【推荐1】Are you preparing for a big test? If so, you may want to go to play some basketball in between hitting the books. Doctors are starting to find more and more information that suggests a connection between exercise and brain development. Judy Cameron, a scientist at Oregon Health and Science University, studies brain development. According to her research, it seems that exercise can make blood vessels (血管), including those in the brain, stronger and more fully developed. Dr. Cameron is sure that this allows people who exercise to think better. As she says, “While we already know that exercise is good for the heart, exercise can actually cause physical changes in the brain.”

The effects of exercise on brain development can even be seen in babies. Babies who do activities that require a lot of movement show greater brain development than babies who are less physically active. Even a little movement can show big results. Margaret Barnes, a scientist, also believes in the importance of exercise. She thinks that many learning disabilities that children have in primary school or high school can result from a lack of movement as babies. Babies need movement that encourages and excites their five senses. They need to set up a connection between motion and memory. In this way, as they get older, children will begin to connect physical activity with higher learning,” says Margaret.

Older people can develop their brains as well. Cornell University studied a group of seniors who have a short-term memory increase of up to 40 percent after exercising just three hours a week. The exercise does not have to be very difficult, but it does have to increase the heart rate. Also, just like the motion for babies, exercise for older people should not be too simple. Learning some new skills or actions, such as with yoga or taichi helps to open up memory paths in the brain that may not have been used for a long time. For most people, any type of physical activity that increases the heart rate is helpful. The main aim is to increase the brain’s flow of blood. And your brain can benefit from as little as two to three hours of exercise a week.

1. What is the main idea of this passage?

A．How exercise makes people strong.

B．How to get good scores in a test.

C．How exercise helps the brain develop.

D．How the brain can change one’s memory.

2. According to the passage, what is the connection between exercise and brain development?

A．Exercise helps soften our blood vessels.

B．Physical exercise helps us think better.

C．The brain needs special mental exercise.

D．The more exercise, the bigger the brain.

3. For ordinary people, the smallest amount of exercise required to gain any benefit is ______.

A．two hours per week	B．40 hours per week
C．three hours per day	D．40 hours per month

4. Why is yoga suggested for seniors?

A．It does good to the joints of old people.

B．It does not increase the heart rate.

C．It includes learning new actions.

D．It can be done in groups.

【推荐2】According to the Nordic (北欧的) legend, “ship worms will not go deep into the wood which has been painted with the seal-tar.” Scholars still debate the meaning of “seal” in “seal-tar”. one is that they mixed tar (清漆) with animal fat. Some experiments suggest this may keep ship worms away. It is clear that tar was an important technology. New findings suggest that a vast industry making it appeared at the beginning of the Viking Age, helping enable their wild ambition.

The oldest tar pits (坑) in Sweden date from around 100 A.D. to 400 A. D. The first were discovered in the early 2000s close to an ancient village suggesting that tar was initially for painting houses and household items. It was made by putting pine wood into pits a metre or two wide, setting it on fire and covering it with fuels to encourage a slow burning. In this way, the wood’s resin (树脂) would turn to tar.

However, as Andreas Hennius, an archaeologist (考古学家) reports, around the eighth century something occurred. The pits got bigger — reaching eight to ten metres in diameter — and moved far into the forest. These pits could have made around 300 litres of tar in a single production.

Mr. Hennius argues that the builders needed all this for ships. The eighth century was when sails arrived in northern Europe. That is no coincidence. Tar has been found on all parts of ships, whether big or small. It was used to make ships safe from water. It was also mixed with other paints to give sails color and offer protection from the sun. This expanded opportunities for long-distance trade, and the large, swift attacks defining the Viking Age.

1. What is the recent discovery according to the passage?

A．The function of tar.	B．The actual meaning of “seal”.
C．The times for large-scale tar production.	D．The major role of tar making industry.

2. What can we infer about the oldest tar pits?

A．The tar production started as an industry first for ship building.

B．The pits around the forest were not suitable for mass production.

C．Tar became an industry thanks to adequate supply of fuels around.

D．The pits were discovered over 2000 years after their first construction.

3. Sails in northern Europe in the eighth century are not a coincidence because________.

A．tar was commonly painted on ships	B．other paints could protect ships
C．more pine wood was around the pits	D．there were bigger pits than before

【推荐3】We all know that it’s good to be kind to others. But what does that mean for us? What acts of kindness will make us happiest and who benefit the most? A new review of kindness research provides some answers.

Researchers analyzed the results from 126 research articles looking at almost 200,000 participants from around the world. The studies they chose all had to meet certain criteria, such as including only adults and reporting good statistical data. Some were experiments while others just surveyed people about how kind and happy they were. The studies measured well-being in many ways, including both mental and physical health.

As expected, people who were kind tended to have higher well-being. Although the relationship was not stronger than it was, lead researcher Bryant Hui was still encouraged by the result. “Although the relationship is weaker, the effect still have a significant impact,” he says.

He and his colleagues considered when kindness might have a bigger impact on our well-being. One thing they found was that people who performed random, informal acts of kindness tended to be happier than people who performed more formal acts of kindness. It’s possible that informal helping may fill our more basic psychological needs for close relationships, which is why it could lead to greater happiness.

The researchers also found that people who were kind tended to have a higher sense of meaning and purpose in life. Perhaps this makes sense, given that being kind involves effort which makes people feel confident about themselves and their abilities. And that provides sense of meaning.

1. How did the researchers get the finding?

A．By doing surveys.	B．By carrying out experiments.
C．By comparing research data.	D．By analyzing results of articles.

2. What is Bryant Hui’s attitude towards the result of the research?

A．Astonished.

B．Disappointed.

C．Positive.

D．Discouraged.

3. Why does being kind give people a sense of meaning and purpose in life?

A．Because it makes people healthier.	B．Because it boosts close relationships.
C．Because it improves people’s confidence.	D．Because it promotes awareness of responsibility.

4. What is the best title of the text?

A．Act of Kindness Makes Us Feel Good

B．Being Kind Makes Us Healthy and Happy

C．Random Act of Kindness is Better than Formal Ones

D．Doing Act of Kindness to Others Improves Our Abilities

【推荐1】Machine learning is a way of teaching computers to do tasks. In the past, to do anything computers depended on detailed, step-by-step instructions written by a person. But with machine learning, computers pick up new skills on their own, using examples or experience. This makes machine learning a powerful form of artificial intelligence, or Al. AI is the ability of a machine to think or learn like a person. AI systems power many kinds of machines — from smartphones to robots.

There are a few types of machine learning. The most common is supervised (监督) learning. In this method, a computer is fed lots of labeled training data. For instance, it may look at many photos of dogs. Each photo might be labeled with the dog’s breed (品种). By studying those photos, the computer learns what each breed looks like. Then, the computer can pick out dog breeds in new, unlabeled photos. The more data the computer studies, the better it gets at its task.

Another important kind of machine learning is reinforcement (强化) learning. Using this type of learning is sort of like training your dog to do a trick. The computer learns to achieve some goal by interacting with its environment. When the computer makes a choice that brings it closer to its goal, it gets a virtual reward. Through trial and error, the computer learns to make better choices. This type of machine learning has helped computers master difficult games like Go and StarCraft II. It has also been used to teach self-driving cars how to get around.

Machine learning has helped create technology all around us. It powers language translators and search engines. When your streaming services recommend new shows you might like, that’s machine learning at work. Machine learning systems also organise posts in social media feeds. They even help diagnose diseases. In many ways, the problem-solving power of machine learning is reshaping the world.

1. What does the underlined phrase “pick up” in Paragraph 1 probably mean?

A．Update.

B．Explore.

C．Require.

D．Acquire.

2. Why does the author mention dog training in Paragraph 3?

A．To encourage self-learning.	B．To show the love for dogs.
C．To explain an idea clearly.	D．To voice his views on AI.

3. Which word best describes the author’s attitude towards machine learning?

A．Positive.

B．Disapproving.

C．Doubtful.

D．Uncaring.

4. What can we learn about machine learning?

A．It’s different from AI technology.	B．It makes us further know dog’s breed.
C．It will take place of human translator.	D．It has been applied widely in daily life.

【推荐3】A ROBOT companion for older people aims to promote activity and deal with loneliness by urging them to take part in digital and physical activities.

The ElliQ robot, made by Israel-based start-up Intuition Robotics, will be published at the Design Museum in London this week. ElliQ is a small desktop device that consists of a domed (拱形的) “body” and a separate detachable (可拆卸的) screen.

Created in collaboration with Swiss designer Yves Behar, the robot is able to encourage a degree of social engagement. Similar to home assistants like the Amazon Echo, people can simply talk to it, and there are visual clues that could be particularly helpful for those with hearing difficulties.

A key purpose of ElliQ is to act as an easy platform to access existing services such as social media, and messaging programs. For example, the device could alert the users that their grandchild has posted a new photo on Facebook, show it to them on the screen.

ElliQ can recommend activities voluntarily. It might ask if you’re interested in watching a video, for instance, or suggest a walk. It can also act as reminder to take medication.

Having a robot constantly offer suggestions could obviously get annoying, so the device uses machine learning to tailor these suggestions to individual preferences. If a suggestion is met with a positive response once, ElliQ might try it again. If not, it might change for a different tack.

1. Which of the following statements is NOT true?

A．A robot companion for older people will strongly advise them to participate in digital and physical activities to be healthy.

B．The ElliQ robot is published at the Design Museum in London.

C．The screen of the ElliQ robot can be removed if necessary.

D．The ElliQ robot is created by Swiss designer Yves Behar and Israel-based start-up Intuition Robotics.

2. The underlined word “alert” is closest m meaning to       .

A．declare	B．announce
C．remind	D．say

3. ElliQ can serve the following purposes EXCEPT       .

A．when the user’s friend updates his moments (朋友圈), it can show it to the user on the screen.

B．it can recommend some activities even the user doesn’t ask.

C．it will constantly give suggestions regardless of the user’s individual preference.

D．it can help those with hearing difficulties by offering visual clues.

4. In which column we are most likely to find the passage?

A．News & Technology	B．People
C．Health	D．International Affairs