【推荐1】You're probably used to the regular upgrades in our cell-phone networks. There was 2G, which came along in 199l, replaced with 3G in 2001, followed by 4G in 2009. Now we're hearing about the coming of 5G.

But 5G is a much bigger leap than before. 5G, of course, is much faster than 4G in the real world and a 5G phone in a 5G city will enjoy Internet speeds between 9 and 20 times as fast. The arrival of 5G also means enormous leaps forward in capacity－so much that every cell-phone plan will offer cheap, truly unlimited Internet access. “The consequences of that are huge,” says Sherif Hanna, Qualcomm's director of 5G marketing. For example, apps will no longer degrade (降低)   your video quality or postpone downloading when you're out of Wi-Fi range. In fact, you'll probably prefer to do your downloads when you're on cellular (使用流量) because 5G will be much faster than whatever service you've got at home or work.

“However, not everyone is excited by the 5G development. The new standard gets its speed partly by using existing transmission(传输) frequencies more efficiently and partly by using the millimeter wave range. That's a big, juicy line of radio frequencies that are currently underused because millimeter wave is really hard to use,” Hanna says.

These frequencies are much higher than anything we've used for the cellular, which means they can offer unbelievable speed－but at the cost of range. Millimeter wave cellular towers have to be about 500 feet apart. Cell carriers not only will have to upgrade all their cell transceivers (called small cells) but will install(安装) a lot more of them as well.

That's why the millimeter wave flavor of 5G, the superfast coverage, will be available only in densely populated cities such as New York and San Francisco. In suburban and rural areas, 5G will bring a speedup of “only” nine times faster.

1. What advantages does 5G have over previous networks?

A．5G is much faster and more convenient.

B．5G allows users to download more videos.

C．5G can provide better service and news at home.

D．5G cell-phone plans are expensive but more accessible.

2. Hanna's words in paragraph 3 reflect           .

A．popularity of the coming of 5G

B．easy access to the 5G development

C．concern about the 5G development

D．excitement about the 5G development

3. What can we learn about 5G according to the text?

A．It requires more cellular towers.

B．It won't be available in rural areas.

C．It won't show speed improvements in suburbs.

D．It makes some populated cities even more crowded.

4. Where is the text most likely from?

A．A tour brochure.	B．A science newspaper.
C．A medical magazine.	D．An experimental textbook.

【推荐2】       A typical Chinese Internet user is a young male who prefers instant messaging to e-mail, favors news, music and games sites and seldom makes online purchases (购物). According to a study, about two-thirds of survey participants use the Internet for news—often entertainment-related—or for online games. About half download music and movies.

They also tend to prefer instant messaging to e-mail, and they are depending on the Internet more frequently than before to communicate with others who have the same professions, hobbies and political interests. Online purchases still remain unpopular in China. Three-quarters of users surveyed have never bought anything over the Internet, and only 10 percent make purchases even once a month. Among those who do buy online, most pay for entertainment while others buy phone cards, or computer hardware or software.

“Many people don’t trust the quality of goods bought online,” Guo said Wednesday. “If they buy it in a store and don’t like it, they can easily bring it back.”

The survey was done in five major cities: Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Chengdu and Changsha. Results do not necessarily project countrywide because Internet use in rural areas is lower than in cities. Guo describes the typical netizen in the five cities surveyed as young, male, richer and more highly educated. Males make up two-thirds of the Internet community, and more than 80 percent of users are under 24. Among people ages 25 to 29, 60 percent to 80 percent go online.

China has more than 100 million people online, second in the world to the United States.

1. A typical Chinese Internet user may be the one who _________.

A．likes to send e-mails	B．likes to buy goods online
C．likes to pay for entertainment	D．likes the games sites

2. Online purchases still remain unpopular in China mainly because _________.

A．it is more difficult for sales returns

B．people haven’t computers

C．it is not convenient to purchase on line

D．all goods bought online are of low quality

3. Which of the following words fails to describe the typical netizens in the five cities?

A．well educated

B．richer

C．female

D．young

4. According to the text, which of the following shows the right relation between online people and their ages?

A．	B．
C．	D．

【推荐3】If you don’t think technology can improve your trip better, meet Judy. When she recently checked into the Biu Hotel in Zurich, a clerk asked her to pay hundreds of dollars higher than the online offer. It was not a cheap stay, but it became more of one after she fired up the Booking. Com app she’d used to purchase her room on her smartphone. “As soon as I showed him the rate, he honored it,” Judy says.

Technology may create challenges for travelers-indeed, it may have led to Judy’s rate confusion in the first place-but it can also solve them. The solutions go beyond making sure of a hotel rate. The latest version of Booking.com is among the most feature-rich booking programs. Users can select hotels by location, make a secure booking and view the confirmed rate.

Another pain point for travelers is traffic that eats away precious vacation time. There’s a new app for that, called Commute. As the name implies, it’s aimed at users who have to make the same trip every day. Just input basic information about your destination and expected leaving time, and the app will start sending you traffic data 15 minutes before you leave.

Another source of travel-related conflict and confusion is money. That’s particularly true when you’re dealing with a foreign currency. The latest version of Travel Money Tracker helps travelers prevent currency mix-ups. It instantly converts(兑换) a country’s native currency to yours, so you know exactly how much that Espresso(浓咖啡) in Milan costs in dollars. One extra feature is the ability to set up an alert that tells you when you’re overspending, which can sometimes be a problem when you’re on vacation. The only catch, of course, is that you have to remember to record all your purchases.

1. What does the example of Judy want to show?

A．The rate of Biu Hotel was higher than that of others

B．Technology can make our trips better

C．The clerk was very friendly and patient

D．The smart phones have many functions

2. What is the main function of Travel Money Tracker?

A．It tells people how much Espresso costs

B．It warns when people are overspending

C．It records all people’s purchases

D．It changes the native currency to yours

3. What’s the purpose of the passage?

A．To encourage people to travel

B．To help people with technology problems

C．To introduce some new apps

D．To provide people with traveling information

【推荐1】New Yorkers and visitors to the Big Apple will get to ring in the Lunar New Year, also known as Chinese New Year in the USA, in style with a fireworks display on the Hudson River set to music written by Academy Award-winning composer Tan Dun.
The display is part of the second annual “Happy Chinese New Year: Fantastic Art China” festival held in New York on February 5-10, 2016. The China Central Academy of Fine Arts (CAFA), the USA-China Cultural Institute and the Cultural Associate of the Committee of 100 announced this year’s events on November 18 at a press conference at the Lincoln Center.
The “Fantastic Art China” festival will feature a larger and more diverse series of artistic and cultural events across New York’s top cultural venues (地点) and landmarks, including the Lincoln Center, Empire State Building and Jacob K. Javits Convention Center.
This year’s theme focuses on exploring the complicated relationship between sound and image, said Professor Yu Ding from CAFA, who is also president of Fantastic Art China and in charge of the festival’s design. Lunar New Year, which celebrates the “Year of the Monkey” in 2016, is an opportunity to bring China’s modern art to mainstream America, and the festival serves as an innovative approach to establishing cultural exchange between China and New York City, Yu said.
UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador Tan Dun’s music is a new edition that will be featured   at several venues, including a major art exhibition at the Javits Center, events at the Lincoln Center and the fireworks display on the Hudson, which will take place on the evening of February 6. Five barges (游艇) on the river will launch the fireworks designed by CAFA that will tell a story about celebration and conservation.
“We Chinese are fond of nature, so the best way to celebrate the Lunar New Year is to salute with the sounds of nature, such as sounds of water, stone and bamboo,” said Tan Dun at the press conference, “And it will be fun to use the music of water during the fireworks display.”
In addition to the fireworks, a special lighting show at the Empire State Building will ____ New York City during the holiday.
Chinese New Year is being recognized as a public school holiday for the first time in New York. Children from the National Dance Institute, which represents 75 schools, will perform traditional Chinese dances at the Lincoln Center and the Javits Center. And, in celebration of the “Year of the Monkey”, events will feature a conservation message about the endangered golden monkey in China.
1. The theme of this year’s celebration is centered on ________.

A．relationship between sound and image of nature

B．diversity of Chinese traditional festivals

C．endangered species and environmental protection

D．cultural exchange between China and America

2. The coming “Year of the Monkey” is to be celebrated in New York by ________.

A．sailing on the Hudson River along with a new-year speech

B．setting off fireworks and holding a special lighting show

C．holding a special concert at the Empire State Building

D．taking a week off and organizing Chinese dance contests

3. What does the underlined word “shine on” (in Para. 7) most probably mean?

A．lighten.	B．surround.
C．decorate.	D．broaden.

4. This passage is written mainly in order to ________.

A．compare some traditional festivals in China and America

B．attract visitors to America for the coming new-year celebration

C．report celebration activities for the “Year of the Monkey” in New York

D．strengthen the cultural co-operation between China and America

【推荐2】BEIJING—Wang Yaping, a taikonaut onboard China’s space station core module (舱), offered people on Earth a zero- gravity musical performance on Tuesday evening to celebrate the Lantern Festival. The space show was shared via a video released at an annual TV gala for the festival celebration. In the video, Wang was seen floating in the space module while playing a guzheng, or Chinese zither. She played a segment of the popular Chinese folk song “Jasmine Flower”.

The Lantern Festival falls on the 15th day of the first month of the Chinese lunar calendar. People usually hang colorful lanterns, play riddle games and express their wishes and hopes for the future.

The crew members, who traveled to the space station core module on the Shenzhou-13 mission, kept some festive traditions alive as they continued to rotate around the Earth. Commander Zhai Zhigang wrote riddles on red paper scrolls with a brush pen. He displayed the calligraphy together with taikonaut Ye Guangfu and extended festival greetings to the audience. They also sent blessings to athletes at the ongoing Beijing Winter Olympics: “We hope that you all achieve success, gain friendship and harvest your best Olympic experience.”

The video of the space performance was received with much enthusiasm after it was shared on social media platforms. It drew nearly 2 million clicks in one hour after several national media outlets posted it on the Chinese micro-blogging site Sina Weibo. The Weibo account of Zhurong, China’s first rover on Mars, reposted the video, commenting, “The music was so beautiful, and it made me homesick, too.”

The Lantern Festival also marks the last day of the lunar New Year celebration. Though far from home, the festive sentiments in space are the same. The China Manned Space Agency released a video on social media platforms on Tuesday, showing that the taikonauts had decorated the orbiting core module with red lanterns, Chinese knots and paper-cutting decorations. Wearing new clothes, the trio (三人小组) enjoyed the traditions of eating dumplings and posting spring couplets on walls. During the Chinese New Year holiday, they were also spotted watching the Winter Olympics and doing workouts in orbit.

1. How did the mass enjoy the musical performance according to the text?

A．By watching a video coming from a TV gala.

B．By logging on the Internet through computers.

C．By watching the Lantern Festival gala at the scene.

D．By watching a video posted online by Wang Yaping herself.

2. What does the underlined word “rotate” mean according to the context?

A．Access.

B．Circle.

C．Replace.

D．Launch.

3. What can we learn from the text?

A．Wang Yaping shared puzzles on red paper scrolls.

B．Zhai Zhigang showed the calligraphy on his own.

C．The video of the space performance became a great hit.

D．The Beijing Winter Olympics had come to an end when the astronauts sent their regards.

4. Which is the best title of the passage?

A．Chinese folk song “Jasmine Flower” is played on space station.

B．China makes major breakthroughs in the outer space exploration.

C．Taikonauts send blessings to the Beijing Winter Olympics athletes

D．Taikonauts keep Lantern Festival traditions alive on space station.