【推荐2】It's said that making friends gets harder when you get older. People settle into their existing friendships during childhood or at university. However, new research suggests that's not what happens. According to a recent survey, the age group that feels least confident in chatting to strangers is those aged 18 to 24. Similarly, it was found that 59% of Millennials   (千禧一代) spend more time chatting to friends on social media than they do seeing them in person

Author and expert on friendship, Kate Leaver, said, "Young people are not confident when speaking to strangers not only because they're afraid of refusal, but also because they've really been socially conditioned not to. Previous generations had a much stronger sense of community in public, shared spaces. We don't have as much access (接近) to that because the way we structure our modern lives means we are less in touch with our communities. Shared public spaces like parks and libraries - places where people might get close to a stranger - are being shut down."

Laura, 27, hates meeting new people. The majority of her friends are from university days. "I'm pretty chatty and open when I get to know someone, but during that first meeting, I'm very shy. I get very anxious about what to talk about, and people judging me or just not understanding my sense of humor."

But not all young people feel the same way. Hayley, 31, regularly meets people in unusual ways and makes friends with them. "I became good friends with someone who I met on the plane," she said. "It just shows how you can really connect when you're offline."

If you're comfortable with your present friendship situation, that's great. But, if you do want to enlarge your social circle, here are some tips. Avoid unpleasant silences by searching for people with common interests - join a book club or a local sports team. If it is too stressful, there are some friendship apps that you can use.Or, strike up a conversation with someone in a public place.

1. What can we get from the recent survey?

A．Seniors prefer to make friends online

B．Teens spend less time on friends than before

C．Making friends gets harder when you're older.

D．Young people build relationships with difficulty.

2. The underlined word "that" in Paragraph 2 probably refers to "

A．refusal

B．a stranger

C．the sense of community

D．the social condition

3. What problem does Laura have when socializing?

A．She fails to contact her old friends.

B．She is skilled at making new friends.

C．She prefers to make new friends online.

D．She is unwilling to get close to new people.

4. What does the author suggest in the last paragraph?

A．Developing a sense of humor.

B．Enlarging friend circles offline.

C．Joining groups with shared interests.

D．Keeping strong ties with old friends.

【推荐2】The United States has more tornadoes (龙卷风) than any other country in the world. In a normal year there are 800 to 1,000 tornadoes. Most happen in the middle part of the country. Tornadoes form when warm and cool air meet. In the Midwest, the warm air from the Gulf of Mexico often meets the cold air from Canada.

The usual tornado season is March through May. Tornadoes form most often in the afternoon and early evening. There is often no warning of a tornado. People who live in the Midwest know the signs (征兆) of tornado activity. The sky becomes dark, often a greenish color. Dark clouds appear in the sky and there is often large hail (冰雹). Suddenly, there is a loud sound, like a train or a jet plane. Sometimes, two, three, five, ten or more tornadoes can form over a large area.

This type of tornado activity hit Oklahoma and Kansas in May 1999. The day was stormy, with heavy thunderstorms in the afternoon. As the storms continued, tornadoes began to form. Dozens of tornadoes hit towns and neighborhoods in Oklahoma, then in Kansas. Some stayed on the ground for several hours, destroying everything they touched. The tornadoes killed 43 people and injured 600 others. They destroyed thousands of homes and businesses. In some areas, not one home stood. In other areas, the tornadoes destroyed every home on the left side of the street, but didn't touch any homes on the right side. The tornadoes lifted people and cars into the air and then threw them back down to earth. So it is important to know where to hide and how to protect yourself in the face of a tornado.

1. What can we learn about tornadoes in America?

A．There are more tornadoes in the Eastern States.

B．They usually happen in the summer.

C．They may appear in groups.

D．There are more than 1,000 tornadoes every year.

2. The tornadoes that hit Oklahoma and Kansas in May 1999 _____.

A．took place at the same time

B．brought death and serious damage

C．came and went quickly

D．were the biggest in history

3. What will the author most probably talk about next?

A．Tornado dangers and warning signs.

B．How a tornado forms.

C．Different kinds of tornadoes.

D．How to stay safe during a tornado.

【推荐1】Japan is a nation that appreciates the virtues of silence and good manners. Yet, when it comes to eating noodles, Japanese people can be the loudest in the world.

According to lifestyle website Grapee.jp, slurping (发出喷喷声) when eating noodles is encouraged in Japanese culture. It’s believed that taking air into your mouth can enhance the flavor of the noodles and help cool down the food. It’s also considered to be a way to show appreciation for the dish. Sometimes, just making the noise alone seems to make the noodles more enjoyable.

It was not until a new expression — “noodle harassment” — came out on social media that Japanese people started to realize the problem. They found that the slurping noise was making some foreign visitors uncomfortable.

As a response, Japanese instant noodle maker Nissin introduced a so-called noise- canceling fork last month. The fork looks like an electric toothbrush. It is connected wirelessly to a smartphone. When the person using the fork starts to slurp, the fork will send a signal to the person’s phone. Then the phone will play a sound to mask the slurping noise.

But is it really necessary? Dining traditions and table manners do vary. In India, people eat with their hands. They think they build a connection with the food in this way. However, people who are used to eating with forks might find it unacceptable to get their hands covered in oil or sauce. But this eating method is part of India’s culture, just like Japan’s slurping is part of its own.

“So, if you are eating noodles, please slurp as you like,” wrote a Japanese food blogger. “If anyone gets annoyed while you are doing that, ignore them. They’re missing the point entirely.”

1. The following are the reasons for slurping when eating noodles except ________.

A．Showing love for the noodles.

B．Improving the flavor of the noodles.

C．Showing good manners.

D．Adding to the pleasure of eating noodles.

2. What does the underlined word mean in paragraph 3 mean?

A．Annoyance.

B．Anxiety.

C．Politeness.

D．Appreciation.

3. How does the noise-canceling fork work?

A．The fork removes the slurping noise.

B．The fork can be used as an electric toothbrush.

C．A smartphone reminds the user to stop slurping.

D．A smartphone receives a signal from the fork and plays a sound to hide the noise.

4. Why does the author mention people in India in this passage?

A．To tell us the culture of India.

B．To show that forks are unnecessary.

C．To give an example of cultural differences.

D．To show the Indian way of solving the problem.

【推荐2】Most Westerners—particularly most Americans—are not nearly as concerned about protocol (礼节) in social matters as Chinese people are. America is a nation of immigrants. It’s made up of people from all over the world, all of whom bring their own traditions and habits with them. Thus you needn’t worry much about “proper” behavior(举止):who sits next to whom at the dinner table, what is the suitable dress for the occasion, etc. , unless you receive a formal invitation to a dinner or party.
Americans are very direct people. When you want something you say “Yes” and when you don’t, you say “No”. If you want something different from what is offered, you ask for it. Westerners will not ask you again and again or try to press something on you after you have said you don’t want it. In fact, if you say “No” when you really want something to drink or to eat, you may find yourself very thirsty or hungry.
But there are a few Western customs which are very important and you should try at all times to observe.A Westerner doesn’t leave his paper or cloth on the table. He puts it on his lap where it’s supposed to protect his clothes from spilled food or uses it to wipe his hand or mouth when necessary.
A Westerner doesn’t put his own fork, knife or spoon into a serving bowl. He uses it in the bowl to put some of the food on his own plate, and then returns the serving fork(knife or spoon) to the bowl.
A Westerner doesn’t spit food anywhere. If he has bones in his mouth, he takes them out with his fingers and places them on the edge of his plate, never on the table or floor.
A Westerner doesn’t belch(打嗝) out loud. If he does, he says “Excuse me” quietly and goes on with the conversation.
1. People in America __________.

A．come from different countries in the world

B．mainly come from Europe

C．mainly come from Asia

D．come from China

2. If you are hungry, and you still say you don’t want to eat, then __________.

A．a Westerner will ask you again and again

B．you will be forced to eat

C．you will feel glad and happy

D．you will surely find yourself hungry still

3. According to the passage, Westerners __________.

A．care what they wear very much

B．care who offers the first toast at dinner

C．do the same things as Chinese do

D．don’t care what you wear, who sits next to whom

【推荐3】I ran into quite a few language problems while vacationing ( 度假) with my family last summer. The most embarrassing was when my Mom apologized to the people we were staying with because her “pants were dirty”. They looked at her in amazement, not knowing how to react. You see, Mom had fallen over and gotten mud on her jeans. But in Britain, “pants” means underpants or knickers( 内裤；衬裤), not trousers as it does back home.

Katie — From America

I went to stay with a friend on the west coast last summer. Her flat was on the first floor of a high-rise building so I got the lift up. Then I wandered round for ages looking for her flat but couldn’t find it. Fed up and tired, I finally had to go out to find a phone box. She explained that her flat was on the first floor, which for me meant the ground floor.

David — From Britain

When I asked for the “restroom” in a big department store, people kept directing me to a room with seats where I could sit and “rest”. It took me years to get through to (使...明白)someone that I only wanted the toilet!

Tom — From America

Last summer we went on a two-week family touring holiday, so Dad hired a car over the Internet. This was an old vehicle and there turned out (结果是；证明是)to be lots of things wrong with it. When he phoned the hire company and tried to explain that the lock on the boot was broken, they thought he was talking about footwear! He had no idea their word for “boot” was “trunk”. In the end we went to a garage and just solved the problem.

Mary — From Britain

1. David went out to find a phone box to ________.

A．phone the police for help	B．phone his friend for help
C．tell his friends he couldn’t go to visit her	D．apologize for his being late

2. When Tom asked for the “restroom”, the people around him thought ________.

A．he wanted to have a rest.	B．he wanted the toilet
C．he wanted a chair	D．He wanted to go to a department store

3. The underlined word “garage” is probably ________.

A．a parking place	B．a car
C．a gas station	D．a place to repair cars

4. Which of the following words is from British English？

A．Pants.	B．Ground floor.
C．Restroom.	D．Trunk.