【推荐1】As online learning becomes more common and more and more resources are converted to digital form, some people have suggested that public libraries should be shut down and, in their place, everyone should be given an iPad with an e-reader subscription.

Supporters of this idea state that it will save local cities and towns money because libraries are expensive to maintain. They also believe it will encourage more people to read because they won't have to travel to a library to get a book; they can simply click on what they want to read and read it from wherever they are.

However, it would be a serious mistake to replace libraries with tablets. First, digital books and resources are associated with less learning and more problems than print resources. A study done on tablet vs book reading found people read 20-30% slower on tablets, retain 20% less information, and understand 10% less of what they read compared to people who read the same information in print.

Second, it is incredibly narrow minded to assume that the only service libraries offer is book lending. Libraries have a multitude of benefits, and many are only available if the library has a physical location. Some of these benefits include acting as a quiet study space, giving people a way to converse with their neighbors, holding classes on a variety of topics, providing jobs, answering patron questions, and keeping the community connected. A survey conducted in 2015 found that nearly two-thirds of American adults feel that closing their local library would have a major impact on their community. People see libraries as a way to connect with others and get their questions answered, benefits tablets can’t offer nearly as well or as easily.

While replacing libraries with tablets may seem like a simple solution, it would encourage people to spend even more time looking at digital screens, despite the various issues surrounding them. It would also end access to many of the benefits of libraries that people have come to rely on. In many areas, libraries are such an important part of the community network that they could never be replaced by a simple object.

1. What does the underlined word “converted” in Paragraph 1 probably mean?

A．changed

B．translated

C．conveyed

D．scanned

2. According to the passage, the author probably agrees that ___________.

A．it’s inefficient for readers to read on tablets

B．the only service libraries offer is book lending

C．public libraries should be replaced with digital devices

D．digital books and resources encourage people to spend more time reading

3. The purpose of the passage is mainly to_______.

A．persuade people to use libraries	B．emphasize the benefits of libraries
C．encourage communities to build more libraries	D．compare digital books and resources with real books

4. Which of the following shows the development of ideas in this passage?
I: Introduction       CP: Central point       P: Point
Sp: Sub-point (次要点)       C: Conclusion

A．

B．

C．

D．

【推荐2】New App Helps People Remember Faces

Large gatherings such as weddings and conferences can be socially overwhelming. Pressure to learn people’s names only adds to the stress. A new facial-recognition app could come to the rescue, but privacy experts recommend proceeding with caution.

The app, called SocialRecall, connects names with faces via smartphone cameras and facial recognition, potentially avoiding the need for formal introductions. “It breaks down these social barriers we all have when meeting somebody,” says Barry Sandrew, who created the app and tested it at an event attended by about 1,000 people.

After receiving an invitation to download SocialRecall from an event organizer, the user is asked to take two selfies and sign in via social media. At the event, the app is active within a previously defined geographical area. When a user points his or her phone camera at an attendee’s face, the app identifies the individual, displays the person’s name, and links to his or her social media profile. To protect privacy, it recognizes only those who have agreed to participate. And the app's creators say it automatically deletes users’ data after an event.

Ann Cavoukian, a privacy expert who runs the Privacy by Design Center of Excellence praises the app’s creators for these protective measures. She cautions, however, that when people choose to share their personal information with the app, they should know that “there may be unintended consequences down the road with that information being used in another context that might come back to bite you.”

The start-up has also developed a version of the app for individuals who suffer from prosopagnosia, or “face blindness,” a condition that prevents people from recognizing individuals they have met. To use this app, a person first acquires an image of someone’s face, from either the smartphone’s camera or a photograph, and then tags it with a name. When the camera spots that same face in real life, the previously entered information is displayed. The collected data are stored only on a user’s phone, according to the team behind the app.

1. SocialRecall is used to ________.

A．take photos	B．identify people
C．organize events	D．make friends

2. SocialRecall helps people with prosopagnosia by ________.

A．giving names to the photos kept in their smartphones

B．collecting information previously entered in the phone

C．providing the information of a person when they first meet

D．showing the person’s information when it spots a stored face

3. What can we learn about SocialRecall from the passage?

A．It may put people’s privacy at risk.

B．It has caused unintended consequences.

C．It can prevent some communication disorders.

D．It is praised by users for its protective measures.

【推荐3】Noise pollution in cities is causing our health to suffer: one in five Europeans is regularly exposed to sound levels at night that could significantly damage their health, leading to diseases, sleep difficulties and stress. Researchers in Belgium have developed an app called NoiseTube that allows everyone to transform their smartphone into a sound level meter (仪表).

NoiseTube works by recording sound levels and GPS locations. Once launched the app shows decibel (分贝) levels of green or red depending on the level of noise. That information is then sent to the NoiseTube server via the Internet where a “noise map” is produced and then made available to the user.

The project started in 2008 as a new form of data gathering, one that was close to people and of a social concern. “Sound was an obvious choice because everyone has a microphone on their mobile phone, and noise pollution, along with air pollution is an environmental concern. Often the two go hand in hand,” D’Hondt of the NoiseTube project said.

Since its launch, the app has been popular with community groups who want to monitor their own noise levels. They don’t think that city produced noise maps give an enough explanation of the level of noise they are experiencing. City produced noise maps are based on statistical models involving very few actual measurements. NoiseTube on the other hand gives a detailed account of the level of noise experienced at a specific time and location. “Ten people walking the same area from 9am to 10am every day for one week can make a valid (有效的) and detailed map for an area of a couple of blocks,” D’Hondt said.

So far these sorts of noise maps have been produced for a number of European cities. The app has been downloaded by 10, 000 people with 2, 700 people registered on the NoiseTube website.

1. What is the main function of NoiseTube?

A．Measure noise levels.

B．Reduce noise pollution.

C．Make people aware of noise pollution.

D．Help treat diseases caused by noise pollution.

2. What can be learned about NoiseTube from the passage?

A．NoiseTube is mainly accepted and used by young people.

B．NoiseTube helps record the location of the noise in detail.

C．NoiseTube can show the process of drawing noise maps.

D．NoiseTube is a built-in app in a new kind of smartphone.

3. What is paragragh 2 mainly about?

A．How NoiseTube works.

B．How NoiseTube gathers data.

C．How NoiseTube was invented.

D．How noise levels are classified.

4. Why do people think little of city produced noise maps?

A．They aren’t drawn very clearly.

B．They are difficult to understand.

C．They can’t be used without a smartphone.

D．They can’t show the read noise level of a place.

【推荐2】Look carefully and you’ll find musicians at the top of almost any industry. The television broadcaster Paula Zahn(cello) and the NBC chief White House correspondent Chuck Todd (French horn) attended college on music scholarships; Both Microsoft’s Mr. Allen and the venture capitalist Rogar MeNamee have rock bands. Lorry Page, a co-founder of Google, played saxophone in high school. The former World Bank president James D. Wolfensohn has played cello at Carnegie Hall.

The connection isn’t a coincidence. I know because I asked. I put the question to top-flight professionals in industries from tech to finance to media, all of whom had serious (if often little-known) past lives as musicians. Almost all made a connection between their music training and their professional achievements.

Will your school music program turn your kid into a Paul Allen, the billionaire co-founder of Microsoft (guitar)? Or a Woody Allen(clarinet)? Probably not. These are outstanding achievers. But the way these and other visionaries (有远见的人) I spoke to process music is interesting.        

But the key question is: why does that connection exist? Paul Allen offers an answer. He says music “establish your confidence in the ability to create.” He began playing the violin at age 7 and switched to the guitar as a teenager. Even in the early days of Microsoft, he would pick up his guitar at the end of marathon days of programming. The music was the emotional analog (类比) to his day job, both of them show his different creativity. He says, “something is pushing you to look beyond what currently exists and express yourself in a new way.”

For many of the high achievers I spoke with, music functions as a “hidden language,” as Mr. Wolfensohn calls it, one that enhances the ability to connect different or even opposite ideas. When he ran the World Band, Mr.Wolfensohn traveled to more than 100 countries, often taking in local performances (and occasionally joining in on a borrowed cello), which helped him understand “the culture of people”.

Consider the qualities these high achievers say music has sharpened: cooperation, creativity, discipline and the capacity to coordinate (协调) conflicting ideas. All are qualities obviously absent from public life. Music may not make you a genius, or rich, or even a better person. But it helps train you to think differently, to process different points of views - and most important, to take pleasure in listening.

1. The reason why the author quote so many outstanding people as examples in the first paragraph is

A．to prove the popularity and the charm of music

B．to prove all winners are musicians before

C．to encourage kids to choose school music program

D．to prove the connection between success and music

2. What question did the author put to top-flight professionals?

A．Are success related to music or not?

B．Why do you choose music training?

C．What’s the benefit of learning music?

D．Why do you give up the career as a musician?

3. Which of the following is true?

A．Everybody knows those well-known people are musicians before.

B．Musicians exist in all industries.

C．Music can certainly make you become a better person.

D．Music helps Mr. Wolfensohn have a better understanding of the different culture.

4. The main idea of this passage is that

A．many musicians are found at the top of almost any industry

B．music plays an important role in achieving success

C．music can provide a new way to express yourself

D．music is an absolute necessity for everyone

5. The author develops the passage mainly________

A．by classification

B．by comparison

C．by example

D．by process

【推荐3】Are you single or married? Are you a cat or a dog owner? Do you exercise, or are you a “couch potato” (a person who sits on the sofa all day watching TV, eating and basically doing nothing)? These questions and many others are about your lifestyle.

People in the United States feel that they can choose their lifestyles and even shape their own identities. The great variety of lifestyles leads to constant national discussion of choices that people make. This freedom of choice is fun and exciting, but it also creates stress and uncertainty. In newspapers, lifestyle issues are discussed in the features or style section. In The Chicago Tribune this section is called “Tempo”. People turn to this section for lively discussion on lifestyle choices they face with regard to their personal identities, their families, and their social lives.

Many American people believe that they can make their lives happy and satisfying despite their problems. If they lack confidence or tend to feel anxious, shy, angry, or depressed, they believe that they can change themselves. Self-help books, magazines, and feature articles are filled with advice from experts about steps to take to become a happier or more satisfied person and to improve one’s self-respect. Part of this research for self-improvement is a belief that even one’s own appearance can be controlled. This is why there are so many articles in the newspaper about looking young, wearing the latest fashions, and becoming physically fit.

Lifestyle choices also involve moral and social issues. How should children be raised? How should people behave on a date? How should elderly people be treated? How can people stay happily married? All these kinds of issues are constantly discussed and are constantly changing. Not only are experts such as psychologists consulted, but stars from the political and entertainment worlds are held up as lifestyle leaders as well. In the newspaper, feature articles called profiles discuss in detail the personal lives or public work of movie stars, authors, artists, and exceptional individuals who are not stars. The lifestyle choices these people make contribute to the public discussion of all the issues that people think about.

A well-known advertising slogan is “Just do it. ” In the culture of the United States, people believe that they can take action and become the kind of people they want to be and live the way they want to live.

1. The section “Tempo” in The Chicago Tribune mainly discusses ______.

A．lifestyle choices

B．current affairs

C．experts’ opinions on life

D．how to improve one’s self-respect

2. According to the author, Americans are pretty sure that they can ______.

A．control their own appearance

B．solve all the problems in their life

C．live a happy life in spite of their problems

D．improve their life by following the elders’ advice

3. According to the passage, people’s opinions on moral or social issues can be influenced by ______.

A．their superiors

B．family members

C．friends and colleagues

D．experts and famous people

4. Which is the best title for the passage?

A．Just Do It

B．Make Our Lives Happy

C．Lifestyles in the United States

D．Choosing the Way We Live