【推荐2】Have you ever suddenly developed an appetite from a passing glance at a freeway billboard featuring a brightly colored cheeseburger, or decided to step into a candy or ice cream store displaying a window full of lively shades and hues (色调) of sweet treats？If so, you are in good company. Unless we are medically restricted or strictly dieting, we are not likely to resist inviting fare simply because we recognize the lack of nutritional value.

Devina Wadhera and Elizabeth D. Capaldi­Phillips in A Review of Visual Cues Associated with Food on Food Acceptance and Consumption recognize the impact of sensory cues (信号) on food consumption and enjoyment, and the potential they have to promote healthy eating behavior. They cite previous research in providing some interesting examples of the visual impact of different color schemes (方案) on taste and food enjoyment. They note that pink food on a white plate was considered sweeter and more flavorful than the same food on a black plate. Apparently, we consume food with more of our senses than we realize.

So when we’re faced with so many appealing food choices and given the rainbow of colors around us, is there any way to control our appetite? Thankfully, some research says yes.

Oliver Genschow demonstrated that when it comes to eating less, colors impact consumption. They specifically researched the effect of the color red. They found that people ate fewer pretzels when using a red plate, as opposed to white or blue, and drank less from a red cup than a blue cup. They suggested that the color red reduces food and drink intake by functioning as a stop signal.

But when it comes to healthy eating, instead of putting on a pair of sunglasses to block the inviting hues of food cues, consider the value of discipline. Healthy eating involves intentional choices, not mindless responses to sensory cues. And before you invest in much red tableware to slim down, remember that what goes onto the plates is much more important.

1. What may be a major reason for us to refuse eye­catching food?

A．The shortage of nutrition.

B．The rich color of fine foods.

C．The doctor's instructions.

D．Advertisements everywhere.

2. What might be dealt with in A Review of Visual Cues Associated with Food on Food Acceptance and Consumption?

A．Benefits of different color schemes.

B．Interesting examples of food service.

C．The potential to promote food consumption.

D．Effects of sensory cues on eating behavior.

3. What does the author suggest people do in the last paragraph?

A．Follow the sensory response.

B．Make food choices sensibly.

C．Wear sunglasses to block colors.

D．Avoid colorful food intentionally.

4. What is the best title for the text?

A．How Can People Control Their Appetite?

B．How Are People Tricked by Color Schemes?

C．How Do Colors Impact Food's Appeal and Appetite?

D．How Do Bright Colors Make Food More Appealing?

【推荐3】Do you sometimes find yourself drawing random patterns(图案)during meetings and lectures? Some people believe it shows you aren’t listening or paying attention. However, there are studies which claim the opposite, and that doodling might actually be beneficial.

Doodling seems to be popular. In the past, it was seen as a mindless activity and a product of the absentminded. However, in 2016, an article on the Harvard University website discussed the idea that random drawings may assist memory retention(保持)and concentration.

The article stresses that 26 of 44 American presidents were known to doodle, with Ronald Reagan famous for drawing cowboys. A 2009 study conducted by psychologist Jackie Andrade asked 40 people to listen to a “dull and boring” voice message. Half of the group were asked to doodle and shade in a picture. Those who did were able to recall 29% more of the information contained in the message.

Some experts believe that willingly accepting your creative and artistic sides during meetings may engage your mind. Jesse Prinz, a famous professor of philosophy, actively encourages his students to doodle. He believes that doodling is the “attentional sweet spot”.

And it might not just be good for your concentration. An artist known as Mr Doodle has made a career out of his scribbles(乱涂乱画).He sells his art online and also goes to people’s homes to decorate their walls.

It seems that random drawing to aid concentration might be becoming more of a thing. People like Sunni Brown, an advocate for doodling, teach adults how to sketch and scribble in the workplace. So, the next time you see someone randomly drawing pictures during a meeting, it might be a sign that they are listening more than you think.

1. Which phrase has the same meaning as doodling?

A．A product of the absentminded.

B．Random drawing.

C．Scribbles in the workplace.

D．Drawing on the walls.

2. The author refers to Ronald Reagan in order to ________.

A．inform readers of Reagan’s ability

B．provide some background information

C．introduce a new topic for further discussion

D．give an example of the advantages of doodling

3. Why does Jesse Prinz think that doodling is the “attentional sweet spot”？

A．He thinks that it draws more attention.

B．He thinks that it promises a good career.

C．He believes that it helps to engage the mind.

D．He believes that it can bring economic benefits.

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

A．To state the benefits that you can get from random drawing.

B．To provide guidance on leading a random drawing life.

C．To stress the need of distraction at work and in our life.

D．To suggest a way of pursuing concentration in our lifelong career.

【推荐1】People asked to imagine how flooding or droughts would affect particular people or places were more likely to engage in environmentally friendly actions．

Many people view climate change as a distant threat． But having them imagine the tangible （有形的） consequences of resulting droughts or floods may help change this idea and encourage proenvironmental behavior， a new study suggests．

Researchers asked 93 college students to read a report on temperature anomalies （异常），floods and other climate change-related events that have affected the island． The scientists then asked 62 of the participants to write down three ways in which such phenomena might impact their future lives． Half the people in that group were instructed to imagine such situations in detail． The remaining 31 students did not complete either the writing or imagining steps， acting as a control group．

All the participants then rated their ideas of climate change risks by responding to questions such as "How likely do you think it is that climate change is having serious impacts on the world？" They used a scale from 1 （"very unlikely"） to 7 （"very likely"）． The average score was higher among subjects who had been asked to envision detailed situations than among those who had not． The results were later confirmed in a second experiment involving 102 participants．

Participants in the first experiment who had imagined the effects of climate change were more likely to say they would use air conditioning in an energy-saving manner． In the second experiment， nearly two thirds of people in the visualizing （想象） group signed up to help clean a beach， compared with 43 percent in the nonvisualizing one． And when offered a choice of a vegetarian （素食主义的）or nonvegetarian lunch box， nearly half the visualizers selected the environmentally friendlier meatless choice-compared with about 28 percent of the nonvisualizers．

The researchers did not track people to see if they behaved differently in their day-to-day lives-something further studies should examine， says study co-author Wen-Bin Chiou． Moreover， the research ''should be done again in other places with other populations，" says Robert Gifford， a professor of psychology at the University of Victoria in British Columbia， who was not involved in the work．

The findings could be applied to raise public concern about climate change， Chiou says． For example， he suggests that news reports about the phenomenon could include vivid descriptions of its effects on people，s lives and ask readers to imagine experiencing such impacts． Having virtual-reality demonstrations （展示）in local science museums of the consequences of climate change would be another way of putting the research into practice， Chiou adds．

1. Which of the following statements about the study is true？ ______

A．Only one experiment was carried out for the study．

B．Professor Robert Gifford played a key role in the study．

C．The control group only completed the writing step in the experiment．

D．Participants asked to imagine detailed effects scored higher than those who weren't．

2. Future studies will probably be about whether ______ ．

A．it is true of other populations in other places

B．more money will be donated to the people affected by climate change-related events

C．people choose vegetarian lunch boxes in their daily lives

D．climate change will cause people to think about joining in a control group

3. To put the research into practice， Wen-Bin Chiou suggests that ______ ．

A．the government call on people to live a low-carbon life

B．people use air conditioning in an energy-saving manner

C．people experience possible effects of climate change through virtual reality facilities

D．news reports provide vivid descriptions of the effects of climate change on peoples5lives

4. The passage mainly tells us that ______ ．

A．different people may have different reactions to climate change

B．different forms of climate change may affect people's ideas in different ways

C．people may change their behavior after thinking about the vivid impacts of climate change

D．college students show great concern for the people affected by climate change

【推荐2】More Plastic than Fish in the Oceans by 2050

30 years from now our seas will be containing more plastic than fish．According to a report released by the World Economic Forum, plastic production around the world is expected to double within the next 20 years．    1     By 2050 it will be four．

About 8 million tons of plastic are dumped into the sea every year．    2     Environmentalists estimate that there are about 160 million tons of plastic in the world's oceans today．By 2050 there will be more plastic in the oceans than fish．

    3     In addition it produces a huge garbage patch that floats on the surface, thus putting ships in danger and polluting beautiful beaches around the world．But the plastic that floats in the water is only a fraction of the whole amount．

Plastic is becoming more and more common in our world．    4     However, it is endangering our environment more than any other material．The World Economic Forum calls for more recycling and a better use of plastic．95% of all plastic that is produced is only used once, and then it is thrown away．Almost a third finds its way into our environment．

Oil is the raw material that plastic is made of．Currently, 5% of the world's oil production is turned into plastic．    5    

A．By 2050 it will rise to a fifth．

B．There, it can last for hundreds of years．

C．It has many uses and is cheap to produce．

D．More people have sensed its seriousness．

E．Today, one garbage truck full of plastic gets into the ocean every minute．

F．They were aiming to highlight the global issue of plastic pollution in the oceans．

G．Plastic that turns up in the seas endangers the fish population and other marine animals．

【推荐3】Most people know something about the greenhouse effect. Factories send gasses such as carbon dioxide, or CO₂, into the atmosphere, the air around the earth. In the past, this wasn’t a problem because trees absorbed the CO₂. But now people in many countries are cutting down billions of trees all around the world. At the same time, factories are sending more CO₂ into the atmosphere. It’s difficult to believe, but factories put billions of tons of CO₂ into the atmosphere every year. One ton is over 2000 pounds, so it is a lot of pollution. There is too much CO₂ and there aren’t enough trees, so the world is getting warmer. In other words, we have a greenhouse effect. This is terrible for the environment.

What can we do about this? Firsts we can stop using so much coal and oil. We can learn to use different kinds of energy: the sun, wind, steam from volcanoes，and heat from inside the earth. Second, instead of cutting down trees, we should plant more trees. One tree can absorb ten pounds of carbon dioxide every year.

The trees are good for the earth’s atmosphere and for Guatemala (拉丁美洲国家危地马拉).In small towns and villages in Guatemala, most women are poor and have hard lives. Trees help them in three ways. First, the Connecticut factories pay them to plant the trees. Their pay is com, not money. The com is good for their children. Second, these women know a lot about their environment. They know where to plant when to plant, and what kinds of trees to plant. For example，they plant many fruit trees. The fruit gives them vitamins for their families^’ s diets. Other trees are good for firewood. In a few years, the women won’t spend so much time looking for firewood. Third, all these trees are good for the soil. Now rain can’t wash the soil down from the mountains so easily.

This plan isn’t enough to stop the greenhouse effect. However, it’s a start. The woman of Guatemala are helping themselves and helping their environment.

1. Which of the following statement is NOT true?

A．Factories send more CO2 into the atmosphere.

B．Trees can’t absorb the same CO2 as they did in the past.

C．Billions of trees are being cut down throughout the world.

D．The greenhouse effect is extremely bad for the environment.

2. What’s the main idea of the second paragraph?

A．The reasons why we should plant more trees.

B．Ways we can adopt to take heat from volcanoes.

C．Measures to be taken to forbid the use of coal and oil.

D．Things we can do to stop or reduce the greenhouse effect.

3. How does planting trees help improve women’s lives in Guatemala?

A．By preventing the greenhouse effect.

B．By developing their skills of planting trees.

C．By enabling them to earn more money to support their family.

D．By making them get com and fruit to feed their family in return.

4. What’s the author’s attitude towards the plan of planting trees in Guatemala?

A．Critical.	B．Neutral.
C．Positive.	D．Doubtful.

【推荐2】For centuries, people have kept large amounts of cash at home during difficult times. But during the coronavirus crisis, things are different. Metal coins and paper bills can be a source of worry rather than hope.

The fear is that these objects, possibly touched by thousands of people, could provide a way for the coronavirus to spread. Public officials and health experts have said that the risk is small. Still, some businesses refuse to accept cash and some countries have suggested that their citizens should stop using it altogether.

Zachary Cohle is an economics professor at Quinnipiac University in Connecticut. “In many areas, cash was already beginning to disappear due to the increased risk of robbery, the ease of Internet ordering, and the ubiquity of cell phones,” he said. “Sweden, Finland, Norway, Canada and others have slowly reduced cash use to the point where using it in large amounts seems unusual. Britain and Australia are expected to become cashless countries. And in China, cash use has dropped as electronic payment services have increased in popularity over the past decade.”

“Cash ist Fesch” is a common saying in Austria and southern Germany. The words mean cash is beautiful. But since the virus outbreak, shops that have remained open there, like grocery stores, have encouraged people to pay with cards. And Germany’s central bank said 43 percent of Germans recently paid for goods and services with a card. The Bank of Japan estimates that cash makes up for 53 percent of household assets. But the threat of the coronavirus could move the country toward going cashless, said Hiroki Maruyama, head of the nonprofit Fintech Association of Japan. He added, “The culture is slowly changing.”

However, cash use is still common in places like West and Central Africa. Some experts say that the world will not be cashless until everyone and every country has reliable access to the Internet.

1. Why is cash regarded as a source of worry?

A．Cash may carry viruses after being used.	B．Some countries refuse to accept cash.
C．It’s risky to keep a lot of cash at home.	D．Cash can’t be used during the crisis.

2. What is paragraph 3 mainly about?

A．The disadvantages of paying in cash.	B．The introduction to cashless countries.
C．The present situation of cash use worldwide.	D．The increasing popularity of electronic payment.

3. What do we know from the example of Germany and Japan?

A．Shops in Germany only take cash because it’s beautiful.

B．Less than half of the Germans still like to pay goods in cash.

C．More than half of the Japanese prefer to put cash in the bank.

D．The Japanese are changing their traditional attitudes to cash.

4. Why is it impossible for the world to be cashless according to the passage?

A．The virus crisis will last for a long time.

B．The habit of paying in cash is hard to change.

C．The Internet is not available in all the countries.

D．People in Africa can’t afford the banking services.

【推荐3】Have you ever wondered what the food you eat every day can tell you about where you come from? Have you ever wondered why people from different parts of the world eat different types of food? There is more of a connection between food and culture than you may think.

On an individual level we grow up eating the food of our cultures. It becomes a part of who we are. Many of us relate food from our childhood with warm feelings and good memories and it ties us to our families, holding a special and personal value for us. When I was sick as a kid, my mother would cook soup and bring it to bed for me. The smell and taste of the soup became something very familiar to me. Now, whenever I feel tired or stressed, I feel hungry for that soup.

On a larger scale, food is an important part of culture. Traditional cuisine is passed down from one generation to the next. It also operates as an expression of cultural identity. Immigrants bring the food of their countries with them wherever they go and cooking traditional food is a way of preserving their culture when they move to new places.

The food does not remain exactly the same. What stays the same is the extent to which each country or community’s unique cuisine can reflect its unique history lifestyle, values, and beliefs.

In China, harmony is a vital trait in almost every aspect of life. This is reflected in Chinese cuisine, where almost every flavor is used in a balanced way, creating delicious dishes with flavors that go well together. Historically Chinese people have an ornate(华美的)style, which can be seen in their architecture and costumes, as well as in their food. They believe that food not only needs to be nutritious but also needs to look appealing, so they put a lot of effort into decorating the dishes and making them look colorful.

As the world becomes more globalized, it’s easier to access cuisines from different cultures. It’s important to remember that each dish has a special place in the culture it belongs to, and is special to those who prepare it. Food is an entrance to culture, and it should be treated as such.

1. What does the author want to express in Paragraph 1?

A．Traditions on culture	B．Difficulties in cooking food
C．Concerns about food and culture	D．Connections between food and culture

2. Why does the author feel hungry for the soup his mother cooked?

A．He feels terribly homesick.	B．It is nutritious and inviting.
C．He is too weak to feed himself.	D．It has become a comfort food for him.

3. What does the author say about Chinese cuisine?

A．It has an unbalanced flavor.	B．It features unnecessary decoration.
C．It reflects Chinese people’s values.	D．It is closely related to Chinese architecture.

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

A．You are what you eat	B．Food culture and globalization
C．What food tells us about culture	D．How food culture impacts our health