【推荐1】As cultural symbols go, the American car is quite young. The Model T Ford was built at the Piquette Plant in Michigan a century ago, with the first rolling off the assembly line(装配线) on September 27, 1908. Only eleven cars were produced the next month. But eventually Henry Ford would build fifteen million of them.

Modern America was born on the road, behind a wheel. The car shaped some of the most lasting aspects of American culture: the roadside diner, the billboard, the motel, even the hamburger. For most of the last century, the car represented what it meant to be American—going forward at high speed to find new worlds. The road novel, the road movie, these are the most typical American ideas, born of abundant petrol, cheap cars and a never-ending interstate highway system, the largest public works project in history.

In 1928 Herbert Hoover imagined an America with “a chicken in every pot and a car in every garage.” Since then, this society has moved onward, never looking back, as the car transformed America from a farm-based society into an industrial

The cars that drove the American Dream have helped to create a global ecological disaster. In America the demand for oil has grown by 22 percent since 1990.

The problems of excessive(过度的)energy consumption, climate change and population growth have been described in a book by the American writer Thomas L. Friedman. He fears the worst, but hopes for the best.

Friedman points out that the green economy(经济)is a chance to keep American strength. “The ability to design, build and export green technologies for producing clean water, clean air and healthy and abundant food is going to be the currency of power in the new century.”

Why is hamburger mentioned in paragraph 2?

A．To explain Americans’ love for travelling by car.

B．To show the influence of cars on American culture.

C．To stress the popularity of fast food with Americans.

D．To praise the effectiveness of America’s road system.

【推荐2】The other day, my sister and I were sitting in a restaurant, trying to have a conversation, but her children, four-year-old Willow and seven-year-old Luca, would not stop fighting. The arguments-over a fork, or who had more water in a glass-never stopped.

Then my sister reached into her handbag, produced two shiny iPads, and handed one to each child. Suddenly, the two were quiet. They sat playing games and watching videos, and we continued with our conversation.

After our meal, as my sister stuffed the iPads back into her bag, she said, “I don’t want to give them the iPads at the dinner table, but if they keep them occupied for an hour so we can eat in peace, I often just hand them over. I’m afraid it’s bad for them. I do worry that it makes them think it’s OK to use electronics at the dinner table in the future.”

Dr. Gary Small, director of the Longevity Center at the University of California, Los Angeles says that the brain is highly sensitive to stimuli (刺激物), like iPads and smartphone screens, and if people spend too much time on one technology, and less time interacting with people like parents at the dinner table, that could prevent the development of certain communication skills.

“Conversations with each other are the way children learn to have conversations with themselves, and learn how to be alone,” said Sherry Turkle, a professor of science, technology and society at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She fears that children who do not learn real interactions, which often have imperfections, will come to know a world where perfect, shiny screens give them a false sense of intimacy (亲密) without risk. However, they need to be able to gather themselves and know who they are. So someday they can form a relationship with another person without a panic of being alone. “If you don’t teach your children to be alone, they’ll only know how to be lonely,” she said.

1. According to Dr. Small, what should parents do?

A．Provide their children with various technologies.

B．Teach their children communication skills.

C．Talk to their children at the dinner table.

D．Limit their children’s screen time.

2. What is Sherry Turkle worried?

A．Children are afraid of taking risks.

B．Children try to escape from the real world.

C．Children can’t live without electronic devices.

D．Children can’t deal with companion-less situations.

3. What is the purpose of this text?

A．To tell a true story.	B．To discuss a phenomenon.
C．To give practical suggestions.	D．To compare different opinions.

【推荐3】Although many companies offer tuition reimbursement (偿付), most companies reimburse employees only for classes that are relevant to their positions.     1     A company that reimburses employees for all college credit courses — whether job related or not — offers a service not only to the employees, but to the entire company.

One good reason for giving employees unconditional tuition reimbursement is that it shows the company’s dedication to its employees and it is important for a company to demonstrate to its employees that it cares. The best way to do this is to make investments in them.

    2     A company that puts out funds to pay for the education of its employees who go on to another job in a different company as soon as they get their degree, more often than not, the employees will stay with the company.     3     Thus, throughout those ears, the employer will have a more sophisticated, more intelligent, and therefore more valuable and productive employee. And, if the employee stays, that education will doubly benefit the company: Not only is the employee more educated, but now that employee can be promoted so the company doesn’t have to fill a high-level vacancy from the outside. Open positions can be assigned to people who already know the company well.

Though unconditional tuition reimbursement requires a significant investment on the employer’s part, it is perhaps one of the wisest investments a company can make.

A．In this way, companies will have more productive employees.

B．In today’s economy, job security is a thing of the past and employees feel more and more expendable.

C．In return, this dedication to the betterment of employees will create greater loyalty.

D．This is indeed a very limiting policy.

E．Even if employees do leave, it generally takes several years to complete any degree program.

【推荐1】This fall, Apple will roll out its newest update. It will offer parents greater control over content their kid views. Additionally, it will track the amount of time they spend using an iOS device. Following Google’s lead to deal with smart phone addiction (上瘾), new tools will include increased monitoring, usage time and activity reports.

Currently, Apple’s parental controls only allow for limiting usage of adult apps, music and video. There is growing public concern over unlimited exposure to social media for young people. Smartphone addiction combined with increased rates of distraction, suicide, and depression in teens led Apple to respond. It has developed better tools for monitoring content and control over iOS device usage for parents. For moms and dads looking to more effectively manage how their teen accesses   iOS devices, the Screen Time, App Limits, and Down Time features will be of particular help.

Screen Time will generate daily and weekly reports detailing how many times users pick up their devices, the categories of apps and websites they use most often and the amount of time they spend interacting with each app.

According to public statements, Apple intends these reports to help users get a greater understanding of how they use their devices. They’re also intended to assist in making personal decisions about controls they’d like to have. This is especially helpful to parents who aren’t privy(准许知情) to specific apps and websites their kid is using or how long they use them each day. The new App Limits feature allows parents to set limits on time spent on websites, apps or a category of apps.

Also, parents will be able to set time periods for their child’s phone to be powered off. Down Time can be scheduled on devices. Parents can specify which apps can and can’t be used and when. If parents want to limit access to an entire category of apps, such as social media or gaming, during specified time periods for things like homework, diner, or bedtime, they can.

The new parental controls are account-based. Parents can access Screen Time to view reports and set limits on their teen’s device remotely (远程地) via devices connected through Family Sharing or directly from their teen’s device.

Totals for settings, usage reports, and limits set are based on usage across all of a users IOS devices. Thus, if a kid uses multiple iOS devices, he or she will reach a time limit on an app on their iPhone. The app will be inaccessible on their iPad as well. A screen notification will appear when a child is about to reach a time limit. The child can request more time from a parent.

This update is good news for those who wish to have better insight into teen smartphone usage. Parents, however, should keep communicating rules and guidelines for healthy tech habits.

1. Read the statements. Write T(true) or F(false).
________ The current iOS devices help little in limiting teens’ exposure to adult apps.
________ Apple is under public pressure to solve a growing social problem.
________ App Limits require parents to set limits directly on their teens’ devices.
________ It is possible for parents to limit access to more than one app at a time.
2. Which word has the similar meaning to the underlined word “notification” in the seventh paragraph?

A．warning

B．note

C．figure

D．post

3. What can we infer from the last two paragraphs?

A．This new update alone cannot help teens develop healthy tech habits.

B．Kids with addiction to social media may also be satisfied with this update.

C．There’s no chance for parents to give more time if the kid reaches the limit.

D．If a kid reaches a time limit on his/her iPhone, he/she can go on to use iPad.

4. Which of the following would be the best title of this passage?

A．Parents Find Ways to Control the Screen Time of Your Kids.

B．Apple Follows Google’s Lead to Have More Functions.

C．Parents Should Have Greater Control over the Usage of smartphones.

D．Apple’s Newest Update Helps Parents Monitor Kids’ Cellphone Usage.

【推荐3】When “Rise of the Planet of the Apes” was first shown to the public last month, a group of excited animal activists gathered on Hollywood Boulevard. But they weren’t there to throw red paint on fur-coat-wearing film stars. Instead, one activist, dressed in a full-body monkey suit, had arrived with a sign praising the filmmakers: “Thanks for not using real apes (猿)!”

The creative team behind “Apes” used motion-capture (动作捕捉) technology to create digitalized animals, spending tens of millions of dollars on technology that records an actor’s performance and later processes it with computer graphics to create a final image (图像). In this case, one of a realistic-looking ape.

Yet “Apes” is more exception than the rule. In fact, Hollywood has been hot on live animals lately. One nonprofit organization, which monitors the treatment of animals in filmed entertainment, is keeping tabs on more than 2,000 productions this year. Already, a number of films, including “Water for Elephants,” “The Hangover Part II” and “Zookeeper,” have drawn the anger of activists who say the creatures acting in them haven’t been treated properly.

In some cases, it’s not so much the treatment of the animals on set in the studio that has activists worried; it’s the   off-set training and living conditions that are raising concerns. And there are questions about the films made outside the States, which sometimes are not monitored as closely as productions filmed in the States.

What does the underlined phrase “keeping tabs on” in paragraph 3 probably mean?

A．Listing completely.	B．Directing professionally.
C．Promoting successfully.	D．Watching carefully.

【推荐1】In the mid­1990s, Tom Bissell taught English as a volunteer in Uzbekistan. He left after seven months, physically broken and having lost his mind. A few years later, still attracted to the country, he returned to Uzbekistan to write an article about the disappearance of the Aral Sea.

His visit, however, ended up involving a lot more than that. Hence this book, Chasing the Sea: Lost Among the Ghosts of Empire in Central Asia, which talks about a road trip from Tashkent to Karakalpakstan, where millions of lives have been destroyed by the slow drying up of the sea. It is the story of an American travelling to a strange land, and of the people he meets on his way: Rustam, his translator, a lovely 24­-year­-old who picked up his colorful English in California, Oleg and Natasha, his hosts in Tashkent, and a string of foreign aid workers.

...

Mr Bissell skillfully organizes historical insights and cultural references, making his tale a well-rounded picture of Uzbekistan, seen from Western eyes. His judgment and references are decidedly American, as well as his delicate stomach. As the author explains, this is neither a travel nor a history book, or even a piece of reportage. Whatever it is, the result is a fine and vivid description of the purest of Central Asian traditions.

What is the purpose of this text?

A．To introduce a book.

B．To explain a cultural phenomenon.

C．To remember a writer.

D．To recommend a travel destination.

【推荐2】Bacteria are an annoying problem for astronauts. The microorganisms (微生物) from our bodies grow uncontrollably on surfaces of the International Space Station, so astronauts spend hours cleaning them up each week. How is NASA overcoming this very tiny big problem? It’s turning to a bunch of high school kids. But not just any kids. It is depending on NASA HUNCH high school classrooms, like the one science teachers Gene Gordon and Donna Himmelberg lead at Fairport High School in Fairport, New York.

HUNCH is designed to connect high school classrooms with NASA engineers. For the past two years, Gordon’s students have been studying ways to kill bacteria in zero gravity, and they think they’re close to a solution (解决方案). “We don’t give the students any breaks. They have to do it just like NASA engineers,” says Florence Gold, a project manager.

“There are no tests,” Gordon says. “There is no graded homework. There almost are no grades, other than ‘Are you working towards your goal?’ Basically, it’s ‘I’ve got to produce this product and then, at the end of year, present it to NASA.’ Engineers come and really do an in-person review, and...it’s not a very nice thing at times. It’s a hard business review of your product.”

Gordon says the HUNCH program has an impact (影响) on college admissions and practical life skills. “These kids are so absorbed in their studies that I just sit back. I don’t teach.” And that annoying bacteria? Gordon says his students are emailing daily with NASA engineers about the problem, readying a workable solution to test in space.

What is the purpose of the HUNCH program?

A．To strengthen teacher-student relationships.

B．To sharpen students’ communication skills.

C．To allow students to experience zero gravity.

D．To link space technology with school education.

【推荐3】Tree-planting, intended to help draw down carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, has become a synonym (同义词) for climate action. In our constant focus on trees, we’ve developed a fixed understanding: Trees absorb carbon dioxide, end of story. The reality is that trees don’t grow well alone. They exist within complex communities, helped along by each other as well as the animals they coexist with. The woodland isn’t nature’s only carbon sink: Grasslands and oceans also help reduce the carbon level and rely on a healthy amount of biodiversity.

That’s what the paper, published in Nature, wants to get across. Co-author Oswald J. Schmitz, a professor of ecology at Yale University, said trees might not be able to do their carbon-uptake job efficiently without the right animals in their ecosystem. That’s because animals animate the carbon cycle through their behavior and roles in the ecosystem. He added that the very presence of wild animals could cause feedback effects that change the ecosystem’s capacity to absorb, release, or transport carbon.

In Serengeti, for instance, the sharp decline in wildebeest (角马) population s during the mid-20th century allowed grass to grow wildly, eventually promoting wildfires that consumed 80 percent of the ecosystem annually and led to a net release of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. When disease management and bans on illegal hunting helped animal populations recover, a greater share of the carbon stored in plants was consumed by wildebeest and released as waste, keeping it in the system and restoring the grassland as a carbon sink.

1. What can we learn from the first paragraph?

A．Actions are needed to reduce carbon dioxide.

B．Trees are a quick solution to the climate crisis.

C．People are not thinking through trees properly.

D．Grasslands and oceans help maintain biodiversity.

2. What does the author want to say by mentioning wildebeest?

A．The conservation of animals is still a serious issue.

B．Animals can swing the ecosystem’s capacity to store carbon.

C．Human impacts bring about the reduction in wildlife populations.

D．The increase in animal species causes a decrease in carbon uptake.