【推荐2】Directions: Read the following passage. Fill in each blank with a proper sentence given in the box. Each sentence can be used only once. Note that there are two more sentences than you need.

To sue or not to sue?

The rise and rise of the compensation culture

Perhaps it’s not surprising that Roslyn Darch of Houston, Texas, USA felt annoyed when she tripped (绊倒) over a kid running around furniture store, and broke her ankle.     1     The owners were clearly surprised at the size of Roslyn’s payout. Particularly since the kid she tripped over was her own son.

Some argue that this is just greed --- that the amount of money is far too much for the injury suffered---and it’s not the shop’s fault that a mother can’t control her child anyway.     2     Whatever you think, the compensation culture which has grown up in the USA is spreading, and it will affect all of us.

    3     Sandra York received ＄113,000 from a Philadelphia restaurant after slipping on a spilt soft drink. However, the drink was on the floor because York had thrown it over her boyfriend thirty seconds earlier, during an argument.

If you think that going on holiday is a good way to get away from all this trouble, think again ---millions of people complain to the British Tourist Authority every year, and many receive some form of compensation. Staff at British travel company Thomson Holidays are used to dealing with requests for compensation following poor weather, cancelled flights and lost luggage, but one spokesman revealed, “We recently had a claim from someone who said their holiday was ruined because they didn’t get on with their travelling companion.     4    ”

A．Not everyone takes it for granted to ask for compensation for physical injuries.

B．And it’s not the only claim for physical injuries that are keeping the lawyers busy.

C．And we regularly get complaints from holidaymakers travelling abroad who say the locals don’t speak English!

D．Others would say that it’s good to see the law taking the side of the individual against the big corporations, for a change.

E．It’s difficult for the British Tourist Authority to settle the complaints.

F．But a few months later, she was $780,000 richer after successfully suing (起诉) the shop.

【推荐3】Lawmakers in Massachusetts have introduced a law that would ban children in the seventh grade or younger from playing tackle football（冲撞式橄榄球）.The Act for No Organized Head Impacts to Schoolchildren, or the NO HITS Act, was introduced last month in an effort to protect children’s heads from blows while at a particularly fragile age.

The bill, which would still allow flag or touch football to be played, would cause fines of up to $2,000 for each time the law is broken. People who frequently break the law, or those whose actions cause physical harm, would face bigger fines.

“It’s all about kids’ health and we have a number of studies that say that repeated contacts（接触） to the head are very bad for you and the younger that starts, the worse it is," said Rep. Paul A. Schmid III （D）,who introduced the bill with House Minority Leader Bradley Jones （R）.

According to a 2017 study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, researchers examining 111 brains belonging to former NFL （National Football League） players found the brain disease Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy, or CTE, in 110 of them. The disease is associated with repeated head injuries, not just concussions（脑震荡）,and is generally found in athletes, retired soldiers and others with a history of repetitive brain injuries, according to the Concussion Legacy Foundation, a non—profit organization that works to study, treat and prevent future                                                     cases of brain injuries among athletes and other at—risk groups.

Similar laws have been considered elsewhere in the country, including California and Illinois last year, though they didn’t secure enough votes to become law. Those against previously proposed（提议的）bans have argued that adequate progress has been achieved to make the sport safer and that the sport offers too many benefits for children to totally avoid it.

Several former NFL players, who have been directly or indirectly affected by CTE, have argued differently, however. “I made the mistake of starting tackle football at 9 years old. Now, CTE has taken my life away.Y outh tackle football is all risk with no reward," Pro Football Hall of Famer Nick Buoniconti told CNN last year.

1. Why was the law introduced by lawmakers in Massachusetts?

A．To make tackle football safer for players.

B．To ban children from doing sports too young.

C．To encourage the popularity of some safe sports.

D．To keep young children from suffering brain injuries.

2. What is Paragraph 2 mainly about?

A．The reason why the sport is forbidden.

B．The consequences of breaking the new law.

C．The causes of the new law in Massachusetts.

D．The fines of playing tackle football incorrectly.

3. What does the author want to show by mentioning the 2017 study?

A．Future cases of brain injuries can be reduced.

B．NFL players used to pay much attention to CTE.

C．Repeated head blows can result in brain diseases.

D．Brain injuries can really be prevented with action.

4. Which would most probably show Nick Buoniconti’s opinion?

A．Tackle football is less dangerous than people think.

B．Young children should avoid playing tackle football.

C．Tackle football should be made easier to play than before.

D．Young children often make mistakes while playing tackle football.

【推荐1】BURNING MAN   (BLACK ROCK DESERT, NEVADA)

Burning Man started in 1986, when Larry Harvey and Jerry James assembled(组装) a 8-foot tall wooden figure and pulled it to San Francisco’s Baker Beach. They lit it on fire, a curious crowd of around 20 people watched it burn, and thus one of the world’s wildest parties was born.

It takes place from the last Sunday in August to Labor Day(the first Monday of September). Once a gathering of friends and family, the festival is now a feast to the wonder of self-expression, attracting tourists from all around the world.

CARNIVAL   (RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL)

Arguably the biggest festival in the world, Brazil’s Carnival attracts nearly 5 million people each year, with a half-million or so being visitors.

Historically, Carnival is a religious celebration. The Brazil festival takes place in February or March. So picture 5 million people who’ve been baking in the heat for months, preparing to give up the things they love for 40 days, set loose in a city filled with lively music and various dancers.

LA TOMATINA   (VALENCIA, SPAIN)

Launched way back in 1945, La Tomatina is one of the oldest festivals on our list. It’s also easily the messiest, coming off like the world’s biggest food fight. If you go, please follow some simple rules: Don’t throw hard objects, squash(挤压) the tomato before throwing it, stay a safe distance away from tomato trucks, and stop when the fight has ended. In other words, have fun, but don’t hurt anybody.

1. When does Burning Man celebration usually start?

A．In 1986.

B．In 1945.

C．In August.

D．In September.

2. How many local people attend Carnival every year?

A．Nearly 0.5 million.	B．Nearly 2 million.
C．Nearly 4.5 million.	D．Nearly 5 million.

3. What can we infer about the food fight?

A．It’s held just for fun.

B．It’s held to honor a famous person.

C．It’s allowed to throw anything during the fight.

D．It’s allowed to throw the tomato directly whenever you like.

【推荐2】The traditional Chinese solar calendar divides a year into 24 solar terms. The Spring Equinox Chinese (春分), as the fourth term of the year starts on March 21 and ends on April 5 this year.

The Spring Equinox signals the equal length of the day and night time. On the day of the Spring Equinox, sun is directly above the equator. After the equinox, the sun moves northwards, resulting in gradually longer day time in the Northern Hemisphere and longer night in the Southern Hemisphere.

Here are 6 things you may not know about the Spring Equinox.

Swallows fly north

The ancient Chinese people divided the fifteen days of the Spring Equinox into three “hou’s,” or five-dayparts. As the old saying goes, swallows fly back to the North in the first hou; thunder cracks the sky in the second hou; lightning occurs frequently in the third hou, which vividly reveals the climate feature during the Spring Equinox.

Egg-standing games

Standing an egg upright is a popular game across the country during the Spring Equinox. It is an old custom that dates back to 4, 000 years ago. People practice this tradition to celebrate the coming of spring. It is believed that if someone can make the egg stand, he will have good luck in the future.

Flying kites

Spring Equinox is a good time to fly kites. In ancient times, people did not have good medical resources. So to pray for health, they wrote their medical issues on paper kite. When the kite was in the air, people would cut off the string to let the paper kite float away, symbolizing the flying away of diseases.

Later flying kites developed into a popular game of spring. On the Spring Equinox, people write a blessing on the kite, hoping that the gods in the sky would see it.

Eating spring vegetables

Eating spring vegetables during the Spring Equinox is a commonly practiced custom in many regions of China. ‘Spring vegetables’ refers to seasonal vegetables that differ from place to place. The ancient teachings in the Chinese classic, Huangdi Neijing, suggests that people eat seasonal foods to help preserve health and bring good luck.

Sacrifice to the Sun god

During the Spring Equinox, an old tradition practiced by Beijing locals is offering sacrifices to the Sun god. This tradition is called “Zhonghe Festival”. The “Sun Cake”, a round cake made from wheat and sugar, serves as the main offering.

Reward farm cattle

This practice is popular in the southern area of the lower reaches of the Yangtze River. As the Spring Equinox comes, farm work starts and both the farmers and the cattle start to become busy. Farmers will reward cattle with sticky rice balls to express their gratefulness. Meanwhile, people will also make sacrifice to birds, to thank them for bringing signals for farm work and to ask them not to eat grains later in the year.

1. Which of the following is true about the Spring Equinox?

A．It falls on March 20 every year.

B．The day time is longer than night time.

C．After the Spring Equinox, day time is longer in the Northern Hemisphere.

D．Before the Spring Equinox, night time is longer in the Southern Hemisphere.

2. People cut off the string of the kite in the hope that________.

A．they could have great fun	B．the kite will fly freely in the sky
C．they could get good medical resources.	D．the diseases will fly away with the kites.

3. which word can replace the underlined word “issues”?

A．Treatments.

B．Problems.

C．Questions.

D．Instruments.

4. People do all the things to wish for good luck except__________.

A．playing egg-standing games	B．flying away kites
C．eating spring vegetables	D．rewarding farm cattle

【推荐3】New Scientist Discovery

Tour Amazing science-inspired tours across the globe with experts on board and in the company of fellow travelers who enjoy the discovery of science

Space: Past and Future: USA

14 days for £4.799

Departing 6th May and 14th September 2020

Follow the USA's footsteps in exploring space with this comprehensive tour of NASA's space centers and other key sites, including the Very Large Array in attractive New Mexico. Plus, visit the world's first commercial spaceport with leading researchers.

The Science of the Renaissance（文艺复兴）: Italy

7days for £1,825

Departing 3rd March and 3rd November 2020

Embark on a cultural adventure to the great science cities of Florence and Bologna, as architecture expert Andrew Spira and science historian Professor David Wootton guide you through the great discoveries and minds of the Renaissance.

Land of Fire and Ice: Iceland

8 days for £2,249

Departing 31st October and 7th November2020

Marvel at erupting geysers（喷泉）, glaciers and waterfalls on a trip of volcanic and geological（地质的）adventure. Joined by volcanologist Tamsin Mather, discover the best of Iceland with a chance to see the Aurora Borealis.

Tiger Conservation Safari: India

9 days for £3,850

Departing 10th April 2021

Involve yourself in jungle life in the search for the Bengal tiger. Learn how to protect the rich wildlife you encounter at India's reserves, complete with a masterclass in tracking and stay in a cozy lodge（小屋）.

1. Which tour is scheduled in May?

A．Space: Past and Future: USA

B．The Science of the Renaissance: Italy

C．Land of Fire and Ice: Iceland

D．Tiger Conservation Safari: India

2. How much will it cost if you are interested in Florence?

A．£4,799.	B．£1,825.
C．£2,249.	D．£3,850.

3. What can tourists do during the Iceland tour?

A．Explore space with researchers.

B．See geysers，glaciers and waterfalls.

C．Discover the culture of the Renaissance.

D．Learn about protecting wildlife while travelling.