【推荐2】In winter, we often use large amounts of salt to remove dangerous ice from roads and walkways. But when the spring arrives, all that salt can really damage plants along the way. Salt is the chemical sodium chloride.

Salt pulls water from living cells, like plant roots and the healthy ground soil around them. So, spring growth may show up lighter in color than normal, or, in the worst cases, plants may simply die. Rain can wash away much of the salt, permitting some older plants to live. But overusing it unavoidably brings great damage to plants.

There are, of course, other things that can be used in place of sodium chloride. One is the chemical calcium chloride, which does less damage to plants. Calcium chloride can quickly change the melting (融化) point of ice and absorb water, making a much quicker acting agent. It also works when the temperature is below negative 17 degrees Celsius. Salt only keeps its effectiveness at temperatures above negative 12 degrees Celsius. Yet, it’s more expensive and can do more damage to cars.

Calcium magnesium acetate, also called CMA, is a more popular alternative than salt and calcium chloride. It is made by combining limestone, a type of rock, and vinegar. It breaks down naturally so it does not damage plants or soil. It stays on roads and does not hurt cars. CMA does have problems, however. It is most effective at around negative 9 degrees Celsius. And it is better at stopping ice from forming rather than removing it.

Some materials-such as sand or very small pieces of wood-can also work against ice. They might be very messy, but in the interests of plants grown in the ground near a road or where a car is parked, all of them could be a better choice than salt.

1. What advantage does calcium chloride have over salt?

A．It pulls little water from plants.	B．It can melt ice in a shorter time.
C．It has no bad effect on plants.	D．It works at higher temperature.

2. What should we do when using CMA?

A．Break it into small pieces.

B．Use it before water or snow freezes.

C．Combine it with rock and vinegar.

D．Remove it from roads after use.

3. How does the author develop the text?

A．By using data.

B．By raising doubt.

C．By drawing comparisons.

D．By explaining principles.

4. Which of the following can be the best title for the text?

A．Salt Does More Harm than Good

B．Vary Ways to Clear Ice with Conditions

C．Ice Removal Could Damage Plants

D．To Help Plants, Use Less Salt

【推荐1】Twenty-five years ago, most young Britons wanted a career in law, to be a doctor, or, if they were creative enough, to take up singing. But today, things stand differently.

According to a survey by Tesco Mobile, a UK company, the “dream job” of young people aged between 16 and 25 in the UK is a video blogger, or “vlogger”. The survey, carried out among 1,002 people, found that as much as 40 percent of them put the vlogger as their number one choice on a list of ideal careers.

This change is undoubtedly as a result of the Internet and social media. They have made it so much easier to reach audience of the world, without having to enter a career in show business in the traditional way.

In the past, the biggest stars were trained by the Hollywood studios. Now, anyone with a camera can become a star. Vloggers are the big stars of today because they are normal people communicating with their fans about everyday lives.

However, what people see is only the bright side of being a vlogger and they fail to notice the fact that only those who are successful earn fame and money. For every success there are hundreds of others who never get off the starting line. There are the dreams that come true and the dreams that remain dreams forever.

Although being vloggers is popular, some young people choose to follow careers that don’t necessarily earn them fame, but allow them to make good use of the Internet to share their hobbies. Young Israeli David Leshaw, for example, runs a business called the Finishers Club. It’s an online platform for runners to keep a record of their races. His job allows him to express his enthusiasm, and is always a learning experience. And that’s enough for him.

1. Why do more and more young Britons choose to be vloggers?

A．Because vloggers can earn little fame and money on the Internet.

B．Because there is too much competition in the traditional show business.

C．Because the Internet makes it convenient to become vloggers.

D．Because anyone with a camera will surely become a star.

2. What can we infer from the fifth paragraph?

A．Only a few vloggers can be successful.

B．A vlogger cannot earn fame or money.

C．People seldom see the bright side of being a vlogger.

D．Dreams will always remain to be dreams.

3. What do young people like David do on the Internet?

A．Learn from others.	B．Become an online hit.
C．Hold running races.	D．Mix jobs with hobbies.

4. What is the passage mainly about?

A．Most Britons choose to be vloggers as their jobs now.

B．The Internet is influencing young Britons’career choice.

C．The Internet is taking the place of traditional studios.

D．Young Britons cannot find jobs without the Internet.

【推荐2】For decades, families settled on the sofa to share the latest news and TV series, until additional bedroom TV, computer games and the Internet almost put an end to family rows over who held the remote control. Now, however, the traditional living room scene is making a comeback. A study by the communications watchdog Ofcom has found families are once again gathering around the main television set, but they are bringing their pads and smartphones with them.
“The 1950s living room is making a comeback as a family entertainment centre,” said Jane Rumble, head of media research at Ofcom. “We are watching on much better, bigger, and more delicate television sets, but we are coming into the living room holding our connected devices.” While the family are coming together once more, comparisons with the past end there. With a range of smaller screens on hand, not everyone sitting on the sofa shares the same viewing experience.
The coronation (加冕礼) may have drawn the undivided attention of 20 million viewers in 1953, but those watching the Queen’s Jubilee celebrations 50 years later were as likely to be commenting online about BBC’s broadcast as watching it. “Just a few years ago, we would be talking about last night’s TV at work or at school,” said a viewer, “Now, we’re having those conversations live while watching TV, using social media, text and instant messaging.”
It is a behaviour of media meshing（联网）, whose influence was underlined during this year’s Wimbledon men’s tennis final. As Andy Murray pushed towards his victory, 1.1 million people worldwide sent an average of over two microblogs about the match.
People use the Internet to enhance their television experience, for example, by reading a newspaper live blog about a football match while watching the action on the main screen. For a huge number of younger viewers, the portable screen offers a chance to do something unrelated, such as online shopping, listening to music or watching another television programme.
Some 70% of 16-to-24-year-olds claim to be absorbed in what Ofcom calls “media stacking” at least once a week. For TV viewers, the Internet scanning is the most popular activity, but they are also calling friends on the phone or sending emails and texts. Surprisingly, 12% claim to have listened to the radio with the television on, and 6% say they have watched another video in the meanwhile.
1. According to the study by Ofcom, family members nowadays _______.

A．care more about who holds the remote control

B．share the same programmes in the living room

C．watch better and more delicate television programmes

D．enjoy TV together with various smaller screens on hand

2. This year’s Wimbledon men’s tennis final is mentioned to indicate _______.

A．so many people worldwide are watching TV

B．people like watching live matches on TV

C．the great influence of media meshing

D．the average amount of microblogs

3. Which shows the phenomenon of “media stacking” in the last paragraph?

A．People are watching TV while shopping online.

B．People are watching a broadcast of a coronation.

C．The Internet makes people spend less time on TV.

D．The Internet enriches people’s television experience.

4. The passage is written to _______.

A．describe the changes connected devices bring to TV watching

B．report the comeback of the traditional living room scene

C．show the influence of connected devices on people

D．present the different roles TV plays in people’s life

【推荐1】Along with silk and paper,gunpowder is another invention by Chinese and the Silk Road helped it spread to the West. The dating of gunpowder is as early as 850 AD. The Chinese used gunpowder to make fireworks and for signal flares. Gunpowder was also thought to have been used in medicine and in alchemy(炼金术). This invention seems to have been discovered in China by accident —by alchemists when doing experiments.

The gunpowder used for military purpose was first recorded in 919 AD. By the 11th century,explosive bombs filled with gunpowder were introduced and used in China. The words “fire cannon” “rocket” and “fireball” appeared time and again in the official Song history as well as two other books written during the same period.

The first detailed description of using the “fire cannon” in warfare was in connection with a battle fought in 1126 when the Song army used it against the invading enemy. The so-called “ fire cannon” was a tube made of bamboo filled with gunpowder which, when fired, threw a flaming missile towards the enemy. According to a description of a battle scene in 1132, it took two persons to carry a “fire cannon”, and the cannons were fired from a moving platform. And this platform had to be moved close to the wall of the besieged(被围攻的) city.

Gunpowder reached Japan, the Islamic countries and then Europe in the 13th century, and the Arabs improved gunpowder for military use. The early account of gunpowder in Europe was recorded by English philosopher Roger Bacon in the 13th century. One century later the Arabs used it to attack the Spanish town Baza and the next year in 1326 Florence ordered the manufacturing of cannon and cannon balls. From Italy the making of gunpowder soon spread to other European countries, and by the 1350s it had become an effective weapon on the battlefield.

1. Gunpowder was discovered _________.

A．by alchemists when they had an accident

B．by alchemists after studying it for a long time

C．accidentally by alchemists

D．experimentally by alchemists

2. Which of the following words can best describe a “fire cannon”?

A．Convenient.	B．Heavy.
C．Useless.	D．Simple.

3. It can be inferred from the passage that _______.

A．“fire cannons” at early times would be less helpful if they were far away from the object

B．alchemists devoted themselves to the study of gunpowder

C．the Silk Road spread to the West because of the invention of gunpowder

D．the first detailed description of using “fire cannons” in warfare was in 1132

4. What is the best title of the passage?

A．Powerful Fire Cannons	B．Four Inventions of Ancient China
C．The Discovery of the Alchemy	D．Gunpowder

【推荐2】A Kickstarter launched Friday will allow interested parties to set up a camera and pet toys in their home for anyone to play with their pets remotely. It’s called the iPet Companion, an Internet-connected camera and device that streams video online and allows basic commands from people watching. They can move the camera, look at their pet and press a button to swing a toy around.

Obviously, demand is strong. The Kickstarter proved so popular that Scott Harris, iPet Companion’s founder, said that thousands of people started asking for it.

The reason why people keep talking about this is the emotional(情感的) connection they have from a thousand miles away. If you want, you can enter a queue to move the camera and play with the pets. Each room has toys that are hooked(钩住) into Internet-connected devices, and you can move them by pressing a button.

But there’s sort of a problem: Pets get bored easily. Young pets will stay more interested than adult pets, but finally even a baby pet will get bored, too. To stop that from happening, you’d better limit the pets’ access(接近) to the toys and change the place where they’re located in the room.

Harris understands this and said you can plug anything into that adaptor(适配器) —toys that you can get on your own. And that’s where the iPet Companion really gets interesting. Harris explained that the device is actually sort of a Trojan horse to bring the “Internet of things” to more homes. You don’t really have to use it for pets. The adapter could be used for any device with an electrical plug — a sprinkler(洒水器), say that you’d be able to water your grass.

“Our whole goal, our whole purpose is to let anyone control any physical object that they want to while they travel anywhere in the world”, Harris said.

1. What does the underlined word “remotely” in Para 1 probably mean?

A．Far away.

B．For free.

C．With pity.

D．Out of control.

2. What can we learn from the passage?

A．Any of your toys can be used as an adapter.

B．The founder is in favor of a Trojan horse.

C．The younger the pets are, the more easily they get bored.

D．People can only use iPet Companion with the Internet accessible.

3. Why did iPet Companion interest many people?

A．It can be used to kill time.

B．It is easy to control online.

C．It can meet all of their demands.

D．They can show their love for faraway pets by using it.

4. Why do the pets stop playing the toys soon?

A．Pets are not clever enough to play the toys.

B．They don’t receive rewards from the games.

C．Toys are played with too often at the same place.

D．Adult pets prevent young ones from playing the games.

5. What can we infer from what Scott Harris said?

A．Kickstarter is only a kind of toy.

B．Kickstarter can be used in many other way.

C．iPet Companion can actually be turned into a toy horse.

D．iPet Companion can look after pets while their owners are away.

【推荐3】How clever can a computer be? Maybe you can get the answer after reading the following passage about a newly-developed US computer program called Smarter Child.

If you ran into Smarter Child online, you would be surprised at this kid’s huge memory. It can remember many facts. For example, Smarter Child knows every baseball player in every team this season and the weather in every city across the US. He also knows every word in the dictionary. However, if you ask Smarter Child other private questions, you will get strange answers. A question about Smarter Child’s age returns, “I’ll be older than you after further study!”, and asking where he lives, you will get, “In a clean room in a high-tech building in California.”

Smarter Child uses the huge information on the World Wide Web as his memory bank. To answer questions about spelling, for example, Smarter Child goes to www.ahdictionary.com. For the weather, he visits www.intellicast.com. He turns to www.the-scientist.com for scientists and www.moviefone.com for a fantastic movie.

Some scientists believe that by joining many systems of the Internet, an Artificial Intelligence (AI) with the combined (结合的) knowledge of, say, Albert Einstein, Richard Nixon and Britney Spears could be born. However, Smarter Child has difficulty in discerning whether a behavior is right or wrong, which is obvious to any young child. If he wants to think and learn without any help from the programmers like boy-computer David in the movie Artificial Intelligence (AI), he must solve two problems.

The first is that computers find it difficult to read web pages because the files are sorted in different ways. That’s why programmers need to tell Smarter Child where to look for the weather. It would be a much more difficult task to let him find it by himself. Another problem is that while Smarter Child can deal with information more exactly and faster than any human, he needs programmers to make better systems that allow machines to solve problems of common sense, which is a huge challenge.

1. What may be unknown to Smarter Child?

A．His age.	B．The weather in New York.
C．A word in the dictionary.	D．A player’s name of the Boston Redsox.

2. Which website can Smarter Child visit to answer the spelling questions?

A．www.moviefone.com	B．www.intellicast.com
C．www.the-scientist.com	D．www.ahdictionary.com

3. What does the underlined word “discerning” in paragraph 4 mean?

A．Preventing.

B．Copying.

C．Inventing.

D．Telling.

4. How is boy-computer David different from Smarter Child?

A．He has a huge memory.	B．He can think and learn independently.
C．He can make a weather forecast.	D．He deals with information fast.

【推荐1】Tired of your ordinary earthly vacations? Some day soon you might be able to board a rocket and get a room with a view of the whole planet — from a hotel in space.

At least, that is the sales pitch(高调) of several companies racing to become the first to host guests in orbit on purpose-built space stations.

“It sounds kind of crazy to us today because it is not a reality yet,” said Frank Bunger, founder of U.S. aerospace firm Orion Span, one of the companies vying to take travellers out of this world. “But that’s the nature of these things, it sounds crazy until it is normal.”

U.S. multimillionaire Dennis Tito became the world’s first paying space tourist in 2001, travelling to the International Space Station (ISS) aboard a Russian Soyuz rocket for a reported $20 million. A few others have followed. Since then, companies like Boeing, SpaceX and Blue Origin have been working on ways to bring the stars into reach for more people — opening up a new business frontier for would-be space hoteliers.

U.S. space agency NASA announced in June that it plans to allow two private citizens a year to stay at the ISS at a cost of about $35,000 per night for up to a month. The first mission could be as early as 2020.

But the growing movement has raised questions about the adequacy of current space laws, which mainly deal with exploration and keeping space free of weapons, not hotels and holidaymakers.

“It is difficult now to want to do things in space and get a clear answer from space law,” said Christopher Johnson, a space law adviser at the Secure World Foundation, a space advocacy group. “For something as advanced as hotels in space there is no clear guidance.”

1. What does the underlined word “vying” in Para. 3 mean?

A．Promising.	B．Competing.
C．Hesitating.	D．Risking.

2. Why was Tito mentioned in Para. 4?

A．To show he was wealthy enough.

B．To praise his contribution.

C．To tell us he was very brave.

D．To emphasize he took the lead.

3. How does the fifth paragraph develop?

A．By summary.	B．By comparison.
C．By listing figures.	D．By giving examples.

4. What can we learn from Christopher Johnson?

A．He opposes space travel.

B．He is in charge of a space law.

C．It’s urgent to make a space law.

D．Space hotels are badly needed.

【推荐2】Should humans explore space? If you ask me, I’ll definitely give a positive answer.

The space exploration has a direct impact on the lives of humans, as well as the state of our world. Satellites moving around the earth enable communication across the world, connecting people of different continents and broadcasting information worldwide. The Global Positioning System(GPS) can identify our location anywhere. Furthermore, weather satellites can forecast harmful weather conditions, which allows humans to prepare for deadly natural disasters and save lives.

Space programs can also indirectly lead to the solution to poverty and world hunger. For example, large plots of land could be used far better if humans applied technologies. The most effective tool is the artificial earth satellite. It can screen areas of land within a very short time, indicating useful measures, such as the condition of crops, soil, rainfall, and droughts. It can then transmit this information to ground stations on the earth for better use.

In recent years, space-based technologies have become an important factor to reach and expand global health objectives. Information provided by remote technologies can be applied to study the epidemiology(流行病学).This data provided by space technologies can monitor disease patterns, understand the environmental causes that spread it, make predictions about where it can spread in the future, and make plans to fight it efficiently.

Furthermore, space exploration is something we can do for future generations. Mankind is using the resources provided on the planet, but these will run out one day. Overpopulation can be an existential threat for all mankind. With the advancement of space technology, it will be wise to use and explore the vast potential of other planets, such as the availability of mining resources on asteroids or other planets.

For the exploration of the universe, perhaps the most advantageous of all is that it will unite us to work together for a common purpose, regardless of our differences.

1. What can space exploration do according to Paragraph 2?

A．Improve the traffic on the earth.

B．Help humans communicate and spread information.

C．Help prevent deadly natural disasters.

D．Promote travel between countries.

2. How can space programs help solve poverty and world hunger?

A．By benefiting crop production with artificial earth satellites.

B．By transporting food worldwide more easily.

C．By creating job opportunities for the poor.

D．By protecting available land resources.

3. What does the writer think of mining resources on other planets?

A．Time-wasting.

B．Arguable.

C．Unnecessary.

D．Rewarding.

4. What is the purpose of the last paragraph?

A．To ask people to explore space independently.

B．To encourage people to explore space cooperatively.

C．To tell the readers the importance of exploring space.

D．To show the readers the advantages of exploring space.

5. What is the text?

A．An advertisement.	B．A short story.
C．An argumentative essay.	D．A news report.

【推荐3】SpaceX will soon have a whole fleet of shiny silver Starship prototypes(原型), if all goes according to the plan. Elon Musk gave his annual update about Starship and Super Heavy, the   reusable spaceship and rocket, respectively, that the company is building to help colonize Mars. The presentation took place at SpaceX s South Texas site and featured the 165-foot-tall Starship Mkl- the first full-size Starship prototype, whose assembly(组装) was completed just days before Musk's talk.

SpaceX aims to launch the stainless-steel Mk1 on an uncrewed, 12- mile- high test flight in the next month or two, Musk said. And a much more ambitious journey should follow in relatively short order. “I mean, this is going to sound totally unrealistic, but I think we want to try to reach orbit in less than six months.” But the Mk1 won't make that milestone flight. That honour will be likely to go to Mk4 or Mk5 Starship version, Musk added.

Starship Mk2 is already under construction and should be finished within the next couple of months at most. SpaceX plans to begin building the Mk3 at Boca Chica in about a month, and that prototype will likely be ready to fly about three months from now. The Mk4 will take shape in Florida shortly after that- and it could end up being the first Starship vehicle to circle Earth.

Like most of Musk' s plans, these construction schedules are quite ambitious. SpaceX spent a lot of time on the Mk1, after all; construction work on that vehicle goes all the way back to at least December 2018. But the company has learned a lot during the time, so getting a Starship to orbit by the spring of 2020 should be achievable, Must said.

The Mk1 and Mk2 Starships are equipped with three of SpaceX’s next- generation Raptor engines. Versions starting with Mk3, however, will be powered by six Raptors, just like the final, operational Starship, which Musk has said will be capable of carrying up to 100 passengers.

At present SpaceX is building one Raptor every eight to ten days but should pick up the pace obviously in the coming months. The record will skyrocket when SpaceX starts building the Super Heavy, which won't happen until Starship Mk4 is done. The goal is to get to one Raptor per day by early 2020 at the latest.

The final Starship could take to the skies very soon, if the testing campaign continues to go well. And Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa has booked a crewed flight around the moon aboard the system, with a target launch date of 2023.

1. What can we learn about the Starship Mk1?

A．It is an imaginary passenger-carrying vehicle.

B．It is an unmanned reusable large spaceship.

C．It is a scaled-down version of Super Heavy.

D．It is a stainless-steel spaceship under construction.

2. How will Mk5 be powered according to the text?

A．By three of SpaceX's next generation Raptor engines.

B．By four of SpaceX' s next- generation Raptor engines.

C．By five of SpaceX's next- generation Raptor engines.

D．By six of SpaceX s next- generation Raptor engines.

3. Which of the following is true about Mk4 compared with the former Starships?

A．It will take up to 100 passengers to space.

B．It is the first to make a test flight orbiting Mars.

C．It has been under construction for about one year.

D．It is expected to go into Earth's orbit before long.

4. Why is Yusaku Maezawa mentioned in the last paragraph?

A．The project of SpaceX is promising.

B．Space exploration has caught on worldwide.

C．SpaceX takes the lead in the aerospace field.

D．More financial support is desperately needed.