【推荐2】阅读下面短文，根据题目要求回答问题。

You might not have heard of the “fresh start effect”, but if you’ve ever made a New Year’s resolution (决心), you’re familiar with it. It refers to the human tendency to take action towards achieving a goal after a special occasion or key date has passed.

The fresh start effect is simple. Most people want to improve themselves in some way. When we hit important milestones (里程碑), we’re often likely to reflect: was this year a successful year, or did we waste it? Annual landmarks like birthdays, or the start of a new year, signify a new time period and an opportunity to leave mistakes behind and to set new goals for better behavior.

Research shows that expectation of a new beginning is a key motivator for the fresh start effect. For example, people aged 29,39,49 etc. were 48% more likely to run a marathon for the first time. When they were approaching a new decade, they were more likely to search for meaning in their lives and try to improve themselves. The reason is simple. When we see our past self as separate from our current self, we feel it easier to introduce new goals and take action.

What’s interesting about the fresh start effect is that we don’t need to wait for big milestones to take advantage of this sudden motivation (动力). Studies show that the first day of each month and even each week can also inspire us. These days, known as “temporal landmarks”, encourage us to step back and think about our current situation. And when we do this, we gain the motivation to be better: we become more driven and more productive. That is why people are more likely to start diets or exercise plans on Monday, rather than the next day.

Fresh starts are exciting opportunities to learn from your mistakes and move forward. So, if you’re currently experiencing loss of motivation, questioning the meaning of your work, or just feel like you’re stuck in a rut (一成不变的生活), why don’t you use the fresh start effect in your own life?

1. According to the passage, what is “fresh start effect”?
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2. Why is expectation of a new beginning a key motivator for the fresh start effect?
________________________________________________________________
3. Besides the fresh start effect, in what other way(s) do you motivate yourself in your life? (In about 40 words)
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【推荐3】Every year, thousands of students choose to study in another country for a semester(学期), the summer, or a year. Studying overseas can be exciting experience for many people.

    1    

Living in another country can help you to learn a language, and about another culture.    2     Overseas study may also look good on your future resume (简历). Many companies today want employees who speak a second language, or have experienced living or working in another country.

Making the right choice

Once you decide to study overseas, you have to make some choices. To choose the right country or school, ask yourself: Where do I want to go and why? How much do I want to pay?    3     Do I want to live with a host family, with roommates, or alone?

Getting ready to go

Get your passport and visa early!    4     Learn about the money. Bring some of it, and a credit card with you.

Once you are there

After the first few weeks overseas, many students will feel a little homesick. They may miss their family, friends, and familiar ways of doing things.    5     When you feel sad or homesick, try to talk to others, or write about your feelings in a notebook.

A．Why do it?

B．How long do I want to study overseas?

C．You should improve your mother tongue before you go.

D．A large number of students can’t afford to study overseas.

E．You will see the world in a new way, and learn more about yourself.

F．Remember that it takes time to get used to a new place, school, and culture.

G．Before you go, learn some of the language, and read about some common customs in your host family.

【推荐1】Chocolate Factory Tours around the USA

Everyone has a favorite way of enjoying the sweet treat of chocolate. Let’s take a look at a handful chocolate factories throughout the USA to see how the sweet confection （糖果） is made.

Hershey’s Chocolate Tour

In Pennsylvania, the Hershey’s Chocolate Tour (free) at Hershey’s Chocolate World is an amusement ride that takes visitors through the production process, from harvesting cocoa beans in the tropical rainforest to the end result---Hershey’s Chocolate. You can taste a sample （样品） at the end of the tour.

Taza Chocolate Tour

The factory tour at Taza Chocolate ($6 per person) in Somerville, just outside of Boston, is offered daily and takes visitors on the journey from bean to bar through a unique, stone-ground （用细磨磨的） method using traditional Mexican stone mills.

Hoffman’s Chocolate Factory Tour

Hoffman’s Chocolate factory in Greenacres offers daily chocolate factory tours (free). The through-the-window observation tour includes the story of cocoa and the history of chocolate, as well as a personal experience with chocolatiers as they explain how their chocolate is made.

Askinosie Chocolate tour

The Askinosie Chocolate’s factory tour ($5 per adult, $4 per child/student) in Springfield lets visitors hear stories of farmer partners that Askinosie works with across the globe. All of the roasting, pressing, molding and packaging is done by hand, and Askmosie is one of the only craft chocolate makers pressing their own cocoa butter.

Seattle’s Theo Chocolate Tour

Seattle’s Theo Chocolate is a must-stop when visiting the Emerald City, and taking a tour of the factory ($10 per person) is an added treat. The one-hour tour begins with an educational part in which the different cocoa beans and areas are introduced, giving visitors insight into how different chocolates are cultivated （培育）.

1. David wants to go to a chocolate factory with his little sister Belle, but he only has 7 dollars in his pocket. Belle is eager to taste them. They can visit ______.

A．Hershey’s Chocolate World	B．Taza Chocolate factory
C．Hoffman’s Chocolate factory	D．Askinosie Chocolate factory

2. If you need to write an article about cocoa beans and only have one hour for the tour, you can attend ______.

A．Hershey’s Chocolate Tour	B．Hoffman’s Chocolate Tour
C．Askinosie Chocolate tour	D．Seattle’s Theo Chocolate Tour

3. Robert is a fan of hand-made chocolate and is quite particular about （挑剔） food materials and ingredients. He will travel to the city ______.

A．Pennsylvania

B．Greenacres

C．Springfield

D．Emerald

【推荐1】In the first half of 2022, scientists studying animal communication discovered that some dogs connect objects with words at a similar level to babies. Then what about cats, which are commonly believed to be unconcerned about human affairs?

Saho Takagi, a researcher at Azabu University, doubted cats’ seeming unconcern. “Cats don’t appear to listen to people’s conversations, but in fact, they do.” According to a past research, cats understand human communication better than expected. Like dogs, they can use human pointing and stares to find food. They even can tell the difference between human facial expressions and attentional states, according to a 2021 study. However, cats can do more than that.

Another study showed that cats can discriminate their human-given name from the names of their cat friends (those that live in the same house). The researchers believed that cats learned to connect names with other cats by observing communication between their owners and their cat friends.

In a recently published study, Takagi and her colleagues compared two groups of cats: one group was made up of house cats and lived with at least two other cats; the other was made up of cats that lived in “cat cafés”, which had up to 30 cats. They used a simple, two-phase(阶段) test. During the name phase, the study participant(参与者) was softly placed in front of a laptop computer. Then the researcher played a recording of its owner saying the name of its cat companions(同伴).

Immediately after the name phase came the face phase. A cat’s face appeared on the monitor. Sometimes, the cat that appeared on the screen matched the name spoken; other times the name and the picture did not match. If cats knew the names of their cat friends, they would investigate by staring doubtfully at the monitor when the name and the picture did not match. House cats had a significantly longer stare than café cats, indicating that house cats generally expected an exact cat’s face upon hearing the cat’s name.

“This is the first to show that house cats link human words and their social companions through daily experiences,” the researchers wrote, “However, we could not recognize the mechanism(机制) for learning. But with more and more scientists becoming interested in cats who are much smarter than we praise them, this question is sure to be solved.”

1. What’s people’s common understanding of cats?

A．They have their own language.

B．They show no interest in human things.

C．They can connect objects with words.

D．They can use human instructions to find food.

2. By comparing cats and dogs in Paragraph 2, the author wants to stress ______.

A．cats and dogs get along well with humans

B．cats’ ability to learn is stronger than dogs’

C．cats’ ability goes beyond body language recognition

D．cats and dogs are all clever animals in people’s eyes

3. Which of the following can replace the underlined word “discriminate” in Paragraph 3?

A．Tell.

B．Protect.

C．Excuse.

D．Learn.

4. What did the researchers conclude about house cats from the study?

A．They are curious about cat names.

B．They know the names of their cat friends.

C．They are dependent on their owners.

D．They like communicating with each other.

5. What is the unsettled question of the study?

A．How cats can recognize other cats’ face.

B．Whether cats are much smarter than expected.

C．Whether cats can understand human communication.

D．How cats link human words and their social companions.

【推荐2】One million species face extinction, more than ever before in human history, according to a UN report released in May. And humans should be responsible.

The researchers based the assessment (评估) on some 15,000 sources considering the causes and results of environmental changes over the past 50 years.

The findings are clear and alarming. The researchers have found that about 25 percent of the world’s plants and animals are at risk of extinction. These include sea and land animals. Even the domesticated (驯养的) animals are at risk: Over 9 percent of the domesticated animal species used for food and agriculture might have been lost.

There are some big problems. This rapid decrease of the natural world endangers global food safety and quality of life. For example, about 4 billion people rely on natural medicines, produced by the disappearing species, for their health care.

The researchers identified five drivers responsible for the bad news. They think at the top of the list is the change of land and sea use. The change in ecosystems towards agriculture, aquaculture and other human developments has led to changes in the natural living space of species. It is followed by the direct overuse of creatures (harvesting crops, cutting down the trees, hunting and fishing) and climate change, including rising sea levels and increasing extreme-weather events, wildfires, floods and droughts. The final causes of species extinction are pollution, especially plastics, and the spread of non-native species that can kill native plants and animals. In fact, good ecosystems can promote the growth of species.

The researchers say it is time for humans to act. They think maybe a new global way to save food and refuse waste in our life can turn the tables. Whether that is possible is an open question.

1. What is the main purpose of the first paragraph?

A．To introduce the topic of the text.	B．To introduce the schedule of the report.
C．To introduce humans’ sense of responsibility.	D．To introduce the history of human development.

2. What does paragraph 3 mainly show?

A．The reliability of the findings.	B．The species of animals worldwide.
C．The seriousness of species’ reduction.	D．The risky experiences of the researchers.

3. Which word best describes the relationship between species and ecosystems?

A．Narrow.

B．Interdependent.

C．Competitive.

D．Unrelated.

4. What does the underlined phrase “turn the tables” in the last paragraph mean?

A．Change the situations.	B．Ask the open questions.
C．Pollute the environments.	D．Turn the tables upside and down.