【推荐1】The search for new, clean energy sources has occupied the attention of scientists and politicians for years. One common resource for green energy is the wind. A new twist on this old resource could cause the energy output of wind-power plants to rocket.

Standard wind-power plants rely on solid support and generally can only reach a height of 200 meters or so. Higher than that, winds tend to be stronger and more consistent, but the challenge is figuring out how to gain the energy from those winds.

Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands and Karlsruhe University of Applied Sciences in Germany have formed a kite-power research group. The group is working to develop kites with wings connected to electrical generators (发电机) on the ground.

The research group’s goal is to design a kite that can operate on its own for 24 hours. Research has begun, but many challenges remain, including making the generators more efficient and perfecting the automatic flight control and the structure of the kites. Nevertheless in June 2012, they demonstrated that their kites could operate automatically at an altitude of up to 700 meters.

Meanwhile, in Italy, researchers are working on a similar power generator that relies on kites. When the generator, called KiteGen, senses the wind blowing, kites are released from the ends of poles with high-resistance cables (线) to control their height and angle. These cables are able to move the kites if the system senses incoming objects such as planes, helicopters or even individual birds. The kites themselves are light, tough and able to reach fairly high altitudes. They circle around in the wind, which sets the core of the generator in motion, producing electric current.

KiteGen has the potential to be very cost-effective in the long run. After the initial cost of designing and setting up the plant, little additional investment will be necessary, apart from standard maintenance. The plant also requires relatively little space, which makes it ideal for cities and means that multiple plants can be set up to provide even more energy.

Kite power has the potential to greatly improve on current wind-power strategies. In the future, it may be an efficient, cost-effective supplement (补充) to the other sources of energy we use, or even a replacement for some of them.

1. What does the underlined expression “a new twist” probably mean in the first paragraph?

A．A strict standard.	B．A challenging task.
C．A strong motivation.	D．A clever idea.

2. If the wind-power plants are higher than 200 meters, what is the problem?

A．It is a waste of money.	B．It is extremely dangerous.
C．It is hard to attain the energy.	D．It is totally unrealistic.

3. Why do both of the researches adopt kites?

A．Kites can fly high.	B．Kites are a new trend.
C．Kites are eco-friendly.	D．Kites can replace old equipment.

4. What is the author’s attitude towards kite power?

A．Cautious.

B．Optimistic.

C．Unclear.

D．Critical.

【推荐2】Why do human beings still risk their lives under ground and doing one of the dirtiest and most dangerous jobs in the world? It is an increasingly urgent question, given the recent mining accidents in Sago, W. Va and Huntington, Utah. A small group of engineers and robotics experts look forward to a day in the not-too-distant future when robots and other technology do most of the dangerous mining work.

Robotic technology, in particular, holds much promise, McAteer says, especially when it comes to mapping mines and rescuing trapped miners—the special operations of the mining industry.

One of the first mining robots was developed five years ago at Carnegie Mellon University’s Robotics Institute. It was called Groundhog. It used lasers to “see” in dark tunnels and map abandoned mines—some of the most dangerous work in the business.

The latest design is called Cave Crawler. It’s a bit smaller than Groundhog, and even more advanced. It can take photos and videos and has more sensors that can detect the presence of dangerous gases. Incredibly, the robot has a real sense of logic. If it comes across an obstacle it gets momentarily confused. It has to think about what to do and where to go next. Sometimes it throws a fit just like a real person.

The greatest problem, though, is cost. The money of the earliest research project was provided by the government, but that money had dried up, and it’s not clear where future money will come from. Partly for that reason, and partly because of advances in safety, mining is not nearly as dangerous as it was in the past. Since 1990, fatalities have declined by 67% and injuries by 51%, according to the National Mining Association.

Some experts predict that robots in mines will serve much of the same function that they do in the automotive industry. The robots do the most boring and dangerous jobs，but won’t get rid of the need for human workers.

1. The latest robot is more advanced than Groundhog, mainly because _________.

A．it can map abandoned mines	B．it can see in the dark tunnels
C．it’s smaller than Groundhog	D．it has a real sense of logic

2. We can infer from the last paragraph that _________.

A．robots in mines will serve much in the automotive industry

B．there will be no need for human workers in mines

C．the mine robots will have a very bright future

D．robots in mines only do some simple jobs now

3. We can infer from the passage that _________.

A．the mining robots do most of the mining work at present

B．groundhog can discover the presence of dangerous gases

C．experts are trying to make robots help miners with dangerous work

D．robots cannot do dangerous work in dark areas

4. What can be the best title for the passage?

A．Mining Accidents in America	B．Robots in Mines
C．Cave crawler, the Latest Robot	D．The Future of Robots

【推荐2】One of the most recognizable symbols of Scotland is the kilt (百褶裙). Resembling knee-length skirts, kilts originated in the 16th century as a common form of clothing for men and boys living in an area of northern Scotland known as the Scottish Highlands. A special feature of kilts, even to this day, is the plaid (格子呢) patterns. These patterns were historically related to specific clans, which are family groups that share a relationship through ancestry or some other connections. Known as tartans (方格花纹), the plaid patterns are of various colors. Because of their popularity in the Scottish Highlands, the wearing of kilts and any tartan pattern in general was banned from 1746 to 1782 to try to control clans from that region that were opposed to the king at the time. After clans were no longer considered a threat to the king, the clothing ban was removed.

Although the removal of the ban meant people could once again wear kilts with their clan’s tartan, they did not become the regular dress of males there. Instead, they came to represent a traditional form of clothing, and be symbolic of national pride. Tartans of all types can be seen on show all over the world on April 6, Tartan Day, when people of Scottish ancestry celebrate their cultural treasure. Tartan Day originated in Canada in the mid-1980s. It spread to other communities of the Scottish diaspora in the 1990s.

Nowadays, tartans have been specifically created for individuals, families, institutions, and companies. Perhaps the best-known example of a tartan used by a company is that of the British company Burberry. Burberry has used tartans on a variety of products, including scarves, handbags, clothing, and other accessories. Although in 2019, Burberry announced it would reduce the number of products it produced to focus more on handbags as a way to increase profits, their iconic tartan continues to be a symbol of high fashion.

1. In which aspect are kilts special?

A．People show respect for the king by wearing them.	B．They are of the same color in Scotland.
C．Plaid patterns are used in the kilts.	D．They are designed for adult men.

2. Why do Scottish people exhibit different tartans in April?

A．To celebrate a tradition.	B．To spread this culture to the world.
C．To honor the end of the ban on tartans.	D．To express tartans shouldn’t be ignored.

3. Why does the author mention the company Burberry?

A．To prove the popularity of tartans.

B．To stress tartans’ wide range of daily uses.

C．To show the reduced number of tartan products.

D．To explain reasons for Burberry’s favoring tartans.

4. What is the best title for this passage?

A．Popularity of Scottish Kilts	B．Special Scottish Clothing
C．History of Scottish Kilts	D．The Kilt and the Tartan

【推荐3】It is hardly surprising that clothing manufacturers (生产商) follow certain uniform standards for different features of clothes. What seems strange, however, is that the standard used for women is the opposite of the one for men. Take a look at the way your clothes button. Men’s clothes tend to button from the right, and women’s from the left. Considering most of the world’s population — men and women — are right-handed, the men’s standard would appear to make more sense (更有道理) for women. So why do women’s clothes button from the left?

History really seems to matter here. Buttons first appeared only on the clothes of the rich in the 17th century, when rich women were dressed by servants. For the mostly right-handed servants, having women’s shirts button from the left would be easier. On the other hand, having men’s shirts button from the right made sense, too. Most men dressed themselves, and a sword (剑) drawn from the left with the right hand would be less likely to get caught in the shirt.

Today women are seldom dressed by servants, but buttoning from the left is still the standard for them. Is it interesting? Actually, a standard, once it is set, resists change. At a time when all women’s shirts buttoned from the left, it would have been risky for any single manufacturer to offer women’s shirts that buttoned from the right. After all, women had grown so used to shirts which buttoned from the left and would have to develop new habits and skills to switch. Besides, some women might have found it socially awkward to appear in public wearing shirts that buttoned from the right, since anyone who noticed that would believe they were wearing men’s shirts.

1. What is surprising about the standard of the clothing industry?

A．It has been followed by the industry for over 400 years.

B．It is different for men’s clothing and women’s.

C．It woks better with men than with women.

D．It fails to consider right-handed people.

2. What do we know about the rich men in the 17th century?

A．They tended to wear clothes without buttons.

B．They drew their swords from the left.

C．They were mostly dressed by servants.

D．They were interested in the historical matters.

3. Women’s clothes still button from the left today because         .

A．customs are hard to change

B．manufacturers should follow standards

C．modern women dress themselves

D．using men’s style is improper for women

4. The passage is mainly developed by          .

A．analyzing causes	B．making comparisons
C．examining differences	D．following the time order

【推荐1】The Nobel Prize in Physics 2020 was divided into two parts, one half awarded to Roger Penrose, the other half to Reinhard Genzel and Andrea Ghez.

Roger Penrose

He was born in Colchester, U. K, in 1931. He got a Ph, D. in 1957 from University of Cambridge and became a professor at University of Oxford.

In January 1965, ten years after Einstein's death, Roger Penrose proved that black holes really could form and described them in detail. His article is still regarded as the most important one to the general theory of relativity since Einstein.

Reinhard Genzel

He was born in Bad Homburg vor der Hohe, Gernany in 1952. He got a Ph. D. in 1978 from University of Bonn, Germany and became the director at Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics, Garching, Germany and a professor at University of California, Berkeley, USA

Andrea Ghez

He was born in City of New York, USA in 1965 and got a Ph. D. in 1992 from California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, USA. He became a professor at University of California, Los Angeles, USA.

Using the world's largest telescopes, Genzel and Ghez developed methods to see through the huge clouds of gas and dust to the center of the Milky Way (银河系). Their pioneering work has made us believe the fact of a super large black hole at the center of the Milky Way.

Further information: www. kva. se and www. nobel prize. org.

1. Where did Andrea Ghez graduate?

A．California Institute of Technology.	B．University of Bonn.
C．University of Cambridge.	D．University of Oxford.

2. How many parts was the Nobel Prize in Physics 2020 divided into?

A．1.

B．2.

C．4.

D．5.

3. What can we know about Roger Penrose from the text?

A．He was born in New York.

B．He was less than 80 when he got the Nobel Prize.

C．He worked in University of Cambridge.

D．He was born in 1931.

【推荐3】Terrafugia Inc.said Monday that its new flying car has completed its first flight,bringing the company closer to its goal of selling the flying car within the next year.The wehicle-named the Transition has two seats wheels and wings that fold up so it can be driven like a car.The Transition,which flew at 1,400 feet for eight minutes last month, can reach around 70 miles per hour on the road and 115 in the flies using a 23-gallon tank of gas and bums 5 gallons per hour in the air. On the ground, it gets 35 miles per gallon.

Around 100 people have already put down a $10,000 deposit to get a Transition when they go on sale, and those numbers will likely rise after Terrafugia introduces the Transition to the public later this week at the New York Auto Show. But don’t expect it to show up in too many driveways. It’s expected to cost $279,000.And it won’t help if you’re stuck in traffic. The car needs a runway.

Inventors have been trying to make flying cars since the 1930s, according to Robert Mann, an airline industry expert. But Mann thinks Terrafugia has come closer than anyone to making the flying car a reality. The government has already permitted company to use special materials to make it easier for the vehicle to fly. The Transition is now going through crash tests to make sure it meets federal safety standards.

Mann said Terrafugia was helped by the Federal Aviation Administration’s decision five years ago to create a separate set of standards for light sport aircraft, which are lower than those for pilots of larger planes. Terrafugia says an owner would need to pass a test and complete 20 hours of flying time to be able to fly the Transition,a requirement pilots would find relatively easy to meet.

1. What is the first paragraph mainly about?

A．The basic data of the Transition.	B．The advantages of flying cars.
C．The potential market for flying cars.	D．The designers of the Transition.

2. Why is the Transition unlikely to show up in too many driveways?

A．It causes traffic jams.	B．It is difficult to operate.
C．It is very expensive.	D．It bums too much fuel.

3. What is the government’s attitude to the development of the flying car?

A．Cautious

B．Favorable.

C．Ambiguous.

D．Disapproving.

4. What is the author’s purpose in writing the passage?

A．To encourage people to buy flying cars.

B．To raise money for developing flying cars.

C．To introduce the latest information of flying cars.

D．To attract people to attend the pilot-training course.