【推荐1】Imagine that you are in a remote village somewhere with no medical clinic.     1    Once the doctors get to you, they examine you and take blood samples, but they won't be able to help you until they take the samples back to the hospital to find out what is wrong.    2     Thanks to engineer Andy Ozcan, many people may never be in this situation. He has invented an app that turns your mobile phone into a diagnostic(诊断的)tool.

Ozcan's invention is important because it is very accurate and easy to use. In many remote places, even if doctors have microscopes and other instruments to help them make diagnoses, there may still be other problems. Many doctors, for example, don’t have enough training to correctly interpret what they see.    3    With Ozcan's mobile phone app, health workers can take a special photo of a blood sample and send it to a central computer at a hospital. The computer will then automatically interpret the photo and send a diagnosis back in a few minutes.

    4    His technology only requires a mobile phone and an Internet connection. As more than four billion people already have cell phones, the cost of establishing the diagnostic system is fairly low.

By inventing a medical tool that uses existing technology---mobile phones---Ozcan has developed a medical tool that is both practical and economical. Therefore, it can be effectively almost anywhere.    5    

A．Another reason that Ozcan's invention is important is that it is inexpensive.

B．Even though you may only have a simple infection (感染), you might die because of the delay.

C．People are trying to reduce the cost of this new medical tool.

D．Ozcan's simple, cost-effective tool might just save millions of lives around the world.

E．This tool has become much more popular all around the world.

F．You become very sick and must wait days until a mobile medical unit arrives to help.

G．As a result, they may diagnose illnesses incorrectly.

【推荐2】“Changing the world” might seem like an unrealistic goal. When faced with huge problems such as air pollution or energy shortages, where do you start? Gogoro believes you start with a scooter.

Proof of concept In 2015, Gogoro broke onto the scene by releasing an electric scooter called the Smart-scooter. Unlike most electric scooters. This one wouldn’t need to plugged in to recharge. Instead, users would stop by GoStations to exchange drained batteries for fully charged ones. Gogoro was taking a risk. If people were not happy with the system of changing batteries the whole project could fail. They didn’t need to worry, though. Only one year later Gogoro sold their 10,000th Smart-scooter!

Setting the bar Fast forward to 2019 and the release of the Series 3 Smart-scooter. Gogoro scooters are as popular and revolutionary as ever. Their bright colors are chosen by Beatrice Santiccioli, a famous color designer who helped shape major brands like Apple, Nike and Swatch. In addition to the scooters’ bright colors, plenty of cool accessories (配件) are available so you can make your scooter your own. But most important of all, Gogoro continues to pave the way toward a future of responsible energy consumption.

Looking forward Multiple cities and countries have committed to making their transportation all-electric in the coming years, and Gogoro is helping make the possible. Ordered a package? Companies like DHL and Taiwan Post now have fleets of Smart-scooters to make deliveries. Need a ride? Unlock a Gogoro in Berlin, Paris or Madrid, thanks to scooter sharing services. The Smart-scooters is definitely ingenious, but there’s more. “At Gogoro, I think the essential thing is that we want to change how people use energy. And the Smart-scooters is only the beginning.” says Horace Luke, Gogoro co-founder and CEO. This is where the GoStation comes in.

1. Compared with other electric scooters, the Smart-scooter ______.

A．can recharge itself in Gostations in mega-cities

B．only needs to change batteries in Gostations

C．wouldn’t need to be recharged at all in life

D．can be recharged by its users in Gostations

2. Gogoro scooters are popular and revolutionary mainly because ______.

A．their colors are chosen by a famous color designer

B．their colors are different from those of others

C．it is a good way for people to consume energy

D．it can help us solve the problem of energy short

3. What can we conclude from the passage?

A．The more mega-cities there are, the more GoStations may appear.

B．GoStations will soon entirely take the place of traditional stations.

C．People need not go to GoStations especially during peak hours.

D．More mega-cities will appear throughout the world in the future.

【推荐3】Can a small group of drones (无人机) guarantee the safety and reliability of railways and, at the same time, help railway operators save billions of euros each year? That is the very likely future of applying today’s “eyes in the sky” technology to make sure that the millions of kilometres of rail tracks and infrastructure (基础设施) worldwide are safe for trains on a 24/7 basis.

Drones are already being used to examine high-tension electrical lines. They could do precisely the same thing to inspect railway lines and other vital aspects of rail infrastructure such as the correct position of railway tracks and switching points. The more regularly they can be inspected, the more railway safety, reliability and on-time performance will be improved. Costs would be cut and operations would be more efficient (高效) across the board.

That includes huge savings in maintenance costs and better protection of railway personnel safety. It is calculated that European railways alone spend approximately 20 billion euros a year on maintenance, including sending maintenance staff, often at night, to inspect and repair the rail infrastructure. That can be dangerous work that could be avoided with drones assisting the crews’ efforts.

By using the latest technologies, drones could also start providing higher-value services for railways, detecting faults in the rail or switches, before they can cause any safety problems. To perform these tasks, drones for rail don’t need to be flying overhead. Engineers are now working on a new concept: the rail drones of the future. They will be moving on the track ahead of the train, and programmed to run autonomously. Very small drones with advanced sensors and AI and travelling ahead of the train could guide it like a co-pilot. With their ability to see ahead, they could signal any problem, so that fast-moving trains would be able to react in time.

1. What makes the application of drones to rail lines possible?

A．The use of drones in checking on power lines.	B．Drones’ ability to work at high altitudes.
C．The reduction of cost in designing drones.	D．Drones’ reliable performance in remote areas.

2. What does “maintenance” underlined in paragraph 3 refer to?

A．Personnel safety.	B．Assistance from drones.
C．Inspection and repair.	D．Construction of infrastructure.

3. What function is expected of the rail drones?

A．To provide early warning.	B．To make trains run automatically.
C．To earn profits for the crews.	D．To accelerate transportation.

4. Which is the most suitable title for the text?

A．What Faults Can Be Detected with Drones

B．How Production of Drones Can Be Expanded

C．What Difficulty Drone Development Will Face

D．How Drones Will Change the Future of Railways

【推荐1】I log onto a computer at the doctor’s office to say I have arrived and then wait until a voice calls me into the examination room.

There, a robotic nurse directs me onto a device and then takes my blood pressure. Some time later, in steps the doctor, who is also a robot. He notes down my symptoms and gives me a prescription. I pay for my visit using a credit card machine and return home without having met another human being.

This scenario(场景) is my nightmarish(噩梦般的) vision of the future, which hasn’t come to pass—at least not yet.

I should say I really do like many aspects of technology. I am a big fan of air conditioning in the summer and heaters in winter. But I am writing this because I don’t want machines to take over.

When I call my dentist's office and actually get a human being on the line, I am thrilled. And when I see the introduction of yet more self-service checkout stations at the grocery store, I feel like shouting: "When it comes to cashiers(收银员), make mine human, please!"

After all, human cashiers sometimes give you a store coupon (优惠券) for items you are buying. Even more than that, real-life cashiers often take an interest in particularly cute children, which can brighten a young mother's day. A cashier may also show compassion for an elderly person struggling to get that last penny out of her purse.

Machines can be efficient and cost-effective and they often get the job done just fine. But they lack an element so crucial to everyday life.

It is being human that prompts(促使) us to smile at others, which may be what they need at that moment. Call it the spirit, the soul or the heart. It is something no machine will ever have.

1. What’s the author’s purpose in writing the first two paragraphs?

A．To indicate high technology can make our future life very efficient.

B．To warn readers of the possible dangers of robotic nurses and doctors.

C．To describe a possible future scene where robots take control of our life.

D．To predict how technology can affect we see a doctor in the future.

2. What is the main reason that the author prefers being served by humans rather than by robots?

A．Robots don’t offer to give store coupons.

B．Robots are indifferent and emotionless.

C．Services from robots cost less time and more money.

D．Robots can’t do a job as well as humans do.

3. What does the underlined word “element” mean in the eighth paragraph?

A．Humor.	B．The ability to speak.
C．Methods.	D．Effective communication.

4. What’s the main idea of the text?

A．The opinion about using man or machine.

B．Machines give people a lot of convenience.

C．Being human service is better than service from machines.

D．Being human service cost little money.

【推荐2】On a February afternoon in a Brooklyn classroom, 16-year-old Taylor came face to face with a cow — but it was all in her head. A virtual (虚拟的) reality headset had transported her and eight classmates to a New York farm 250 miles away and for students, the technology means field trips are no longer limited by the length of a bus ride. “I was not expecting it to be right in my face!” Taylor said after peeling off the purple headset and finding herself back in her classroom.

On any given day, students nationwide are deep-sea diving, observing medical operations, even swimming through the human circulatory system using gadgets (小装置) that are becoming increasingly accessible in both cost and content. At least it’s another way to engage the iPhone generation of students and at best, it can enhance their understanding and improve their grades.

“It instantly grabs the students,” said Colin Jones, who teaches science in the Plainview-Old Bethpage Central School District. He has used a system called zSpace to dissect (解剖) cells and has walked goggled students through the boreal forest with a Google app called Expeditions. “It’s something that can be done in a period or two,” he said, “it could take even a week sometimes when you’re doing in a lab.”

In Brooklyn, Taylor and classmates virtually walked through barns and fields in Watkins Glen, stretching arms toward videotaped pigs and cows. “It’s different from watching video because you can have more than one perspective; you can actually move,” Taylor said.

Students can not only move, but also feel. In the lab, the physical effects of virtual reality become clear as subjects standing on solid ground teeter (摇晃) on storeys-high virtual scaffolding or experience motion sickness without moving.

“Some of the research we’re doing has actually shown that what you experience in virtual reality has very similar, if not the same, physiological responses that you would get if you were doing the actual activity, like your heart rate, cognition, breathing and even everything,” said Richard Lamb, who studies how the brain processes information at the University at Buffalo Neurocognition Science Lab. “The effect on learning is to improve interest, understanding and recall.”

It’s unknown how many classrooms have or will adopt the technology, but experts say it’s still relatively rare largely due to the fact that, while individual headsets that require a user’s phone can cost as little as $20 or $30, systems and software for classes run into thousands of dollars. Early complaints about a lack of good software are fading as more companies enter the market, but the rules for use haven’t necessarily caught up to the technology. In New York, for example, simulated lab experiments don’t count toward the state’s hands-on lab time requirements. Even so, the science is the area where virtual reality, especially enhanced to let users manipulate their surroundings, holds particular promise for classrooms.

“The biggest barrier, I think, is going to be the quality of that experience, how closely it mimics the physical world,” said David Evans, executive director of the National Science Teachers Association. “However, the ability to do dangerous things and to run many, many more common cases in a simulation (模拟) space as opposed to the real physical space represents a huge learning opportunity.”

Lamb, who taught chemistry, agreed. “Too often in schools, when we do things with labs, it’s... you mix this together, mix that together and get this outcome. And if you don’t get that outcome, you did something wrong, but we don’t have enough resources for you to redo it,” he said. In virtual reality, “all I do is hitting reset on the computer. I don’t have to actually use chemicals.”

Both Lamb and Evans stressed using the technology to have similar experience to their real world, where any number of subtle factors can affect an outcome. “ We have to remain anchored in the actual world,” Evans cautioned, “because that’s the one that we really need to explain.”

1. What’s Colin Jones’ attitude towards the application of virtual reality to teaching?

A．Positive.	B．Critical.
C．Objective.	D．Disapproving.

2. What does Richard Lamb really want to say in Paragraph 6?

A．Students can hardly experience everything in real life.

B．It’s beneficial for students to experience virtual reality.

C．Much exposure to virtual reality makes students focused.

D．Actual experiences are more important than virtual reality.

3. Virtual reality is rarely used in classrooms mainly because ____________.

A．students show little interest in it

B．rules for it haven’t been made so far

C．users will spend much money applying it

D．it isn’t good enough to be operated by students

4. What does David Evans think of virtual reality?

A．It imitates the real world perfectly.

B．It features many unpractical life skills.

C．It shouldn’t refer to dangerous things.

D．It offers guidance for users on real life.

5. What benefit does Lamb stress about virtual reality?

A．Saving lots of time.

B．Reducing resource waste.

C．Minimizing experimental errors.

D．Improving experimental success rate.

6. What does the underlined sentence in the last paragraph mean?

A．Virtual reality shouldn’t be divorced from reality.

B．There’re still many unsolved mysteries in real life.

C．People gain much inspiration from the actual world.

D．Everyone should have a chance to try virtual reality.

【推荐3】Nowadays, the world is slowly becoming a high-tech society and we are now surrounded by technology. Facebook and Twitter are innovative tools; text messaging is still a somewhat existing phenomenon and even e-mail is only a flashing spot on the screen when compared with our long history of snail mail. Now we adopt these tools to the point of essentialness, and only rarely consider how we are more fundamentally affected by them.

Social media, texting and e-mail all make it much easier to communicate, gather and pass information. But they also present some dangers. By removing any real human engagement, they enable us to develop our abnormal self-love without the risk of disapproval or criticism theatrical metaphor (隐喻), these new forms of communication provide a stage on which we create our own characters, hidden behind a fourth wall of tweets, status updates and texts. This unreal state of unconcern can become addictive as we separate ourselves a safe distance from the cruelty of our fleshly lives, where we are imperfect, powerless and insignificant. In essence, we have been provided not only the means to be more free, but also to become new, to create and protect a more perfect self to the world. As we become more reliant on these tools, they become more a part of our daily routine and so we become more restricted in this fantasy.

So it is that we live in a cold era, where names and faces represent two different levels of closeness, where working relationships occur only through the magic of email and where love can start or end by text message. An environment such as this reduces interpersonal relationships to mere digital exchanges.

Would a celebrity have been so daring to do something dishonorable if he had had to do it in person? Doubtful. It seems he might have been lost in a fantasy world that ultimately convinced himself into believing the digital self could obey different rules and regulations, as if he could continually push the limits of what’s acceptable without facing the consequences of “real life.”

1. The author compares e-mail with snail mail to show ________.

A．the influence of high-tech on our life	B．the history of different types of mails
C．the value of traditional communications	D．the rapid development of social media

2. What can we know about new communication tools?

A．Destroying our life totally.	B．Posing more dangers than good.
C．Helping us to hide our faults.	D．Replacing traditional letters.

3. What is the potential threat caused by the novel communication tools?

A．Sheltering us from virtual life.	B．Removing face-to-face interaction.
C．Leading to false mental perception.	D．Making us rely more on hi-tech media.

4. What can be inferred from the last two paragraphs?

A．Technologies have changed our relationships.

B．The digital world is a recipe for pushing limits.

C．Love can be better conveyed by text message.

D．The digital self need not take responsibility.

【推荐1】Among the world’s waste-recycling pioneers, Germany is the leader. The country has quite a detailed way of sorting their waste-down to the color of glass waste, the type of paper, the separate bin for metals, etc.

Here below are what you should know about Germany’s waste sorting system：

◇You are expected to gather your waste in your apartment/housing area’s local public garbage bins.

◇There are commonly several types of public garbage bins available in the German’s apartment/housing areas：

Blue bin — for paper and cardboard

Green and white bin — for glass, different bins for differently colored glass, not available for holiday decorations and lights

Yellow/orange bin — for plastic and metals

Brown bin — for goods that can be changed naturally by bacteria into substances that don’t harm the environment, like leftovers, fruit and vegetables

Gray/black bin — for everything else that can’t be recycled such as used cat litter and animal waste

◇Some items don’t belong in these public garbage bins. Items like used batteries, electronics, unused paints, and lights must be returned to the special agent/locations so they can be properly recycled. Other items such as clothes, shoes, and oversized rubbish and furniture are advised to be donated or sold.

◇There’s this thing called Pfand in Germany, a certain part of the price for a bottled drink that you get back if you send back the bottle to certified (有资历的) shops. German law requires shops over a certain size selling bottled drinks have a Pfandruckgabestelle, or place for bottles with deposits (押金). These bottles usually made of glass or plastic will be refilled. Of course, there’re strict health regulations.

1. Which bin should the fallen leaves be classified into？

A．The blue bin.	B．The brown bin.
C．The grey/black bin.	D．The green and white bin.

2. How can Germans deal with some used sneakers？

A．By returning it to special agents.	B．By placing it in a specific location.
C．By giving it away to those in need.	D．By donating it to a Pfandruckgabestelle.

3. What is the aim of Pfand？

A．To collect money for some shops.	B．To help shops reuse plastic or glass.
C．To reduce the broken bottles.	D．To encourage bottles to be returned.

【推荐2】Welcome every morning with a smile. Let your first hour set the theme of success and positive action that is certain to echo through your entire day. Today will never happen again. Don’t waste it with a false start or no start at all. You were not born to fail.
Starting the day right can give good momentum (动力) for the rest of the day. Having a power morning is a key factor for a fruitful day. Here are some tips on getting the most out of the morning.
Wake up early. In theory, there’s no difference in waking up early or late as long as you get the proper amount of sleep. However, there is a psychological advantage when you wake up earlier than the average person and then you’ll have more time to do preparation before engaging in the real world.
Exercise. Good health is always a benefit with exercise, but studies have also shown that morning exercise helps you to sleep better at nights.
Eat breakfast. It’s the most important meal of the day. According to the Mayo Clinic, we should choose three from the following four: fruits and vegetables, grains, dairy, and protein. Did you know that you can actually gain weight when you skip breakfast?
Take a shower. When you shower, do you do it in the morning or at night? I used to shower in the evenings, but I found that morning showers helped me to be more alert.
Prioritize (优先) your To-Do list. Leo____ the acronym MIT to mean “most important tasks.” Our to-do list might be never ending, but put on top of the list a couple of urgent tasks that will define the day to be a successful one.
Check your emails. Only once. Getting a lot of emails can be very distractive. You actually are more productive when you check them only a few times at fixed time of the day. I only do them 2-3 times a day—once in the morning, once at lunch, and one more as it gets toward the end of the day.
1. The purpose for the author to write this passage is to       .

A．tell you to get up early every day

B．offer you the best way to start the day

C．give you advice about how to arrange a day

D．advise you to prioritize your to-do list every morning

2. If you don’t have breakfast, you may       .

A．lose weight.	B．be productive.
C．put on weight.	D．be more alert.

3. The underlined word “coined” in Paragraph 6 means       .

A．invented

B．designed

C．founded

D．defined

4. The author advises you to check your emails only once because       .

A．the emails are not important

B．reading e-mails is distractive

C．you can only read e-mails at fixed time

D．getting so many emails can distract your attention

【推荐3】Today, roller skating is easy and fun. But a long time ago, it wasn't easy at all. Before 1750, the idea of skating didn't exist. That changed because of a man named Joseph Merlin. Merlin's work was making musical instruments. In his spare time   he liked
to play   the violin. Joseph Merlin   was   a man   of   ideas and   dreams. People called him   a   dreamer.
One day Merlin received an invitation to attend a fancy dress ball. He was very pleased and a little excited. As the day of the party came near, Merlin began to think how to make a grand entrance at the party. He had an idea. He thought he
would get a lot of attention if he could skate into the room.
Merlin tried different ways to make himself roll. Finally, he decided to put two wheels under each shoe. These were the first roller skates. Merlin was very proud of his invention and dreamed of arriving at the party on wheels while playing the violin.
On the night of the party Merlin rolled into the room playing his violin. Everyone was astonished to see him. There was just one problem. Merlin had no way to stop his roller skates. He rolled on and on. Suddenly, he ran into a huge mirror
that was hanging on the wall. Down fell the mirror, breaking to pieces. Nobody forgot Merlin's grand entrance for a long time!
1. The text is mainly about_________.

A．a strange man

B．how people enjoyed themselves in the 18th century

C．an unusual party

D．how roller skating began

2. People thought Merlin was a dreamer because he________.

A．often gave others surprises	B．was full of imagination
C．was a gifted musician	D．invented the roller skates

3. Merlin put wheels under his shoes in order to_______.

A．arrive at the party sooner

B．impress the party guests

C．test his invention

D．show his skill in walking on wheels

4. What is the main point the writer is trying to make in the last paragraph?

A．The roller skates needed further improvement.

B．Merlin got himself into trouble.

C．The party guests took Merlin for a fool.

D．Merlin succeeded beyond expectation.