【推荐1】Recently I read the Human Development Report. I couldn’t help thinking about another problem which the world is facing--hunger. According to the report, 2,400 people are dying from hunger every day; nearly 13 million in southern Africa will be worried about their food supply because of earthquakes, floods or wars.

In a word, hunger remains the biggest problem of the world today. It’s strange to see that man can travel to the moon, but still doesn’t know how to feed himself. You may ask, “Who steals our bread? The first thieves should be population growth, poverty and loss of rich farmland.

In less developed areas like South Africa, the population grows faster than the crops. It is almost impossible for its government to feed so many people and provide education for them. So it is very important to control the population growth and protect their farmland in countries whose people are suffering from hunger.

According to the report, the world’s food production is enough to feed everyone if it is given away well. But the problem is that the developed countries are eating food that should be given to the poor. Although they are just using their own earning, the fact is that they are coldly watching others starving away.

Luckily, some developed countries such as Netherlands, Norway and Sweden have done a lot to help those hungry people in African countries. We hope other developed countries will follow them.

1. According to the passage, which of the following CANNOT help to make fewer people hungry?

A．Poor countries protect their rich farmland.

B．Poor countries control their population growth.

C．Rich countries give some food to the poor ones.

D．Rich countries produce more food to feed themselves.

2. What can we learn from the fourth paragraph?

A．Poor countries are cold and going to die out.

B．Rich countries aren’t willing to help poor countries.

C．Rich countries notice the problems of the poor countries

D．Rich countries are trying their best to help poor countries.

3. Why are many people suffering from hunger in developing countries?

A．Because there are so many people.

B．Because there are so many developed countries.

C．Because there are so many natural disasters and wars.

D．Because there isn’t enough food production in the world.

4. What does the author mean in the last sentence?.

A．More countries will give help to Norway.

B．More countries will be as rich as Sweden.

C．Poor countries should learn from rich ones.

D．More rich countries will help the hungry people.

【推荐3】In times of economic crisis. Americans turn to their families for support. If the Great Depression is any guide, we may see a drop in our sky-high divorce rate. But this won’t necessarily represent an increase in happy marriages. In the long run, the Depression weakened American families, and the current crisis will probably do the same.

We tend to think of the Depression as a time when families pulled together to survive huge job losses. By 1932 when nearly one-quarter of the workforce was unemployed, the divorce rate had declined by around 25% from 1929. But this doesn’t mean people were suddenly happier with their marriages. Rather, with incomes decreasing and insecure jobs, unhappy couples often couldn’t afford to divorce. They feared neither spouse could manage alone.

Today, given the job losses of the past year, fewer unhappy couples will risk starting separate households. Furthermore, the housing market meltdown will make it more difficult for them to finance their separations by selling their homes.

After financial disasters family members also tend to do whatever they can to help each other and their communities. A 1940 book, The Unemployed Man and His Family, described a family in which the husband initially reacted to losing his job “with tireless search for work”. He was always active, looking for odd jobs to do.

The problem is that such an impulse is hard to sustain across the country. Many similar families were unable to maintain the initial boost in morale (士气). For some, the hardships of life without steady work eventually overwhelmed their attempts to keep their families together. The divorce rate rose again during the rest of the decade as the recovery took hold.

Millions of American families may now be in the initial stage of their responses to the current crisis, working together and supporting one another through the early months of unemployment.

Today’s economic crisis could well generate a similar number of couples whose relationships have been irreparably (无法弥补地) ruined. So it’s only when the economy is healthy again that we'll begin to see just how many broken families have been created.

1. In the initial stage, the current economic crisis is likely to____________.

A．tear many troubled families apart	B．contribute to enduring family ties
C．bring about a drop in the divorce rate	D．cause a lot of conflicts in the family

2. In the Great Depression many unhappy couples chose to stick together because____________.

A．starting a new family would be hard	B．they expected things would turn better
C．they wanted to better protect their kids	D．living separately would be too costly

3. What will the current economic crisis eventually do to some married couples?

A．It will force them to pull their efforts together.

B．It will undermine their mutual understanding.

C．It will help strengthen their emotional bonds.

D．It will irreparably damage their relationship.

【推荐2】Chinese A-level has overtaken(超过) German for the first time, as it becomes the UK’s third most popular language.

This year 3,334 students take Chinese A-level, compared to 3,058 taking German. While entries(参加总人数) for Chinese have increased by 8. 6 percent since last year, German entries have reduced by 16. 5 percent. French remains the most popular modem language followed by Spanish, but both have seen a fall 1 in entries compared to last year by eight and four percent respectively.

Barnaby Lenon, chair of the Independent Schools Council(ISC), said that although pupils used to be told “It will really help your career if you learn German”, this is no longer the case.

“In the 1960s, 70s and even the 80s, pupils were strongly encouraged to study German because of the importance of the German economy. Although it is still strong, that argument has faded, and China has appeared in the last 25 years as the fastest growing economy in the world. ”

Mr Lenon, former headmaster of Harrow School, said the rise in Chinese A-level entries is partly driven by private schools, many of which have invested in the subject in recent years. “It is not the case that a large number of state schools are now teaching Chinese A-level. They are not,” he said. Many of the entries will be Chinese native speakers and he added that independent schools have attracted “large numbers” of Chinese pupils in recent years.

Mark Herbert, director of schools and skills at the British Council, welcomed the rise in Chinese A-level entries. He said, “Our research shows that Mandarin will be one of the most important languages for the UK’s future and global standing - but we mustn’t neglect Spanish, French and German which will still be vital for post-Brexit(脱欧). ”

Nick Gibb, the schools minister, said, “An outward-looking global nation needs a new generation of young people comfortable with the language and culture of our overseas trading partners. ”

1. Which language has the largest number of A-level entries in the UK this year?

A．Chinese.	B．German.
C．French.	D．Spanish.

2. According to the passage, why were the students in the UK encouraged to learn German from the 1960s to 1980s?

A．Because UK and Germany are both European countries.

B．Because UK and Germany had a long history of exchange.

C．Because Germany’s economy was in good condition.

D．Because students could study in Germany.

3. In Mr Lenon’s view, what has contributed to the increase in Chinese A-level entries in the UK?

A．Independent schools and private schools.

B．The Chinese culture.

C．State schools.

D．The fastest growing economy in China.

4. What can we learn from Mark Herbert’s words in Paragraph 6?

A．He is against learning Chinese.

B．Spanish, French and German are the most important to learn.

C．It’s difficult to learn Chinese well.

D．Britain should attach importance to different foreign languages.

【推荐3】For many years doctors have warned us about the dangers of stress (压力) and have given us advice about how to cut down our stress levels. Everyone agrees that long-term stress, for example having to look after someone who has a chronic (慢性的) illness, or stressful situations where there is nothing we can do, for example being stuck in a traffic jam, should be avoided whenever possible. However, some medical experts now believe that certain kinds of stress may actually be good for us.

Dr Marios Kyriazis, an anti-ageing expert, points out that what he calls "good stress” is beneficial to our health and may, in fact, help us stay young and attractive and even live longer. Dr Kyriazis says that “good stress” can strengthen our natural defences which protect us from illnesses common among older people, such as Alzheimer's and heart problems.

According to Dr Kyriazis, running for a bus or having to work to meet a deadline are examples of “good stress”, that is situations with short-term or low stress. The stress usually makes us react quickly, and gives us a sense of achievement — we did it! However, in both situations, the stress damages the cells(细胞) in our body or brain and they start to break down. But then the cells own repair mechanism “switches on”and it produces proteins which repair the damaged cells and remove harmful chemicals that can gradually cause disease. In fact, the body's response is greater than is needed to repair the damage, so it actually makes the cells stronger than they were before.

“As the body gets older, this self-repair mechanism of the cells starts to slow down,” says Dr Kyriazis.“The best way to keep the process working efficiently is to ‘exercise’ it, in the same way you would exercise your muscles to keep them strong. This means having a certain amount of stress in our lives.”Other stressful activities that Kyriazis suggests as being good stress include redecorating a room in your house over the weekend, packing your suitcase in a hurry to reach the airport on time, or shopping for a dinner party during your lunch break.

So next time your boss tells you that she wants to see the report finished and on her desk in 45 minutes, don't worry; just think of it as “good stress” which will   benefit your long-term health!

1. What is Dr Kyriazis' opinion probably based on?

A．How to get a sense of achievement.

B．How to cut down our stress levels.

C．The benefits of doing physical exercise.

D．The relationship between stress and health.

2. What does the underlined word “it” in Paragraph 3 refer to?

A．The daily stress.	B．Long-term stress.
C．The increasing stress.	D．Short-term or low stress.

3. According to Dr Kyriazis, which of the following may be “good stress”?

A．Being stuck in a traffic jam.

B．Packing for a trip at the last minute.

C．Being late for work for several days.

D．Looking after a patient with heart trouble.

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

A．Stress beats success	B．Stress attracts illness
C．Get stressed, stay young	D．Less stress, better health