【推荐1】Warming seas across the globe are endangering coral reefs, a key ecosystem that supports marine life to live and thrive. As a possible way to save them from extinction, scientists have recently frozen and revived groups of adult corals for the first time, according to a recent study.

Freezing biological materials, or “cryopreserving” them, refers to keeping them in a deep freeze for long periods without affecting the cells viability (活性), according to the Science Times website.

This method usually cools them to very low temperatures, commonly to-196℃. Since cells would normally die at such a low temperature due to the formation of ice inside, scientists need to monitor the freezing rate and choose the freezing medium carefully.

Researchers in the US experimented with freezing pea-sized pieces of a common coral in Hawaii. After removing the microbes on the corals, they sealed the corals in metal containers filled with a chemical solution that partially dehydrated (脱水) them and helped control ice growth.

When the corals reached a temperature of around -200 ℃, the remaining water in the corals solidified into a glassy form. The corals were still alive, with their life-driving functions becoming extremely slow. After being cryopreserved for a few minutes, the researchers pulled the corals out and placed them in warm water. In two minutes, they started consuming oxygen — a sign of them staying alive.

Previously, researchers had already successfully cryopreserved coral larvae (幼虫), according to a study in 2018. However, the larvae can only be collected when corals spawn (产卵), which happens just a few nights each year. “That’s putting a lot of eggs in one basket,” US marine scientist Liza Roger told Science News.

This breakthrough offers more hope to the worlds corals, said Roger. However, there’s more work to be done. A few days after thawing (解冻), the corals became “stressed out” from the process and were killed by the bacteria they normally live in harmony with. The researchers are working on using antibiotics to help them survive for a longer period of time.

1. What happened to the corals when they were cryopreserved?

A．They died temporarily.

B．Their life functions slowed down.

C．They remained alive and unchanged.

D．They fed on microbes in the containers.

2. What does the underlined sentence mean?

A．It is not a reliable solution.

B．It needs a large number of eggs.

C．It holds promise for restoring corals.

D．It requires overly expensive technology.

3. What issue do the researchers still need to address?

A．Finding a suitable freezing medium.

B．Identifying the bacteria on the corals.

C．Expanding the collection of coral larvae.

D．Maintaining the corals health after thawing.

4. What might be the main idea of the passage?

A．Bringing dead corals back to life.	B．Freeze and revive coral larvae.
C．Find a way to preserve corals.	D．Study the conditions of coral growth.

【推荐3】The United States is offering to pay private companies to mine rocks and other resources on the moon. The U.S. space agency NASA published an official government listing for the mining proposal on September 10. NASA officials are asking interested companies to collect rocks, soil and other objects from the surface of the moon. The lunar materials would then be sold to the space agency.

NASA administrator Jim Bridenstine says the project was created “for the purpose of demonstrating that mined resources can be collected”. The proposals would not involve private companies sending workers to the moon. Instead, NASA wants the businesses to provide robots to be launched into space by the space agency or private companies.

NASA has asked companies from around the world to present proposals to collect 50 to 500 grams of lunar materials from anywhere on the moon’s surface. The companies will be required to provide images showing how the material is collected. In a statement published on a NASA website, Bridenstine said the agency’s goal was to gain control of the collected materials before 2024. He added that officials would decide later how and when the materials could be transported from the moon.

Bridenstine repeated NASA’s goal of landing the first woman and next man on the moon by 2024 as part of the space agency’s Artemis program. NASA also has set a goal of setting up a long-term base on the moon by 2028. From there, it hopes to launch a series of space operations, including possible flights to Mars.

Last May, NASA released the main ideas for what is being called the Artemis Accords. It hopes the ideas can lead to an international agreement on how people will live and work on the moon in the future. Such an agreement could give companies rights to own the moon resources they mine. For example, businesses doing work for NASA could use the moon’s water ice to produce rocket fuel, or mine lunar minerals for other purposes. “NASA’s plan to send robots to mine resources is meant to fuel a new era of exploration and discovery,” Bridenstine said.

1. Why are NASA officials asking interested companies to collect lunar materials?

A．To buy rocks and other resources on the moon.

B．To see how the resources on the moon are mined.

C．To encourage more companies to explore the moon.

D．To show mined resources on the moon can be collected.

2. What can we know about the requirements for collecting lunar materials?

A．The materials should be collected by workers rather than robots.

B．The companies should collect at least 500 grams of the materials.

C．The companies should provide evidence to show the process of collecting.

D．The materials should be collected from specific areas on the moon’s surface.

3. What is paragraph 4 mainly about?

A．NASA’s moon base.	B．NASA’s moon project.
C．NASA’s Artemis program.	D．NASA’s flights to Mars.

4. How can private companies benefit from the Artemis Accords?

A．They will get huge profits from the agreement.

B．It allows them to become international companies.

C．It enables them to have access to their mined resources.

D．They will have the privilege of living and working on the moon.

【推荐1】请认真阅读下面短文，并根据所读内容在文章后表格中的空格里填入一个最恰当的单词。
注意：每个空格只填一个单词。

The condition characterized by lack of basic human needs as a result of the inability to afford them is called absolute poverty (绝对贫困). The “needs” in this case range from drinking water and shelter to basic health care and education. Being different from absolute poverty, relative (相对的) poverty refers to people who have limited access to resources (资源) compared with others in society.

The most obvious effects of poverty include health problems, homelessness and a lack of education. A couple of these effects, like health problems and a lack of education, can also worsen conditions.

A person living in poverty can’t afford daily bread at times, let alone think about health-related spending. In the same way, a person who isn’t in the best of health will find it difficult to work and earn his daily bread. Thus, poverty and poor health form a vicious circle (恶性循环).

Poor health due to poor economic conditions is not limited to physical disorders alone. Poor people are more likely to suffer from diseases, which can push them into severer poverty, including a range of mental illnesses which hinder (妨碍) a person’s ability to work.

Most people below the poverty line can’t afford proper habitation, and thus, have no choice, but to “sleep rough”. More than 100 million people are homeless in the world today, with some sources suggesting that the number is far greater than 300 million.

While children living in absolute poverty can’t afford basic education, those in relative poverty are forced to drop out halfway due to their lack of ability to pay fees for further education or as a result of having to take family responsibilities (责任). The relationship between poverty and education also works the other way round, with lack of education being one of the most important causes of poverty in the world.

The effects of poverty on a child’s development are seen in the classroom, most often in the form of low self-respect. Children from well-to-do families dress better which can bring about a feeling of inferiority (自卑) in children living in poverty. Poverty leads to social differences, causing poor children to get away from the learning environments and exhibit behavior that is against society, thus making poverty one of the most serious social problems we are facing today.

Poverty
General     1     to poverty	●When one is unable to afford the     2     human needs, he is in absolute poverty. ●When one has fewer resources than others, he is in relative poverty.
The effect of poverty on health	●Poverty can lead to bad health which, in turn, prevents the poor from     3     to support their lives. This is a vicious circle. ●Poor health due to poor     4     conditions includes physical and mental health problems.
The effect of poverty on     5	●The poor can’t     6     proper habitation, and thus have to sleep     7    . ●The data suggests there might be more than 300 million people who are homeless in the world.
The effect of poverty on education	●Due to poverty, children can’t enjoy the rights of     8     . ●Children from poor families don’t feel     9    , which affects their development. ●Children living in poverty tend to do something     10     to society.

【推荐2】“In only six days I lost seven pounds of weight.”
“Two full inches in the first three days!”
These are the kinds of statements used in magazine, newspaper, radio and television ads, promising good shapes and new looks to those who buy the medicine or the device. The promoters of products say they can shape the legs, slim the face, smooth wrinkles, or in some other way add to beauty or desirability.
Often such products are nothing more than money-making things for their promoters. The results they produce are questionable, and some are dangerous to health.
To understand how these products can be legally promoted to the public, it is necessary to understand something of the laws covering their regulation. If the product is a drug, FDA (Food Drug Administration) can require proof under the Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act that it is safe and effective before it is put on the market. But if the product is a device, FDA has no authority to require premarketing proof of safety or effectiveness. If a product already on the market is a danger to health, FDA can request the producer or distributor to remove it from the market voluntarily, or it can take legal action, including seizure (查封) of the product.
One notable case a few years ago involved an electrical device called the Relaxacisor, which had been sold for reducing the waistline. The Relaxacisor produced electrical shocks to the body through contact pads. FDA took legal action against the distributor to stop the sale of the device on the grounds that was dangerous to health and life.
Obviously, most of the devices on the market have never been the subject of court proceedings (法律诉讼), and new devices appear continually, Before buying, it is up to the consumer to judge the safety or effectiveness of such items.
1. It can be inferred that ads mentioned in the text are_____.

A．objective	B．costly
C．unbelievable	D．illegal

2. The Relaxacisor is mentioned as______.

A．a product which was designed to produce electricity

B．a successful advertisement of a beauty product

C．an example of a quality beauty product

D．a product whose distributor was involved in a legal case

3. The author intends to______.

A．make consumers aware of the promoters’ false promise

B．show the weakness of the law on product safety

C．give advice on how to keep young and beautiful

D．introduce the organization of FDA

4. Which of the following is true according to the text?

A．The court is in charge of removing dangerous products.

B．The promoters usually just care about profits.c. New products are more likely to be questionable.

C．The production of a device must be approved by FD

D．

【推荐3】In a country known for high-tech ambitions and giant state-owned firms, the suffering of street hawkers (小贩) may seem insignificant. But in China these days, people like Shui Jin, an old lady riding a wooden cart filled with fruit, are in the spotlight.

Faced with rising unemployment, officials have concluded that pavement stands (货摊) can help solve the economy’s problems. Shui Jin, who used to face the danger of heavy fines, may sell her fruit with more confidence as she slowly makes her way through the narrow lanes of Suzhou. Her family needs the money. Both her daughters-in-law recently lost their jobs, among the tens of millions of people in China hurt by the COVID-19 outbreak.

The government’s support for street hawkers is something of an about-turn. For years the authorities pushed out hawkers, trying to tidy up the chaos that once characterized China’s cities. In the name of “civilizing” urban life, they wanted to see dumplings, plastic toys and T-shirts sold inside shopping malls, not from the back of carts. But on June 1st Premier Li Keqiang signalled a change. Stopping by a snack stand in the city of Yantai, he declared that street hawkers and small shops were vital to the economy. “Only when the people are in good shape can the nation be in good shape,” he said.

Mr. Li’s statement has produced a feeling of excitement about the revival (复苏) of China’s “street-stand economy”. At least 27 provinces and cities have announced that they will create markets for hawkers or, in some cases, let them move their things being sold onto the pavement in front of their shops. The shining example is Chengdu, where street stands were banned in the past but now hawkers have set up a number of stands since March. More than 100,000 jobs have been created in the process.

1. According to the passage, what used to happen to street hawkers in China?

A．Cleaning the street.	B．Running a shop.
C．Being given heavy fines.	D．Being in the spotlight.

2. Which of the following can best replace the underlined part “an about-turn” in paragraph 3?

A．an incident.	B．a comfort.
C．an inspiration.	D．a complete change.

3. What is the main idea of the text?

A．China’s street-stand economy has a long history.

B．China turns to once-banned hawkers to revive its economy.

C．China has high-tech ambitions and giant state-owned firms.

D．China is now faced with rising unemployment.

4. Which writing method is NOT used in the last paragraph?

A．Quoting the saying.	B．Giving examples.
C．Making a comparison.	D．Listing statistics.