【推荐1】BELJLNG — Eating at a Beijing restaurant is usually an adventure for foreigners, and particularly when they get the chance to order “chicken without sex life” or “red burned lion head”.
Sometimes excited but mostly confused, embarrassed or even terrified, many foreigners have long complained about mistranslations of Chinese dishes. And their complaints are often valid, but such an experience at Beijing’s restaurants will apparently soon be history.
Foreign visitors will no longer, hopefully, be confused by oddly worded restaurant menus in the capital if the government’s plan to correctly translate 3,000 Chinese dishes is a success and the translations are generally adopted.
The municipal（市政）office of foreign affairs has published a book to recommend English translations of Chinese dishes, which aims to help restaurants avoid bizarre translations. It provides the names of main dishes of famous Chinese cuisines in plain English, “an official with the city’s Foreign Affairs office said .” Restaurants are encouraged to use the proposed translations, but it will not be compulsory .“ It’s the city’s latest effort to bridge the culture gap for foreign travelers in China.
Coming up with precise translations is a daunting task, as some Chinese culinary（烹饪的）techniques are untranslatable and many Chinese dishes have no English-language equivalent. The translators, after conducting a study of Chinese restaurants in English-speaking countries, divided the dish names into four categories: ingredients, cooking method, taste and name of a person or a place. For some traditional dishes, pinyin, the Chinese phonetic system, is used, such as mapo tofu (previously often literally translated as “beancurd made by woman with freckles”), baozi (steamed stuffed bun ) and jiaozi (dumplings) to “reflect the Chinese cuisine culture,” according to the book.
“The book is a blessing to tourist guides like me. Having it, I don’t have to rack my brains trying to explain Chinese dishes to foreign travellers,” said Zheng Xiaodong, a 31- year – old employee with a Beijing-based travel agency.
“I will buy the book as I major in English literature and I’d like to introduce Chinese cuisine culture to more foreign friends,” said Han Yang, a postgraduate student at the University of International Business and Economics.
It is not clear if the book will be introduced to other parts of China. But on Tuesday, this was the most discussed topic on weibo.com, China’s most popular microblogging site.
1. What’s the best title of the passage?

A．An adventure for foreigners who eat in Beijing.

B．Confusing mistranslations of Chinese dishes

C．Chinese dishes to have “official” English names

D．The effort to bridge the culture gap

2. “chicken without sex life” or “red burned lion head” are mentioned in the beginning of the passage to show__________.

A．some Chinese dishes are not well received

B．some Chinese dishes are hard to translate

C．some Chinese dishes are mistranslated

D．some Chinese dishes are not acceptable

3. What measure has the municipal office taken?

A．Recommending a book on Chinese dishes

B．Advocating using precise translation for Chinese dishes

C．Publishing a book on China’s dietary habits

D．Providing the names of main Chinese dishes

4. What’s the meaning of the underlined word “daunting” in paragraph 5?

A．discouraging	B．disappointing
C．confusing	D．worthwhile

5. What’s the attitude of most people to the book according to the passage?

A．not clear	B．excited
C．favorable	D．divided

【推荐2】You drink diet soda enjoying the sweet taste without the guilt of calories. But scientists have long suspected a link between artificial sweeteners (甜味剂) and obesity in humans. A new study suggests that artificial sweeteners may not be as harmless as once thought. They may not only disturb the microbes (微生物) living in the bodies of humans, but some may even increase the risk of weight gain.

Every human hosts a unique group of microbes. The number of cells that make up this vast community, called microbiome, is extremely large in the human body. It not only helps digestion but also protects against diseases. The disturbance to the microbiome occurs because artificial sweeteners, although there are zero calories for humans, serve as nutrients for some microbes, which then increase rapidly. This causes an imbalance in microbial populations that can lead to diseases.

In the study, scientists first chose 1,375 volunteers to see if they consumed artificial sweeteners in their daily lives. Then, they identified 120 volunteers who were not previously exposed to artificial sweeteners and gave them one of the four commonly used sweeteners — saccharin, sucralose, aspartame, and stevia for two weeks. After that, to test how artificial sweeteners affect the body’s ability to control the sudden increase of blood sugar after consuming sugar as part of meals, volunteers were monitored for blood sugar levels after a test.

The study showed that sucralose and saccharin pushed the body towards blood sugar intolerance, which, if sustained, can cause weight gain. However, aspartame and stevia did not affect blood sugar tolerance at the tested levels. “The study is the first to show that the human microbiome responds to artificial sweeteners. It’s also a convincing study to show how these sweeteners really are affecting the human body,” says Michael Goran, a professor at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles.

“This study provides evidence of both short-term harmful effects and long-term negative effects caused by artificial sweeteners,” David Katz, a nutrition specialist, says. “That does not mean artificial sweeteners should be replaced with sugar. Rather, alternative approaches to reducing sugar intake should be considered.”

1. What is the main finding in the new study?

A．People can drink diet soda without any limits.

B．The microbes are of great importance to human beings.

C．Artificial sweeteners bring negative impacts on humans.

D．Drinking too much soda is the main cause of obesity.

2. How do sweeteners disturb the microbiome?

A．It probably destroys the function of digestion.

B．It usually causes a rapid loss of healthy cells.

C．It sometimes feeds harmful bacteria in the body.

D．It often leads to a sharp growth of certain microbes.

3. Which aspect of the experiment is talked about in Paragraph 3?

A．Its results.

B．Its process.

C．Its background.

D．Its subjects.

4. What can be inferred from David Katz’s advice?

A．Sugar can never be replaced by artificial sweetness.

B．Factories producing sugary drinks need to take more responsibilities.

C．Artificial sweeteners should be banned.

D．Other ways to limit sugar intake need to be discovered.

【推荐3】The Impossible Burger is a burger that tastes exactly like beef, but it was made using vegetables and science. There are many kinds of “veggie burgers” for vegetarians (素食者)，but this one is made for meat lovers. The company that makes this burger, Impossible Foods，wants to change the food that people eat to reduce climate change.

Scientist Celeste works on the flavor (风味) and texture (纹理) of the burger. She looks for the key points of beef its flavor, smell and look. Then those points are copied using plant based ingredients (成分)，which make the burger look and taste like blood and give it a meaty texture.

The Impossible Burger has the same nutrition as beef, without the unhealthy parts. In fact, taste, nutrition and reducing climate change were all equally important when creating the burger.

Cows are actually terrible for the environment. They need lots of land and water, and they create greenhouse gases. However, an Impossible Burger uses 95% less land, 75% less water, and creates 85-87% less greenhouse gases than a beef burger.

That's why this burger was made for meat lovers. The goal is for them to eat less meat in order to protect environment. At the same time they can still eat delicious burgers that taste like real meat.

Want to try the Impossible Burger? It can be found in Texas, Nevada, California and New York. Below are some restaurants serving it in L. A. and New York City.

1. What can we learn about the Impossible Burger from the passage?

A．It is made of beef and vegetables.	B．It is made for vegetarians.
C．It has the flavor of real beef.	D．It is not so nutritious.

2. Why is the Impossible Burger created?

A．It helps to reduce climate change.	B．It helps meat lovers to lose weight.
C．It satisfies meat lovers with delicious beef.	D．It prevents cows from producing greenhouse gases.

3. What is the passage mainly about?

A．Ways to protect the environment.	B．An environmentally friendly food.
C．How to make the Impossible Burger.	D．Advice on healthy eating.

4. What will the author probably show in the next paragraph?

A．Who will try the Impossible Burger.	B．What the Impossible Burger may lead to.
C．When the Impossible Burger was invented.	D．Where people can enjoy the Impossible Burger.

【推荐2】Over a four-year period, Swiss researchers have developed a machine that can keep human livers (肝)alive outside of the body for one week.

Livers are among the most commonly transplanted (移植)human organs. Current technology can only keep human livers alive for up to 24 hours. It is reported that, in 2017, about 8.000 liver transplants were performed in the U.S., of which 360 used livers from living givers In addition, about 11,500 people were registered on a waiting list to receive a liver transplant. Keeping livers alive and functioning for longer periods could greatly improve the chances of survival for patients.

The researchers say the purpose of their “Liver4Life” machine is to perform what they call liver perfusion (灌注)operations outside of the human body. Perfusion is the process by which blood or other liquids are pumped through organs and tissue. The machine keeps the liver at the right temperature and moves it in a way that would be natural in the body. Using a pump to fill the liver with blood acting like a human heart, the machine also provides oxygen to the organ, controls red blood cell levels and removes waste.

The research team began their experiments with livers from pigs. After repeated testing and engineering development, they succeeded in getting the pig livers to survive for seven days with support only provided from the Liver4Life machine. They also discovered the system can work to repair damaged livers. The team is now planning its next step to transplant machine-treated organs into patients.

Pierre-Alain Clavien. leader of the research said in a statement. “This technology will greatly increase the number of livers available for transplant, improving the chances of survival for patients. The success of this unique machine opens the way for many new applications in transplantation and cancer medicine.”

1. What does the author intend to do in paragraph 2?

A．Introduce a brand new topic for discussion.

B．Provide some latest data about present liver transplants.

C．Show the urgency of tech improvement in liver transplants.

D．Remind readers concerned of the importance of a healthy liver.

2. What does the underlined word “it” in paragraph 3 refer to?

A．The machine.	B．The liver.
C．The temperature.	D．The tissue.

3. What can we learn about the Liver4Life machine?

A．It is among the most commonly used machines for liver transplants.

B．It is aimed to carry out liver perfusion operations in the human body.

C．It can perform several functions to keep the liver working normally.

D．It can be used to keep the pig livers alive for more than one week.

4. Where is this text most likely from?

A．A biology textbook.	B．A first aid brochure.
C．A social web page.	D．A health magazine.

【推荐3】Fourteen years ago, wildlife documentary（纪录片）the Planet Earth took us on an amazing journey from deep caves to the rainforests and then to the bottom of the ocean. Now a new documentary Our Planet will show different animals and the influence of humans on the natural world.

US entertainment company Netflix made the eight-episode（集）journey meet its audience（观众）on April 5. The crew（工作人员）of the documentary covers 50 countries and areas to choose the best filming places, and takes more than four years to produce it. It is the hard work of more than 600 crew members.

With the latest 4K video technology, the documentary allows audiences to have a sharp new look at nature. “People are given a chance to better get themselves into the lives of the animals.” said Fothergill, one of the documentary’s producers.

Apart from showing Earth’s beauty in new detail, the documentary also shows the planet’s poor climate conditions. “Our Planet is here to say, ‘The planet is dying, and we’re killing it.’” Fothergill said. In one sad scene, hundreds of walruses（海象）, half-blind when out of the water, fall down a rock to suffer a painful death on the beach below. It shows how man-made global warming has destroyed their natural habitat（栖息地）and explains why they’ve been forced to find a safe place on the rocks.

However, it’s not all about sadness. The documentary also talks about success stories, including Siberian tigers, blue whales（鲸鱼）and humpback whales. These species are protected thanks to international agreements on environmental protection. It reminds us that we can change the present bad condition of our planet through our joint（共同的）effort.

Calling on more people to take action to protect our planet is the final goal of the new documentary. What we do in the next 20 years will decide the future of all life on Earth.

1. What is the new documentary Our Planet about?

A．An amazing journey of rainforests.

B．The beauty and customs of 50 countries and areas.

C．Different animals and the influence of humans on the natural world.

D．The hard work of more than 600 crew members.

2. What can we infer from the passage?

A．It took a lot of time and efforts to make the documentary.

B．People like to take a close look at animals.

C．The documentary is very popular in many countries and areas.

D．We human can’t change the present condition of our planet.

3. What’s the purpose of the last paragraph?

A．To explain what our goal in the future.

B．To call on more people to protect our planet.

C．To tell us the documentary is worth watching.

D．To tell us how the climate conditions influence animals.

4. Where is the text probably from?

A．A novel.

B．A travel journal.

C．A story book.

D．A newspaper.