【推荐1】Fitness trackers are damaging youngster's mental health.     1    A leading preparatory school headmaster has issued this warning. William Dunlop, head of Clayesmore Preparatory School in Dorset, said that "well-meaning" mothers and fathers are increasingly buying their children activity trackers as gifts.

    2     Therefore, they are viewed by many parents as a good way to encourage their children to exercise. But parents are buying the gadgets without necessarily considering the negative side-effects.     3    .

"You have physical as well as mental consequences," he said. "I see the early stages of that. It is not long before the competitive instinct (本能) could become quite unhealthy." Then, writing in Attain, the Independent Prep School Association's magazine, he said: "Wearable activity trackers have become steadily more mainstream over the last few years, so much so that an increasing number of children are wearing them.     4    . The trouble is that the data is very rarely used well. In fact, the way it is presented can be positively harmful."

Mr. Dunlop said that some children are "particularly easy to be influenced by obsessive (过度沉迷的) behavior in pursuit of certain goals, such as 30,000 steps a day". He said "responsible, well-meaning parents" may think they are helping their children by responding to the problem of childhood inactivity.

In fact, Mr. Dunlop says that such items are "entirely unnecessary" as in most cases,       5     The fitness trackers can lead to unpredictable risks of obsessive behavior and overwork as well as the issue of online safety, since so much data about a child's health is uploaded.

If parents really want their children to develop active lifestyle, they should encourage them to take part in sociable sporting activities, Mr. Dunlop advised.

A．because their children are already very active.

B．Parents should stop encouraging their children to wear them.

C．A new tracker designed for children over eight has been launched.

D．Used well, the data they provide can be invaluable in promoting fitness.

E．Those include contributing towards anxiety or other mental health issues.

F．By all means use these things but make sure to get them involved in sports clubs.

G．The trackers can measure data from the number of steps you take to your heart rate.

【推荐3】Schools in the UK are cutting time spent on PE lessons because of exam pressures. Secondary school teachers said that older teenagers were especially likely to miss out, because the time spent on physical education for 14-16 -year-olds had fallen in the past five years.

Teachers said that increased pressure to produce exam results was leading to children being pulled out of PE lessons. One in three said exam pressures were behind the decline, and they said subjects such as English and Maths had been given more time at the cost of PE.

Almost all of the teachers from the 487 schools said PE should be more valued for its advantages to young people. Mental health experts also warned that cutting down on exercise could increase children's mental health problems. Cal Strode, spokesman for the Mental Health Foundation, said cutting PE time would be "short-sighted and dangerous". He said, "It is worrying to hear that PE is being cut at a time when students are facing problems with stress and anxiety in increasing numbers. There's a close relationship between mental and physical health."

Tom Madders, director of campaigns at charity Young Minds, said, "Schools' cutting down on physical education because of exam pressures is worrying. Schools that value health also do better in study, so it makes sense to keep good health, rather than putting children under more pressure."

Rising exam stress has been raised as a problem by experts who warn that children are under greater pressure because of a competitive jobs market. Ali Oliver, an expert, said, "The PE is good for physical and mental health. So cutting down physical education time is depriving young people of these advantages at a time when they need them most."

1. What do we know about the text?

A．Schools that value health do worse in study.

B．Children in the UK have serious mental problems.

C．Many teachers don't realize the importance of PE

D．Good physical health is good for mental health.

2. _______ said that Cutting PE time would be "short-sighted and dangerous".

A．The teachers in the UK.

B．Cal Strode

C．Tom Madders

D．Ali Oliver

3. According to the text, the exam pressure is from ______.

A．parents' expectations	B．poor mental health
C．future work	D．schools' requirements

4. Which of the following can be the best title for the text?

A．The importance of physical education

B．Teachers' support of getting more PE time

C．The serious problems of education in the UK

D．Schools' cutting down PE time for exam pressure

【推荐1】Given their reputation as solitary creatures that come together only to mate and hibernate, the idea of snakes banging out in groups with their "best friends" may sound a little far-fetched. However, a recent study conducted by researchers from Canada's Wilfrid Laurier University states that the reptiles（爬行动物）not only actively seek out socialization with their peers, but are also extremely particular about who they spend time with.

For the study, the team led by Ph. D. student Morgan Skinner and associate professor Dr. Noam Miller, selected 40 non-poisonous garter snakes. Ten were from a single litter purchased from a snake breeder, while the remaining were captured from the wild. After marking each sample with a bit of color to allow for easy identification, the researchers placed ten snakes inside each of the four plastic shelters contained within a tabletop enclosure.

Skinner photographed each snake group twice a day before removing them from their shelters. After cleaning the areas thoroughly to rid them of any familiar smells, the reptiles were rearranged into different groups and returned to the enclosure. A camera placed over the shelters allowed the scientists to capture the animals' movements every five seconds, 12 hours a day, for a total of eight days.

When Skinner and Miller analyzed the images, they found that regardless of where they were placed, the snakes always found their original "friends", forming groups of three or eight inside the all shelters. "They have experienced social cognition," Miller told National Geographic. "They can tell others apart".

The scientists, who published their findings in the journal Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology, are not sure why the snakes seek out friendships. However, they believe the animals would not waste their energy forming bonds unless it were beneficial to them, Miller assumes that the tendency for snake friends to curl up with one another probably helps keep wet and warm in the wild. Being in groups may also help keep predators at bay.

1. What does the underlined word "far-fetched" in Paragraph 1 mean?

A．Original.

B．Attractive.

C．Incredible.

D．Reasonable.

2. How do the 10 snakes the researchers bought differ from the others?

A．They are easier to identify.	B．They are non-poisonous.
C．They have better cognitive abilities	D．They know each other better.

3. How did the researchers come to the conclusion?

A．By analyzing previous data.	B．By studying images of various snakes
C．By tracking the snakes movements in the wild	D．By comparing the results of the two shots.

4. What can be a suitable title for the text?

A．Why Snakes Seek Out Friendships	B．Snakes Have "Best Friends" Too
C．How Snakes Socialize like Humans	D．Snakes Form Groups to Protect Themselves

【推荐2】Before a new type of airplane goes into service, every part of it is tested again and again. But there are two tests that are more important than all the others.
The first is called the “tank test”. A modern airplane must fly very high in the sky. Air must be pumped into the plane so that the passengers can breathe. The metal structure (结构) of the plane has to be very strong for this reason. When the plane is filled with air, the air presses against the skin of the plane inside. The pressure   (压力)   on a small window is like a huge foot that is trying to get out. If a small part of the plane were to fail, the plane would explode in the sky. To test the structure of the plane, the plane is lowered into a huge tank or container of water.   Then it is filled with air. The pressure inside the plane is greater than it ever will be when it is high up in the air. Finally, there is an explosion. This does not cause so much damage inside the water tank as it would anywhere else. Engineers can discover which part of the plane has broken. Then that part is made stronger,
The most dangerous test happens when the new plane is going through test flights in the air. The test pilot must find out exactly what happens when the engines (发动机) are all shut off at once. The plane begins to fall like a stone. It is the pilot’s job to find out how he can get control of the plane again.   These two tests are examples of how planes are made safe before they ever carry passengers.
1. By doing the “tank test”, the engineers can find out ________.

A．the power of the airplane engines	B．the amount of air in the plane
C．the strength of the plane structure	D．the pressure inside and outside the plane

2. What will happen to the plane under the “tank test”?

A．It will be tested by pilots.	B．It will be broken.
C．It will be made stronger.	D．It will be filled with water.

3. According to the text. why are test flights most dangerous?

A．Too much air may get into the plane.	B．The plane may explode in the air.
C．The pilot may lose control of the plane.	D．The engines may be damaged.

4. What might be the most suitable title for the text?

A．How Airplanes Are Made and Tested	B．Two Important Tests on Airplanes
C．The Importance of Flying Safely	D．The Danger of Testing Airplanes

【推荐3】Global warming does more than just kill plant species — it also changes the way plants grow. Researchers at Martin Luther University Halle — Wittenberg(MLU) joined forces with the Leibniz Institute for Plant Biochemistry(IPB) to discover the molecular (分子) process of plant growth. In Current Biology, a scientific journal, they presented their findings on high-temperature plant growth. This could lead to developing plants that can survive global warming.

Plants react to even small temperature changes, but they are unable to move to new locations. “When temperatures rise, plants grow taller ... to cool themselves off. Their stems become taller, and their leaves become narrower and grow farther apart. Yet, this makes the plant more unstable overall,” explains Professor Marcel Quint, an agricultural scientist at MLU. Unstable plants bend faster in the rain and produce less food that’s also less nutritious.

There’s still lots to learn about plant reactions to temperatures. “We are just starting to understand how plants feel the changes in temperature ...,” Quint says. Earlier studies have shown that the protein (蛋白质) PIF4 directly controls plant growth and is also dependent on temperature. When it’s cold, PIF4 is less active, meaning the plant doesn’t grow. At higher temperatures, PIF4 activates growth-promoting genes, and the plant grows taller. This is new information, says Quint.

To understand it, they studied the growth of thale cress (拟南芥) seedlings. Normally, its seedlings form short stems at 20℃. These stems become much longer at 28℃. They discovered a hormone (荷尔蒙) that activates the PIF4 at high temperatures, thus producing the protein.

The findings may help to develop plants that remain stable even at high temperatures and produce many crops.

1. Why did the researchers at MLU and IPB conduct their research?

A．To study the negative effects of global warming.

B．To find out how plants help reduce global warming.

C．To observe how global warming affects plant growth.

D．To understand the ways that plants cause global warming.

2. What can we learn from Paragraph 2?

A．Low temperatures have little impact on plants.

B．Plants prefer dry weather to rainy weather.

C．Plants are very sensitive to change in soil.

D．High temperatures reduce crop production.

3. What do we know about PIF4?

A．It mainly exists in thale cress seedlings.

B．It works differently at different temperatures.

C．It is a kind of gene that controls plant growth.

D．It is a plant hormone that works at high temperatures.

4. Who will probably benefit most from the findings?

A．Farmers.	B．Teachers.
C．Researchers.	D．Environmentalists.