【推荐2】Imagine Hying over the city in an electric powered aircraft that has no pilot but can take you from point A to point B in minutes. Sounds like science fiction, right? Well, not anymore. China-based Ehang has become the world’s first company to receive official approval to fly passengers in its pilotless air taxis.

Ehang’s EH216-S air taxis are electric vertical (垂直的) takeoff and landing aircraft, also called eVToL for short. The air taris can carry up to wo passengers or about 270kg of goods. They can fly at speeds of up to 130kmb and distances of up to 28km. The air taris are controlled by a central command centre that monitor the light, routes and weather conditions.

Passengers can simply select their destination on a touchscreen inside the cabin and enjoy the ride without worrying about piloting the aircraft. The taxis do not require airports or runways. They can take off and land vertically from any flat surface.

The air taxis use electric power to reduce environmental harm caused by emissions. They can be fully charged in two hours and have bow nose levels. They also have backup batteries and emergency landing systems and parachutes in case anything goes wrong.

They could transform how we travel around big cities —imagine using them to avoid traffic jams, save time on the daily commute (通勤) to work or school, or get to places that are hard to reach by car or public transport. And beyond just moving people, the aircraft can be used for delivering goods, such as packages, medical supplies or food. During natural disasters such as bushfires or foods, air taxis could transport much-needed medical staff, equipment or medicines to the scene quickly and safely.

One big challenge will be gaining the trust of the public and convincing commuters they are safe while flying. To do this, Ehang will educate passengers about the benefits and risks of using its taxis while also addressing potential issues and concerns about noise levels, privacy and the environmental impact.

1. What do we know about EH216-S air taxis?

A．They don’t make any noise.	B．They are environment-friendly.
C．They are controlled by eVTOL.	D．They can carry 270kg of goods and two persons.

2. Which of the following places is most suitable for air taxis to take off?

A．A swimming pool.	B．An empty street.
C．A crowded car park.	D．A woody valley.

3. What’s paragraph 5 mainly about?

A．Where air taxis can work.	B．When air taxis function well.
C．Why air taxis are needed.	D．How air taxis can be used.

4. How will Ehang gain the trust of the public?

A．By providing a free tip for brave passengers.

B．By rewarding the most reliable passengers.

C．By explaining is taxis advantages and disadvantages.

D．By stressing the importance of environmental protection.

【推荐3】Don’t know how to take care of your plants? A little spider-like robot will go for the sunlight, run to shade, dance when it’s doing well and stomp (跺脚) when it needs to be watered.

It’s called the HEXA Plant, a six-legged machine created by Vincross, a technology company in Beijing, China.

The plant robot will go for sunlight when it needs sun, then will move around in order to absorb the sunlight on all sides. When it needs to cool off, it will look for shade. It also plays with humans and dances when it is happy, moving its legs up and down. But it gets “angry” when it’s thirsty by stomping around.

With six legs, the HEXA Plant can move anywhere. It’s nimble enough to go in any direction and around any objects in its path. It has a variety of “eyes”, including an infrared sensor (红外线传感器), a distance sensor and a 720p camera with night vision, which could be very handy if you want to send it out at night to check on any sudden noises. It has built-in WiFi as well as USB ports to expand its talents.

The inventor of the cute robot, Sun Tianqi, was inspired by a dead sunflower at a flower exhibition that had been sitting in the shade all day. That was when he had the idea for the walking plant robot. He wanted to allow plants to experience movement.

1. What can the HEXA Plant do?

A．Sing and dance.	B．Drink water when it’s thirsty.
C．Find a cool place when it feels hot.	D．Move the things in its path.

2. What does the underlined word “nimble” in the fourth paragraph mean?

A．Happy.

B．Smart.

C．Angry.

D．Lucky.

3. What inspired Sun Tianqi to invent the HEXA Plant?

A．A green plant.

B．A dead sunflower.

C．An intelligent robot.

D．A strange animal.

4. Where can we most probably read the passage?

A．In an advertisement.

B．In a novel.

C．In a science magazine.

D．In a storybook.

【推荐1】“One person’s trash is another person’s treasure.” That’s a common expression, but the next time you throw something away, think about a twist on the old saying. What if your trash could become your own treasure? Many creative, thrifty, and environmentally minded people have come up with a way to make that happen. It’s called upcycling. Our world would be a better place if everyone would begin upcycling.

Upcycling is the practice of taking an unwanted item and turning it into something useful. For example, how about that pair of jeans with a hole in one knee? It could become a new pillow for your bedroom.

Upcycling is not the same as recycling. Upcycling is actually much better for the environment. Recycling takes an item made of glass, paper, metal, or plastic, breaks it down to its base material, and then uses that material to make another product. This requires a great deal of energy. On the other hand, when you choose to upcycle, the only energy you use is your own. And upcycling not only reduces the amount of trash that goes into our landfills, but it also protects natural resources, such as oil and gas. Recycling is good for the environment, but upcycling is even better.

Upcycling also makes a family’s budget stretch further. Of course, the idea of reusing items to save money is not new. During the Great Depression in the 1930s, many families lived on a tight budget. People had to use what they already had in order to meet their needs.

As responsible citizens, we should all be concerned with protecting our environment and budgeting our resources. Upcycling is a fun and creative way to help. The next time you go to toss something into the trash can, stop and think about what it could become. Chances are, there’s a brand-new item in your hand just waiting to be upcycled.

1. Why does the author mention an old saying in the first paragraph?

A．To arise reader’s awareness of upcycling.

B．To stress the importance of upcycling.

C．To lead in the topic of upcycling.

D．To show the idea of upcycling.

2. Which one below belongs to upcycling?

A．An old ladder is transformed into a bookshelf.

B．Old tin cans are transported to landfill.

C．A broken wooden door is chopped up.

D．Old cloth is made into a paper bed.

3. What is the difference between recycling and upcycling?

A．Upcycling is much more creative.

B．Recycling is much easier to achieve.

C．Recycling is much more cost-saving.

D．Upcycling is much more energy-efficient.

4. What can be inferred from the text?

A．Upcycling is popular at present.

B．Upcycling is replacing recycling.

C．Upcycling is worth recommending.

D．Upcycling is a tradition in daily life.

【推荐2】Last week the electricity in my flat went out.    1     My typical evening is spent watching TV and scrolling (滚动) through social media. Tonight this wasn’t possible. My roommate and I weren’t prepared with candles and matches. We just rely on electricity.

So for me it was an early night,     2     That night, losing our electricity felt like losing a basic necessity, as basic as running water. But really, electricity is a luxury that we’ve grown to take for granted. I use electricity all the time, even when it’s not really necessary.

    3     And as I’m writing this, I have my lights on, even in the middle of the day when I don’t really need them.

    4    It contributes to global warming. It is harming our environment and we need to do what we can to stop it. Not only that, but if we continue to use the same large amount of energy, we will soon run out of it.

How would we survive in a world without electricity? Our daily lives go around it. We wouldn’t be able to function.     5    So, shouldn’t we start preparing for it now? Cutting down on our use of electricity would save energy resources so that they could last for longer. And if everyone does it, we can make a big difference.

A．Yet we know one day we will run out of it.

B．Our over-use of electricity is a big problem.

C．This left me in complete darkness the whole night.

D．It is a real problem to cut down on the use of electricity.

E．I know for sure I could cut down on my use of electricity.

F．I couldn’t help but think, do we rely too much on electricity?

G．I turn on the TV in the background even when Tm not watching it.

【推荐1】Body awareness(身体意识) helps children understand how they can move their bodies and the concept of space and how it relates to their bodies.

There are many fun games and songs that teach children body awareness and encourage them to move their bodies.

“Simon Says” is a great example, as long as you allow all children to continue to play instead of removing children who do not follow the directions correctly. Children who do not follow the directions correctly are generally the very ones who need to play the game most.

Remember the game called “Statue”, or maybe you called it “Freeze”? The teacher plays music; and when the music stops, the children “freeze”. To add an element of learning about body parts, add this instruction: “If I call ‘Hands’, everyone should be frozen except for their hands, which should be moving.” Children love this change of the game, and it teaches them to listen and learn body parts.

Another classic song that teaches body awareness is “If You're Happy and You Know It”. Although the standard refrains(副歌) tell you to “clap your hands” and “stomp your feet”， you can try to “wiggle(摆动) your fingers”,   “pull your ears”, “shake your head”, etc.

Children enjoy guessing games. Try giving clues(提示) about which body part you are describing. For example, “I am thinking about a body part that I smell with. It is right under my eyes and right over my mouth. What am I thinking about？” To help thinking and language skills, encourage children to make up the clues for a body part.

Children should enter school with a basic understanding of their bodies. Childcare programs can promote this understanding.

1. How many kinds of games are mentioned in the passage?

A．3.	B．4.
C．5.	D．6.

2. According to the 3rd paragraph, the children who don't follow the directions correctly are ______.

A．always stupid	B．always clever
C．of good body awareness	D．lacking in body awareness

3. Which of the following games could be more beneficial for thinking and speaking?

A．Listening to songs.	B．Guessing games.
C．Simon says.	D．Statue or Freeze.

4. What is the author's purpose to write the passage?

A．To show the importance of body awareness for children.

B．To tell us the best game for children's body awareness.

C．To tell us how to help children learn before going to school.

D．To introduce activities that are good for children's body awareness.

【推荐3】For many Chinese consumers, a satisfying breakfast is one that includes either hot porridge or steamed buns (馒头). Cold sandwiches, which are popular with Westerners, are probably one of the last options on their minds. But that is not to say that consumers, especially those in an international city like Shanghai, would avoid everything considered Western for breakfast. For instance, coffee, which has steadily grown in popularity in the country, is one drink that many cannot do without today.

To satisfy this growing demand for breakfast sets that combine elements from the East and the West, food companies have been rolling out (推出) a host of new offerings to attract the customer. One example is Shanghai Qiao Coffee, launched by local time-honored food company Qiaojiashan at the end of 2019. Apart from its traditional dim sum (点心), the store also sells various types of coffee.

According to Shen Yan, deputy manager of Qiaojiashan, the most popular breakfast set now is the steamed vegetable bun paired with black coffee. “The calories that one gets from a meal consisting of Chinese dim sum and coffee are less than those of a Western breakfast. Since a steamed bun has nearly 200 calories and a cup of black coffee barely has any calories, this combination can be considered healthy and delicious,” said Shen.

Even the smaller shoppers in the food scene are jumping on the East-West breakfast trend. Western food companies, too, have been rolling out Chinese breakfast options. “Consumers and even cultural heritage will also benefit from the increased competition. If not for the current trend which has revived interest in certain traditional dim sum, these foods could soon be lost to history,” Shen said.

1. What can we learn about breakfast in Shanghai in Paragraph 1?

A．Coffee is a must for many people.

B．Cold sandwiches are a popular choice.

C．People avoid western food for breakfast.

D．People prefer porridge and steamed buns.

2. Why does the set of the steamed vegetable bun with black coffee sell well?

A．Because it’s traditional.

B．Because it’s tasty and healthy.

C．Because it’s newly created.

D．Because it contains more vegetables.

3. What can be inferred from Shen’s words in the last paragraph?

A．Western food companies dislike East-West breakfast.

B．Big companies have the ability to seize the market share.

C．The competition for breakfast sets is of no benefit to consumers.

D．Some traditional foods may disappear without the combination trend.

4. What is the main idea of the text?

A．Chinese consumers show more interest in western food.

B．Western breakfast is warmly welcomed by Shanghai people.

C．The Chinese-Western breakfast set is becoming a hit in Shanghai.

D．Shanghai Qiao Coffee has won great success for its breakfast sets.