【推荐1】Is “plogging” the most fitness trend yet? They brought us hygge, lagom and fika, but now a new Scandinavian trend is coming, and it couldn’t be more fitness.

Hailing from Sweden, “plogging” is a fitness craze that sees participants pick up plastic litter while jogging — adding a virtuous, environmentally driven element to the sport.

Plogging appears to have started around 2016, but is now going global, due to increasing awareness and fear over plastic levels in the ocean.

The appeal of plogging is its simplicity, and the feeling of getting fit while supporting a good cause. By adding regular squats and carrying weight to jogging, we can assume the health benefits are increased.

Running and good causes have always gone hand in hand — just think of all the fundraising marathon runners do. But there couldn’t be a more on-trend way of keeping fit than plogging.

“Anything that’s getting people out in nature and connecting positively with their environment is a good thing,” says Lizzie Carr, an environmentalist who helped set up Plastic Patrol, a nationwide campaign to rid our inland waterways of plastic pollution. “There’s been a real shift in the public mindset around plastics, helped by things like Blue Planet high lighting how catastrophic the crisis is,” she says. “We need to keep momentum high and the pressure up, and empower people through initiatives like plogging and Plastic Patrol.”

The Plastic Patrol app allows users to map plastic anywhere in the world by collecting discarded items, photographing them and uploading to the app, giving us a better knowledge of what sorts of plastic and which brands are being thrown out. “I’d urge all ploggers to get involved,” adds Carr. As we can see, plogging has become a new fashion in 2018. However, plogging isn’t the first fitness trend to combine running with a good cause.

1. What does the underlined word “discarded” mean?

A．Useless.	B．Abandoned.
C．Exposed.	D．Distinct.

2. Carr helped set up Plastic Patrol, a nationwide campaign, in order to ________.

A．raise public awareness of pollution

B．shift the public mindset around plastics

C．connect positively with their environment

D．make our inland waterways free of plastic pollution

3. What is the passage mainly about?

A．Plogging is the best way to keep fit.

B．Plogging is an environmentally friendly way of fitness.

C．Running with good causes can make a great difference.

D．The Plastic Patrol app is an effective way to help you run.

4. What will the author continue to write?

A．Other new fashions in 2018.

B．The first healthy trends in sports.

C．Other fitness ways of running with a good cause.

D．The first healthy running trend with a good cause.

【推荐2】Walking with a purpose

Humans were made for walking. With our strong leg muscles, our bodies were literally designed with walking in mind — which is what makes it such perfect exercise.     1     And best of all: it’s a great way to see new things and meet new people!

This month, why not focus on walking with a purpose? Wherever you are, in the city or at the campground, you’ll find plenty of walking going on. Maybe you already love to walk, but you’re getting tired of going your same old route day after day. Or maybe you’re new to walking and aren’t sure how to get started.     2     To get started, sit down with a map and make a plan. Ask yourself, what do you want to get out of walking aside from the health benefits? Do you want to meet other people?     3     Get out into the wild or explore a city? Knowing your priorities will help you decide on the type of walking you want.

If making trends and socializing is your goal, call up your friends and schedule walks with them.     4     Go online and look up your local mall or shopping center. Many malls have groups that come every day, or every weekend, to “walk the mall”. These groups are always happy to include one more walker!

    5     Then tie up your shoelaces and prepare to get to know the place from the ground up! Many of our great historic cities offer detailed and well-planned walking tours. Nearly any city you can think of offers a walking tour with maps provided by the tourist bureau. And small towns generally have a special route that will carry you past its best boutiques, shops, and cafes.

A．See new places?

B．Head for a new city.

C．It’s good for our health.

D．Everyone loves walking and you’re no exception.

E．Ask your friends where they like to walk and go there.

F．Either way, it’s time to embrace the idea of walking with a purpose.

G．Ask local people to get you out of town and into the wild or countryside.

【推荐3】Why should girls play sports? You might say “to get exercise” and you’d be right. To have fun? That’s true, too.    1    

Girls who play sports do better in school.    2    . But research shows that girls who play sports do better in school than those who don’t. Exercise improves learning memory and concentration, which can give active girls an advantage in the classroom. 

Girls who play sports learn teamwork and goal-setting skills. Sports teaches valuable life skills. When you work with coaches, trainers, and teammates to win games and achieve goals, you’re learning how to be successful.    3    

Sports are good for a girl’s health. In addition to being fit and maintaining a healthy weight, girls who play sports are also less likely to smoke. And later in life, girls who exercise are less likely to get breast cancer.

Playing sports increases self-confidence. Girls who play sports feel better about themselves. Why?    4     And it helps girls keep a healthy weight and make new friends.

Exercise cuts the pressure. Playing sports can release stress and help you feel a little happier.    5     Friends can calm you down. And being on a team creates tight bonds between friends. It’s good to know your teammates will support you — both on and off the field!

A．Please take action to play games.

B．In fact, there are at least 5 more reasons.

C．Playing sports is good for your grades.

D．The brain chemicals released during exercise improve a person’s mood.

E．Those skills will serve you well at work and in family life.

F．It builds confidence when you know you can practice, improve, and achieve your goals.

G．You might think that playing sports will take up all the study time.

【推荐1】One afternoon while preparing dinner in her kitchen, Anne Peters, a 32-year-old American housewife, suddenly had severe pains in her chest accompanied by shortness of breath. Frightened by the thought that she was having a heart attack, Anne screamed for help. Her husband immediately rushed Anne to a nearby hospital where her pains were diagnosed as having been caused by panic, and not a heart attack.

More and more Americans nowadays are having panic attacks like the one experienced by Anne Peters. Studies discover that approximately 1.2 million adult individuals are currently suffering from severe and recurrent panic attacks.

There have been a lot of explanations as to the causes of panic attacks. Many claim that psychological stress could be a logical cause, but as yet, no evidence has been found to support this theory. Recent reports have shown there are at least three signs that indicate a person is suffering from a panic attack rather than a heart attack. The first is age. People between the ages of 20 and 30 are more often victims of panic attacks. The second is sex. More women suffer from recurrent panic attacks than men. The third is the variety of symptoms. A heart attack victim often experiences only pain and shortness of breath while a panic attack victim usually suffers more symptoms than the two mentioned.

It is generally agreed that a panic attack does not directly endanger a person’s life. All the same, it can negatively affect a person’s life by making him or her so afraid of having a panic attack at a public place that he or she may refuse to leave home. Dr. Crocker’s advice to anyone who thinks he is suffering from a panic attack is to consult a doctor for a medical examination to rule out the possibilities of physical illness first. Once it has been confirmed that he or she is, in fact, suffering from a panic attack, the victim should turn to psychologists and doctors.

1. What’s wrong with Anne?

A．Her breath stopped.	B．She hurt her chest.
C．She suffered from a heart attack	D．She went through a panic attack.

2. What can we learn from Paragraph 3?

A．Panic attacks show a variety of symptoms.

B．Panic attacks go hand in hand with heart attacks.

C．The elderly are more likely to have panic attacks.

D．Psychological stress is bound to cause panic attacks.

3. What is Dr. Crocker’s advice to victims of panic attack?

A．To have a thorough medical check.

B．To rule out the possibilities of illness.

C．To seek psychological and medical help.

D．To examine the symptoms on their own.

【推荐3】The practice of students endlessly copying letters sentences from a blackboard is now a thing of the past. With the coming of new technologies like computers and smart phones, writing by hand has become something of nostalgic（怀旧的） skill. However, while today's educators are using more and more technology in their teaching, many believe basic handwriting skills are still necessary for students to be successful - both in school and in life.

Virginia Berninger, professor of educational psychology at the University of Washington, says it's important to continue teaching handwriting and help children acquire the skill of writing by hand.

Beminger and her colleagues conducted a study that looked at the ability of students to complete various writing tasks - both on a computer and by hand. The study, published in 2019, found that when writing with a pen and paper, participants wrote longer essays and more complete sentences and had a faster word production rate.

In a more recent study, Beminger looked at what role spelling plays in a student's writing skills. ”Spelling makes some of the thinking parts of the brain active which helps us gain our vocabulary word meaning and concepts. It is allowing our written language to connect with ideas.” Beminger said.

“Spelling helps students translate ideas into words in their mind first and then to translate those words in the mind into written symbols on paper or keyboard and screen,” the study said. Seeing the words in the “mind's eye” helps children not only to turn their ideas into words, says Bemninger, but also to find spelling mistakes when they write the words down and to correct them over time. “In our computer age, some people believe that we don't have to teach spelling because we have spell checks," she said. “But until a child has a functional spelling ability of about a fifth grade level, they won't have the knowledge to choose the correct spelling among the options given by the computer. "

1. What makes writing by hand a thing of the past?

A．The absence of blackboard in classroom.

B．The use of new technologies in teaching.

C．The lack of practice in handwriting.

D．The popularity of computers.

2. What can we learn from Berminger's study published in 2019?

A．It focused on the difference between writing by hand and on a computer.

B．It showed that students prefer to write with a pen and paper.

C．It found that good essays are made up of long sentences.

D．It discussed the importance of writing speed.

3. Which of the following best shows the role of spelling?

A．Spelling improves one's memory of words.

B．Spelling ability is closely connected to writing ability.

C．Spelling benefits the translation from words into ideas.

D．Spelling slows down finding exact words to express ideas.

4. What conclusion could be drawn from the passage?

A．Computers can help people with their choice or words.

B．Spell checks can take the place of selling teaching.

C．Handwriting still has a place in today's classrooms.

D．Functional spelling ability develops fast in the fifth grade.

【推荐2】British beer and pubs are famous around the world. Things are changing, however. Is this the end of a great British tradition?

For thousands of years, a very important building in any British village has been the pub. In fact, until a place has a pub, it is not really considered a community worthy of a name. Traditionally, the pub is at the heart of any village or town, since it is where people gather to socialize and exchange news. It is an institution at the heart of British society. After all, the word “pub” is actually short for “public house”.

As a result, British pubs are often old and well preserved. Many of them have become historic sites that tourists visit. Many British pubs have names referring to monarchs, such as The King's Head or The Queen Victoria, but of course this doesn't mean they are only for kings and queens. Pubs have always welcomed people from all classes and parts of society. On a cold night, the pub boss can always find a warm place for customers by the fire. There is always honest and hearty food and plenty of drink available at an affordable price.

That's how it used to be, but there are worrying signs that things are beginning to change. Economic downturns, governmental austerity measures and cultural changes are causing many pubs to go out of business. People do not have a lot of spare money to spend on beer. On top of that, in 2007 smoking was banned in all public indoor spaces, including pubs, which may also have affected the number of customers going to pubs since then. This decline is happening despite the fact that pubs are now allowed by law to stay open after 11p.m..

In order to save their businesses, pubs are trying to diversify to attract new customers. And with various “save the pub” campaigns, there are signs that people are gathering around pubs to support this great British institution with pride.

1. Why are British pubs often old?

A．Because the British want to attract tourists.

B．Because the birth of a community often results from a pub in it.

C．Because they are where people socialize and exchange news.

D．Because they follow in the tradition of British kings and queens.

2. What does the underlined word “monarchs” in paragraph 3 probably mean?

A．Emperors.

B．Bosses.

C．Special tourists.

D．Ordinary people.

3. What causes many pubs to close down?

A．Cultural differences.	B．Economic decline.
C．Changes in opening hours.	D．Regulations against drinking.

4. What is the author's attitude towards the future of British pubs?

A．Conservative.

B．Skeptical.

C．Hopeless.

D．Objective.

【推荐3】       Riding a London subway, a person from China will notice one major difference: in London, people do not look at each other. In fact, eye contact is avoided at all times. That’s not rudeness — people are just too busy to bother looking.

Busy doing what, you ask? Well, they’re certainly not using the time for a moment of quiet reflection, nor are they reading a book. New technology has replaced quiet habits. Today the only acceptable form of book on the London underground is an e-book.

Apple must earn a fortune from London commuters (乘车上下班的人). Since the launch of the iPhone in 2007, over 40,000—yes, that’s 40,000—“apps” (programs downloaded for the iPhone) have been designed.

Commuters love them because they are the perfect time-fillers. One “app”, called iShoot, is a game that features tanks. Another one, Tube Exits, tells passengers where to sit on the train to be closest to the exit of their destination. ISteam clouds the iPhone screen when you breathe into the microphone. You can then write in the “steam” on your phone screen.

For those without an iPhone, another Apple product, the iPod, may be another choice. It’s not just teenagers who “plug in” to their music — iPods are a popular way to pass the time for all ages.

And if games, e-books and music aren’t enough to keep you engaged, then perhaps you would prefer a film. The development of palm DVD technology means many commuters watch their favorite TV show or film on the way to work. With all these entertainments, it’s amazing that people still remember to get off the train.

1. People in London do not make eye contact on the subway because they are busy_____.

A．playing games, reading e-books, listening to music or watching films

B．going to work

C．reading books

D．thinking about private things

2. Those who like war games can download _____to their iPhones.

A．Tube Exits	B．iShoot
C．ISteam	D．iPod

3. The underlined word “engaged” in the last paragraph probably means______.

A．delighted	B．busy
C．controlled	D．amused

4. The article tells us that_____.

A．London commuters are unfriendly to strangers

B．Apple has earned a lot of money from selling 40,000 iPhones

C．with all the new time-fillers, London commuters often forget to get off the train

D．technology is changing the way London commuters spend their traveling time