【推荐1】iPad vs textbooks

What if you could have your whole backpack at the touch of your fingertips? In the first month of the Apple iPads release, 25million were sold! People all over the world use iPads for all sorts of different things, but one of their finest qualities is the ability to be a textbook.     1     .

To begin with. iPads are less expensive. Textbooks become outdated and schools have to buy new books, but with an iPad schools can update them for free.     2     . Schools don't have to spend $500 every year for iPads because they last a while and can be updated.

    3    . Students usually have multiple classes, which results in multiple textbooks. Heavy backpacks filled with books can cause back problem. A solution to that is an iPad, which only weighs 1.33 pounds and can hold all of a student's textbooks.

Thirdly, schools should get rid of their textbooks and get iPads because they have more capabilities. Some might think all of the apps are distracting, but the apps actually make iPads more efficient.     4     . Textbooks cannot do those tasks, but iPads can easily do them with just a tap of the fingertip.

Lastly, iPads are a better choice for schools instead of textbooks because these devices allow students to access their learning anywhere at any time.     5     . With iPads, they find it easier to get their homework done.

In conclusion, schools should get rid of their clumsy textbooks and switch to iPads. iPads have allowed this generation to have their entire backpack in the palm of their hands.

A．iPads absorb the need to buy calculators, dictionaries, and other items that are found within the device.

B．Schools have every reason to do away with their school books and switch to iPads.

C．Moreover, in high school, textbooks have an average of 4.8 pounds each.

D．iPads have already replaced textbooks in over 600 American counties.

E．Therefore, they can use the saved money for other programs.

F．Secondly, iPads cost less and are more popular.

G．iPads are perfect for busy students.

【推荐3】More than a billion people around the world have smartphones, almost all of which come with some kind of navigation (导航) app such as Apple Maps or Amap. This raises the age-old question we meet with any technology: What abilities is our brain losing to these apps? But also, importantly: What abilities are we gaining?

Talking with people who are good at finding their way around or good at using paper maps, I often hear a lot of annoyance (恼怒) with digital maps. North/south direction gets messed up, and you can see only a small section at a time. I can really understand that it may be quite disturbing for the already skilled to be limited to a small phone screen.

But consider what digital navigation aids have meant for someone like me. Although being a frequent traveler, I’m so terrible at finding my way that I still use Apple Maps almost every day in the small town where I have lived for many years.

In many developed nations, street names and house numbers can be meaningful, and instructions such as “go north for three blocks and－then west” make sense to those familiar with these rules. In Istanbul, however, where I grew up, none of those hold true. For one thing, the locals seldom use street names. Besides, the city is full of winding and ancient alleys that cross with newer avenues at many angles. In such places, you’d better turn to the locals. In the American countryside, however, there is often nobody outside to ask. In fact, along came Apple Maps, like a fairy grandmother whispering directions in my ear. Since then, I travel with a lot more confidence, and my world has opened up.

Which brings me back to my original questions: While we often lose some skills after depending on new technology, this new equipment may also allow us to gain new abilities. Maybe when technology closes a door, we should also look for the doors it opens.

1. Why do people who are skilled at reading paper maps feel upset?

A．They are confused by digital map’s direction.

B．They like reading paper maps.

C．They don’t know how to use navigation apps.

D．They are limited to a single smartphone app.

2. According to the text, which is the best way to find the destination in Istanbul?

A．Follow the navigation app.

B．Asking local people the way.

C．Getting familiar with the city rules.

D．Looking for street names and house numbers.

3. What’s the author’s attitude towards the navigation apps?

A．Cautious.

B．Confused.

C．Critical.

D．Favorable.

4. What could be the best title of the passage?

A．Benefits of Navigation Apps.

B．Disadvantages of Navigation Apps.

C．Have Navigation Apps Worsened Our Brain?

D．My World Opens Up by New Technology.

【推荐1】Agriculture is playing an important part in the world. Now let’s have a look at some different methods of agriculture.

Traditional Agriculture

Most Canadian farmers focus on high productivity from a few main products, such as beef cattle, wheat crops, or greenhouse produce.     1    , although not as a primary resource. Crop rotation(轮流耕作) kills certain pests and keeps the land rich. In fact, traditional agriculture is main farming.

Organic Agriculture

It is growing popular. Farmers who focus on protecting the environment believe that a successful organic system begins with a healthy soil that develops healthy plants, farm animals and people.     2    , 1.7% of Canadian farms were proved organic in 2009.

The Natural Solution

It is from natural insect control. A bag is used to ship certain kinds of insects from the supplier to an organic farmer. Farmers avoid chemicals with natural methods, such as using insects to attack agricultural pests.     3    .

Genetic Engineering

    4    . The reasons include increased production and the convenient management of insects, diseases and wild grass. Genetically engineered crops account for most of the corn, and soybean plantings in Canada and the United States.

    5    .

Farmers who want to buy special seeds must sign an agreement with the seed supplier. One requirement is that the farmer shouldn’t keep seeds from the present year’s crop for planting in the following season.

A．Despite the higher costs of labor

B．Canadian Inorganic Agriculture

C．Technology Use Agreement

D．People in Canada and the United States are crazy about growing plants and raising animals

E．This method has no influence on a crop’s nutritional value

F．They also grow additional crops or raise different farm animals

G．Farmers decide to grow engineered crops for many reasons

【推荐1】A new study has found that ride-sharing services result in much more pollution than other kinds of private and public transportation. Ride-sharing trips also draw passengers away from more environment friendly methods of travel, like public transportation, walking or biking, the study found.

Several studies in recent years have suggested that ride-sharing services like Uber and Lyft can worsen traffic problems in cities. The new study represents an attempt to center on how ride-sharing services affect pollution. Overall, the researchers reported that ride-sharing trips now "result in a 69 percent more climate pollution on average than the trips they replace." The study notes that the same passengers could have chosen to travel by bus, train, bike or on foot.

One of the big reasons they give for this result is that ride-sharing vehicles are often driven with no passengers in the car. This happens when drivers are either waiting for rider requests or on the way to pick up passengers. This situation, known as "deadheading", takes up about 42 percent of all ride-sharing driving activity, the study found. The researchers said that deadheading results in about 50 percent more carbon dioxide than one person driving in a private vehicle. Both Uber and Lyft have said in the past that most studies on the subject overstate (夸大)the effects of their services on pollution. Uber told Reuters news agency in a statement it had no comment on the latest report and that the study made misleading claims about ride-sharing. Meanwhile, the company said it would work directly with cities to address climate changes, promoting sharing trips and other means of transportation.

1. Which of the following is the best title of the passage?

A．Ride-sharing becomes a new trend that can’t be avoided.

B．Ride-sharing industry is met with criticism.

C．Ride-sharing services increase pollution.

D．Ride-sharing services need improvement.

2. The term “deadheading” in the passage refers to ________.

A．a driving process where the driver is not carrying passengers

B．a potential risk that the driver may lose control of the vehicle

C．a period of driving hours when vehicles produce more carbon dioxide

D．a situation in which a driver has too many passengers to pick up

3. From the study of ride-sharing services, we can infer that ________.

A．Ride-sharing attracts exactly the same number of people as traditional means of transport

B．the study was conducted to prove the influence of ride-sharing services on modern cities

C．ride-sharing service is not an environmentally friendly way to travel

D．the new report has forced Uber to make big changes to achieve its goal

【推荐2】Recently some articles claims the word ‘‘selfie” as one of the most annoying words. But I’d like to offer that maybe it is not so bad.
The “selfie” is used to describe the self-taken photo, often from a smart phone. Women and men decorate their Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram accounts with these pictures, sometimes with puckered (翘起) lips or large smiles. In fact, the selfie has become so widely known that over 31 million photos on Instagram are taken with the selfie.
Let’s think about it. Someone takes about 10 selfies each time they do, and they only end up posting one or two of those. They pick the one that they feel makes them look the best. Isn’t that beautiful? In that one picture, someone has given himself or herself confidence. Self-image is important. In society today, we are often so consumed with the feeling that what society tells us is perfect. But maybe, with that one selfie, we feel that we fit that bill. We feel handsome, beautiful, confident, smart, happy and content. For that moment, everything bad or terrible that has ever happened to us is erased (消除), because that smile or that pucker is what gives us the determination to love ourselves.
I saw a spoken word poem recently and the young man said: If I ask you what you love, the answers will most likely roll off your tongue. You love to read. You love to write. You love birds, music, your mom, your brother, your sister, your daughter, your best friend, your dog. How long do you think you can go on and on before you say “I love myself”.
That statement hit me like a ton of bricks. I’ve struggled with confidence all of my life. I still do. And in no way am I saying that taking a selfie is a gateway to that confidence. However, the selfie does deserve some credit for allowing individuals to express themselves. Pamela Rutledge agrees, stating, “There are many more photographs available now of real people than models.”
1. According to the author, selfie ______.

A．is an annoying habit for people

B．becomes a fashion among teenagers

C．makes a person become self-centered

D．gives a person a sense of confidence

2. According to the writer, we live in a society where ______.

A．being perfect is highly valued

B．people judge others by their appearance

C．confidence is based on one’s self-images

D．beauty almost decides everything

3. The author mentions a poem in the passage to stress ______.

A．the power of true love

B．the need to love ourselves

C．the kinds of love we have

D．the endless love we get

4. The best title for the passage is ______.

A．The Meaning of Selfie

B．A Fashion of Selfie

C．A Praise of Selfie

D．The Criticism of Selfie

【推荐3】Grown-ups are often surprised by how well they remember something they learned as children but have never practiced ever since. A man who has not had a chance to go swimming for years can still swim as well as ever when he gets back in the water. He can get on a bicycle after many years and still ride away. He can play catch and hit a ball as well as his son. A mother who has not thought about the words for years can teach her daughter the poem that begins "Twinkle, twinkle, little star" or remember the story of Cinderella or Goldilocks and the Three Bears.

One explanation is the law of overlearning, which can be stated as follows: Once we have learned something, additional learning trials increase the length of time we will remember it.

In childhood we usually continue to practice such skills as swimming, bicycle riding, and playing baseball long after we have learned them. We continue to listen to and remind ourselves of words such as "Twinkle, twinkle, little star" and childhood tales such as Cinderella and Goldilocks. We not only learn but overlearn.

The multiplication tables（乘法口诀表）are an exception to the general rule that we forget rather quickly the things that we learn in school, because they are another of the things we overlearn in childhood.

The law of over learning explains why cramming（突击学习）for an examination, though it may result in a passing grade, is not a satisfactory way to learn a college course. By cramming, a student may learn the subject well enough to get by on the examination, but he is likely soon to forget almost everything he learned. A little overlearning, on the other hand, is really necessary for one's future development.

1. What is the main idea of paragraph 1?

A．People remember well what they learned when they were little.

B．Children have a better memory than grown-ups.

C．Poem reading is a good way to learn words.

D．Stories for children are easy to remember.

2. The author explains the law of overlearning by_________.

A．presenting research findings	B．setting down general rules
C．making a comparison	D．using examples

3. According to the author, being able to use multiplication tables is_______.

A．a result of overlearning	B．a special case of cramming
C．a skill to deal with math problems	D．a basic step towards advanced studies