【推荐1】A dog snoring away the afternoon on the living room floor. Walruses napping belly-up on a beach. Lions stretching out on the grassland. These sleepy scenes may make people wonder why these other mammals（哺乳动物）seem to be getting so much more sleep than humans. Do they actually need more sleep? Are they just sleeping because they can?     1     Be prepared for a surprising and fascinating answer to these questions:

    2    

Though constantly studied, sleep is one of the great mysteries modern science hasn’t completely cracked. “We really don’t know what sleep is for,” said Dr. David Raizen.

    3     Across many studies of mammalian sleep, scientists have observed that less sleep is connected with larger body sizes. A reason for this may be that the larger an animal is, the more calories it needs, and the more time it needs to spend eating.

However, the matter is far from settled.     4     Some differences in observed sleep might not be what they seem. Just because a house cat sleeps for 18 hours a day doesn’t mean it needs all that sleep to function, Raizen said. Some sleep is probably a matter of convenience — done when it’s not safe for an animal to be out, when food availability is low or simply because there’s nothing else to do.

As for human sleep? Raizen said the most important thing is for people to listen to their bodies and get as much sleep as they feel they need.     5    

A．Nobody knows.

B．Should humans be sleeping more, too?

C．More efforts are being put in interpreting sleep better.

D．Scientists are doing research trying to find the answer.

E．Sleep is complex, hard to measure in wild animals and even harder to interpret.

F．One idea is that sleep in mammals has something to do with body size and diet.

G．It is about eight hours for most folks but might be as few as five and as many as eleven.

【推荐2】Including children in the farming lifestyle has many benefits. Sure, it is nice to have the additional help with chores(家庭杂务),but it also fosters so much growth, sending our kids down a good path towards who they will someday become. It is possible that our children will grow up to lead lives that do not include farming.     1    

Through caring for farm animals, kids learn that in life others often come before self.

    2     It doesn't matter if we don't feel like it or if we are sick and tired. What matters is that we take care of the animals that take care of us and do so in a timely manner.

    3     If the work on a farm does not get done, the operation fails. It takes discipline and commitment to get down to business every day, and seeing this in action will give kids a good work attitude. They will know and understand that nothing good comes easy and that they have to work to survive.     4     Functioning as part of a productive team will surely be playing a crucial role sooner or later in all walks of life.

Additionally, fanning teaches patience.     5     Cattle will be difficult to control. Horses will run away when you try to catch them. Goats will kick over that bucket of hard-earned milk. A rooster will decide you got too close to his hens and give you a run for your money. In spite of all that, kids will learn to be patient and take things easy.

There may not be any instant reward, but in the long-term kids will see the benefit of all their efforts during those hard days.

A．At the same time, they learn to work with others.

B．Farm life also teaches kids the value of hard work.

C．Children learn to be grateful for animals for eating purpose.

D．Teamwork is no longer an important skill to develop and use.

E．There are going to be a lot of days when things do not go your way.

F．However, what they learn on a farm can also be instrumental in their future lives.

G．Animals need to be fed, watered, and cared for before we get to sit down and relax.

【推荐3】Satellites are an important part of our ordinary lives. For example, the information for weather forecasts is sent by satellite. Some satellites have cameras which take photographs of the earth to show how clouds are moving. Satellites are also used to connect our international phone calls.

Computer connections of the World Wide Web and Internet also use satellites. Many of our TV programmes come to us through satellites. Airplane pilots also sometimes use a satellite to help them find their exact location.

We use satellites to send television pictures from one part of the world to another. They are usually 35,880 kilometers above the equator. Sometimes we can see a satellite in the sky and it seems to stay in the same place. This is because it is moving around the world at 11,000 kilometers an hour —exactly the same speed that the earth rotates. A satellite must orbit the earth with its antennae(天线) facing the earth. Sometimes, it moves away from its orbit. So there are little rockets on it which are used to put the satellite back in the right position. This usually happens about every five or six days.

Space is not empty! Every week, more and more satellites are sent into space to orbit the earth. A satellite usually works for about 10~12 years. Satellites which are broken are sometimes repaired by astronauts or sometimes brought back to earth to be repaired. Often, very old or broken satellites are left in space to orbit the earth for a very long time. This is very serious because some satellites use nuclear power and they can crash into each other.

1. Which of the following is NOT done by satellites according to the passage?

A．Sending information for weather forecast.

B．Taking photographs of the earth.

C．Sending TV pictures.

D．Providing food for airplane pilots.

2. What's the speed the earth rotates（旋转） at?

A．35,880 kilometers per hour.	B．335,880 kilometers per hour.
C．11,000 kilometers per hour.	D．110,000 kilometers per hour.

3. What does the underlined word “This” in the third paragraph refer to?

A．A satellite.	B．A little rocket.
C．A satellite seems to stay in the same place in the sky.	D．The satellite puts the rockets in the right position.

4. Which is TRUE of satellites?

A．A satellite usually works for about 10~12 years.

B．Every time a satellite gets broken, it is brought back to the earth to be repaired.

C．A broken satellite is never left in space.

D．They often crash into each other.

【推荐1】The microplastics(微型塑料) problem in the oceans has made its way to sea turtles in a big way. A new study has found microplastics in the stomach of every single turtle they tested—a total of 102 sea turtles.

The researchers tested more than 100 sea turtles from all seven kinds and three different oceans, and they were looking for man-made things less than 5 mm long. The most things the team found were fibers, which most likely came from clothing and fishing equipment.

“The influence of these particles on turtles is unknown,” said Emily Duncan. “Their small size means they can pass through the stomach without causing a problem, as is frequently reported with larger plastic pieces.”

The researchers found more than 800 man-made particles in the turtles, but since they only tested part of the stomach, they believe the total number of particles could be 20 times higher. They don’t know how the turtles take in the particles, but they think they are from polluted seawater and polluted plants.

Professor Brendan Godley said that eating microplastics isn’t the biggest problem to sea turtles at the moment, but it is a clear sign that we need to do a better job watching global waste.

This turtle study shows that we need to reduce the amount of plastic waste, so we can keep clean and healthy oceans for future people.

1. The underlined part in paragraph 1 probably means “________”.

A．has gone into	B．has made great effect on
C．has been walking to	D．has tried to escape from

2. How did the researchers find out the microplastics problem？

A．By giving examples.	B．By comparing sea life.
C．By studying different sea animals.	D．By testing turtles from different seas.

3. What can be inferred from Emily?

A．Larger plastic pieces cause trouble to sea turtles

B．Eating microplastics is the biggest danger to sea turtles

C．Scientists know clearly how sea turtles eat plastic pieces

D．The number of particles inside sea turtles is much higher

4. The purpose of the text is to call on people to ________.

A．stop killing sea animals	B．find out more plastic waste
C．control pollution to oceans	D．carry out further researches

【推荐2】Wildlife faces threats from habitat destruction, pollution, and some human activities. Although protecting wildlife may seem too hard at times, even small actions in your own neighborhood can help protect many different animals. Here are some tips on how to protect wildlife through small actions. Create wildlife­friendly areas in your backyard.

When trying to make your garden more beautiful, you can choose plants that can provide food and shelter for the native wildlife. This will also help cut down on pollution. Besides, bird or bat houses in your yard or garden can attract and shelter more species.

Avoid harming the natural ecosystem (生态系统) in your backyard.

Some plants from other places can kill or harm the native plants that provide food and shelter for wildlife.

Have a greener lifestyle.

By using less water and fewer fuels, you will do good to help protect the wildlife around you. Take buses or the subway if you can, turn off the electric devices when you’re not using them, take showers for a shorter time, and keep the temperature in your room at or below 68 Fahrenheit degrees in winter.

Buy products that are friendly to wildlife.

Don’t buy products that are made from endangered animals. Keep in mind that some endangered animals are killed by traps, or hunters who are eager to earn money with them.

Donate money to organizations that protect wildlife and their habitats.

You can give money to organizations or groups that protect wildlife in your neighborhood, thus promoting their work.

1. The purpose of this passage is to ________.

A．tell us why protecting wildlife is extremely important now

B．suggest that we protect wildlife through words

C．explain why protecting wildlife is not as hard as people think

D．give us some tips on how to protect wildlife through small actions

2. Which of the following threats to wildlife is NOT mentioned in the passage?

A．Animal diseases.	B．Destruction of habitat.
C．Pollution.	D．Hunters.

3. What behaviour do you think the author would disagree with?

A．Planting proper trees in gardens.

B．Buying a sweater that is made from antelope fur as a gift.

C．Donating some money to WWF.

D．Reading books about wildlife.

4. In which section of a newspaper would you most probably read this passage?

A．Environment.	B．Teaching.
C．Business.	D．Geography.

【推荐3】Not only doe s the use of plastic water bottles hurt your wallet, it also increases pollution and wastes energy and water. Only 23% of all plastic bottles in America end up in a recycling bin, which means over $1 billion worth of plastic is treated as rubbish a year. Recently, Skipping Rocks Lab has invented a kind of water bottle called Ooho.

It is a convenient, clear water bottle that can be either drunk or eaten. To drink it, you can either peel off the membrane (薄膜) or tear a hole in the membrane with your teeth to pour the water into your mouth. To eat it, you simply put the whole bottle in your mouth. One problem the scientists have run into is how to ship large amounts of Ooho bubbles (水泡) without arriving with a very wet truck. However, they have attempted to package units of individual bubbles together inside a larger and thicker membrane. It is targeting large outdoor events, such as marathons, music festivals, and sporting events, where tons of plastic bottles are used, and frequently left behind as litter. And too much plastic is sure to do harm to the environment, which could account for their purpose of such a new invention.

The team has been working for the past two years to develop the technology and materials needed to produce Ooho; they have recently applied for a patent (专利权) on their new advancements. The price for an individual bubble or a unit of bubbles has not been set yet, but they cost about two cents to create a unit, which is cheaper than a plastic bottle. It has appeared at events in London, San Francisco, Boston, at conferences, festivals, and so on.

Ooho has caught many people’s attention and has raised over $ 1 million and gained 1,000 investors in only three days. It is mostly being sold at events at the moment to keep the consumers’ interest while the production machine is running. It is quickly making a rise, so keep an eye out this year for these bottles of the future.

1. How is most plastic dealt with in America?

A．It’s sold.

B．It’s recycled.

C．It’s processed.

D．It’s wasted.

2. Why did the team invent Ooho?

A．To make a profit for a company.	B．To protect the environment.
C．To make people eat as they drink.	D．To reduce the cost of plastic bottles.

3. What can we infer about Ooho from the text?

A．It is easy and safe to ship it in large amounts.

B．It has become popular since it began to be sold.

C．It might be sold at a lower price than plastic bottles.

D．It has cost the team a lot of money to develop the technology.

4. What does the author really want to say in the last paragraph?

A．Ooho is to be a success in the future.

B．Ooho is being supported by smart people.

C．Ooho is taking the place of plastic bottles now.

D．Ooho is being produced to attract more investors.