【推荐1】How can you hear a lot of English when you’re not in an English-speaking country or family? Fortunately, there are many ways of hearing English.

Listen to English radio.

You can receive English-language radio in most countries. Two international networks are the BBC and VOA.     1     .

Watch English television.

    2    . The pictures help you understand what is being said. If you don’t have access to English-language TV, you may be able to watch TV on the Internet.

    3    .

It is now a lot easier to hear English on the Internet. If you’re reading this at your computer or mobile device you can probably listen to some English-language radio news right now, without even moving! And of course, you can find endless videos in English on YouTube and similar websites.

Listen to songs in English.

Songs in English are everywhere, even on foreign-language radio and TV stations. Listen to them often. But choose one that is not too difficult.     4    . Some pop songs are very unclear and are difficult even for native English speakers to understand fully!

Get English-speaking friends.

Try to make friends with English-speaking people so that you can practise your English through conversation.     5    . And if you don’t have a lot of time to go out and meet people, at least you can chat a little by telephone.

A．Don’t worry

B．Listen to English on the Internet

C．This will improve your speaking as well as your listening

D．Many large cities have cinemas that show films in English

E．Both of them have special programmes for learners of English

F．TV is an excellent resource for listening to English

G．That means it should be slow, and with real words sung clearly

【推荐2】Joey was born with club feet(畸形足). The doctors convinced his parents that with treatment he would be able to walk normally — but would never run very well. The first three years of his life were spent in surgery, casts and braces. By the time he was eight, you wouldn’t know he had a problem when you saw him walk.

The children in his neighborhood ran around during play, and Joey would jump right in and run and play, too. His parents never told him he probably wouldn’t be able to run as well as the other children. So he didn’t know.

In seventh grade he decided to go out for the cross-country team. Every day he trained with the team. He worked harder than others — perhaps he sensed the abilities that seemed to come naturally to others did not come naturally to him. Although the entire team ran, only the top seven runners would be chosen. His parents didn’t tell him he probably would never make the team. So he didn’t know.

He continued to run four to five miles a day, every day — even the day he had a fever of 103 degrees Fahrenheit. His mother was worried, so she went to look for him after school. She found him running all alone. The sweat ran down his face. Yet he looked straight ahead and kept running. His parents never told him he couldn’t run four miles with a high fever. So he didn’t know.

Two weeks later, the names of the team runners were posted. Joey was number six on the list. Joey had made the team. His parents never told him he shouldn’t expect to make the team. They never told him he couldn’t do it. So he didn’t know. He just did it.

1. What can we know about Joey as a child?

A．He couldn’t walk normally at 8.

B．He admired other kids for running.

C．He received much medical treatment.

D．The born disability made him anxious.

2. Why didn’t Joey’s parents tell him the truth?

A．For fear he couldn’t make the team.

B．To avoid setting limits to his potential.

C．To encourage him to run like other kids.

D．In case he would be looked down upon.

3. Why does the author repeat "So he didn’t know."?

A．To draw a conclusion.	B．To arouse readers’ interest.
C．To help the story develop.	D．To indicate the author’s emotion.

【推荐1】It has become a certain belief among the public — drink at least eight glasses of water a day to improve health and wellbeing. Bottled water companies often repeat it to increase their sales but it is actually a silly idea. There is no evidence to prove the advantages of drinking eight glasses of water a day, scientists say.

The misunderstanding is caused from the suggestion that adults should drink 2.5 liters of water daily, which was stressed by the British Medical Journal in December. The important part of the suggestion that most of this quantity of water is contained in prepared foods, however, is usually ignored.

US researchers who reviewed the evidence concluded that most people do not need to worry about the amount of water they drink every day. Besides drinking water, they will be getting plenty of liquid (液体) in other ways. Caffeinated drinks such as tea, coffee and cola and alcohol (酒) can help reach the daily total if they don’t drink too much, though these drinks help the production of urine (尿). Less well known are the dangers of drinking too much water, causing water poisoning, low salt levels and even death.

The review of research by Dan Negoianu, from the University of Pennsylvania, found that not a single study included the suggestion of drinking eight glasses of water a day. Although one small study suggested that drinking water could result in fewer headaches, the results were not very important. However, the benefits of drinking some water to prevent a pain in head after drinking too much alcohol are, separately, proved to be true.

No studies showed any advantages to the color of the skin because of the increased water taken into bodies. Dehydration (脱水) can make skin less pleasant, but there was no clear evidence to support the idea that water helps people keep a youthful appearance. The researchers also found no evidence that drinking lots of water does some good to the body’s organs (器官).

1. From the passage, we know that the suggestion about drinking eight glasses of water a day ________.

A．causes some serious diseases

B．has enough scientific evidence to support it

C．is misunderstood by people in fact

D．was published by the British Medical Journal

2. From the passage we learn that many people don’t know that ________.

A．the production of urine can cause water to lose

B．health can be improved by drinking plenty of water

C．better skin can result from intake of much water

D．caffeinated drinks can provide the water people need

3. What can be proved about drinking a lot of water according to the passage?

A．Reducing the bad influence of drinking alcohol.

B．Helping to keep youthful looks.

C．Making the body’s organs stronger.

D．Causing bad headaches.

4. The writer’s main purpose of writing this passage is to ________.

A．persuade people to drink different kinds of water

B．tell people drinking much water is not as healthy as is considered

C．warn people of the danger of drinking much water

D．help people realize the importance of drinking enough water every day

【推荐2】Sorry,potato people!Although it’s probably no surprise that French fries are among the worst foods you can eat,most of us still don’t believe it.After all，it doesn’t hurt to eat some every once in a while…right?But some people feel guilty(内疚的）to eat French fries and they have a good reason for that.

According to a study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition,people’s guilty feeling may be well-placed.The research,which researched potato eating in 4,400 older people between ages of 45 and 79 over the course of eight years,shows that eating fried potatoes at least twice a week highly increases our risk of death.

But hold up!Before you completely stop eating potatoes,you should know that it is found that eating potatoes overall(even a lot of them)wouldn’t kill you.Instead,it’s the type of potato that makes all the difference between life and death.

Eating fried potatoes like French fries at least twice per week increased the risk of death in the study.On the other hand,potatoes that were not fried,such as boiled and baked potatoes,were less likely to cause death.

Why?Potatoes have healthy levels of fiber(纤维）and vitamins(维生素），so you can partake without feeling bad.But when it comes to the fried food,you might need to think again.French fries usually have lots of fat and added salt,leading to weight growth.Still,when all is said and done，connection isn’t totally equal to causation(因果关系）.More research is needed before certainly concluding that eating French fries alone increases the risk of death.

Luckily,potatoes are still considered as one of your suggested three to five servings of vegetables per day.Just try not to eat the fatty ones,if you can.

1. What’s the text mainly about?

A．People’s reasons for feeling guilty.

B．The worst foods that should be avoided.

C．A research about potatoes,effects on treating illnesses.

D．A study on the relation between French fries and death.

2. From the findings of the study,we learn that .

A．potatoes aren’t good for everyone

B．many foods can mean life and death

C．we shouldn’t eat one type of food too much

D．how food is cooked is important to our health

3. What does the underlined word“partake”in Paragraph 5 mean?

A．Share.

B．Cook.

C．Eat.

D．Buy.

4. Which of the following can make French fries unhealthy?

A．Damaged fiber.	B．Bad potatoes.
C．Much fat and salt in them.	D．The oil used to fry them.

【推荐3】By May, after three months, I had lost 22 pounds and reached my goal of 115 pounds. My friends would say “Alice, you look great!” or “How did you lose so much weight?” Those compliments made me feel good and confident.

Soon I dropped to 110 pounds. A few of my friends told me that I needed to stop dieting, because I was starting to look sick. They brought me a present－a bag of chocolates, which I later gave to my sister. My mom would come to my room, with tears in her eyes, and have long chats about how harmful this diet was and begged me to stop. My dad would leave worried messages on my cell phone at school, telling me that it would do serious harm to my body.

By mid-June, when school was coming to an end, I was down to an only alive state of 95 pounds. All of a sudden, I knew I had to do something. I guessed the number itself scared me. I recalled my doctor. He told me about a girl who was 95 pounds and was at the risk of dying. I knew I was putting my life at risk, but for what? To make those who love me worried? Was it worthwhile to be thin?

Now I realize that models in magazines, TV and movies are not realistic. The price to pay for the “perfect body” is living with a dangerous and sometimes deadly eating disorder. And there are more important things to think about than how thin you are.

1. The underlined word “compliments” in Paragraph 1 probably means ________.

A．questions	B．praise
C．understanding	D．experiences

2. Why did the author’s mother come to her room in tears?

A．Because the mother was worried about her daughter’s health.

B．Because the mother thought her daughter was brave enough.

C．Because the mother was sorry to have helped her daughter go on a diet.

D．Because the mother was deeply moved by her daughter’s friends.

3. The author decided to stop dieting ________.

A．after her parents persuaded her out of it

B．when her weight dropped to 95 pounds

C．after she reached her goal of losing weight

D．after her friends told her to stop dieting

4. From the text we learn that ________.

A．there are no models with a perfect body in real life

B．it is too expensive for people to lose weight

C．you will be healthy as long as you stop dieting

D．an unhealthy diet can lead to serious health problems

5. The underlined word “it” in Paragraph 2 probably refers to ________.

A．the present from the author’s friends

B．having long chats in the night

C．the author’s diet to lose weight

D．the author’s cell phone

【推荐3】Plastic pollution has long been a problem, but now it's gotten to a new height-literally.

Microplastics, referring to plastic fragments and particles less than 5 millimeters in diameter, have been found on Mount Qomolangma as high as 8,440 meters above sea level, just 408.86 meters below the peak of the mountain, according to a recent study published in the journal One Earth.

“These are the highest microplastics ever discovered so far, “ lead author Imogen Napper from the University of Plymouth, UK, said in a statement.

Scientists collected snow and water samples from 19 different locations from 4, 200 meters above sea level all the way up to the top of Mount Qomolangma. They found microplastics in all the water samples and part of the snow samples. The most polluted sample was from the Base Camp in Nepal, where most human activity on the mountain is concentrated. It had 79 particles of microplastics per liter of snow.

But how have these fragments made it all this way and in such a great abundance? The answer is apparent-human activities. It is climbers who bring plastic products to the mountain. Even if they don't litter, just walking for 20 minutes or opening a bottle of water can release microplastics into the environment.

Even covered in ice, the Arctic is also a victim of plastic pollution. A 2020 report published in Nature suggests that there are 2,000 to 17,000 plastic particles per cubic meter in Arctic ice cores. Experts think microplastics may be transported by air and then reach the North Pole in snowfall.

“What we don't yet fully know is the potential problems these tiny pieces of plastic could be having to ecosystems," said Christian Dunn of Bangor University , UK.

Then what can we do? “We need to start focusing on deeper technological solutions that focus on microplastics, like changing fabric design and include natural fibers instead of plastic when possible, " Napper said.

1. Where did Napper's team find the microplastics?

A．At 408.86 meters below the top of Mount Qomolangma.

B．In all water and snow samples collected.

C．At 4,200 meters above the Everest Base Camp.

D．At the foot of Mount Qomolangma.

2. Which of the following may protect Mount Qomolangma from microplastics?

A．Stopping littering.	B．Avoiding bottled water.
C．Limiting use of equipment.	D．Forbidding climbing at all.

3. How do experts think plastic pollution reached the Arctic?

A．By planes flying in the air	B．By wind from other places.
C．By humans traveling there	D．By huge tides in the sea.

4. What did Napper suggest?

A．Promoting new styles of clothes.	B．Improving technology for ecosystems.
C．Replacing plastic with natural fibers.	D．Researching microplastics' harm.