【推荐1】Thousands of college students have part-time jobs and nobody wants to become a slave to graduation debt.    1     If you are one of those people,here are some small business ideas for you to try out.

●Tutoring

Make use of your strong understanding of a specific subject and become a tutor.    2     All you need to do is log in,sign up,and specify the subjects you’re good at,and the employer will match you with students.You can work online with learners from middle school to college level.

●Blogging

If you wouldn’t mind sharing your knowledge or life with other people,then this option is right for you.You can earn some cash by starting a blog.To make your blog a money-making machine,you need to gain much blog traffic.    3     If you succeed in getting a lot of subscribers,you’ll start making cash quickly.

●Residential and Commercial Cleaning Services

Every business aims to satisfy a particular need of their customers.    4     Before moving into a new place,people usually hire a house cleaner to tidy it up.Some people are just too busy to clean their homes or offices themselves.So,they use cleaning services.This is money waiting to be made.

●Graphic Design

    5     If you’re a student majoring in art,design or a relative field,you can start a small design business that can provide such service.The quality of your products and design will determine the number of customers that will run after you.If you become successful in gaining a lot of returning customers,you might even make this your full time business after college.

A．Tutoring chances are rare in college.

B．There are websites that offer such services.

C．Let people know about your cleaning service.

D．So,look around and find out what that particular need is.

E．Take the topic you’re passionate about and provide consistent,unique content.

F．Rather than work for others,some students choose to launch their own businesses.

G．Most small business want to get professional looking logos without spending too much.

【推荐2】How to stay focused?

When you were at school, were you ever told to stop daydreaming and concentrate?     1    Staying focused can still be a challenge in adult life, but understanding how to do it, and knowing what is distracting you, can help.

Scientists have looked at what makes us delay and found a number of ways to help us stay in the zone. One of the most obvious things is getting rid of noise.    2     It also found turning off notifications on your phone, or switching it off altogether, removes a major distraction and helps us focus on the task at hand.

    3     Psychologists and neuroscientists are increasingly interested in our ability to study and have looked at what we can change inside our head to make us concentrate. Attention Researcher Nilli Lavie of University College London has found that making a task of training takes up more processing power and leaves the brain nothing left to process distractions. So, keeping your mind busy might be the answer.

There are more practical tips to keeping your mind focused.     4     It’s possible the movement in your mouth occupies parts of the brain that might otherwise get distracted.

But according to Science Focus magazine, distraction isn’t all bad. “If we were always so focused that we never got distracted, we’d miss potential changes, such as threats, in our environment.     5    ”

A．Distraction is vital for survival!

B．The feeling may signal to your brain that it’s time to sleep.

C．Another possible cure for a short attention span is brain training.

D．Choose a time that works best for you, based on any required meetings and your energy levels.

E．It was easy for your mind to wander if you weren’t interested in what you were learning.

F．Research by Science Focus magazine found silence is best for concentration.

G．These include making a time table of the tasks you have to do, or chewing some gum!

【推荐3】You can’t choose friends for your child, but you can help him learn to choose friends wisely.     1     Here are a few ways to help your child make friends.

Build your child's self-confidence.

When he succeeds or has made a great choice, tell him you are proud of him.     2    Your middle school student is going through many changes and may feel like he isn't “good enough”. Building his self-confidence will help him feel more confident and will make it easier for him to form healthy friendships.

    3    

Give him your full attention when he talks, and really listen to what he has to say.

Discuss the qualities in a friend with your child.

Discuss with your child the qualities that matter most, such as being reliable and kind, and making good choices when it comes to avoiding alcohol and cigarettes.

Get to know your child's friends.

    4     It’s more important to talk with them and find out what they like to do. Allow your child to invite his friends over and get to know them better.

    5    

After-school clubs and sports programs are good places for meeting new people. Be open to exploring different activities with your child to find something that he enjoys.

A．When he does not succeed, help him feel better and keep trying.

B．You can teach him ways to find friends who will have a positive influence on him.

C．There are many types of friends and we should be careful when making our choices.

D．Introduce your child to new groups of people.

E．Friends are very important for us.

F．Talk with your child every day and listen to his concerns.

G．Try not to judge your child's friends according to how they dress.

【推荐1】In an effort to discourage people from using plastics，scientists have been hard at work inventing alternative packaging products．From water bottles made from seaweed to cutlery(餐具) made from rice and wheat，a number of inventions are set to change the way we eat while we are on the go，or having a relaxing picnic in the park．

The idea of using seaweed to make eco-friendly(环保的) water bottles has been around for a few years．Recently，Ari Jonsson took his invention—a water bottle made from red seaweed—to show off at a festival. The bottles will only hold their shape as long as they are filled．As soon as these bottles are empty they will begin to break down，though they would be perfectly safe to eat．Ari Jonsson’s bottles are a step closer to a widely used alternative to the current plastic ones．

The eatable water container is not the only product to add to our image of the future．Narayana Pessapaty has also created eatable spoons．After the success of his spoons, Mr Pessapaty is ready to expand and introduce forks and chopsticks to his menu．His aim is to largely reduce the amount of plastic waste，which is a huge problem for waste sites all over the world．It is a product that may take up to 500 years to break down，and recycling companies worldwide are struggling to deal with it．

Aside from the obvious benefits to the environment，this new packaging is also cheap to produce and therefore cheap to buy．Even better is the fact that similar eatable cutlery can be made at home，possibly a science project for children or just fun with friends．Why not get experimenting and create your own recipes?

1. Why do scientists invent alternative packaging products?

A．To make people’s life more convenient．

B．To reduce the amount of plastic waste．

C．To charge the way we picnic outside．

D．To show off their inventive talents．

2. What makes Ari Jonsson’s water bottles eco-friendly?

A．They can be made at home．

B．They are cheap to produce and buy．

C．They will hold their shape when they are filled．

D．They will break down themselves when empty．

3. What do Ari and Narayana’s inventions have in common?

A．They are convenient to carry．	B．They are safe to eat．
C．They can be used for a short time．	D．They are heavier than plastics．

4. What can be inferred from this passage?

A．Home-made eatable cutlery is likely to be popular．

B．Eatable cutlery’will completely replace plastics in the near future．

C．No recycling companies can breakdown plastic waste．

D．It’s unsafe for individuals to invent eatable cutlery at home．

【推荐2】The earth is dying before us, yet we sit and watch. If the TV or the game system breaks, we run off to the stores to get it fixed immediately no matter what the cost. Why aren’t we willing to fix our earth? Are our televisions and game systems more important to us than where we live? Where shall we continue to live, until the end of time?

The earth is our home and cannot be replaced. We must take care of it. We have come up with so much technology that limits us instead of helping us. Take that game system we run to repair. What does it do? It occupies kids’ time! The earth has already given kids plenty of entertainment in the forms of fields and hills, forests and plains, water and land. However, instead of using what the earth has given us, and helping kids by giving them exercise as they run around, we decide to ruin kids’ minds with game systems that glue them to the screen for hours, and make them ignore their homework and chores. We have polluted this earth by making these things which do not even help in any way!

We have already messed up this world, we have ruined the air, water, and animals that it has so willingly provided for us. We need to stop this destruction of life and bring back the world we had before. It will not be easy, but everybody can help! What about something as simple as turning the lights off when you leave a room? Recycling what can be recycled? Picking up litter? Donating money to an environmental organization? None of these things are very hard. We can’t just always say, “Oh, the earth is a mess. Ah, well, those big companies that are polluting so much can stop and fix it.” Instead, we need to help out. It’s not only those big companies; it’s everyday things that we do too that are ruining the earth. So, stop and think about what you can do to make a difference to our world!

1. Why does the author mention televisions and game systems in Paragraph 1?

A．To make people better aware of the urgency to the protection of the earth.

B．To explore the great harm done to the earth by too much technology waste.

C．To show the relationship between overuse of those things with early death.

D．To remind people to spend less on them and use the saved money in a wiser way.

2. It can be inferred from Paragraph 2 that the author________

A．thinks we must take care of our irreplaceable home—the earth.

B．thinks running around in fields occupies too much of kids’ time.

C．takes an extremely negative attitude to things like game systems.

D．takes it for granted that technology gives kids plenty of entertainment.

3. What does the underlined word “glue” in Paragraph 2 probably mean?

A．return	B．attract
C．attach	D．stick

4. What is the main purpose of the passage?

A．To criticize those big companies that ruin the earth.

B．To ask people to save kids from the harm done by pollution.

C．To give kids plenty of entertainment in a clean environment.

D．To call on people to stop ruining the earth.