【推荐2】

1. Exercise

Studies show that 30minutes of mild exercise a day will increase your life span. This doesn't mean you have to run three miles or start jumping. Simple activities such as walking, gardening or taking exercise classes will work.

2. Enjoy people

Contacts with family and friends help fight life-sapping depression and stress. Studies show that people socialize regularly live longer than loners. Interact daily with family members and friends. If you are isolated, make a point of joining social clubs or church groups so you can laugh and share life's joys.

3. Stay mentally active

This is very important-use it or lose it!People who allow their mental faculties to decline run the risk of shortening their lives through falls and other injuries, and not being able to take care of themselves. Read the newspaper, visit the public library, balance your checkbook without a calculator, and exercise your brain by doing crossword puzzle.

4. Diet

The key words are"high-fiber, low-fat". Cut back on red meat, salt, white flour, white sugar, alcohol and coffee. Start eating a balanced diet including lots of fruit, grains, raw vegetables and nuts.

5. Positive attitude

By approaching life with a positive outlook you increase your chances of living longer. Stay optimistic-always search for the silver lining. Studies show people who see life as an enjoyable challenge, rather than a constant trial, cope better and prolong their life spans.

6. medication mix

As we age, we are more likely to take medications. Sometimes this leads to over-medication, which can be disabling and even deadly. Ask your doctor if the drugs you take are really necessary. Make sure there is no danger of a bad drug interaction from your medication. Used correctly, medicines can help you live longer and more comfortably.

7. Volunteer

Helping others increases your self-esteem and makes you feel like a valuable contributor.

1. Which of the following does NOT increase your life span？___

A．Staying happy about life	B．Exercising as much as possible
C．Exercising your brain frequently	D．Enjoying your social life

2. People who do not stay mentally active are more likely to___.

A．become ignorant	B．lose their minds
C．shorten their lives	D．become slow in movement

3. Which of the following is correct about medication？___

A．Appropriate medication is necessary.

B．Medication is always helpful to you.

C．Doctors suggest taking expensive medicines.

D．Drugs are unnecessary because of side-effects.

【推荐3】How to DIY Your Own Mask

During the outbreak of COVID-19, one of the must-have items is the mask. However, many countries are in bad need of medical masks and other protective equipment.     1     But we can make our own masks which can be used repeatedly. Now, let’s look at the most popular DIY method for soda bottle gas masks.

    2     And it doesn’t require huge skills. With necessary materials and a little training, it can be made in 15 minutes.

To make such a mask project, you’ll require a sharp cutting tool, a market, glue, a 2-liter soda bottle, rubberized foam insulation strip (泡沫橡胶绝缘条) and one N95 mask. Total cost may be $5.

First, you’ll have to clean the 2-liter plastic bottle. After that, draw a U-shaped area using the marker.     3     Then start with a smaller cut and work your way up from there. Cut away the bottom of the bottle and you’ll end up with a basic shape.

Next, use the rubberized foam insulation as a seal for the edges of the bottle.     4     This will serve as a resting place for the N95 mask. Then cut off the N95 mask’s edging carefully. And place is inside the neck of the bottle. The elastic bands (橡皮筋) from the N95 mask will be used to secure the gas mask firmly on your face. Then a DIY gas mask is completed.

Do remember to keep the gas mask stored in a well sealed plastic bag.     5    

A．In this way you can make good use of the bag.

B．This can prevent it from getting polluted.

C．The soda bottle gas mask is very simple to make.

D．In this situation it is hard for people to get enough masks.

E．It should be big enough to fit your face and yet not too big.

F．Actually, the idea of DIY gas masks dates back to WW II.

G．You should also make a circle of foam insulation inside the bottle.

【推荐1】He came from somewhere south of Rome. I didn’t know when or how he got to America, swam maybe. But one evening I found him standing in the driveway, behind my garage, extremely thin and unhealthy.     

“My name Tony Trivionno and I mow(割) your lawn,” he said. It was hard to comprehend his broken English. “I mow your lawn,” he said again and walked away. Yes, these Depression days were difficult, but how could I turned away a person who had come to me for help? When I got home the next evening, the lawn had been mowed, the walks swept uncluttered and the garden weeded. Content written on my wife’s face, conspicuously, she assumed I had hired him. I told her of my experience the night before and we thought it strange that he had not asked for reward. The next two days were busy, and I almost forgot about him. But on Friday, I saw him, behind my garage again and busy around.

I managed to work out some small weekly pay for him and each day he cleaned up the yard and took care of any little tasks He was very helpful whenever there were any heavy objects to lift or things to fix in my factory.

“I want to be an apprentice(学徒),” he said one day. Even if we had a good Prentice school that trained laborers, I doubted whether he had the ability to read blueprints and micrometers(千分尺).Therefore, he took a cut in pay to become an apprentice.

Many years later, I found him in our familiar   meeting spot, much fitter than he used to be and taking on a look of confidence. He was a millionaire now!

Tony came to America seeking the American Dream. But he did not find it——he created it by himself. Tony didn’t begin on the bottom rung of the ladder. He began in the basement. Tony’ s affairs were tiny, and all he had were 24 hours a day. He wasted none of them and succeeded finally.

1. Tony ________ when he came to America for the first time.

A．was in good physical conditions.	B．had a good command of English.
C．was employed for his ambitions.	D．charged nothing for his labor.

2. The underlined word “conspicuously ”   most probably means________.

A．miraculously

B．obviously

C．unfortunately

D．suspiciously

3. Why did the author mention “basement” in the last paragraph?

A．To empathize the initial toughness Tony faced.

B．To highly praise Tony’s patience-demanding job.

C．To justify that Tony deserved his achievement.

D．To clarify the process of Tony’s pursuit for dreams.

4. Which of the following words can best describe Tony?

A．Adventurous and caring.	B．Determined but short-sighted
C．Diligent and ambitious.	D．clumsy but strong-minded.

【推荐2】My wife and I usually don't keep houseplants. Anything in pots gets either over watered or underwatered. After my diagnosis with glioblastoma—a terminal brain cancer with a prognosis of little more than a year to live—I loved the idea of having something green and alive around us. When my friend Mitch gave me what he said was a lucky bamboo plant in a deep-green pottery bowl, we decided to place the plant in the living room window across from the couch where I spent much of each day.

I told my wife I wanted to care for the plant myself. When it didn't immediately turn yellow or brown or lose all its leaves, I was pleasantly surprised. Tending the plant gave me a sense of accomplishment at a time when I sometimes felt useless. Glioblastoma limited my ability to walk, and the treatment left me fatigued, making it hard for me to accomplish everyday tasks.

As a physician, I was used to being the one who provided care, not the one who received t Since my diagnosis in August 2018, far too often, I had to rely on help from other people. The enormous change left me feeling adrift. Watering the plant, as small an act as it was, connected me to a core part of my old identity and taught me I could still be a caregiver. Plants and people could still depend on me. Soon, it had nearly doubled in height and its leaves were shiny and lush. Both the tree and I were thriving.

Then, mysteriously, it began to show signs of stress. I increased my plant watering, then decreased it. I fed it commercial plant food. No matter what I did, the leaves kept browning and dropping to the floor. “I can't even care for a simple plant!” I yelled. “I'm failing!”

My wife reminded me that we'd seen houseplants die before. She asked me why I was getting so worked up about this particular one. I couldn't shake the feeling that the plant had become a symbol of my own vulnerable health. Identifying with the green and growing plant had offered me solace. Its shriveling leaves, I worried, might signal the recurrence of my brain tumor.

I realized I had wrongly connected my careful nurturing of the plant-something over which I had at least some control—with my own survival-something over which I had no control. When my tumor inevitably returned, it would not be because of any failure on my part—not because I didn't atomize essential oils in my of ice, not because I ate sugar occasionally and certainly not because I failed to keep this plant alive.

As my anxiety lessened, I began to examine online tutorials to help me figure out how to care for my failing plant. Following the instructions, I transplanted the tree to a larger pot, untangling its roots to give it room to grow. When it was back in the sunny window, we both began to thrive again.

1. According to Para 2-3, the writer achieved a sense of accomplishment in that        .

A．the plant nursed by him didn't show signs of being over watered or under-watered.

B．watering the plants helped him to recover some other abilities in everyday tasks.

C．the plants he tended were so flourishing that he realized he was still dependable.

D．he could fulfill some routine tasks without the support from others anymore.

2. The underlined word “adrift” in Para 3 most probably means         .

A．superficial and hollow	B．exhausted and hopeless
C．unidentifiable and frustrated	D．hysterical and fearful .

3. Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

A．Lack of nutrients in the commercial plant food led the leaves to brown and drop.

B．The writer was concerned that the condition of the plant signified his own health.

C．The online tutorials relieved the writer's anxiety and made the plants revive again.

D．Many failures in life combined gave rise to the writer's developing glioblastoma.

4. What is the passage mainly about?

A．A physician's change in attitudes towards life.

B．A man's journey of recovery and self-discovery.

C．A lucky bamboo plant's “survive and thrive”.

D．A patient's search for console in attending a plan.

【推荐3】When I made the decision to take a gap year, it wasn’t a big deal. I supposed I would earn some money, and then travel somewhere far away to have an incredible adventure.

Two months later, I was on a plane for Thailand. Upon arrival at Wildlife Friends Foundation of Thailand (WFFT), I was in love. The animals, the atmosphere, the community, everything here surpassed any expectation I had ever had. WFFT is an organization that takes in animals, wild or domestic, and cares for them until they can be released back into the wild.

At the end of my three months at WFFT, I was very sick and scared, so I changed travel plans and left Asia early. It wasn’t a decision I made lightly. It was necessary, and I was proud of myself for making the choice to take care of myself and not feel like a failure. I didn’t feel like my adventure had been cut short; it was simply a change of plans. Instead of going home, I flew to Tacoma, WA to visit my sister.

One of the most important things I’ve learned this year is to just keep putting one foot in front of the other; whether it’s a challenge or change, the best way to get through it is one step at a time.

I’ve had time to reflect on my year so far, and I’m surprised to find that I’ve changed greatly and have learned more than I have ever realized. I’ve broadened my perspective of the world and come back more understanding and compassionate towards people, animals and the environment. I’m grateful for my good fortune in life. I’ve developed a growing sense of wonder in myself, and an appetite for more of what life has to offer.

1. What was the author’s plan for the gap year? (no more than 10 words)
2. What’s the meaning of the underlined sentence in Paragraph 2? (no more than 8 words)
3. How did the author feel about her leaving Asia early? (no more than 10 words)
4. What’s one of the most important things the author has learned from the gap year?   (no more than 15 words)
5. Do you think it’s beneficial to take a gap year? Give your reasons.   (no more than 20 words)