking. Among common kitchen appliances used for cooking, microwaves are the most energy efficient, followed by a stove and finally a standard oven. Thus, rising microwave sales could be seen as a positive thing.

1. What is the finding of the new study?

A．Quick-cooking microwave ovens have become more popular.

B．CO2 emissions constitute a major threat to the environment.

C．The frequent use of microwaves may do harm to our health.

D．The use of microwaves emits more CO2 than people think.

2. Why are the sales of microwaves expected to rise?

A．They are becoming more affordable.	B．They are getting much easier to operate.
C．They take less time to cook than other appliances.	D．They have a shorter life cycle than other appliances.

3. What recommendation does the study by the University of Manchester make?

A．Improving microwave users' habits.	B．Cooking food of different varieties.
C．Eating less to cut energy consumption.	D．Using microwave ovens less frequently.

4. What does Professor David Reay try to argue?

A．People should be persuaded into using passenger cars less often.

B．The UK produces less CO2 than many other countries in the EU.

C．More data are needed to show whether microwaves are harmful.

D．There are far more emissions from cars than from microwaves.

5. What does Professor David Reay think of the use of microwaves?

A．It'll become less popular in the coming decades.	B．It plays a useful role in environmental protection.
C．It makes everyday cooking much more convenient.	D．It consumes more power than conventional cooking.

【推荐3】We experience the full range of emotions during the final scenes of the movie trilogy, Lord of the Rings: Return of the King. Watching Frodo being surrounded by the fire we hold our breath; we overjoy when Gandalf saves him. So what’s going on? There must be a special kind of movie magic that makes us care about what we know isn’t real. As it happens, there is a special kind of magic, but it’s not in the movie. It’s in the minds of people who watch it. Dr. Brian Schwartz, professor of the University of Chicago, believes this magic is especially potent when we watch movies on the big screen.

“What happens first,” he argues, “is that you give up control. The movie is in control.” In normal life our brains are like tractor beams (牵引光束), busy taking in any information that seems important or interesting. This is called the attentional system. But as the characters come alive on screen, we stop sensing our body. Psychologists call this kind of mental state “flow”: when our attention is completely absorbed in one activity and there isn’t any juice left in our attentional system to take in any more information. We are effortlessly swept along in the currents of the ride. This is why we love the movies: it’s like going on a roller coaster (过山车) for the brain.

However, there’s something else magic at work here too: in a movie theater, as we give up control, our sense of reality changes. Deep down we know that what we’re seeing is make-believe, but because we’re not going to act upon it, because it doesn’t have a direct physical bearing upon us, we don’t test if it is real. It’s like that part of our brain goes on a temporary vacation. Something else is happening in the brain to make this possible too. The mind has different abilities, and each one has a distinct place in the brain. Our knowledge that we’re only watching a movie happens in the front part of our brain. But emotions come from the limbic system (边缘系统), in the back of the brain. Even though our front brain knows that a movie isn’t real, the back brain never gets the message.

It’s a sad fact that the intensity of the emotions that movies produce in us may be decreasing. At home, or on our smart phones, movies are wonderfully convenient. But watching in this way limits their magic because we’re in control; we have the power to stop the film or fast forward bits we don’t like. “If you’re not giving up control to the movie,” Schwartz says, “you’re getting a thinned-out movie experience.” More control might be more convenient, but it won’t mean more magic. Surely, we deserve better than that, and Frodo does too.

1. What can be inferred from this passage?

A．Distinct parts of our brain are interactive.

B．Movies on phones can take us to the state of flow conveniently.

C．The limbic system can help us sense the reality.

D．Going to theaters creates better viewing experience.

2. Why does the author mention a roller coaster?

A．To demonstrate the strong feeling of the attentional system.

B．To explain the filmmaking techniques used by directors.

C．To describe psychological methods involved in seeing a movie.

D．To illustrate the excitement that a movie can provide.

3. What does the underlined word “potent” in Paragraph 1 probably mean?

A．Subjective.

B．Complicated.

C．Effective.

D．Temporary.

4. Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?

A．Emotions out of Control	B．Different Choices of Moviegoers
C．Your Brain on Movies	D．The Rise of Movie Theaters