【推荐1】Students from Florida International University in Miami walked on water Thursday for a class assignment. To do it, they wore aquatic(水上的) shoes they designed and created.
Alex Quinines was the first to make it to the other side of a 175-foot lake on campus in record time — just over a minute. Quinones, who wore oversized boat-like shoes, also won last year and will receive $500. Students had to wear the aquatic shoes and make it across the lake in order to earn an “A” on the assignment for Architecture, Professor Jaime Canaves’ Materials and Methods Construction Class. “It’s traditional in a school of architecture to do boats out of cardboard for a boat race. I thought our students were a little bit more special than that,” Canaves said. “We decided to do the walk on water event to take it to the next level.”
A total of 79 students competed in the race this year in 41 teams. Only 10 teams failed to cross the lake. Others who fell got back up and made it to the end. The race is open to all students and anyone in the community. The youngest person to ever participate was a 9-year-old girl who competed in place of her mother, while the oldest was a 67-year-old female.
A large crowd on campus joined Canaves as he cheered on the races. He shouted encouraging words, but also laughed as some unsteadily made their way to the end.
“A part of this is for them to have more understanding and designing and make it work better,” he said. It is also a lesson in life for the student.
“Anything, including walking on water, is possible, if you do the research, test it and go through the design process seriously.”
1. For what purpose did the students take part in the race?

A．To go across the lake to school.

B．To pass Professor Jaime Canaves’ class.

C．To test their balance on the water.

D．To win the prize money of $500.

2. Which of the following statements is TURE according to the passage?

A．Most students finished the class assignment successfully.

B．The students who fell into the water were criticized seriously by Professor Jaime Canaves.

C．The students wore shoes distributed by Professor Jaime Canaves to walk across the lake.

D．The students took part in the race to challenge their physical abilities.

3. What can we infer from the passage?

A．Alex Quinines is a top student in the university.

B．It’s a custom for the people in the community to get involved in student activities.

C．The student who made it in to the end in the race would succeed in their professional career.

D．Professor Canaves attaches importance to hands-on learning experience.

4. The purpose of the passage is to        .

A．show approval of the unique teaching style

B．inspire teachers to be more creative

C．report an interesting assignment

D．encourage more people to take part in the race

【推荐2】根据短文内容，从短文后的选项中选出能填入空白处的最佳选项。选项中有两项为多余选项.

Starting high school means changes in your life. Most teenagers look forward to the first day of high school, but still feel a little bit nervous.    1    .     2     Take part in some activities that are held at the school for new students to know the school better. If parents are invited to these activities, take yours with you. Carefully look over all the materials you receive. Make sure of the addresses of the school’s buildings .    3     Buy the things suggested on your teachers’ supply lists and place your materials for each class separately.    4     If you find you’re not doing well in a subject, make use of after-school study groups or ask your teacher to help you with your schoolwork. Consider private tutoring to get you through a difficult time. There are more extracurricular (课外的) activities in high school than in middle school, such as clubs, music and theatre groups, student government, and sports teams. Make friends and be seen at such school activities.    5     Ask someone in the school office about opportunities to take part in school activities if you don’t know how. This is a good time to do what you like doing and an opportunity to try new things. Who said school has to be all work and no play? Since you’re attending more activities in high school than in middle school, you’ll have to learn to manage your time.

A．In order to make your high school life easier, you can follow these tips.

B．Get the things you will need for class.

C．there is no useful information.

D．All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.

E．Keep pace with your high school workload.

F．Learn all you can about your first day before the first school day.

G．Join a club or other organizations to meet people and develop friendship.

【推荐3】The winter holiday is usually a good time to sleep in. But Gao Yuqi, a 14-year-old boy from Anhui, got up at 7: 00 am to run at least 2 kilometers every day during the holiday. In fact, this exercise was part of this homework.

Gao was not alone. Many schools across the country required students to exercise during the winter holiday. Part of the reason is that physical education test scores are now worth more on the senior high school entrance examination (中考). And the score is now worth up to 60 points. Because of this, Gao’s school now asks students to run when the weather is nice, and exercise indoors if it is bad. Students have to post (公布) exercise photos in their classes’ QQ groups. At the Golden Apple Jincheng No.1 Middle School in Chengdu, students have daily exercise plans. For example, they have to skip rope (跳绳) for two minutes and do three sets of sit-ups (仰卧起坐) each day. Their parents sign off (签名) on their plans when they finish exercising.

This has been a big challenge for many students, but has also helped to make exercise a bigger part of their lives. Many students like Gao used to hate running, but now they are able to run for over half an hour every day. They fell in love with exercise during the holiday.

1. How many kilometers did Gao Yuqi run every day during the holiday?

A．At least one kilometer.	B．At least two kilometers.
C．At least three kilometers.	D．At least four kilometers.

2. What do the students have to do when they finish exercising in Gao’s school?

A．To call their teachers.	B．To put their plans online.
C．To ask their parents to sign off on their plans.	D．To post exercise photos in their classes’ QQ groups.

3. Which of the following is not mentioned in the passage?

A．Skipping rope.

B．Swimming.

C．Sit-up.

D．Running.

4. What is the passage mainly about?

A．How to exercise during the winter holiday.

B．Exercising is a big challenge for many students.

C．Physical education test scores are important now.

D．Exercising is becoming part of students’ homework.

【推荐2】A notice at IKEA Shanghai has been shared widely among netizens on Chinese social media. It states that the stores cafeteria now requires customers to order food before sitting down in cafeteria seats. The policy is in response to an elderly blind dating group that occupies seats for a long time, consuming only their own food brought from home. Do you support IKEA’s new regulation? China Daily readers share their opinions with us.

Lee Xin (China)

The elderly are harmless. They are lonely and are probably hoping to find some company again. If anything, the store should at least sympathize with these old people.

Mbursian (US)

This is more for socializing than for romance. I really don’t think a home furnishing store is a good dating place for seniors.

IKEA could also post a reasonable time limit per visit during peak hours. Or instead of tables and chairs, they could use those standing tables and get rid of the chairs altogether. At least IKEA’s cafeteria isn’t occupied by the dancing grannies and their portable PA systems (音响).

SEARU (Australia)

Romance is the most important thing while eating is not that important! So a noble man always leaves more space for seniors’ love affairs!

Mr. Qiu (Shanghai, China 65 years old)

We have been to fast food outlets like McDonalds, but there are barely any peers there. We feel like aliens surrounded by youngsters. If there is another place in Shanghai where elderly people can gather, we are more than ready to pay twice as much and travel further.

TedM (UK)

Romance can arise in many places, even IKEA. However, this debate arose as a result of many people taking advantage of IKEA’s generous drink offers and going there to meet and stay with friends without buying anything. IKEA is a shop; it exists to provide a service for a reasonable profit. It is not a public park.

Michel (New Zealand)

To everyone romanticizing this, please also consider that the store has an image to uphold while protecting the interests of other paying customers. It is ugly to take up seats for such long durations while you make others wait.

1. How many people are in support of this new regulation?

A．2.	B．3.
C．4.	D．5.

2. What is the major cause of this new regulation?

A．Senior blind dates influencing their business.

B．IKEA has zero tolerance for romantic behavior.

C．The strong reaction of netizens on social media.

D．Old people eating their own food to save money.

3. People who are against the new regulation will probably agree that            .

A．seniors’ love affairs can contribute to the store’s image

B．IKEA is the only place where seniors can find their peers

C．the society is being too judgmental and lacks understanding

D．IKEA should not reserve a special area for the old people to date

【推荐3】Peru is a country on the Pacific coast of South America with three main areas: narrow, dry, flat land running along the coast, the Andes Mountains, and the Amazon rainforest.

Amazon Rainforest Tour

A short flight from Cusco takes you from the Andes into the Amazon rainforest. From there, you’ll spend one day travelling by boat to your accommodation in the middle of the forest. You can then spend three days exploring the rainforest with a local guide and enjoying the plants and animals unique to the rainforest.

Machu Picchu Tour

This four-day walking tour will take you on amazing paths through the Andes Mountains on the way to the city of Machu Picchu. After reaching your destination, you will have a day to explore and be amazed by this ancient city. Especially amazing is the Incas’ dry stone method of building. Inca builders cut stones to exact sizes so that nothing was needed to hold walls together other than the perfect fit of the stones.

Cusco Tour

Spend four days enjoying the unique Spanish and local Indian culture high in the Andes at Cusco, the capital of the Inca Empire from the 13th until the 16th century. Stay in a local hotel, visit the museums, admire the architecture, enjoy the excellent local food, and go shopping at the local markets.

Lake Titicaca Tour

Enjoy the beautiful countryside as you spend a day driving along the new highway connecting Cusco to Lake Titicaca. There, a boat will take you to stay with a local Uros family on an island for three days. Both the island and the Uros homes are made of water plants from the lake.

So come and experience what Peru has to offer: everything from the ancient Inca culture and centuries — old Spanish villages to deep rainforests, high mountains, and a beautiful coastline.

1. What is special about the Machu Picchu Tour?

A．People can explore the rainforest with a local guide.

B．People can stay with a local Uros family on an island.

C．People can enjoy the plants and animals unique to the forest.

D．People can know about the Incas’ dry stone method of building.

2. Which tour would you recommend to people who enjoy local Indian culture?

A．Amazon Rainforest Tour.	B．Machu Picchu Tour.
C．Cusco Tour.	D．Lake Titicaca Tour.

3. Where can you most probably read the passage?

A．On a science website.	B．In a travel brochure.
C．In an environmental report.	D．In a biology magazine.

【推荐1】Skeptics are a strange lot. Some of them refuse to admit the serious threat of human activities to the environment, and they are tired of people who disagree with them. Those people, say skeptics, spread nothing but bad news about the environment. The “eco-guilt” brought on by the discouraging news about our planet gives rise to the popularity of skeptics as people search for more comforting worldviews.

Perhaps that explains why a new book by Bjorn Lomborg received so much popularity. That book, The Skeptic Environmentalist, declares that it measures the “real state of the world” as fine. Of course, another explanation is the deep pockets of some big businesses with special interests. Indeed, Mr. Lomborg’s views are similar to those of some industry-funded organizations, which start huge activities through the media to confuse the public about issues like global warming.

So it was strange to see Mr. Lomborg’s book go largely unchallenged in the media though his beliefs were contrary to most scientific opinions. One national newspaper in Canada ran a number of articles and reviews full of words of praise, even with the conclusion that “After Lomborg, the environmental movement will begin to die down.”

Such one-sided views should have immediately been challenged. But only a different review appeared in Nature, a respected science magazine with specific readership. The review remarked that Mr. Lomborg’s “preference for unexamined materials is incredible(不可信的)”.

A critical (批判的)eye is valuable, and the media should present information in such a way that could allow people to make informed decisions. Unfortunately, that is often inaccessible as blocked by the desire to be shocking or to defend some special interests. People might become half-blinded before a world partially exhibited by the media. That’s a shame, because matters concerning the health of the planet are far too important to be treated lightly.

1. According to the passage, which of the following may be regarded as “skeptics”?

A．People who agree on the popularity of “eco-guilt”.

B．People who disbelieve the serious situation of our planet.

C．People who dislike the harmful effect of human activities.

D．People who spread comforting news to protect our environment.

2. Which of the following can be a reason for the popularity of Lomborg’s book?

A．Some big businesses intend to protect their own interests.

B．The book challenges views about the fine state of the world.

C．The author convinces people to speak comforting worldviews.

D．Industry–funded media present confusing information.

3. The author mentioned the review in Nature in order to____.

A．voice a different opinion	B．find fault with Lomborg’s book
C．challenge the authority of the media	D．point out the value of scientific views

4. What is the author’s main purpose in writing the passage?

A．To encourage the skeptics to have a critical eye.

B．To warn the public of the danger of half–blindness with reviews.

C．To blame the media’s lack of responsibility in presenting information.

D．To show the importance of presenting overall information by the media.

【推荐2】Lawns（草坪）are some of the most common things in the world until you really start thinking about them. That’s when you realize that they make no sense. Why do people keep these uninteresting, pointless little plants outside their homes? They’re not beautiful like flowers, they don’t provide food and you have to take care of them constantly.

Israeli bestselling author Yuval Noah Harari thought these deeds were weird too. He looked into their history and ended up with an interesting story.

No one considered putting patches of grass outside their homes in ancient times. That changed in the Middle Ages, when French and English kings and nobles started putting patches of grass at their castle entrances.

“Well-kept lawns demand land and a lot of work,” wrote Harari in his book. “In exchange, they produce nothing of value.” Peasants could never afford to waste their time or land on lawns, so these lawns were a perfect status symbol（身份的象征）for nobility（高贵）.

When the Industrial Revolution began in the 18th and 19th centuries, the middle classes started being able to afford their own suburban（郊区的）houses. And guess what became the suburban status symbol? A perfectly kept lawn.

The popularity of lawns continued to grow, taking over public event spaces and sports. In the past, people played sports on all kinds of surfaces—dirt, ice, sand. But in the last couple centuries, they made the switch to green grass.

“Grass is nowadays the most widespread crop in the USA after corn and wheat,” Harari continued. Lawns spread beyond Europe and the U.S, and they’re now status symbols around the world.

Suburban people may not realize it, but they care for lawns just because centuries ago, French and English kings wanted to show off by intentionally planting something useless. It’s strange that people should continue to spend so much time and money on what’s really a leftover（遗留物）from the Middle Ages. When you plan your house, you can shake off（摆脱）the cultural leftover and imagine for yourself a rock garden or some other new creation.

1. What does the underlined word “weird” in paragraph 2 probably mean?

A．strange	B．ordinary
C．beneficial	D．attractive

2. What could lawns indicate in the 19th century?

A．Environmental awareness.	B．People’s taste.
C．Cultural background.	D．Personal wealth.

3. What is the author’s attitude towards keeping lawns?

A．Uncaring.	B．Disapproving.
C．Favorable.	D．unclear.

4. What might be the best title for the text?

A．The Function of Lawns	B．The Value of Lawns
C．The History of Lawns	D．The Management of Lawns

【推荐3】It's 3 a.m. and you're wide awake for the second night in a row. You get up and come to the kitchen for some warm milk that mom says will put you to sleep. So why are you eating a bowl of ice cream with a side of cookies?

You may have heard about two hormones (荷尔蒙) that control our urge to eat: leptin and ghrelin. "The 'l' in leptin stands for lose: It controls appetite and therefore contributes to weight loss," said sleep specialist Dr. Raj Dasgupta, the associate program director of the Sleep Medicine Fellowship at Keck Medicine of USC. "The 'g' in ghrelin stands for gain: This fast-acting hormone increases hunger and leads to weight gain." When you don't have enough sleep, research shows, ghrelin levels increase while leptin lakes a nose dive. The result is an increase in hunger.

But food is food, so that doesn't explain why we want candy instead of carrots. To answer that, you have to look at another system of the body: The endocannabinoid (内源性大麻素) system. It manages everything from sleep to appetite to pain and more.

In a study published in 2016, Hanlon compared the circulating levels of 2-AG, one of the most abundant endocannabinoids,in people who got four nights of normal sleep (more than eight hours) with those in people who only got 4.5 hours. People who were sleep-deprived (缺乏睡眠) reported greater increases in hunger and appetite and had higher afternoon concentrations of 2-AG than those who slept well. They also had a rough time controlling their urges for high-calorie snacks.

All of this research is so new that science doesn’t yet know how it all fits together or what can be done about it. And that brings us to the bottom line: There's not going to be a pill any time soon for the sleep-deprived junk-food people. Instead, you'll have to do what the doctor says to reduce your improper cravings (渴望) in the middle of the night: get more sleep.

1. How does the author develop paragraph 2?

A．By giving examples.	B．By making comparisons.
C．By following time order.	D．By making explanations.

2. What did the study published in 2016 find?

A．Most 2-AG is produced during sleep.

B．Normal sleep makes levels of 2-AG go up.

C．High levels of 2-AG can result in strong appetite.

D．Lack of sleep decreases appetite for high-calorie food.

3. What may be a solution to the problem of eating junk-food at midnight?

A．Buying a pill from the hospital.	B．Visiting the doctor at midnight.
C．Getting normal amount of sleep.	D．Checking the levels of 2-AG often.

4. What can be the best title for the text?

A．Lack of sleep makes you crave junk food.

B．2-AG controls your hunger and appetite.

C．Enough sleep is important in losing weight.

D．Leptin and ghrelin together make you sleepy.

【推荐1】Superpower dogs

Join an immersive adventure to experience the life-saving superpowers and bravery of some of the world’s most amazing dogs. In this inspiring true story narrated by Chris Evans, our best friends are also real-life superheroes.

Time：March 2, 2：00p.m.

Price：Adult（Age12～65）$21；Junior（Age3～12）$18；Senior（Age65+）$19

The Sky Tonight

Early show：March 4, 7：00 p.m. to 8：00 p.m.

Late show：March 4, 8：15 p.m. to 9：15 p.m.

Join us for a tour of the solar system. Journey through the universe with us as we explore a new topic each month.

Price：Adult（Age13～65）$19; Junior（Age3～12）$17; Senior（Age65+）$18

Make-It Workshop

We invite you to stop by Studio X to try your hand at making. Make-It Workshop activities change monthly and fees vary.

Participants can purchase tickets at Studio X on the day of the workshop.

Time：March 7,11：30 a.m. to 3：30 p.m.

Suds & Science

Sometimes, the most interesting discussions occur over a beer or a glass of your favorite wine. That’s the concept behind Suds & Science, a monthly event that brings scientists face-to-face with the general public in a neighborhood bar.

Location：Thorn Brewing, 3176 Thorn St, San Diego, CA 92104

Price：$6 at the door. Food & drinks are available for purchase.

Please come early to place your orders at the bar, as staff will not be available to take orders during the event.

1. How much will they pay if a couple go to Superpower dogs with a 8-year-old boy?

A．$39

B．$60

C．$40

D．$61

2. What is special for Make-It Workshop?

A．Its fees are not always the same.

B．It holds once a month.

C．Participants can get tickets on the day of the workshop.

D．Participants can talk with scientists face to face.

3. In which activity can you meet scientists in person?

A．Superpower dogs.

B．The Sky Tonight.

C．Make-It Workshop.

D．Suds & Science.

【推荐2】It was time for Mr.Key to go to work.His wife gave him a letter, “please post this on your way to the bus stop,”she said.

“I won’t forget,” he replied."I know i forget things sometimes.I have kept letters in my bag for some days.But I will certainly post this one.”

Mrs.Key smiled.“ You certainly will,” she said.

Mr.Key put the letter in his pocket and said goodbye to his wife. “Goodbye,” said Mrs.Key.She was still smiling when she shut the door.

Mr.Key walked slowly along the road, and soon a girl came up behind him.When the girl walked by, she looked back and smiled at Mr.Key. “Don't forget to post the letter,"she said.Then an old man walked by.He turned and smiled.He also said the same thing to Mr.Key.

Mr.Key said to himself, “Why are these people smiling at me? And how do they know I have a letter to post?”

At last, he came to the mailbox, He put the letter in it and walked on, But once more a girl came up behind him and spoke to him."Did you post your letter? "she asked."Yes,I did, "said Mr.Key.

“Then I can take this off, "said the girl.She took a large piece of paper off Mr.Key's coat and showed it to him.

On seeing it, Mr.Key understood everything.

1. What did Mrs.Key give her husband one day?

A．a pocket.	B．A.coat.
C．A bag.	D．A letter

2. Why did the people in the street know Mr.Key needed to post a letter?

A．Because Mrs.Key told them.	B．Because there was a paper on his back.
C．Because they were Mr.Key’s friends.	D．Because Mr.Key put a paper on his front.

3. How many people reminded Mr.Key of the letter on his way to work?

A．Five.	B．Four.
C．Three.	D．Two.

4. From the text, we know that        .

A．Mr.Key posted the letter finally.

B．Mrs.Key always forgot things.

C．Mrs.Key loved her husband very much.

D．the people Mr.Key met in the street were unfriendly.

【推荐3】Everything changed on June 23, 2012 when Kirstie Ennis was in a helicopter crash that finally led to an above — the — knee leg amputation （截肢）.Recovering from the crash nearly destroyed her, but she refused to let her injuries hold her back.

To prove to herself just how unlimited her possibilities are, Ennis set a goal: become the first veteran （老兵）amputee to complete the Seven Summits ——the highest mountain on each of the seven continents.

But Ennis^, climbing journey isn't just about the mountains. On each climb, she raises money in support of a different nonprofit.

"I realized that .it was a pretty unique platform... whether it's the younger generation, men, women or wounded veterans, they can look to me in a different way," Ennis told Connecting Vets. "It's just the highlight of everything I always wanted to do. ”

Ennis has climbed up five of the seven mountains. She's been on Everest for more than a month, adapting to the altitude and planning routes, and her team plans to summit （登顶）on May 15,2019. It's a climb she has been preparing for three years, including a trip in 2017.

"Everest is the most important part of everything I Have trained for,” Ennis told Pensacola News Journal. “Every mountain teaches me something different. Now I have to use all of those skill sets to be able to deal with Everest. Should I summit, history will be made as the first woman above knee amputee to do so. Each individual, especially those with disabilities, should be able to determine what they're able to do. ”

Ennis shares detailed updates on her blog, and will post again after the summit attempt.

1. Why did Ennis decide to conquer the Seven Summits?

A．To inspire others.	B．To challenge herself.
C．To show her strong will.	D．To make her life colorful.

2. What does Ennis do on her climb?

A．She promotes environmental protection.

B．She collects money for a nonprofit.

C．She recovers from her injury.

D．She communicates with fellows.

3. When did Ennis start to prepare for Everest?

A．In 2016.	B．In 2017.
C．In 2018.	D．In 2019.

4. What can we infer from paragraph 6?

A．Ennis values the experience on every mountain.

B．Ennis is confident that she will summit Everest.

C．Ennis has been well trained due to some experts.

D．Ennis is proud of her upcoming achievement.