【推荐1】Cold Truths

Is there any truth behind the saying “You are what you eat”? We put this to the test by asking three people to open their fridge doors and talk about their lifestyles.    1     Maybe you can recognize your own fridge here!

“You might find bean products in our fridge, but hamburgers? Never!” — Amy, Teacher

    2     This means we don’t eat meat, and any milk or cheese had better be dairy-free. We like cooking at home and make our meals from fresh, seasonal fruit and vegetables. If we have children, I want to bring them up just like us, but my husband says that everyone should be able to make their own lifestyle choices.

“    3    ” — Mike, Chef

With five children, we’re one big family! My wife and I both work full-time, so life can get pretty busy! Like a lot of chefs I know, I don't really do much cooking at home. Sometimes I bring home food from the restaurant where I work. Once a week we do a big shop and buy a lot of frozen food. I know we should eat more fresh fruit and vegetables...    4    

“There isn’t really much in my fridge. I’m too busy and tired to cook at home!” — Ted, Doctor

There’s not enough room to swing a cat in my small apartment, so I don’t cook very often. My fridge is usually half empty and I’m often too tired to eat much anyway.    5    

As a doctor, I know I had better change the way I eat, but I just don’t have the time or the energy right now.

A．My husband and I avoid all animal products.

B．Can you guess which fridge belongs to which person?

C．But ready meals are so convenient for full-time workers.

D．The food in our fridge comes from my workplace and shops.

E．Some evenings I’ll have something quick like toast or even just a yogurt.

【推荐2】Many people believe eating healthily is expensive—and more costly than buying junk foods. But our new research, published in the BMC Pubic Health，shows this isn't the truth.

Most of the Australian family food budget(预算)is being spent on junk foods and drinks that are high in fat, sugar and salt.

Less than 7% of Australians eat healthily. The Australian adults（成年人） get at least 35% of their energy from junk foods and drinks. As a result, two­thirds of adults (63%) and one­quarter of children are overweight.

We used the Australian Health Survey 2011－2013 and the suggestions of the Australian Dietary Guidelines to model healthy diets(饮食) for a family of two adults and two children every two weeks. We collected food prices in supermarkets and stores in high and low­socioeconomic (社会经济地位低的)areas in Brisbane，and compared the diet prices with family incomes（收入）.

In both areas, a family of two adults and two children spend about 18% more on present diets than would be required to buy healthy diets. About 58% of the food budget for present diets is spent on junk foods, including takeaway foods(14%)，and sugary drinks(4%)．

In the low­socioeconomic area，a family of two adults and two children spend $640.20 every two weeks on their present diets，but could buy a healthy diet for $560.93 every two weeks. In the high­socioeconomic area，these numbers are $661.92 and $580.01.

Supermarket food prices were about 3% higher in the high­socioeconomic areas. Takeaway foods were also relatively more expensive，but sugary drinks were priced similarly in both areas.

Present diets cost more than healthy diets，so it is surely not the price that helps to drive preferences for unhealthy choices.

1. What did the researchers find?

A．Most Australian kids have fat problems.

B．Half Australians live on junk foods.

C．Most Australians eat unhealthily.

D．Australians have a preference for sweet foods.

2. How did the researchers get the result?

A．By doing the study online.

B．By making a comparison.

C．By carrying out interviews.

D．By asking personal questions.

3. What can we learn from Paragraph 5?

A．Australian foods are healthier.

B．Healthy foods are becoming more expensive.

C．People choose junk foods for their low prices.

D．A healthy diet is actually cheaper.

4. What might the following paragraph be about?

A．Why people choose junk foods.

B．The harm of junk foods.

C．How we can eat healthily.

D．The advantages of a healthy diet.

【推荐2】Eyesight plays a very important role in our daily life. Every waking moment, the eyes are working to see the world around us. Over forty percent of Americans worry about losing eyesight, but it's easy to include steps into our daily life to ensure healthy eyes. Here are five suggestions for a lifetime of healthy eyesight:

·Schedule yearly exams.     1     Experts advise parents to bring babies 6 to 12 months of age to the doctor for a careful check. The good news is that millions of children now can have yearly eye exams and following treatment, including eyeglasses.

·Protect against UV rays (紫外线). Long­term stay in the sun creates risk to your eyes. No matter what the season is, it’s extremely important to wear sunglasses.     2    

·    3     Two thirds of Americans spend up to seven hours a day using computers or other digital products. This frequent eye activity increases the risk for eye tiredness. Experts recommend that people practice the 20/20/20 rule: every 20 minutes, take a 20­second break and look at something 20 feet away.

·    4     As part of a healthy diet, eat more fruits and vegetables each day. Vitamins (维生素) C and E help protect eyesight and promote eye health.

·Practice safe wear and care of contact lenses (隐形眼镜). Many Americans use contact lenses to improve their eyesight. While some follow the medical advice for wearing contact lenses, many are breaking the rules and putting their eyesight at risk.     5     Otherwise, you may have problems such as red eyes, pain in the eyes, or a more serious condition.

A．Give your eyes a break.

B．Parents usually don't care about their own eyesight.

C．They can properly protect your eyes.

D．Stay in good shape by taking more vitamins.

E．Have your eyes checked as early as possible.

F．Always follow the doctor’s advice for appropriate wear.

G．Eat your greens.

【推荐3】Things Could Happen If You Keep Rubbing Your Eyes

Rubbing eyes can often result in significant damage, from causing eye disease to making existing conditions worse and increasing your risk of infection. Here are things that can happen if you keep rubbing your eyes.

    1    

People who are nearsighted may find that rubbing eyes results in worse eyesight. Nearly 9.6 million people are what is known as highly nearsighted and their eyes degraded over time, according to research from the American Academy of Ophthalmology.

•You'll give yourself an infection

    2    they can still pick up thousands of germs every day. Touching your eyes with your hands, especially when you never wash your hands can transfer bacteria that can cause eye disease, for example, pink eye, according to the American Optometric Association.    3    , a warm press may help calm it. Don't miss these easy ways to improve your vision.

•You'll make your eyelid go loose

    4    It may also make the eyelid lose flexibility over time. That's a less serious problem, but still not something we want to happen. Is there any safe amount of rubbing your eyes？It is recommended that you apply the same amount of pressure to your eyes that you would if you are drying your face with a towel.

•You'll get bloodshot eyes and dark circles

If you rub your eyes hard enough, you might cause tiny blood vessels in your eyes to break. That could result in bloodshot eyes. The blood will then flow to surrounding tissue.    5    

A．If your eyes get infected

B．No matter how often you wash your hands

C．You'll lose your eyesight and become blind

D．Since not all know the harm of rubbing eyes

E．You'll make your nearsightedness much worse

F．Rubbing eyes can injure more than your eyeballs

G．This might give you those dark circles under your eyes

【推荐1】The unusual whistle language used as a means of communication by villagers in the remote and mountainous northern Turkey has been added to the UNESCO list of Intangible Cultural Heritage.

The language is a highly developed high-pitch system of whistling to communicate in rugged areas where people mostly cannot see each other. It can allow people to communicate across great distances, up to 5 kilometers. Compared with other similar whistle languages in Spain's Canary Islands, in Mexico, or in Greek villages, it has a higher tone and larger vocabulary.

This unusual form of communication, which dates some 500 years ago, to the Ottoman Empire, was born from sheer necessity and widespread across the Black Sea regions.

But 50 years ago, the bird language suffered greatly due to the impact of the progression of technology and nowadays the rapid growth of cellular mobile systems has put this cultural heritage under serious threat.

For centuries, the language has been passed on from grandparent to parent, from parent to child. Now, though, many of its most skilful speakers who use their tongue, teeth and fingers are aging and becoming physically weak. Young people are no longer interested in learning the language or in finding ways to update its vocabulary with new words, and in a few generations it may be gone for good.

“Our bird language is very convenient and efficient to communicate across the valleys. It has many benefits over yelling, which is bad for our throats.” said Avni Kocek, head of the bird village adding that despite setbacks because of technology, “Bird language is still used by many of us. Whistle language is transmitted from our elders to us and we have the duty to transmit it to our children. We are making efforts to keep our culture alive through the yearly Bird Language Festival.”

Besides, the bird language has been required to be taught at primary schools since 2014 by district authorities in order to put the practice in younger generations.

1. What is probably the meaning of the underlined word in Paragraph 2?

A．crowded

B．suitable

C．unsmooth

D．impressive

2. What's the biggest threat to the bird language?

A．Other whistle languages are more effectively protected.

B．The need to use it in everyday life is disappearing.

C．Many of its most skilful speakers are growing old.

D．Young people find it too difficult to learn well enough.

3. What's the most effective measure so far taken to protect the bird language?

A．It has become a subject at primary schools.

B．Bird Language Festival is celebrated every month.

C．Cellular mobile systems are not allowed in the area.

D．All parents are required to transmit it to their children.

4. What's the main idea of the text?

A．It is about how to preserve the endangered bird language.

B．It is about a story of a bird language speaker.

C．It describes the way to celebrate the bird language festival.

D．It describes the disappearance of bird language.

【推荐2】I was always blamed for watching too much cartoons. As I have said goodbye to my teenage, I shift to watching more movies to prove that I was a grown-up. Surprisingly, I found that movies have something in common with cartoons. They are unrealistic.
Sometimes movies give people hope, including the hope of justice, the hope of tomorrow and almost everything else. A great number of people were once touched by certain movies. From time to time, movies try to deliver some decisive ideas to the audience. In this way, movies do cheer up many people to go on with their lives.
It seems that there is a set formula in movies. We usually see the hero or heroine in the movies suffer a lot in the opening. Gradually and likely, the destination of them always comes to a turning point. So they have to struggle or make some important choices. Then the movie ends up with a happy finale. Or at least the hero finally manages to face his poor life with great courage somehow. However, when audience watch movies in the cinema, most of them just follow the story. Few of them may ask, “Will it happen in the real life？”
Movies are also imitating the real life. Thus a movie, just like a novel, can never be the same as the real life. The setting of a movie is so ideal that we could hardly find it out in reality. The moviemakers just try their best to persuade the audience to believe the story is true. In a word, it is all just make-believe.
For quite a long time, I think that the adults’ world is realistic in the opposite way of the children’s cartoon. However, the movies from the adult world turn out to be a made-up thing. At the very moment, I suddenly realize that movies are somewhat of the adult’s fairy tales or cartoons.
To sum up, other than false comfort such as movies and tales, we are more in need of the maturity of mind, so that we can face our lives bravely and correctly.
1. With time going on, the author shifts to watching more movies because he thinks that_____.

A．they give him hope of justice and tomorrow in life

B．they are for adult and that he is now an adult

C．they help him forget the real world

D．they are similar to cartoons he used to watch

2. Which of the following is true about the type of movies the author mentions?

A．The hero or heroine simply has met no difficulty at all.

B．The hero or heroine is able to deal successfully with any problems.

C．Sometimes there are cartoon characters in the movies.

D．The audience know they are simply foolish stories.

3. The underlined word “make-believe” in Paragraph 4 probably means_____.

A．something imagined to be real

B．something too ideal to believe

C．a happy ending all the audience desire

D．a belief that is based on facts

4. According to the author, which of the following is the side effect of the movies?

A．People may be confused by them.

B．Movies can usually improve real life.

C．Film fans just follow the movie stories.

D．False comfort may mislead the audience.

【推荐3】If you are longing for a hike in Alaska and aren’t sure where to star, here are our favorites. There’s something for all levels of skills and ambitions.

The Kenai River Trail

A half mile down this trail are wonderful views of the Kenai River Canyon. There are really two trailheads(小道的起点); the main “upper” trail starts at mile 0.6 of Skilak Lake Rd, and the other at mile 2.3.

Turnagain Arm Trail

This 11-mile hike begins at Potter Trailhead (Mile 115). Initially used by Alaska Natives, the trail, can also be accessible to points along the way: McHugh Creck (Mile 112), Rainbow (Mile 108) and Windy (Mile 107).

Iditarod National Historic Trail

The National Historic Iditarod Trail is a 24-mile hike used by gold miners and sled-dog teams until 1918, when the Alaska Railroad was finished. It’s a two-to-three day hike through superb mountain scenery to Girdwood (where it’s known as the Crow Pass Trail), and is the region’s best backpack adventure.

Put up a tent at Echo Bend (Mile 3), or rent one of two yurts(毡房) ($65 per night) close by. For a shorter outing you can turn around at the Perch, then return to the Dew Mound Trail at Echo Bend and then to the Nature Center, making this a scenic 8-mile trip.

Reed Lakes Trail

Two alpine lakes, waterfalls, glaciers and towering granite(花岗岩) walls: the 7-to-9-mile Reed Lakes Trail is one of the most wonderful hikes in the region, and worth the climb. Once you reach upper Reed Lake, continue 1 mile to Bomber Glacier, where the ruin of a B-29 bomber lies in memorial to six men who died in a 1957 crash.

1. Which route was originally used by Alaska Natives?

A．The Kenai River Trail.	B．Tunagain Arm Trail.
C．Iditarod National Historic Trail.	D．Reed Lakes Trail.

2. What will visitors see at Bomber Glacier?

A．A memorial to six heroes.	B．A tower made of granite.
C．One of the most splendid waterfalls.	D．The ruin of a B-29 bomber.

3. Who will be more interested in the text?

A．Nature photographers.	B．Sports lovers.
C．Field researchers.	D．Alaska explorers.

【推荐1】Coronavirus: What is “flattening the curve” and will it work?

In epidemiology, the idea of slowing a virus' spread so that fewer people need to seek treatment at any given time is known as "flattening the curve". It explains why so many countries are implementing "social distancing" guidelines﹣including a "shelter in place" order that affects 6.7 million people in Northern California, even though COVID﹣19 outbreaks there might not yet seem severe.

Here's what you need to know about the curve, and why we want to flatten it.

What is the curve?

The "curve" researchers are talking about refers to the projected number of people who will contract COVID﹣19 over a period of time. （To be clear， this is not a hard prediction of how many people will definitely be infected, but a theoretical number that's used to model the virus' spread. ） Here's what one looks like:

The curve takes on different shapes, depending on the virus's infection rate. It could be a steep curve， in which the virus spreads exponentially （that is, case counts keep doubling at a consistent rate）, and the total number of cases skyrockets to its peak within a few weeks.   Infection curves with a steep rise also have a steep fall; after the virus infects pretty much everyone who can be infected, case numbers begin to drop exponentially, too.

The faster the infection curve rises, the quicker the local health care system gets overloaded beyond its capacity to treat people. As we're seeing in Italy, more and more new patients may be forced to go without ICU beds, and more and more hospitals may run out of the basic supplies they need to respond to the outbreak.

A flatter curve, on the other hand, assumes the same number of people ultimately get infected, but over a longer period of time. A slower infection rate means a less stressed health care system, fewer hospital visits on any given day and fewer sick people being turned away.

How do we flatten the curve?

As there is currently no vaccine or specific medication to treat COVID﹣19, the only way to flatten the curve is through collective action. Some governments have recommended that all citizens wash their hands frequently, self﹣isolate when they're sick or suspect they might be， and start “social distancing” right away.

1. According to the passage, which of the following about the curve is TRUE?

A．The curve has different shapes depending on the types of pandemic.

B．The curve with a flatter rise has a flatter fall as well.

C．The steep curve suggests local health system might maintain its capacity.

D．The curve here shows the number of people who've been cured.

2. Why is it important to flatten the curve?

A．The time for the infection will be shorter.

B．People can develop immunity to the virus.

C．The health care system can handle the infected people.

D．Vaccines can be developed to stop the spread of the virus.

3. What is the way mentioned in the passage to flatten the curve?

A．Putting local health care system under stress.

B．Paying more frequent visits to local hospitals.

C．Giving people effective medication or vaccine.

D．Practicing social distancing as soon as possible.

【推荐2】THE BRONTE FAMILY

Yorkshire in England was the setting for two great novels of the 19th century.These were Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre and Emily Bronte’s Wuthering Heights.The youngest sister,Anne,was also a gifted novelist,and her books have the same extraordinary quality as her sisters’．

Their father was Patrick Bronte，born in Ireland.He moved with his wife，Maria Bronte，and their six small children to Haworth in Yorkshire in 1820. Soon after,Mrs Bronte and the two eldest children died, leaving the father to care for the remaining three girls and a boy.

Charlotte was born in 1816.Emily was born in 1818 and Anne in 1820.Their brother Branwell was born in 1817.Left to themselves,the children wrote and told stories and walked over the hills.They grew up largely self­educated.Branwell showed a great interest in drawing.The girls were determined to earn money for his art education.They took positions as teachers or taught children in their homes.

As children they had all written many stories.Charlotte,as a young girl, alone wrote 22 books,each with 60 to 100 pages of small handwriting.Therefore, they turned to writing for income.By 1847,Charlotte had written The Professor; Emily had written Wuthering Heights;and Anne had written Agnes Grey.After much difficulty Anne and Emily found a publisher,but there was no interest shown in Charlotte’s book.(It was not published until 1859.) However,one publisher expressed an interest in seeing more of her work.Jane Eyre was already started,and she hurriedly finished it.It was accepted at once;thus each of the sisters had a book published in 1847.

Jane Eyre was immediately successful;the other two,however,did not do so well.People did not like Wuthering Heights.They said it was too wild,too animal­like.But gradually it came to be considered one of the finest novels in the English language.Emily lived only a short while after the publication of the book and Anne died in 1849.

Charlotte published Shirley in 1849,and Villette in 1853.In 1854 she married Arthur Bell Nicholls.But only a year later,she died of tuberculosis(肺结核) as her sisters had.

1. What did the Bronte sisters want to do for Branwell?

A．Help him write stories.	B．Help him get trained in art.
C．Teach him how to draw well.	D．Teach him how to educate himself.

2. We know from the text that ________．

A．Jane Eyre was published in 1847

B．Charlotte Bronte wrote 22 books in all

C．the Bronte sisters received a good education

D．Patrick Bronte helped his daughters with their writings

3. Which of the following was published after the death of its writer?

A．Shirley.	B．Villette.
C．Agnes Grey.	D．The Professor.

【推荐3】After 21 years of marriage, my wife wanted me to take another woman out to dinner and a movie. She said, ''I love you, but I know this other woman loves you too, and she would love to spend some time with you. ''

The other woman that my wife wanted me to visit was my MOTHER, who has been a widow for 19 years, but the demands of my work and my three children had made it possible to visit her only occasionally. That night I called to invite her to go out for dinner and a movie. ''What's wrong, are you well? '' she asked. My mother is the type of woman who suspects that a late night call or a surprise invitation is a sign of bad news.

''I thought that it would be pleasant to spend some time with you, '' I responded. ''Just the two of us. '' She thought about it for a moment, and then said, ''I would like that very much. ''

That Friday after work, as I drove over to pick her up, I was a bit nervous. When I arrived at her house, I noticed that she, too, seemed to be nervous about our date. She waited in the door with her coat on. We went to a restaurant that, although not elegant, was very nice and cozy. My mother took my arm as if she were the First Lady. After we sat down, I had to read the menu. Her eyes could only read large print. Halfway through the entries, I lifted my eyes and saw Mom sitting there staring at me. A nostalgic smile was on her lips.

During the dinner, we had an agreeable conversation--nothing extraordinary but catching up on recent events of each other's life. We talked so much that we missed the movie.

As we arrived at her house later, she said, ''I'll go out with you again, but only if you let me invite you. '' I agreed.

A few days later, my mother died of a massive heart attack. It happened so suddenly that I didn't have a chance to do anything for her. Some time later, I received an envelope with a copy of a restaurant receipt from the same place mother and I had dined. An attached note said: ''I paid this bill in advance. I wasn't sure that I could be there; but nevertheless, I paid for two plates -- one for you and the other for your wife. You will never know what that night meant for me. I love you, son. ''

At that moment, I understood the importance of saying in time: ''I LOVE YOU'' and to give our loved ones the time that they deserve. Nothing in life is more important than your family. Give them the time they deserve, because these things cannot be put off till ''some other time''.

1. When the mother heard it was the son's call, she was _______.

A．surprised

B．worried

C．suspicious

D．puzzled

2. What did the mother mainly talk about to the author during the dinner?

A．Her life after the author's marriage.

B．Her memory about the author as a child.

C．Her life since the author's last visit.

D．Her expectation about future reunions.

3. What's the purpose of the author's writing this passage?

A．To teach us how to cherish our family.

B．To tell us to enjoy the present life.

C．To convey the importance of showing respect for our parents.

D．To warn us not to put off what we should do till some time later.

4. What's the best title of the passage?

A．Mother's love

B．Next to never

C．Precious union

D．A special date