【推荐1】Babies should be given peanut early - some at four months old - in order to reduce the risk of allergy（过敏）, according to new US guidance.

Studies have shown the risk of peanut allergy can be cut by more than 80% by early exposure（接触）. The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases said the new guidance was "an important step forward".

However, young children should not eat whole peanuts, because of the risk of choking.

Allergy levels are soaring in the US and have more than quadrupled since 2008. It is a pattern replicated across much of the Western world as well as parts of Asia and Africa. Parents are often wary about introducing peanut and in the past have been advised to wait until the child is three years old.

According to the new guidelines, children with other allergies or severe eczema should start on peanut-containing foods at between four and six months old, with medical supervision(监管). Babies with mild eczema should have peanut-containing food at about six months old. Those with no eczema or allergies can have peanut-containing food freely introduced.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said: "We expect that widespread implementation of these guidelines by healthcare providers will prevent the development of peanut allergy in many susceptible children and ultimately reduce the prevalence of peanut allergy in the United States."

Michael Walker, a member of the European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, said: "The guidelines are based on sound medical research carried out in the UK. UK parents should consult their GP, bringing attention to the guidelines if necessary, before attempting peanut allergy prevention in their infant themselves."

Professor Alan Boobis, from Imperial College London, said: "The previous(之前的) view that delaying（延迟） the introduction of allergenic foods decreases the risk of food allergy is incorrect and... if anything, the exclusion（除去） or delayed introduction of specific allergenic foods may increase the risk of allergy to the same foods, including peanut."

1. The new US guidance may agree that _________     .

A．children can have peanut-containing food freely

B．parents can feed kids peanut until they are three

C．early exposure to peanut can reduce peanut allergy

D．young children should not eat whole peanut to avoid allergy

2. The underlined word in Paragraph 6 means __________     .

A．easily influenced

B．seriously disabled

C．mentally healthy

D．terribly tired

3. What can we learn from Michael Walker?

A．The use of the guidelines should be limited in the UK.

B．The guidelines are scientific and thus can be trusted.

C．Parents should do peanut allergy prevention themselves.

D．Many doctors in the UK don’t agree with the guidelines.

4. What might be the author’s purpose of writing this passage?

A．To warm parents of the possible danger peanut may bring.

B．To recommend delaying the introduction of allergenic foods.

C．To compare two different scientific research on peanut allergy.

D．To introduce a new way of reducing the risk of peanut allergy.

【推荐2】Have you ever wondered what happens to all of the old object s launched into space, such as rockets and satellites? It’s called space junk, and much of it is still out there now. According to NASA, the definition of space junk is “any man-made object in orbit (轨道) around Earth that no longer serves a useful function”.

One large piece of space junk, an abandoned rocket, hit the dark side of the moon on March 4. The rocket’s origin is not clear, but scientists know that it was massive—weighing about 3 tons. It must have left a large crater (坑), estimated 10 to 20 meters wide, on the moon’s surface. It won’t be visible right away, but scientists are trying to locate it. “We will find the crater, eventually,” Mark Robinson, lead investigator for NASA Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera, told USA TODAY. “Depending on its location, it could take as long as 28 days.”

What’s significant about this space junk crash is that it draws attention to some of the potential dangers of space junk. First, the accumulation of space junk in Earth’s orbit means that satellites and the International Space Station (ISS) are at risk. In 2016, tiny space debris (残骸),smaller than a millimeter, caused a tiny chip in the ISS’ window. Imagine the damage that a larger piece of debris could cause. The European Space Agency website states that objects “up to 1 cm in size could disable an instrument or a critical flight system on a satellite” while objects over 10 cm “could shatter a satellite or spacecraft into pieces”. If this sounds terrifying, that’s because it is. Any collision (碰撞) with larger pieces of debris could be especially dangerous for manned spacecraft.

In addition to potential damage to spacecraft and satellites, space junk also poses a threat to the Earth itself Crashes can send debris into the atmosphere where it can remain for many decades. Some powerful collisions can even send large debris hurtling (猛冲) toward Earth’s surface where it can affect the local environment. Leftover rocket debris can contain toxic materials that are harmful to plant and animal life. Some people in Siberia have even reported serious health problems after rocket debris landed in their regions in 2012, a local doctor told the BBC.

1. Which of the following can be regarded as space junk?

A．A disused space station.	B．A spacecraft orbiting the moon.
C．A crater on the moon’s surface.	D．A satellite working in low Earth orbit.

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

A．Locating the crater.	B．Tracking the rocket.
C．Cleaning up the space junk.	D．Finding out the rocket’s origin.

3. What can be inferred about space junk from the last paragraph?

A．It’s likely to cause a global environmental crisis.

B．It’s impossible to stop it from entering the atmosphere.

C．It can cause a lasting threat if it remains in the atmosphere.

D．The toxic materials contained in space junk are the biggest risk.

【推荐3】It’s summer. You’re on your favorite beach towel, a friend beside you. You’re both absorbed in books, occasionally taking some water. But what happens when it’s time to head home? Will you carry on reading together later? Generally speaking, reading tends to be seen as an individual pastime.    1     However, the benefits of sharing the experience are numerous and worth sticking with throughout the year

    2    For example, you don’t have to brainstorm to organize a conversation, because you both have a book in your hands. You can get lost in your book without worrying about seeming rude by not keeping up a constant stream of chatter. As you both enter the same state, your blood pressure will go down, muscle tension will ease, and your worries will fade away. All these put you at ease.    3    A quiet comer of the playground, a blanket spread out on the grass in the garden, or any calm space where you feel relaxed will do.

Spending time together reading can strengthen friendships. As you tum the pages, you might discover interesting stories to share with each other. Sometimes, you’ll come across more serious themes, such as losing a love done or a cherished pet, or facing anyone of life’s many challenges.    4    

Reading fiction has been shown to enhance empathy (共情), which is the ability to understand and share the feelings of another. As you know, novels allow us to live countless experiences through their characters.    5    

A．They will result in heightened sensitivity.

B．Reading with others is comforting in many ways.

C．Reading can surely bring the joy of relaxation to people.

D．Besides, you don’t need to find a specific place to get into this zone.

E．So it might seem unusual to pullout a novel in the company of others.

F．Reading in pair may help you and your friend stay more committed to reading.

G．Discussing these themes can help deepen the bond between you and your friend.

【推荐2】Even if you aren’t into artificial intelligence, it’s time to pay attention to ChatGPT, because this one is a big deal. ChatGPT is an AI chatbot system that OpenAI released in November to show off and test what a very large, powerful AI system can accomplish.

ChatGPT is built on top of the OpenAI GPT-3 family of large language models. It lets you type in natural-language prompts and then offers conversational replies. It remembers the thread of your dialogue, using previous questions and answers to inform its next responses. It finds relevant information in its oceans of training data, and changes that into plausible-sounding(貌似有理的) paragraphs of text.

You can ask it countless questions and often will get an answer that’s useful. For example, you can ask it encyclopedia questions like, “Explain Newton’s laws(定律) of motion.” You can tell it, “Write me a poem.” and when it does, say, “Now make it more exciting.” You can ask it to write a computer program that’ll show you all the different ways you can arrange the letters of a word.

A few days after its launch, more than 1 million people were trying out ChatGPT. UBS analyst Lloyd Walmsley estimated in February 2023 that ChatGPT reached 100 million monthly users in January, accomplishing in 2 months what took TikTok about 9 months and Instagram two and a half years.

Many people fear that ChatGPT might help students cheat better. But as with many other technology developments, it’s not a simple black-and-white situation. Decades ago, students could copy encyclopedia entries and use calculators, and more recently, they’ve been able to use search engines and Wikipedia. ChatGPT offers new abilities for everything from helping with research to doing your homework for you absolutely.

Dustin York, an associate professor of communication at Maryville University, hopes educators will learn to use ChatGPT as a tool and realize it can help students think critically.

“Educators thought that Google, Wikipedia, and the Internet itself would ruin education, but they did not.” York said, “what worries me most are educators who may actively try to discourage the acknowledgment of AI like ChatGPT. It is a tool, not a villain(恶棍).”

1. What is ChatGPT?

A．A search engine system.	B．A homework query system.
C．A navigation system.	D．An intelligent chat system.

2. Which function of ChatGPT is Not mentioned in this passage?

A．Chatting by voice.	B．Explaining the meaning of something.
C．Creative writing.	D．Computer programming.

3. What is the author’s attitude towards ChatGPT in this article?

A．Negative.	B．Objective.
C．Supportive.	D．Not mentioned in the article.

4. What is Not true about the content of this article?

A．ChatGPT can help students with their homework.

B．ChatGPT reduces students’ ability to think.

C．Some educators consider AI technology harmful to education.

D．You can get a useful answer to almost any question in ChatGPT.

【推荐1】My12-year-old daughter loves to stretch out spoken and written words by adding extra letters. When I read about a new study that analyzed the use of stretchable words (拉长词) in over 100 billion tweets between 2008 and 2016, I texted my daughter a link with the message, “I thought of youuuu when I read this study about streeetccchabblee words.” She replied, “Haaahahaha Youuuu knowww me soooooo wellll!!!”

Stretchability is a powerful linguistic(语言学的) device that makes a written word visually forceful. That goes for the"gooooooaaaaaaal"of a soccer announcer, a teenager’s “finallyyyyy”, and a surfer ’s"aweeeeeesome" And “booooy” is popular on Twitter. Writing in the journal PLOS ONE, the researchers detail how they combed through 100 billion tweets, mapping how often these words are stretched, and how far they are elongated (拉长)ー“haha” versus “hahahahaaaa”, for example. Stretchable words are playful and fun. But, as a parent, I sometimes worry that constantly using misspelled stretched words could make it hard for kids like my daughter who is now in seventh grade to write in a more formal style when it becomes necessary in high school, college, and beyond.

The latest research on stretched words by Tyler Gray and colleagues at the University of Vermont is the most comprehensive study to date that uses big data to analyze how people use stretched words on a social media platform. Notably, the title of Gray 's paper, "Hahahahaha, Duuuuude, Yeeessss! " includes three different examples of stretchable words. All kidding aside, this research provides valuable insights into new linguistic patterns surrounding the dynamics of purposely mistyping and misspelling some words

I have mixed feelings about the increased use of stretched words. On the one hand, I love the occasional use of a stretchable word in a text message; stretched words make written and spoken language more emotive without the use of an emoji or emoticon. It will be interesting to see if stretched words in casual correspondence just indicate a short-lived fashion, or if they are here to stay and need to be added to dictionaries. However, stretching out too many words in a text can be annoying and reduces their effect.

1. Why did the author send her daughter the message “I thought of youuuu...”?

A．To do it playfully.	B．To remind her of the new trend.
C．To show her the power of linguistics.	D．To inspire her to analyze stretchable words

2. What's the author 's concern about kids use of stretched words?

A．It may misdirect kids.

B．It may make kids less playful.

C．It may kill kids’ interest in writing.

D．It may lead kids to misspell words constantly.

3. What is Gray's paper probably about?

A．Why people often mistype words on purpose.

B．How stretched words become a new linguistic pattern.

C．Exploring the use of stretchable words in social media.

D．Listing examples of stretchable words in network language.

4. What should someone do when using stretched words according to the author?

A．Attach importance to the meaning behind them.

B．Stop using too many emojis at the same time.

C．Use them in casual situations .

D．Avoid abusing them.

【推荐2】One reaction to all the concern about tropical deforestation(森林砍伐) is a blank stare(迷惑的眼神) that asks the question, “Since I don’t live there, what does it have to do with me?”

The answer is that your way of life, wherever you live in the world, is tied to the tropics(热带地区) in many ways. If you live in a house, wash your hair, eat fruits and vegetables, drink soda, or drive a car, you can be certain that you are affected by the loss of tropical forests.

Biologically, we are losing the richest regions on earth when, each minute, a piece of tropical forest, the size of ten city blocks, disappears. As many as five million species of plants, animals, and insects (40 to 50 percent of all living things) live there, and are being lost faster than they can be found and described. Their loss is immeasurable(不可估量的).

Take rubber for example. For many uses, only natural rubber from trees will do. Synthetics are not good enough. Today over half the world’s commercial rubber is produced in Malaysia and Indonesia, while the Amazon’s rubber industry produces much of the world’s four million tons. And rubber is an important material in making gloves, balloons, footwear(鞋类) and many sporting goods. Thousands of other tropical plants are valuable for their industrial use.

Many scientists strongly believe that deforestation contributes to the greenhouse effect―or heat of the earth from increased carbon dioxide(二氧化碳) in the atmosphere. As we destroy forests, we lose their ability to change carbon dioxide into oxygen.

Carbon dioxide levels could double within the next half-century, warming the earth by as much as 4.5 degrees. The result? A partial melt-down of polar ice caps, raising sea levels as much as 24 feet; even 15 feet could threaten anyone living within 35miles of the coast. Unbelievable? Maybe. But scientists warn that by the time we realize the serious effects of tropical deforestation, it will be 20 years too late.

Can tropical deforestation affect our everyday lives? Now, you should have got the answer.

1. The underlined word “synthetics” in Paragraph 4 probably means________.

A．natural rubber materials	B．man-made materials
C．tropical materials	D．commercial rubber materials

2. In the last paragraph the author tries to________.

A．tell people how to avoid tropical deforestation

B．warn people of the disastrous results of tropical deforestation

C．let people understand what tropical deforestation is

D．persuade people to buy something synthetic

3. The author’s attitude towards the tropical deforestation is________.

A．puzzled	B．approving
C．doubtful	D．against

4. Which of the following might be the best title for the passage?

A．Tropical Forests and Our life.	B．Tropical Forests.
C．Saving the Tropical Forests.	D．The Greenhouse Effects.

【推荐3】What do Harry Potter, Katniss Everdeen, and Frodo all have in common with the heroes of ancient myths (神话)?Joseph Campbell studied myths from all over the world and published a book called “The Hero with a Thousand Faces”, retelling dozens of stories and explaining how each represents the   mono-myth, or Hero’s Journey. So, what is the “Hero’s Journey”?

He thinks of it as a cycle in his book. The journey begins with the hero receiving a mysterious message, an invitation, or a challenge. After crossing the threshold from his safe home to adventure, with some help probably from someone older, wiser, our hero solves a riddle, slays a monster, escapes from a trap. The hero’s darkest hour then comes, when he faces death and possibly even dies, only to be reborn. As a result, the hero claims some treasure, special recognition, or power, which can vary between stories. After all that adventure, the hero returns to his ordinary world, but upgrades to a new level. Nothing is quite the same once you are a hero.

The Hero’s Journey myth exists in all human cultures and keeps getting updated, because we humans reflect on our world through symbolic stories of our own lives. You leave your comfort zone, have an experience that transforms you and then you recover and do it again. You don’t literally slay dragons or fight Voldemort, but you face problems just as scary. Joseph Campbell said, “In the cave you fear to enter lies the treasure you seek.”

What is the symbolic cave then you fear to enter? Auditions (试镜) for the school play? Baseball tryouts? Love?

Watch for this formula (公式) in books, movies, and TV shows you come across. You will certainly see it again. Also be sensitive to it in your own life. Listen for your call to adventure. Accept the challenge. Conquer your fear and claim the treasure you seek. And then, do it all over again.

1. What is the correct order of the “Hero’s Journey”?
①Return to the ordinary world but upgrade to a new level.
②Receive a call to adventure and assistance from a wiser man.
③Set out on the adventure and go through a series of tough trials.
④Face a life-or-death crisis and be reborn with some special power.

A．①②③④

B．④②①③

C．②③④①

D．③②④①

2. Why is Hero’s Journey myth so popular?

A．Because it’s a way to learn about the past.

B．Because it’s a way to reflect on our world.

C．Because these stories are part of human culture.

D．Because these stories are always being updated.

3. Which of the following may the author disagree with?

A．We all need a “cave” to hide in face of danger.

B．Difficulties we face tend to be treasures in life.

C．Our comfort zone will promote our development.

D．We should watch more movies and shows for the formula.

4. Which of the following is a suitable title for the passage?

A．Where to Find a Hero.	B．Be Your Own Hero.
C．How to Conquer Your Fear.	D．Seek Your Scary Cave.

【推荐2】China welcomed three heroic astronauts home on April 16. The re-entry module carrying astronauts touched down safely at the Dongfeng Landing Site in Inner Mongolia autonomous region. This ended the Shenzhou XIII astronauts’ six-month space mission. This return marks a major breakthrough for China’s efforts in space.     1    

Speed record

The mission set a new speed record. The Shenzhou XII return capsule revolved around the Earth 11 times over 24 hours.     2     The Shenzhou XIII mission was simplified to only five orbits and was designed to return more efficiently, according to the Chinese Academy of Space Technology.

    3    It also needed more accurate orbital calculations. This meant that when the spacecraft separated, it could quickly target the landing area, calculate the return path, and adjust its altitude, Wang Ya’nan, editor-in-chief of Beijing-based Aerospace Knowledge magazine, told the Global Times.

Temperature control

Another challenge for astronauts returning to Earth is traveling through the atmosphere. After the re-entry capsule enters the atmosphere, there is fierce friction with the air.     4     To solve this problem, the researchers designed a heat-resistant coating on the surface of the Shenzhou XIII return capsule. They also laid a layer of a special material that takes away the heat.

Landing

The re-entry capsule landed upright in the right area. Such a landing position is rare in China’s space flight history.     5     To achieve this, astronauts must operate and let go of parachute (降落伞) with accurate timing. Landing upright is the ideal way to land, ensuring astronauts have the softest landing, Pang Zhihao, a spaceflight researcher in Beijing, told Science and Technology Daily.

A．We have made great efforts to land successfully for years.

B．Let’s look at some of the technical details of the mission.

C．Some strategies may help you better understand the mission.

D．This approach required more precise control of the spacecraft.

E．The surface temperature of the capsule can reach thousands of degrees.

F．Shenzhou XIII shortened the time to about 9 hours, orbiting Earth five times.

G．So far, only Shenzhou VI and Shenzhou XIII have achieved an upright landing.

【推荐3】The lander carrying China’s first Mars rover successfully touched down on the red planet early Saturday morning Beijing Time May 15, 2021. It is the first time China has landed a probe on a planet other than Earth.

Tianwen-1, consisting of an orbiter, a lander and a rover, was launched from the Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site on the coast of southern China’s island province of Hainan on July 23, 2020. This is the first step in China’s planetary exploration of the solar system, with the purpose of completing orbiting, landing and roving on the red planet in one mission.

The name Tianwen, meaning “questions to Heaven”, comes from a poem written by the ancient Chinese poet Qu Yuan (about 340-278 BC). China’s first Mars rover is named Zhurong after the god of fire in ancient Chinese mythology, which echoes with the Chinese name of the red planet: Huoxing (the planet of fire).

Tianwen-1 was launched via a Long March-5 rocket, China’s largest launch vehicle. Tianwen-1 has been traveling in space for nearly 10 months. It has carried out four orbital corrections and a deep-space maneuver. It had flown 475 million km and was 192 million km from Earth when it reached Mars orbit.

The craft’s plummet through the Martian atmosphere, lasting about nine minutes, was extremely complicated with no ground control, and had to be performed by the spacecraft autonomously.

“Such a challenging attempt is characterized by a succession of complex activities that must be conducted completely by the spacecraft within a very short period of time,” said Geng Yan, an official with the Lunar Exploration and Space Program Center of the CNSA. “What added to the difficulties was that we don’t know much about the Martian atmosphere, which brought a lot of uncertainties to the mission. Each step had only one chance, and the actions were closely linked. If there had been any flaw, the landing would have failed.”

1. What is the mission of Tianwen-1?

A．To record the wind speed on Mars.	B．To accomplish three major tasks on Mars.
C．To search for aliens in the solar system.	D．To explore the atmosphere of Mars.

2. What do the numbers in paragraph 4 mainly indicate?

A．The expense of traveling in space.	B．The surroundings of the Mars orbit.
C．The huge task of Tianwen-1.	D．The size of the Long March-5 rocket.

3. Why was it difficult for the spacecraft to plummet?

A．It had to complete the actions independently.	B．It was too fast to be controlled.
C．It had traveled in space for a very long time.	D．It carried too many supplies.

4. What can we know from Geng Yan’s words?

A．Landing on Mars is a very challenging move.

B．China’s attempt to explore Mars is successful.

C．People are enthusiastic about exploring the universe.

D．Tianwen-1 is essential to China’s space station program.