【推荐1】We all know that a healthy life means getting both plenty of exercise and enough good-quality sleep, but reality often gets in the way. The new research indicates that doing enough exercise could make up for some of the unhealthy impacts of bad sleep. While the health benefits of exercise and sleep are nothing new, it's the relationship between them that is interesting in this particular study — it could even give doctors another option to suggest for patients dealing with sleep problems.

“We found those who had both the poorest sleep quality and who exercised the least were most at risk of death from heart disease, stroke, and cancer,” says epidemiologist Bo-Huei Huang, from the University of Sydney in Australia.

Participants were grouped into three levels of physical activity (high, medium or low) and were also given a sleep quality score from 0-5 based on the amount of shut-eye they got, how late they stayed up, insomnia, snoring and daytime sleepiness.

Those with the highest risk of dying from cancer or heart disease during the study period were those with the worst quality sleep and who didn't meet the WHO recommended guidelines for exercise. That risk went down for people with poor quality sleep but who did meet the exercise guidelines.

In the case of all forms of cancer, for example, those at the unhealthiest end of the sleep and exercise scale had a 45 percent higher risk of dying from cancer than those with good sleep scores who kept physically active. However, that risk just about disappeared for those who didn't score well on sleep but did score well on physical activity.

For now it's not clear why more exercise might make up for poor sleep, as far as our health goes. It could be that the increased activity is counteracting inflammation (炎症), or reducing irregularities in glucose metabolism, suggest the researchers.

“Considering that physical activity is perhaps more modifiable than sleep, our study offers people more health incentives to be physically active.” says population health researcher Emmanuel Stamatakis, from the University of Sydney.

1. This research is of particular interest in that ________.

A．it’s in this study that exercise is known to be beneficial to sleep.

B．this study offers people more health treatments to be physical active.

C．it could enable doctors to cure patients of their sleeping condition.

D．the relationship between exercise and sleep is updated in this study.

2. Which of the following statements is true according to the passage?

A．Those who had the poorest sleep quality were most at risk of death from heart disease.

B．Those scoring lowest on sleep and exercise scale were more likely to die from cancer.

C．There’s no risk of cancer for those who didn't sleep well but did score well on physical activity.

D．It's evident that in terms of health more exercise could make up for poor sleep.

3. What does the underlined word in Paragraph 6 mean?

A．interacting

B．increasing

C．preventing

D．causing

4. Where can this passage most probably be taken from?

A．A research findings report	B．A medical examination report
C．A poor sleep study report	D．A physical activity study report

【推荐2】How and why, roughly 2 million years ago, early human ancestors evolved large brains and began fashioning relatively advanced stone tools, is one of the great mysteries of evolution. Some researchers argue these changes were brought about by the invention of cooking. They point out that our bite weakened around the same time as our larger brains evolved, and that it takes less energy to absorb nutrients from cooked food. As a result, once they had mastered the art, early chefs could invest less in their digestive systems and thus invest the resulting energy savings in building larger brains capable of complex thought. There is, however, a problem with the cooking theory. Most archaeologists (考古学家）believe the evidence of controlled fire stretches back no more than 790,000 years.

Roger Summons of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology has a solution. Together with his team, he analyzed 1.7 million-year-old sand-stones that formed in an ancient river at Olduvai Gorge in Tanzania. The region is famous for the large number of human fossils (化石) that have been discovered there, alongside an impressive assembly of stone tools. The sand-stones themselves have previously yielded some of the world’s earliest complex hand axes — large tear-drop-shaped stone tools that are associated with Homo erectus (直立人) . Creating an axe by repeatedly knocking thin pieces off a raw stone in order to create two sharp cutting edges requires a significant amount of planning. Their appearance is therefore thought to mark an important moment in intellectual evolution. Trapped inside the Olduvai sand-stones, the researchers found distinctive but unusual biological molecules（分子）that are often interpreted as biomarkers for heat-tolerant bacteria. Some of these live in water between 85°C and 95°C. The molecules’ presence suggests that an ancient river within the Gorge was once fed by one or more hot springs.

Dr. Summons and his colleagues say the hot springs would have provided a convenient “pre-fire” means of cooking food. In New Zealand，the Maori have traditionally cooked food in hot springs, either by lowering it into the boiling water or by digging a hole in the hot earth. Similar methods exist in Japan and Iceland, so it is plausible, if difficult to prove, that early humans might have used hot springs to cook meat and roots. Richard Wrangham, who devised the cooking theory, is fascinated by the idea. Nonetheless, fire would have offered a distinct advantage to humans, once they had mastered the art of controlling it since, unlike a hot spring, it is a transportable resource.

1. All of the following statements can support the cooking theory EXCEPT__________.

A．cooking enabled early humans to invest less in digestive system

B．cooking enabled early humans to devote more energy to building big brains

C．our brain became larger around the same time our digestive system weakened

D．the controlled fire wasn’t mastered until about 790,000 years ago

2. The presence of biological molecules was important because_________.

A．they suggested a possible means of cooking without fire

B．they cast light on how early Homo erectus lived

C．they provided a convenient way of studying stone tools

D．they made studies of pre-historic cultures possible

3. The underlined word “plausible” probably means _________.

A．noticeable	B．applicable
C．reasonable	D．affordable

4. What may be the conclusion of the study by Dr. Summons and his colleague?

A．Early humans were capable of making complex stone tools.

B．Hot springs help explain how human brains got so big.

C．Homo erectus were adaptable to tough and complex territories.

D．Human brains are highly advanced as shown by their size.

【推荐3】Imagine waking up one day and finding that your beautiful local beach is no more—gone, its fine white sand swept away by an abnormal storm. You go about your daily business for 12 long years and then suddenly the beach is back, all its glory restored by another storm. This is what happened on the island of Achill, off the coast of Ireland, where people are celebrating the return of the beautiful Ashleam Bay beach that was taken from them in 2005.

That in itself is unusual enough, but the story gets even better! You see, another beach in Achill did a disappearing act once, but took much longer to return. The beach at Doonagh, located only six miles away from Ashleam Bay, was restored earlier in 2016 after waves created by spring storms had swept away all the sand in 1984, leaving just rock pools behind.

There is local legend that stretches back hundreds of years that says this beach at Ashlcam Bay returns for a short every seven years then disappears again. But this time around it took a bit longer than that. It was last seen in 2005 and it stayed for a few months at that time before it was washed away again.

As you can imagine, everyone on the island of Achill is thrilled to have their sandy beach back, and even though no one knows how long it’s going to be around for, they are making the most of the time they’ve got before it disappears again.

Some may be quick to believe climate changes cause the phenomenon, but that’s not the reason these two beaches in Achill keep disappearing, Dr Kevin Lynch, a geographer at NUT Galway, says that these occurrences are the result of hydrodynamics (流体力学) and sediment(沉积物) supply, rather than climate changes.

Regardless of what’s causing them, disappearing and reappearing beaches are just part of what makes nature so fascinating.

1. What is people’s reaction to the return of the Ashleam Bay beach?

A．Full of fear.

B．Quite delighted.

C．Very disappointed.

D．Extremely con fused.

2. What can we learn about the beach at Doonagh?

A．It is not located in Ireland.

B．It disappeared 12 years ago.

C．It once disappeared for more than 30 years.

D．It is just made up of rocks and pools.

3. According to the local legend, when should the Ashleam Bay beach have come back?

A．In 1982.

B．In 2012.

C．In 2016.

D．In 2018.

4. What does Dr Kevin Lynch think of the phenomenon?

A．Some abnormal storms lead to ocean’s enlargement,

B．It is hard to uncover the mystery of beach’s disappearing.

C．Climate changes can result in beaches disappearing completely.

D．Hydrodynamics and sediment supply cause two beaches to disappear.

【推荐1】When you close your eyes and try to think of the shape of your own body, what you imagine (or rather, what you feel) is quite different from what you see when you open your eyes and look in the mirror. The image you feel is much vaguer（模糊的） than the one you see. And if you lie still, it is quite hard to imagine yourself as having any particular size or shape.
When you move, when you feel the weight of your arms and legs and the natural resistance of the objects around you, the “felt” image of yourself starts to become clearer. It is almost as if it were created by your own actions and the feelings they cause.
The image you create for yourself has rather strange proportions（部分）; certain parts feel much larger than they look. If you get a hole in one of your teeth, it feels enormous; you are often surprised by how small it looks when you inspect it in the mirror.
Although the “felt” image may not have the shape you see in the mirror, it is much more important. It is the image through which you recognize your physical existence in the world. In spite of its strange proportions, it is all one piece, and since it has a consistent right and left and a top and bottom, it allows you to locate new feelings when they occur. It allows you to find your nose in the dark and point to a pain.
If the felt image is damaged for any reason—if it is cut in half or lost as it often is after certain strokes （中风）which wipe out recognition of one entire side –these tasks become almost impossible. What is more, it becomes hard to make sense of one’s own visual appearance. If one half of the “felt” image is wiped out or injured, the patient stops recognizing the affected part of his body. It is hard for him to find the location of feelings on that side, and, although he feels the doctor’s touch, he locates it as being on the undamaged side.
1. According to the passage the “felt” image          the mirror image.

A．is precisely the same as	B．is as clear as
C．often different from	D．is always much smaller than

2. Which of the following statements is NOT true?

A．The felt Image is much more important because it helps you locate new feelings.

B．When you are in bed with your eyes closed, it is not easy to imagine your image.

C．When you move, the “felt” image of yourself starts to become clearer.

D．The “felt” image is not so important as the mirror image.

3. If a man loses the ability to recognize his right side,           .

A．he can’t locate the doctor’s touch on his left side

B．he can’t locate the doctor’s touch on his right side

C．he loses his sense of touch on the left side

D．he loses feeling on both sides

4. What is this passage mainly about?

A．Stroke victims’ “felt” images

B．Stroke victims’ mirror images.

C．The importance of “felt” images

D．The importance of mirror images.

【推荐2】Children are becoming addicted to social media for their sense of self-worth, a major study warned. It found many youngsters measure their status(形象) by public approval they get online, often through “likes”. Some change their conduct in real life to improve their image online.

The research into youngsters aged from 8 to 16 was carried out by Children's Commissioner(专员) Anne Longfield. She said social media firms were exposing children to major psychological risks, with some youngsters starting secondary school ill-equipped to deal with the huge pressure they faced online. Youngsters felt their friendships could be at risk, not responding to social media posts quickly and around the clock.

Children aged 8 to 10 were "starting to feel happy" when others liked their posts. However, those in the 10 to 12 age group were "concerned with how many people like their posts", indicating a “need” for social recognition that gets stronger the older they become.

Children tended to compare themselves to others online. "Then there is this push to connect—if offline, will you miss something, will you miss out, will you show you don't care about those you are following, all come together in a huge way at once." Miss Longfield said, "For children it’s very difficult to handle." The Commissioner found children as young as 8 were using social media platforms largely for fun.

However, the research—involving eight groups of 32 children aged 8 to 12—suggested that as they grew, they became increasingly anxious online. When they started secondary school—at age 11—children were already far more conscious of their image online and felt more pressure to ensure popularity of their posts, the research found.

Meanwhile, they still did not know how to dispose of mean-spirited jokes, or the possible sense of inability if compared with celebrities(名人) or more brilliant friends online. They also faced pressure to respond to messages at all hours of the day—especially at secondary school when more youngsters have mobile phones.

The Commissioner advocated schools and parents do more to prepare children for the emotional minefield(雷区) . "It's vital that new age-appropriate relationship and sex education lessons help equip children to deal with growing demands of social media.” Social media companies must "take more responsibility" and monitor websites better or adjust their websites to the needs of youngsters.

1. What may account for Children’s addiction to social media?

A．To get their status recognized.	B．To reduce psychological risks.
C．To change their conduct in real life.	D．To deal with huge emotional pressure.

2. How was the research conducted?

A．It covered children of all ages.

B．It sought assistance help from parents.

C．It was sponsored by social media companies.

D．It divided children into groups and compared them.

3. During the process of addiction, children have a tendency to ________.

A．switch off from social media platforms

B．become less conscious of their image online

C．pick up anxiety and pressure steadily while becoming older

D．develop skills to dispose of mean-spirited jokes and the sense of loss

4. How should the problem solved according to Anne Longfield ?

A．Children should be banned from visiting the web.

B．Schools must keep track of children's use of social media.

C．It demands cooperation among families, schools and companies.

D．Social media companies need to create more apps to satisfy youngsters.

【推荐3】What if there was a kind of technology that could help someone with low or no vision increase their spatial (空间的) awareness? Eugene Choi, Raffu Khondaker, Irfan Nafi and Pranav Ravella founded Team Atheia and set out to do just that. The four teenagers are students at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology in Virginia, US.

“We noticed that the computer-vision field has gotten to a point where it could detect objects with really good accuracy and describe a scene just like a human would,” Choi told IEEE Spectrum magazine. “The immediate application we thought of was a visual aid for people with low or no vision.”

Since 2019, they had been attempting to make an assistive (辅助的) device in the form of a glove with a camera—but it failed. They realized that they lacked input from potential users. So they used Facebook to find people with vision problems and ask about their needs. Based on the feedback collected, the team scrapped the glove and started developing wrist- and head-worn devices and eventually a mobile app.

After spending hundreds of dollars of their own money and much experimentation，they finally had a working prototype (原型). By adopting the latest computer-vision models and machine learning techniques, the students’ app Atheia can accurately recognize, count and pinpoint (精准确定) objects in the user’s field of view. It can even answer open-ended questions about the person's environment, such as the shapes and sizes of objects or the time of day.

Their app’s data is processed locally on the mobile device instead of through a cloud service. This means they can fulfill user requests regardless of whether they have a cellular signal (蜂窝信号).“Through our testing, we realized how critical it was to serve our users no matter where they were,” Ravella told Congressional App Challenge. “It was an immense(极大的) challenge to convert our huge，heavy computer-vision models into something an iPhone could run. But thanks to Apple’s Neural Engine, it was possible—and worth it.”

Compared to other assistive devices for the blind, Atheia will charge its users an affordable monthly subscription (订阅) fee of around $10 (about 63.7 yuan), and it will be available only on iOS.

1. What do we know about Atheia?

A．It can remove physical barriers for people with no vision.

B．It can answer all questions raised by users.

C．It’s more expensive than other similar devices.

D．It can help the blind improve spatial awareness.

2. What does the underlined word “scrapped'” most likely mean in paragraph 3?

A．Adjusted.

B．Abandoned.

C．Adopted.

D．Upgraded.

3. What was a big challenge that the students faced?

A．They didn’t know the needs of their target users

B．They lacked the money to use the latest technology.

C．Their models were too big for an iPhone to run.

D．They found it difficult to popularize their product.

4. Which of the following best describes the students?

A．Ambitious and sociable.	B．Creative and humorous.
C．Intelligent and modest.	D．Innovative and determined.