【推荐1】As heat waves continue to ravage the planet, air conditioners are becoming more and more common. However, these "active" cooling devices are posing problems because the electricity consumption which most people are concerned about and the release of ozone-damaging chemicals worsen the greenhouse gas effect, resulting in the creation of heat islands and further thermal pollution. Therefore, "passive" cooling, which doesn't have such effects, has attracted considerable attention from both scientists and ordinary people in recent years.

In a recent study, a team of researchers from China and US presented an eco-friendly, low-cost coating to keep buildings cooler while consuming zero electricity. Infrared radiation-based passive cooling has been investigated since 2014, but challenges, mainly the expensive and unsustainable design, have greatly limited their large-scale and widespread application. Besides, the imbalance in cooling ability of these coatings during the day and night tends to lead to great day-night temperature differences as more heat is lost than gained at night.

The solution therefore requires a "smart" mechanism that can both enhance daytime cooling and minimize nighttime heat loss. To do this, the researchers created a new smart coating comprised of conventional building materials, including titanium dioxide nanoparticles, fluorescent microparticles, and glass microspheres that were engineered to reflect most of the sun-light. Specifically, the titanium dioxide particles effectively reflect sunlight through light scattering（撒播）while the fluorescent particles increase the amount of reflection by changing the absorbed sunlight into fluorescence emissions, which drive more heat away from the building. Meanwhile, the glass microspheres re-send mid-infrared broadband radiation, allowing not only heat loss, but allowing heat exchange to take place between the building and the sky.

The coating was tested on a model concrete building. Through this efficient heat ex-change with the sky, daytime cooling was strengthened while nighttime cooling was reduced. The building's inside temperature was always maintained at around 26 ℃, even when the out-side temperature varied from 24 ℃ to 37 ℃ during the day. We believe this new coating will make it to commercialization soon, enabling a sustainable, passive cooling technology that could help to fight climate change and the global energy crisis.

1. What is the virtue of passive cooling?

A．It is simple to design.	B．It is smart.
C．It uses no power.	D．It uses no chemicals.

2. Why couldn't the former coating be applied commercially?

A．Its material was costly.

B．Its heat loss and cooling are imbalanced.

C．Its material was hard to produce.

D．It wasn't tested on a model concrete building.

3. Which of the following can replace the underlined word "mechanism" in paragraph 3?

A．Metal.

B．Building.

C．Platform.

D．System.

4. What is the text mainly about?

A．The principle of air-conditioning.

B．The differences between active and passive cooling.

C．A new coating to keep buildings cool without electricity.

D．A new building to maintain its inside temperature without electricity.

【推荐2】It’s said that about one third of the world’s citizens live in substandard housing. But researchers have created free plans now available online for building houses using pre-made parts that fit together perfectly, which could help solve this housing problem.

The world population is expected to grow to more than 8 billion by 2030, and the housing situation in city is already a huge problem. Building new homes in the traditional way still takes weeks or months.

In a London neighborhood, a group of volunteers are constructing a house made of pre-made plywood panels (预制胶合板面板) and parts, the so-called WikiHouse. All parts were precisely cut in a Computer Numerical Control, or CNC machine, following a free plan downloaded from the Internet.

Founder of the UK-based on WikiHouse Foundation, architectural designer Alastair Parvin, said this could be the solution for affordable housing. WikiHouse is essentially a series of technologies we’re developing aimed at simplifying the process of making really sustainable high-performance houses to a point where almost anyone can do it.

Precise cutting allows a perfect fit for all parts, which speeds up the process of assembly (装配). No special tools are required. The WikiHouse was built in 10 days for exhibition purposes. Then, it was taken apart and reassembled elsewhere for permanent use.

“Open-source (开源)software is now really established; it drives a lot of the software we use,” Parvin said. “What's happening now is that that's coming into the world of physical things, so we're effectively building a kind of Wikipedia for physical material.”

Parvin said the project is in its early stages, with limited availability. But he said he expects it to grow as more people start showing interest in houses whose assembly requires no special skills.

1. What does the author think of the housing situation in urban centers?

A．Serious.

B．Acceptable.

C．Good.

D．Common.

2. Why is Alastair Parvin developing Wiki- House?

A．Because it looks more beautiful.

B．Because it saves the trouble of designing.

C．Because workers are fond of the work.

D．Because it makes the process of making houses simple.

3. Which is one of the advantages of the WikiHouse?

A．It is solid.	B．It takes up little room.
C．It saves time.	D．It is environmentally friendly.

4. Judging from the last two paragraphs, we know_.

A．Parvin is cautious about using open-source software

B．Parvin thinks WikiHouse technology is mature

C．Parvin is optimistic about the future of WikiHouse

D．Parvin is trying his best to make Wiki-House cheaper

【推荐3】A company in San Francisco, California, has found a way to turn used plastic bottles into women’s shoes.

Every day, millions of Americans drink water and other liquids from plastic bottles. More than 60 million of them are thrown away each day. Many of the plastic bottles end up in landfills or are burned with other waste products.

A San Francisco start-up company called Rothy’s, however, turns this plastic waste into environmentally friendly shoes. Rothy Martin is the company’s co-founder. He explains how they turn plastic into soft material for your feet. They take the plastic, clean it, and break it down into small pieces. Then they press it through a device that makes soft fibers. Those fibers are then combined, or knit together. This is done by a three-dimensional knitting machine. It is designed to reduce waste while making the shoes.

The knitted fabric and the inner part of the shoes are then attached to the shoes’ outer part, called the sole. This outer sole is also made from environmentally friendly material: responsibly sourced no-carbon rubber.

Rothy’s shoes are sold online. They are flat shoes, with either a rounded or pointed toe. They come in different colors and designs. They cost either $125 or $145 per pair, depending on the design.

After American actress Gwyneth Paltrow discovered them last year, the demand for the shoes grew.

Martin says there is no shortage of material to fill that demand. “We’re not going to run out of water bottles any time soon. So we have an infinite supply of material, and I think that bodes well for our future. ”

When the environmentally friendly shoes wear out, customers can return them at no cost to a company that uses the recycled materials to make other products.

For now, the shoes are only available to be shipped in the United States. However, the company says it will add international shipping in the near future.

1. Which one is the right procedure of making shoes?
①pressing small pieces                    
②breaking down clean plastic bottles
③knitting together                          
④cleaning plastic bottles
⑤attaching the knitted fabric, the inner part and the outer part

A．①②③④⑤	B．④②③①⑤
C．④②①③⑤	D．②①③④⑤

2. Why did Rothy’s use a three-dimensional knitting machine to make shoes?

A．Because it is easy to operate.

B．Because it is cheaper than other machines.

C．Because it is productive.

D．Because it can reduce waste when making the shoes.

3. What can be learned from the passage?

A．This kind of shoes are sold in the shop.

B．The shoes are environmentally friendly.

C．Customers can return them with little money to a company.

D．The shoes are available in the world.

4. What’s the best title of the passage?

A．How to recycle plastic bottles

B．Recycled bottles find newlife on women’s feet

C．How a new kind of shoes became a hit

D．How to make environmentally friendly shoes

【推荐2】When I worked on the manufacturing shop（车间）floor, we rarely saw plant managers except for one. He often walked through the plant. He checked out product quality. He stopped for a brief word—usually no more than a "hello". He wasn't outgoing. He didn't display any of the qualities typically associated with a "leader". Yet we liked him,

In a 1992 University of Pittsburgh study, researchers had four women attend a number of different classes. Their attendance was different: one woman might attend every class; a different woman might attend only a few. What didn't differ was their behavior. None of the women spoke in class or spoke to other students.

At the end of the term, students were asked which woman they liked best. Who "won"? Women who attended the highest number of classes. According to the researchers, "Mere exposure（暴露）had weak effects on familiarity, but strong effects on attraction and similarity," Or in non-researcher-speak: If I see you frequently, I naturally like you more. That's the power of showing up.

Knowing someone will show up in the future also matters. In a 1967 University of Minnesota study, researchers gave study participants profiles（简况）of two people and told them that one would be a partner in future discussion groups. When asked, the participants said they liked their future partner more. Even though the profiles were almost the same.

Want your team or your customers to like you more? Show up. Drop in. Drop by, Send a brief note. Make a quick phone call. You don't have to say or do much, Then, be consistent（一致的）in your behavior. In time, people will expect you to drop in or drop by, whether in person or virtually（在线的）. Expecting future contact will make them like you more.

1. What does the first paragraph serve as?

A．A background.	B．A comment.
C．An introduction.	D．An explanation.

2. Why did the students like one of the women best according to the 1992 study?

A．She behaved more like others.

B．She attended classes more often.

C．She often greeted others enthusiastically.

D．She answered questions frequently.

3. What did the University of Minnesota study find?

A．Familiarity leads to likability.

B．Virtual contacts benefit likability.

C．Identical behaviours improve likability.

D．Future partnership increases likability.

4. How can you make your team or customers like you more?
a. By pointing out their problems often.                    
b. By showing up often.
c. By making a phone call often.                           
d. By rarely complaining about them.
e. By being consistent in your behavior.                    
f. By sending them a brief note often.

A．a, b, c, e	B．b, c, e, f
C．c, d, e, f	D．a, c, d, e

【推荐3】Many jobs must be done with two people. One person takes the lead. The other helps. So it is with the human body. Much of our body depends on the cooperation between substances. When they work together, chemical reactions take place smoothly. Body systems are kept in balance.
Some of the most important helpers in the job of good health are the substances we call vitamins. The word “vitamin” dates back to Polish scientist Casimir Funk in 1912. He was studying a substance in rice. Funk believed the substance belonged to a group of chemicals known as amines (胺类). He added the Latin word “vita”, meaning life. So he called the substance a “vitamine”—an amine necessary for life.
Other studies found that not all vitamins were amines. So the name was shortened to vitamin. But Funk was correct in recognizing their importance.
Scientists have discovered 14 kinds of vitamins. They say vitamins help to carry out chemicals changes within cells. If we do not get enough of the vitamins, we are at risk of developing a number of diseases. This brings us back to James Lind of Scotland. In the 1740s, Lind was a doctor for the British Navy. He was investigating a problem that had existed in the Navy for many years.
The problem was the disease scurvy(坏血病). The sailors were weak from bleeding inside their bodies. Even the smallest wound would not heal. Doctor Lind thought the sailors were getting sick because they failed to eat some kinds of foods when they were at sea for many months.
Doctor Lind separated twelve sailors who had scurvy into two groups. He gave each group different foods to eat. One group got oranges and lemons. The other did not. The men who ate the fruit began to improve within seven days. The other men got weaker.
However, which foods should be eaten to keep us healthy? Let us look at some important vitamins for these answers.
1. Why was the name “vitamine” shortened to “vitamin”?

A．Because Funk was totally wrong.

B．Because few vitamins were amines.

C．Because there were new findings.

D．Because the latter was easy to remember.

2. The underlined word “This” in the fourth paragraph probably refers to that _______.

A．people tend to develop many diseases

B．lack of the vitamins causes disease

C．vitamins help chemical changes within cells

D．it is common for people to get no enough vitamins

3. Doctor Lind proved eating fruits can prevent scurvy by means of _______.

A．comparing

B．analyzing

C．surveying

D．questioning

4. What is the main topic of the passage?

A．Food to keep us healthy.

B．The benefits of vitamins.

C．Research into scurvy.

D．Facts about vitamins.