【推荐2】Nowadays as countries across Europe begin easing their coronavirus (新冠) lockdown, a key question governments face is how to get their populations moving again without chaos on the road and rail.

With reduced public transport services and social distancing rules, preventing traffic jams on the roads will be a priority. So governments across the continent have been coming up with innovative ways to encourage people to cycle or walk instead.

The UK

The government has announced a $2.48 billion package to put cycling and walking “at the heart of” the country’s post COVID-19 transportation plan to relieve the pressure on public transport. $310 million of the package will be used to improve cycling and walking infrastructure, including building wider sidewalks and the introduction of cycle-only streets.

Italy

The Transport Minister Paola de Micheli has announced a package for its citizens to claim a $548 subsidy (补贴) on newly bought bikes.The offer applies to people living in a municipality with more than 50,000 inhabitants and can be claimed when they buy a traditional or electric bike, scooter, hoverboard, Segway, etc.

France

The French government has asked people to use bicycles to commute to work instead of their cars when the full COVID-19 lockdown ends on 11 May. An initiative from the Energy and Transport Ministry includes developing temporary bike lanes and up to $21.94 million worth of subsidies towards the cost of repairs. People will be allowed up to $55 for repairs while employers are supported to cover up to $438 of travel costs of staff who commute by bike. The plan also includes an increase in bicycle parking spaces and training for people who haven’t ridden for a while to get them back in the saddle.

Spain

Spain’s Environment Minister Teresa Ribera has asked mayors to extend bike lane coverage, reduce car speed limits and provide more bike parking in a bid to “overcome resistance generated from habits and conceptions that are well-established”. Cities   such   as   Madrid   and   Barcelona already have a good bike system in operation, although they are being improved. Old lanes in the cities are being widened so that cyclists can follow the social distancing measures, whilst completely new lanes are also being formed.

1. Who can apply for the subsidy in Italy?

A．One who lives in a small village.

B．One who wants to buy a new energy car.

C．One who has the intention to go out by bike.

D．One who lives in Rome and is buying a new bike.

2. In which country can employees most probably get money if they bike to work?

A．Italy.

B．Spain.

C．France.

D．The UK.

3. What does Spain do to ease the public traffic pressure?

A．Build wider sidewalks.

B．Provide more bike parking.

C．Offer citizens a discount if they buy bikes.

D．Put cycling and walking at the core of its transportation plan.

【推荐2】Researchers at Ohio State University report that they have been able to recover the sense of a research participant’s hand with a severe spinal cord injury using a brain-computer interface (BCI) system. The technology applies neural signals to the participant, resulting in greatly improved motor function.

The participant in this study is Ian Burkhart, a 28-year-old man who suffered a spinal cord injury during a diving accident in 2010. Since 2014, Burkhart has been working with researchers on a project that aims to recover the function of his right arm. The system they have developed works through a system of electrodes on his skin and a small computer chip inserted into his motor cortex (the brain area that influences motor movements). This setup, which uses wires to route movement signals from the brain to the muscles, bypassing his spinal cord injury, gives Burkhart enough control over his right arm and hand to lift a coffee cup, pick up a credit card, and play Guitar Hero.

The advances in the BCI system led to important improvements. They enable Burkhart to reliably recognize something by touch alone. The system is also the first BCI that allows for recovery of movement and touch at once, and this ability to experience increased touch during movement gives him a greater sense of control and lets him do things more quickly. Finally, these improvements allow the BCI system to sense how much pressure to use when it is handling an object or picking something up.

The researchers are working on creating a next-generation sleeve containing the required electrodes and sensors that could be easily put on and taken off. They also want to improve the system that can be controlled with a tablet rather than a computer, making it smaller and much easier to carry around.

1. What is the study at Ohio State University aimed at?

A．Protecting people’s spinal cord.	B．Improving one’s motor function.
C．Helping one’s hand regain its sense.	D．Preventing severe spinal cord injuries.

2. How did the new system help Ian Burkhart’s right hand lift a coffee cup?

A．By building up his body muscles through electrodes.

B．By recovering the function of his injured spinal cord.

C．By inserting a computer chip into his injured spinal cord.

D．By sending movement signals directly to his arm muscles.

3. What does Paragraph 3 mainly tell us?

A．The advantages of the improved BCI system.	B．The improvement the BCI system needed.
C．The doubt about improving the BCI system.	D．The principles of improving the BCI system.

4. In what aspect will the researchers improve the BCI system?

A．Its stability.

B．Its portability.

C．Its accuracy.

D．Its safety.

【推荐3】Tokyo-based Alt Incorporated, a Japanese company, is working on creating a digital double that could be used for things like carrying out early job interviews or communicating with a person’s doctor ahead of a medical visit. The company’s CEO, Kazutaka Yonekura, said the main purpose of a digital double would be to take over some of a person’s daily online duties.

Yonekura showed AP reporters his own digital double on a computer. It included an image and digitized version (版本) of his voice. When his digital double was asked, “What kind of music do you like,” it waited several seconds before giving a long answer. The double explained that Yonekura prefers lively music such as hip-hop or rock ‘n’ roll.

Compared to other digital assistants (助手), such as Apple’s Siri, Amazon’s Alexa and Google Assistant, Yonekura said, a digital double just belongs to you and not the technology company that created it. Yonekura added that his developers had attempted to build tools into the system that are designed to prevent awkward social mistakes.

Currently, digital doubles are very costly. Each Alt double costs about $140, 000, so it will likely take time before there is a huge market for the doubles.

Digital doubles are created by taking an individual’s data from social media websites as well as publicly available records. The data is continuously changed and stored in the system. And it is designed to keep up with the individual’s changing habits and activities.

The idea of a digital double reportedly enjoys widespread appeal (吸引力) in Japan — the country that gave the world Pokemon, karaoke, Hello Kitty and emojis. But Yonekura admits that cultures are different, and Westerners may not like the idea as much. “I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been asked: Why does it have to be a personal double, and not just a digital agent?” he said.

1. What can we learn about a digital double from paragraph 1?

A．It can open and close the door for humans.

B．It will free humans from some online work.

C．It will replace humans to do daily activities.

D．It looks and talks just like its human owner.

2. Why is the question and answer about music mentioned in paragraph 2?

A．To give a presentation.	B．To explain a principle.
C．To introduce an opinion.	D．To describe an argument.

3. What is special about a digital double compared to other digital assistants?

A．It’s safe.	B．It’s cheap.
C．It’s flexible.	D．It’s personal.

4. What may make some Westerners dislike the idea of a digital double?

A．High prices.	B．Special styles.
C．Small markets.	D．Cultural differences.

【推荐2】Social media networks have been shown to have greatly changed students’ social behaviour. But the relationship between social media and students’ English language writing has been largely ignored (忽视). So our team of four researchers studied one English as a Second Language (ESL) class at Fiaseman SenirHigh School in Tarkwa, southwestern Ghana. Our research focused on a Form 2 class, made up of 47 students aged 17 and 18 on average. It was one of the largest classes in the school, which offered English as a general subject.

The study found that the students spent really long periods of time on various social media platforms (平台) . But most of the sites they visited were not about learning. That was worrying. One student said, “I visit social media every day. I can’t count. I’m always there. It is very difficult to control my presence there. I truly don’t know what to do.”

We also found that their social media use had resulted in their use of shortened forms of English words-such as “4” in place of “for”, “u” in place of “you” and “d” in place of “the” --in their writing, including in their English examinations. These are the unacceptable written forms of English.

We concluded that the way in which English is being used in examinations by students is being undermined by their use of the English language on social media. This is a growing trend (趋势) that will see students struggle to get ahead in the subject, as more formal English language writing is needed for examinations and further studies.

We recommend that those involved in education should consider connecting teaching practices that take advantage of social media to attract students. This would allow students to learn during their time on social media platforms. Also, teachers should help students choose proper social media sites. They should tell students about the importance and dangers of social media and how to use them, especially for educational purposes.

1. What does the student want to convey through his words?

A．He used social media for educational purposes.

B．He was worried about his privacy on social media.

C．He lacked the knowledge of properly using social media.

D．He was interested in new information on social media.

2. What has students’ social media use led to according to the study?

A．Creativity in English expressions.

B．More chances to master new words.

C．Increased competition among them.

D．Disappointing English writing performance.

3. What does the underlined word “undermined” in Paragraph 4 probably mean?

A．improved slowly.	B．proven scientifically.
C．influenced negatively.	D．corrected effectively.

4. What does the author suggest doing?

A．Guiding students in using social media as a learning tool.

B．Encouraging students to join in outdoor activities regularly.

C．Limiting the time of students’ using their phones strictly.

D．Providing different online courses for students.

【推荐3】Demanding days seem designed to test our self-control. We all need to rely on willpower to avoid short-term temptations and override unwanted thoughts or impulses (冲动). The prevailing psychological theory proposed that willpower resembled a kind of battery. With each exercise of self-control, you exhausted this resource. Without a chance to recharge, that resource ran low, making it harder to maintain self-control. This process was known as “ego depletion”.

In 2010, however, psychologist Veronika Job published a study that questioned the foundations of “ego depletion” theory, with some interesting evidence that ego depletion depended on people’s underlying beliefs. In the study, Job divided participants into two categories: those with a “limited” view of willpower and those with a “non-limited” view of willpower, based on a prior questionnaire. She then gave the participants some standard laboratory tests examining mental focus, which was considered to depend on the reserves of willpower. The study found that people with a limited mindset tended to perform exactly as ego depletion theory would predict but the non-limited individuals did not, which indicated that people’s beliefs about willpower could be self-fulfilling prophecies (预言). Those who believed willpower was easily depleted saw their self-control decrease, while those who believed in “mental stamina (耐力)” experienced no ego depletion.

Subsequent debates about the reliability of the laboratory tests of ego depletion emerged, but Job’s work demonstrated that mindset significantly impacted real-life outcomes. Her follow-up study revealed that after completing demanding tasks, most participants recovered to some degree overnight, but those with non-limited mindsets actually experienced an increase in their productivity the following day, as if energized by the extra pressure.

If you already have a non-limited mindset about willpower, these findings might be a cause for self-satisfaction. For those with limited mindsets, hope is not lost. Learning about this science can help shift beliefs. Sharing this knowledge with others can further consolidate this shift. Moreover, recollecting times of engaging in taxing yet enjoyable tasks naturally shifts people’s beliefs toward non-limited mindsets, as they see proof of their own men tal stamina. To provide yourself with further evidence, you can conduct small self-control tests. As you realize your willpower’s growth, you’ll find resisting temptations and distractions easier.

While immediate miracles aren’t guaranteed, perseverance will lead to a changed mindset and increased self-control, propelling actions toward personal goals.

1. “Ego depletion” theory shows that willpower ________.

A．helps control our impulses	B．reduces after exercising self-control
C．is a test of your character	D．is like a chargeable battery

2. What can we learn from Job’s two studies?

A．Extra pressure boosts mental focus.

B．Demanding tasks reduce mental focus.

C．Reserves of willpower depend on mental focus.

D．The change of mental focus relies on one’s mindset.

3. Which of the following can build non-limited mindsets?

A．Picturing your ideal university.

B．Doing homework in front of a TV.

C．Sharing science knowledge with friends.

D．Recalling mastering a challenging piano piece.