【推荐1】I am traveling home. It is bitterly cold and snowy, but the warm train is right on time. I feel pleasantly satisfied as I look out at the rush hour traffic on the motorway. I feel more satisfied as the smell of fresh coffee announces the arrival of the drinks service. Swiss friends often tell me, proudly, that their rail service is the best in the world, but recently, one experience has proved that the great Swiss love affair with their railway has turned a little sour.

It all began with the decision to end ticket sales on trains. One cold morning I arrived at my local station only to find that the ticket machine was broken. No matter, I thought, I have got a smart phone, and I hurriedly set about buying my ticket that way. This was not as easy as I had expected, busying myself between credit card and phone with freezing cold fingers, but, by the time I got on the train to Geneva I had an e-ticket and I proudly showed it to the conductor. Unfortunately she told me that my ticket was not valid. Several weeks later a letter arrived from Swiss railways together with a fine for 190 francs ($ 210).

The good people there tell me the formal payment for my ticket from my credit card company arrived four minutes after my train left the station. That means, they say, that I bought my ticket on the train—and that is strictly prohibited.

Swiss railways say their policy is designed to protect honest ticket-paying passengers, but a quick look at their balance sheet suggests something else. The company is making about $2 million a month from fines.

Although train travel is still popular, those seats do not feel as comfortable; the coffee does not smell quite so good—because Swiss railways have lost, for now anyway, something far more precious than $2 million a month: good relations with their customers.

1. What can we learn from paragraph 1?

A．The Swiss trains usually come late.

B．Traffic on the motorway goes smoothly.

C．The author hates traveling on the Swiss train.

D．The author is generally pleased with the Swiss rail service.

2. Why did the conductor say that the author’s e-ticket was invalid?

A．It was purchased online.

B．It was paid for after the train’s departure.

C．It was purchased on a ticket machine.

D．It was paid on a smart phone.

3. What does the author want to show by telling the experience?

A．The fine was unfair.

B．The conductor was impolite.

C．E-tickets are getting popular.

D．Credit cards can be inconvenient.

4. What does the author think of the new policy of Swiss railways?

A．It attracts more people to travel by train.

B．It makes the company lose a lot of money.

C．It damages company-customer relations.

D．It protects honest ticket-paying passengers.

【推荐2】The growing reliance of people in Denver on Uber, a company that provides ride-hailing（叫车服务）through an app, has relieved pressure on parking in some areas of the city, according to a new study.The study by a professor with ties to the University of Colorado Denver（CU Denver）found that since more than a quarter of the hundreds of riders surveyed would have driven themselves otherwise（否则）, their riding choice meant they no longer needed a parking spot "People pretty much are willing to pay more for someone to drive them if it means not wasting time looking for a parking space," said Alejandro Henao, the lead researcher, in an interview.

Henao, as part of his doctoral work at CU Denver, took the wheel for more than three months in 2016 as a driver for Uber.That gave him a look at how the service affected local traffic patterns by tracking his trips through the Uber app and surveying his riders.A paper based on his experience reported that ride-hailing services were causing more congestion（拥堵）, with 83.5% more miles traveled.It also found drivers of Uber drove around without a paying passenger at least 40% of the time.Parking seemed to be one upside.That study was followed by some pushback from Uber, which referred to other research showing good influences

"With this new study, it's nice to show Uber isn't all bad-our ability to reduce parking can be a benefit," said Marshall, a director of the Transportation Research Center.The study's findings could support arguments by some urban planners for removing minimum（最小量）parking requirements and freeing up space used by parking-at least in some areas served heavily by ride-hailing service.We don't need as much parking around restaurants, airports, stadiums, etc.The findings can also inspire cities to replace some of the land for parking and put it to better use, such as building roads for walking and biking, thus leading to less dependency on cars.

1. What can we learn from paragraph 1?

A．Uber offers cheaper rides.

B．Riders' sharing a car becomes popular.

C．Most riders prefer to drive on their own.

D．Worries about parking encourage Uber use.

2. The paper released by Henao reflects       .

A．different opinions on Uber

B．negative features of ride-hailing

C．the early state of ride-hailing

D．the poor running patterns of Uber

3. What would be the best title for the text?

A．Is it wise to choose Uber?

B．Are parking lots still necessary?

C．Uber is freeing up more land for better use

D．Uber is changing people's way of traveling

【推荐3】根据短文内容，从下框的A~F选项中选出能概括每一段主题的最佳选项，选项中有一项为多余项。注意：将所选字母写在答题卡相应题号上
A. Sitting at the back means fewer food options.
B. Flight attendants get paid only for flight hours.
C. Flight attendants’ job is to keep passengers safe.
D. Flight attendants might water down your drinks.
E. Flight attendants are trained to identify criminals.
F. The seat-belt sign is “on” far longer than necessary.
Things An Air Hostess Won't Tell You
To make things a bit easier for them and ensure a smooth flight, many Flight attendants have little tricks under their sleeves. Here are some of them which they won't tell you out of sheer politeness.
1. __________
Contrary to what most people think, a flight attendant's primary job is to ensure your safety - the helping and serving part of their job are just add-ons. If they are assisting you with your luggage, it is to make sure it is stored properly and does not harm anyone. They are not required to lift your bags or help you take them elsewhere. All the other assistance, such as providing you with a drink, handing you hot towels, etc., are to make sure you stay calm and satisfied.
2. __________
As unfair as it may seem, the time that a flight attendant spends in getting the plane ready, settling you down, etc., is not included in their salary. They do, however, receive some expense allowance (津贴) for the entire time they clock in - it is a pretty small income though
3. __________
If a flight attendant feels a passenger is ordering too many drinks, and getting drunk, they might avoid serving him/her by avoiding eye contact. When that fails, they might just fill the glass half-way or give him/her a diluted (稀释的) drink
4. __________
A number of training programs and workshops exist to train flight attendants in different aspects. As some people are using flights more and more to smuggle (走私), flight attendants are being regarded as the first line of defense against this heinous (邪恶的) crime. The benefits are already evident - a number of dangers are avoided, thanks to alert (警惕的) flight attendants on board.
5. __________
This is a bit unfortunate for those sitting at the back of the plane, but nevertheless true. As the attendants start serving from the front of the plane to the back, the variety of drinks or meals might go down. This is because a plane has limited space, only a certain number of items can be stored, and by the time they get to the back of the plane, they run out of at least a few of the options.

【推荐1】Researchers at Stanford University have developed a new material that can move heat out of buildings and send it into space. The researchers say the material can cool buildings even on hot days. The cooling material is a very thin sheet with many layers that could be placed on a roof like solar panels (板). However, instead of turning sunlight into energy as solar panels do, the material turns heat into radiation.

Shanhui Fan is an electrical engineering professor at Stanford University. He says that the panels have a layer of material that is like sand. The panels act like a mirror. They take heat out of buildings and reflect the light from the sun. And he says both the heat and sunlight are sent 100 kilometers into outer space. It’s a structure that cools itself without electricity input, even under the sun. So, what it does is basically radiate heat to outer space and also reflect the sunlight so it doesn’t get heated up by the sun. Mr. Fan says it is like having a window into space. The heat is sent directly into space without warming the air.

He says buildings in developing countries that do not have electricity or air conditioning could use the panels. “In areas where electricity is out of reach for many people, there is a significant potential benefit for storing medicine or even food. In many of these situations, being able to reduce the temperature is important. And this would provide a way to do it.”

The researchers say the main problem is creating actual cooling systems using the high-tech panels. They say it may be possible to develop a cooling spray (喷涂) that could be used on existing solid structures. They believe the cooling spray technology could be developed in the next three to five years. They say as much as 15 percent of the energy used in the United States is spent providing power to air conditioning systems.

1. The first paragraph mainly tells us       .

A．living on hot days is no longer a big problem now

B．new material is created to cool the buildings

C．researchers are developing new solar panels on roofs

D．the new material is a very thin sheet with many layers

2. How does the panel work?

A．It absorbs the heat and cools it down.

B．It uses a mirror to reflect the sunlight.

C．It sends heat away right into space.

D．It has a window to let out the heat.

3. The new material is especially useful in areas that       .

A．suffer high temperature	B．have poor air conditioning
C．have plenty of food	D．are short of power

4. What can you infer from the passage?

A．The appliance of the new panel is still under research.

B．Some people got benefits from producing the panels.

C．People may have problems in using the new material.

D．The new panels may save 15 percent of the energy.

【推荐2】As the saying goes, "An apple a day keeps the doctor away." That's because this healthy food choice is supposed to be full of nutrients. The apple at the supermarket, though, might be so o1d that it has lost many of its nutrients. But soon there might be a way to check the quality of fruit by scanning it.

Scientists at Food+Future coLAB have come up with the idea of a handheld spectrometer(分光仪) that scans food. The machine will work by shining infrared(红外线的)light on a piece of produce. By measuring how chemicals in the fruit or vegetable take in the light, the scanner can recognize the food's chemical makeup.

"The machine can tell you exactly how old an apple is, how many calories it contains, what nutrients are present inside it, and even small differences in taste," Greg Shewmaker of Food+Future coLAB recently said.

For the new machine to be useful to consumers, researchers first need to create a database that contains possible chemicals for a particular type of fruit, like an apple, for example. Scientists will need to scan lots of pieces of produce to collect this data. The information collected will allow the scanners to tell customers the quality of fruit.

Once consumers know what's inside an apple, they can decide if they want to buy it. Knowing fruit quality may also affect how a store prices produce. "We can price produce based on the nutritional value," Shewmaker explained.

Food+Future coLAB has already created a working model of its machine. It says you may see one in your local supermarket within the next few years. Then deciding whether you've picked the healthiest fruit will be just a quick scan.

1. Why does the author mention the saying about apple at the beginning?

A．To prove that the apple is full of nutrients.

B．To introduce the topic of the fruit scanner.

C．To advise people to keep healthy by eating apples.

D．To state that the apple is the most tasty among fruits.

2. What do we know about the spectrometer?

A．It is powered by infrared light.

B．It is not useful in many customers' eyes.

C．It can help customers decide which fruit to buy.

D．It can improve the quality of fruit and vegetables.

3. According to Shewmaker, what's a spectrometer's influence on a store?

A．It makes a store more attractive.

B．It provides price reference for produce.

C．It enriches customers' knowledge about food nutrition.

D．It creates a database about the chemical makeup of fruit.

4. What would be the best title for this text?

A．The Fruit Scanner	B．The Priced Fruit
C．How to Scan Fruits	D．How to Pick Fruits

【推荐3】Amazon wants to be able to answer the troublesome question: Did I leave the stove on? The latest home security tool by Ring, a home security company owned by Amazon, is the Always Home Cam, a flying drone that can help homeowners check their apartments whenever they’re not in.

The Always Home Cam is a lightweight, self-docking, flying indoor camera that can take a predetermined path set by its user. When used with Ring’s proprietary home alarms systems like the Ring Alarm, the Always Home Cam will take flight and check the house for any potential disturbances. The drone unit can also be controlled remotely and manually. After a flight, the Always Home Cam automatically returns to its station itself for charging. It only records while in flight, too.

You can ask it to fly to check the stove while you’re out, or to see if you left the windows open. It’s also great for checking on naughty pets. The drone has obstacle avoidance technology built-in, and hidden propellers(螺旋桨) to mitigate any damage to household furnishing in the event of a collision. Amazon says the drone will automatically take flight if there’s movement in the house to show you what’s going on.

The device was one of several that Amazon unveiled Thursday as part of its annual appliance event. Due to the pandemic, this year’s version was held online instead of at Amazon’s Seattle headquarters.

The indoor flying camera, called the Ring Always Home Cam, still needs approval from the U.S. Federal Communications Commission, but Amazon said it expects to sell it next year at $250. It will also launch a camera and alarm system for cars next year under its Ring brand.

Critics have raised privacy concerns about Ring, which is best known for its doorbell cameras, citing the company’s close relationship with police departments. Amazon said the drone only records when it is in the air, and that it makes a sound when it flies so any people in the house knows its recording.

1. What’s the main idea of the text?

A．The Always Home Cam can ensure your safety.

B．Always Home Cam can guard your house while you out.

C．Critics raised privacy concerns about the Always Home Cam.

D．New devices were unveiled on Amazon’ annual appliance event.

2. What can the Always Home Cam do?

A．It can take a path set by computer.	B．It can record when you are out.
C．It can get charged by itself.	D．It can take flight at any time.

3. What do we know about the Always Home Cam?

A．It was unveiled at Amazon’s Seattle headquarters.

B．It will be sold at $250 next year.

C．It can lessen damage to furniture for its obstacle avoidance technology.

D．It records in the air, not found by anyone.

4. What’s the author’s attitude towards the Always Home Cam?

A．Favorable.

B．Critical.

C．Doubtful.

D．Objective.

【推荐1】

E-cigarettes一thought by some to be responsible for a decline in youth cigarette smoking---are actually attracting a new population of adolescents who might not otherwise have smoked tobacco products, according to anew UC San Francisco study.

In the first national analysis of the impact of e-cigarettes on trends in youth smoking in the United States, UCSF researchers did not find evidence that e-cigarettes have caused youth smoking to decline. In fact, combined e-cigarette and cigarette use among adolescents in 2014 was higher than total cigarette use in 2009，according to the study.

The authors concluded that the low-risk youth in the study, who went on to smoke regular cigarettes, may not have used nicotine at all if e-cigarettes did not exist.

“We didn't find any evidence that e-cigarettes are causing youth smoking to decline, ”said lead author Lauren Dutra, a former postdoctoral fellow at the UCSF Center for Tobacco Control Research and Education and current social scientist at RTI International, a not-for-profit research organization based in North Carolina.

“While some of the kids using e-cigarettes were also smoking cigarettes, we found that kids who were at low risk of starting nicotine with cigarettes were using e-cigarettes," Dutra said. “Recent declines in youth smoking are likely due to tobacco control efforts, not to e-cigarettes.”

The national analysis builds on several previous studies that have reported that adolescents who start withe-cigarettes are more likely to subsequently smoke traditional cigarettes.

In August 2016, the US Food and Drug Adminis-tration restricted e-cigarette purchases to adults ages 18and older( California set the age to 21). The FDA also will require a warning label on e-cigarettes, starting August2018, regarding the addictive nature of nicotine. However, the FDA's ruling does not regulate advertising or flavors,and e-cigarettes continue to be sold in flavors that appeal to youth.

1. What is the initial purpose for e-cigarettes to be invented?

A．To warn people of the harm of smoking.	B．To discourage people from smoking.
C．To make cigarette smoking less harmful.	D．To help kids give up   smoking.

2. What do we learn about e-cigarettes, according to the study?

A．They actually have a negative influence on youth.

B．They are helpful in keeping kids away from smoking.

C．They help reduce the number of smokers.

D．They turned out to be less harmful than cigarettes.

3. What probably caused the decline in youth smoking?

A．People's awareness of health.	B．The use of e-cigarettes.
C．Efforts to control tobacco.	D．Restrictions on e-cigarette sales.

4. What's the suggestions of the FDA?

A．Advertising for e-cigarettes should be stopped.

B．There should be a warning label on e-cigarettes.

C．E-cigarettes should not contain flavors.

D．E-cigarettes should be further promoted.

【推荐2】A book is so much more than mere ink and paper. So insist French booksellers, who for nearly four decades successfully persuade the government to keep the forces of the free market at bay. A law passed in 1981 bans the sale of any book at anything other than the price decided by its publisher. Authorities are cracking down on those trying to sell the latest Thomas Piketty or J.K Rowling at a discount.

The fixed-price rule is meant to keep customers loyal to their local bookshop and out of the control of supermarkets and corporations. But the arrival of e-commerce and e-readers has promoted questions worthy of their own tomes(大部头著作). Can you fix the price of a book if it is part of an all-you-can-read subscription service? Are audio-books books at all? And what of authors who self-publish?

Changes have been made to preserve the principle of “one book, one price”. In 2011, the rule began to apply to digital tomes. Free delivery by online sellers was prohibited because it implied a subsidy(补贴) on the delivered books (encouraging online sellers to charge only €0.01 for postage). But a new challenge to the policy is proving more difficult to deal with.

Used books are exempted from the pricing rule. Third-party sellers on Amazon are accused of using this as a way to apply forbidden discounts: selling brand-new books as “second hand” to make them cheaper. So fans can purchase a copy of the latest Michel Houellebecq novel Serotonine for 11.71 pounds on Amazon, roughly half of its original price. Its seller claims it is in “perfectly new” condition.

Amazon claims its practices are legal. But books sellers are upset, and their political allies with them. “This is a major concern,” said Franck Riester, the culture minister, at a bookseller’s conference this week. He says new laws may be needed.

Defenders of the fixed-price principle (which has spread to other parts of Europe) say it helps keep independent bookshops alive. Others are not so sure. Books are expensive in France — an odd way to encourage people to buy more.

1. What was the function of the law passed in 1981?

A．To stop publishers from publishing poor books.

B．To prevent the random price of books in the market.

C．To help book consumers benefit from the free market.

D．To encourage French booksellers to sell cheaper books.

2. What’s implied about the arrival of e-commerce and e-readers in Paragraph 2?

A．It greatly changed people’s reading habits.

B．It challenged the principle of “one book, one price”.

C．It weakened the ties between publishers and authors.

D．It provided local booksellers with some new opportunities.

3. What does the underlined part “are exempted from” in Paragraph 4 mean?

A．are involved in.	B．are threatened by.
C．are consistent with.	D．are unrestricted by.

4. What is Franck Riester’s attitude towards those third-party sellers’ practices on Amazon?

A．He is hopeful of them.	B．He is uncertain of them.
C．He disapproves of them.	D．He is indifferent to them.