【推荐1】15 years ago, Erin Merryn met a kitten who needed a home when she was a college student.

He jumped into her arms and refused to let her go.

“I was attached immediately and decided that I would take a risk and try hiding a kitten in my college dorm where animals are obviously not allowed,” Erin recalled.

A week later she was caught and given 48 hours to remove the cat. After several phone calls, Erin was able to find an old lady to take Bailey, the kitten. But Bailey did not get along with his new housemate. As soon as Erin learned that he would be sent away, she immediately offered to take him back. “I plotted for a month to convince my parents to let me keep him.” said Erin.

Six years ago, Erin had Abby, her beautiful daughter. She didn’t know what Bailey would think about the new addition when she brought her home from the hospital.

“But it was love at first sight.” Erin said. Bailey stayed by Abby’s side, guarding and showering her with love and purrs. As Abby grew, he became her protective brother, watching over her every step of the way. Abby picked up a book one day and tried to read it with Bailey   by her side. He became her perfect audience, and the sweet boy was completely attracted by Abby as she told him stories of wonder.

A video showing Abby reading to Bailey went viral on the Internet in 2018. Numerous people followed Erin on social media platforms.

Unfortunately, on December 8, 2018, just months after becoming famous, the 14-year old cat passed away from kidney failure.

A full month after Bailey’s passing, Erin still got cards and gifts from caring individuals. It is this love that Erin hopes Bailey’s fans hold on to. She wants her furry “first-born” to be remembered as a symbol of compassion that inspires others to treat the world with love.

1. Which of the following best describes Erin Merryn?

A．An able college student.	B．A perfect mother.
C．A lover of cats.	D．An online influencer.

2. What do we know about the cat from paragraph 5?

A．He was appointed to guard the newly born baby.	B．He showed Abby much love and affection.
C．He shared many interesting stories with Abby.	D．He made great progress in reading.

3. Who does the underlined word “first-born” in the last paragraph refer to?

A．Erin Merryn.

B．The Old Lady.

C．Bailey.

D．Abby.

4. Which of the following is the best title for the text?

A．No Ordinary Cat.	B．A Wonderful World.
C．Importance of Protecting Animals.	D．Love from Animals.

【推荐2】Sharks have lived in the world’s oceans for millions of years. A shark has a very good sense of smell. It can find small amounts of substances in water, such as blood, body liquids and chemicals produced by animals. These powerful senses help sharks find their food.     1    

Sharks grow slowly. About forty percent of all sharks lay eggs.     2     Some sharks carry their young inside their bodies as humans do. Some sharks are not able to reproduce until they are twenty years old. Most reproduce only every two years. And they give birth to fewer than ten young sharks. For this reason, over-fishing of sharks is of special danger to the future of the animal.

    3     They eat injured and diseased fish. Their hunting activities mean that the numbers of other fish in ocean waters do not become too great. This protects the plants and other forms of life that exist in the oceans.

People hunt sharks for sport, food, medicine and their skin. Experts say the international market for some kinds of sharks has increased because many parts of a shark are valuable.     4     Shark liver oil is a popular source of vitamin(维他命).The skin of a shark can be used like leather. In Asia, people enjoy a kind of soup made from shark fins. Experts say a fisherman can earn a lot of money for even one kilogram of shark fins.

Sharks are among the oldest animals on Earth.     5     If too many sharks in one area are killed, the group of sharks may never return to normal population levels.

A．The others give birth to their young.

B．Sharks are important for the world’s oceans.

C．This is a threat to other forms of life in the ocean.

D．Collectors pay thousands of dollars for the Jaws of a shark.

E．Sharks are valuable to us and we can make full use of them.

F．But some sharks are in danger of disappearing from Earth.

G．Sharks cat fish, other sharks, and plants that live in the ocean.

【推荐3】The world’s insects are going down the path of extinction，threatening a“catastrophic collapse of nature’s ecosystems”，according to the first global scientific review．More than 40％of insect species are declining and third are endangered，the analysis found．The rate of extinction is eight times faster than that of mammals，birds and reptiles．

“It should be of huge concern to all of us，for insects are at the heart of every food web．They pollinate(授粉)the large majority of plant species，keep the soil healthy，recycle nutrients，control pests，and much more．Love them or 1oathe them，we humans cannot survive without insects，”said Prof Dave Goulson at the University of Sussex in the UK．

The analysis，published in the journal Biological Conservation，says intensive(集约型)agriculture is the main driver of the declines，particularly the heavy use of pesticides．Urbanisation and climate change are also significant factors．

“If insect species losses cannot be stopped，this will have catastrophic consequences for both the planet’s ecosystems and for the survival of mankind．It is very rapid．In 10 years you will have a quarter less，in 50 years only half left and in 100 years you will have none，”said review author Francisco Sánchez-Bayo，at the University of Sydney，Australia．

One of the biggest impacts of insect loss is on many birds，reptiles，amphibians and fish that eat insects．“If this food source is taken away，all these animals starve to death，”he said．Such effects have already been seen in Puerto Rico，where a recent study revealed a 98％fall in ground insects over 35 years．

Matt Shardlow，at the conservation charity Buglife，said：“It is thoughtful to see this evidence that shows the pitiful state of the world’s insect populations．It is increasingly obvious that the planet’s ecology is breaking and there is a need for a strong and global effort to prevent and change these terrible trends．”

1. Why are people worried about the insect decline?

A．They are vital to ecosystems．	B．They provide food for pests．
C．They pollinate all plants．	D．They enrich the soil．

2. What is the main cause of insect losses?

A．More and more trees．	B．Restrictions on pesticides．
C．Upgrading agriculture．	D．Friendly environment．

3. Where can you find the exact time of insect losses?

A．In paragraph 1．	B．In paragraph 2．
C．In paragraph 3．	D．In paragraph 4．

4. What can be a suitable title for the text?

A．Humans can survive the punishment of nature

B．Insect declining is breaking nature’s ecosystems

C．Nature’s ecosystems are influenced by humans

D．Insects and animals are dying out in Puerto Rico

【推荐1】Every few years, there’s a hot new management-strategy that promises to make employees happier, healthier and more productive. To that end we’ve seen the rise of positions like chief happiness officer’ as well as workplace dogs and on-site meditation. But while the employers may have improved the office itself, they have not solved the stress itself: the crushing tide of emails and IMs, which-thanks to the rise of smartphones-can pull us back to work, anytime, anywhere.

Now, in an effort to prevent burnout, a growing number of employers have started to suggest ways in which employees should unplug their connected devices. The automaker, Volkswagen, in collaboration with its union, sets its servers to stop mobile email service for some workers from 30 minutes after quitting time until 30 minutes before starting time.

These measures may sound dramatic and possibly impractical, but there is a data to suggest they are needed. A recent research has suggested that limiting the number of times a day that we check email or work-chat services -- from say 10 or 20 to three or four--can not only reduce stress levels but also increase the overall productivity.

But in order for any solution to succeed, workers have to be willing to regulate their own habits. Yet that is especially tough in a country like the U.S., where, being super-busy, or at least appearing to be super-busy, is a point of pride. Even if more U.S employers were to implement the kinds of limits that Volkswagen do, experts are skeptical that they’d work. “If the social norm is to be on all the time, you don’t want to be the odd one out,” says Angela Leaney, a New Jersey-based marketing consultant, adding that some bosses will think less of employees for not answering emails after work hours, even if they say they won’t.

Moreover, dictating (强制规定) when and how employees should use their connected devices will inevitably hamper many workers. There are plenty of people who do their best work at 3 a. m. In fact, a majority of working adults say that being able to check work email at home makes it easier to get more done; many also said it improved their relationships with their colleagues.

For now, it seems, the best way for employers to foster a fulfilled, productive workforce is to be flexible, both inside and outside the office. One example, although Andy Mon-fried, the CEO and founder of Lotame, a New York-based data management company, says those kinds of time limits wouldn’t work for his business-- it’s too global-- he does give his employees flexibility on when and where they can work. He’s also vigilant (警惕的) about burnout. “I vowed that I would not create a company where people had the Sunday-might blues--the kind where you go to bed sick to your stomach,” he says. “I tell people if that’s happening repeatedly, it’s a sign of work-life imbalance and they should come talk to me.”

1. To stop employees from getting exhausted, employers have begun to ________.

A．allow pet dogs in the office

B．encourage meditation in the workplace

C．promise to make their staff happier and more productive

D．advise their staff to disconnect their communication devices

2. Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the article?

A．Volkswagen’s policy will also apply to U.S. companies.

B．Employers will find ways to regulate workers’ working habit.

C．U.S employers won’t think of contacting employees after work.

D．U.S experts cast doubt on the feasibility of limiting connected time.

3. The underlined word ‘hamper’ (in paragraph 5) can be best replaced by ________.

A．comfort	B．harm
C．tighten	D．relieve

4. Which of the following can be inferred from the article?

A．Employees applaud the way to cut down their connected time.

B．The "time limits" are considered worldwide but not entirely practical.

C．Impractical as the measures sound, they will work well for employers.

D．Flexibility on when and where to work is the best way to avoid burnout.

【推荐2】Thomas Edison received a patent(专利) for his kinetoscope(电影放映机) on August31, 1887. It was a machine for viewing moving pictures. Edison had hoped to combine his no invention with the phonograph(留声机), which he had invented 10 years earlier. He thought that people would like to watch moving pictures that went along with the sound. He was not able to make them work together. The kinetoscope, however, was a popular attraction by itself. A person looked through small holes in a box-like machine and saw pictures in action. One of the first films made showed a man sneezing.

A problem with this invention was that only one person could view the moving pictures at a time. By 1891, Edison had invented a projector that showed the film on a screen. Many people could watch together.

In 1893, Edison built a motion-picture studio. He made over 300 silent films. Most of them were short. That was because the pictures flashed, or shook a lot. It was hard for people to watch more than 10 minutes at a time.

The first films were mostly of real events. They would show famous people walking somewhere, cars on a street, burning houses, and other news stories. Then comedies and short dramas were made.

Edison’s movie studio closed in 1918. By then other companies were also making films. Better cameras were made. Sound was added. Then color came along. Today, movies are among the most popular forms of entertainment.

1. What do we know about the first kinetoscope?

A．It was a machine to play pictures with sound.

B．It was invented 10 years earlier than phonograph.

C．Many people were able to see films together with it.

D．Only one person could see moving pictures with it at a time.

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

A．A film player.

B．An electric lamp.

C．A programme.

D．A talking machine.

3. Why were most of the films very short at first?

A．People didn't like long films.

B．The film stories were really short.

C．The film pictures were not very steady.

D．People could only watch a short time at a time.

4. What does the text mainly tell us?

A．The trouble in making films.

B．The efforts of Edison in the development of films.

C．Why Edison invented the phonograph.

D．How Edison improved the kinetoscope.

【推荐1】Foxes and farmers have never got on well. These small dog-like animals have long been accused of killing farm animals. They are officially considered as harmful and farmers try to keep their numbers down by shooting or poisoning them.

Farmers can also call on the services of their local hunt to control the fox population. Hunting consists of running after a fox across the countryside, with a group of specially trained dogs, followed by men and women riding horses. When the dogs eventually catch the fox they kill it or a hunter shoots it.

People who take part in hunting think of it as a sport; they wear a special uniform of red coats and white trousers, and follow strict principles of behavior. But owning a horse and hunting regularly is expensive, so most hunters are wealthy.

It is estimated that up to 100,000 people watch or take part in fox hunting. But over the last couple of decades the number of people against fox hunting, because they think it is cruel, has risen sharply. Nowadays it is rare for a hunt to take place without some kind of conflict between hunters and hunt saboteurs (阻拦者). Sometimes these incidents lead to violence, but mostly saboteurs interfere with the hunt by misleading riders and disturbing the trail of the fox’s smell, which the dogs follow.

Noisy conflicts between hunters and saboteurs have become so common that they are almost as much a part of hunting as the pursuit of foxes itself. But this year supporters of fox hunting face a bigger threat to their sport. A Labour Party Member of the Parliament, Mike Foster, is trying to get Parliament to pass a new law which will make the hunting of wild animals with dogs illegal. If the law is passed, wild animals like foxes will be protected under the ban in Britain.

1. Rich people in Britain have been hunting foxes ______.

A．to entertain themselves	B．in the interests of farmers
C．to limit the fox population	D．to show off their wealth

2. What is special about fox hunting in Britain?

A．It involves the use of a deadly poison.

B．It is a costly event which rarely occurs.

C．The hunters have to go through strict training.

D．The hunters have set rules to follow.

3. People against fox hunting often interfere in the game ______.

A．by using violence	B．by taking legal action
C．by confusing the fox hunters	D．by demonstrating on the scene

4. It can be inferred from the passage that ______.

A．hunting fox with dogs is considered cruel and violent

B．limiting the fox population is unnecessary

C．killing foxes with poison is illegal

D．fox-hunting often leads to conflicts between the poor and the rich