【推荐1】When Lily Born was just 7, she noticed her grandfather, who has Parkinson’s disease, was knocking over his cup a lot. Lily felt bad her grandmother had to clean up spills(洒出物) so often.

Lily thought his cup would be less prone to spill if it had “legs”, so she drew a picture of such a cup for her dad, Joe Born. “He took it seriously and told me, ‘That’s your invention. Sign and date it’, which I did,” she said. “We went to Grandma and Grandpa’s house and made a prototype. This was just a plastic one, but it worked!” Later, Lily noticed her dad was always spilling coffee on his computer’s keyboard, so she made him a ceramic cup with legs. He loved it, too.

Though her family enjoyed using the cups, Lily didn’t see them as more than gifts and didn’t place much value on them. She was also struggling in school. “I was afraid of failing fourth grade. It had kind of destroyed my confidence, to be honest,” Lily said. “One day I asked my dad, ‘What am I good at?’ He asked me if I wanted to put the cups into production. It would make me see being an inventor was a real thing and something to be proud of.”

The Borns flew to Jingdezhen, China to find a factory that would produce the cups and make more prototypes. “We’ve sold something like 1,000 cups,” Lily said. “People are buying them for elderly relatives and people with mobility issues.”

As for Lily, doing business at such a young age helped her overcome her shyness. “Watching Lily blossom over this whole adventure has been an excitement for me as a dad,” Joe said. “I just can’t put into words how good it feels to see her have confidence.”

1. What does the underlined word “prone” in Paragraph 2 mean?

A．unlike.

B．eager.

C．difficult.

D．likely.

2. Why did Lily ask her dad the question in Paragraph 3?

A．She wasn’t sure about her future career.

B．She was having trouble with her schoolwork.

C．She wasn’t confident about her cup business.

D．She was struggling to balance her life and hobbies.

3. Which of the following words can best describe Joe?

A．Supportive and considerate.	B．Traditional and scholarly.
C．Strict and single-minded.	D．Generous and kind-hearted.

4. What can we learn from Lily’s story?

A．Success is easily achieved through teamwork.	B．It’s better to take action before it’s too late.
C．A good idea and action result in success.	D．A youth is to be regarded with respect.

【推荐2】A toothpaste (牙膏) tube, squeezed and twisted out of shape in vain to force out its remaining contents, regularly appears in many a bathroom. But Colgate, an American consumer-goods giant, has taken up an invention by a pair of experts in super-slippery surfaces to produce toothpaste tubes that promise to deliver every last bit.

In 2012 Kripa Varanasi, a professor at the MIT, and his students, set up a company called LiquiGlide to commercialize their work on making liquids flow more easily through pipes and out of containers. What caught many people’s imagination then was a demonstration of how this could be used to empty a ketchup (番茄酱) bottle without shaking it violently.

So far, ketchup-makers have not embraced the idea. But the health and beauty industry. where products are more expensive than ketchup, is interested. Mibelle Group, a Swiss producer of health care and beauty products, employs the technology to lessen the amount of material left stuck to the insides of pipes in its factories in a clean-up. LiquiGlide’s deal with Colgate is, though, the firm’s first big break into a consumer business.

The new toothpaste, called Elixir, comes in three varieties: a formula (配方) for whitening teeth, one for teeth care and one removing impurities from the mouth. All are packaged in plastic tubes that can be emptied with ease.

To produce their slippery pipes and containers, they first create a special pattern on them and then apply a certain liquid. This creates a surface across which soft and sticky substances slide easily. Any risk of pollution can be removed by making the liquid from materials used in the product.

Besides pleasing customers who like to get their money’s worth, the new, slippery toothpaste tubes should help with recycling. Existing tubes are seldom recycled, not only because they have residues inside them but also because they are usually made from a thin slice of plastic and metal materials. Mixed materials of this sort are hard to recycle, and therefore end up being dumped in landfill, or burnt.

1. What is the problem with the existing toothpaste tube?

A．The product is too slippery to use.

B．The quality is difficult to guarantee.

C．The tube is easily twisted out of shape.

D．The material left is hard to squeeze out.

2. How does the market react to the idea of LiquiGlide company?

A．The beauty industry thinks little of it.

B．Toothpaste companies show no interest in it.

C．Producers in health industry will benefit since waste will be reduced.

D．Ketchup companies like the idea since people want to empty ketchup bottles.

3. What is known about the new toothpaste Elixir?

A．Contents can be made to flow out easily.

B．The tube cannot prevent polluted liquid.

C．It has three functions and a new formula.

D．Recycling is easy with mixed materials.

4. What does the underlined word “residues” in the last paragraph mean?

A．Solids.

B．Liquids.

C．Leftovers.

D．Plastics.

【推荐3】Have you dreamed of building your own machine? Do you wish you could invent something new? Here we look at a few British inventions of recent times.

Adaptable Glasses
Do you wear glasses? If so, can you imagine life without them? In 1985, Joshua Silver, a professor at Oxford University, asked himself, “Can I invent a pair of glasses that could be changed by the wearer?” He designed two plastic lenses(透镜) that are filled with a special liquid. The liquid can be changed between the lenses until you can see clearly. The glasses are not beautiful but they are easy to use and cheap to make.
The Wind-up Radio
When you switch your TV on tonight, think about all those people without electricity. Thinking about this, Trevor Baylis came up with the idea of designing a radio that could be powered by hand. In common with Joshua Silver he wanted his invention to be cheap and easy to use. The radio has a generator (发电机) which is powered by turning a handle. In 1996 it won a BBC Design Award for Best Protect and Best Design.
The Dyson Cleaner
In many homes around the world you can see a cleaner that looks like a spaceship. This is the Dyson vacuum (真空) cleaner which uses something called “cyclonic separation” to separate the dirt. You do not need a bag for your cleaner and it does not get blocked so it is very practical. The idea came to Sir James Dyson after he kept having problems with his vacuum cleaner. He decided he could design a better one and in 1993 he opened his own factory. The Dyson is now one of the best-selling cleaners in the UK and Dyson is believed to have earned over a billion pounds.
The Zapata Fly-board
Ever dreamed of rising through the water and jumping high in the air like a dolphin? Now you can try a fly-board, built by water sports fan Frank Zapata. With it you can dive back in the water and out again. It’s possible to jump to unbelievable heights out of the water—over 30 feet. The basic fly-board model comes in at ￡4,200.
So keep dreaming and inventing. One day you might get it right.
1. Who invented Adaptable Glasses?

A．Joshua Silver.	B．Trevor Baylis.
C．James Dyson.	D．Frank Zapata.

2. Which invention won an award?

A．Adaptable Glasses.	B．The Wind-up Radio.
C．The Dyson Cleaner.	D．The Zapata Fly-board.

3. Who might be interested in the invention of the Dyson cleaner?

A．Those who need radios.

B．Those who have eye problems.

C．Those who are fond of diving.

D．Those who want to use cleaners more easily.

4. What might be the best title for the passage?

A．Kind Inventors.	B．Cheap Inventions.
C．Creative Minds.	D．Future Dreams.

【推荐1】A million species are facing extinction. A million, that is enough to make most scream. Some species are becoming extinct because of poaching （偷猎）.Even Namibia, which has a spectacular conservation record, hasn't been safe from that. Since 2015, poaching has caused the loss of 50 black rhinos （犀牛）annually in Namibia.

Globally, there is a $ 23-billion-a-year trade in illegal wildlife products. Driven by a demand in some countries, where the rhino horn （角）is thought to be a cure for some diseases, it sells for up to $ 100,000 per kilo on the black market. This illegal trade is making some people very rich, but it isn't rural Africans. Here, poor people are convinced to trade the life of a rhino for a few hundred dollars, which may bring the possibility of years in prison. In fact, rhino horn is made mostly of keratin, the same substance as found in our fingernails and hair.

To help slow down this reality, I took a trip to Namibia, determined to make a difference to black rhino conservation. The first stop, Mount Etjo Safari Lodge, was where I heard Nossi's story. Nossi, a black rhino, was born in Etosha National Park, a place where my parents and I spent many holidays when I was young. When Nossi was born, her mother was stressed and pushed her around. By the time the vet arrived, Nossi only had a 10% chance of survival. With massive investment of time, energy and care, Nossi survived and, last year, she gave birth to her eighth child. In a population in danger of extinction, this represents an important increase in the world's black rhino population. All of these efforts have paid off and I learned that my support matters. Your support matters too. Because together, we can save the rhino. Together, it is likely that we can change the world.

1. What does the first paragraph try to tell us?

A．The problem of species extinction has been solved.

B．The problem of species extinction is serious,

C．Namibia has an excellent conservation record.

D．It's easy to stop the extinction of species.

2. Why do rhino horns sell well on the black market?

A．They are believed to cure some diseases.

B．They can make people live much longer.

C．They can replace some kinds of metals.

D．They have made most poor Africans rich.

3. Why did Nossi nearly die at birth?

A．Her mother had little milk for her.

B．The weather was very terrible that day.

C．There was no good medicine at that time.

D．She was pushed around by her mother.

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

A．The urgent effort to save black rhinos

B．The protection of wildlife

C．A wildlife reserve in Namibia

D．The story about young black rhino Nossi

【推荐2】A cobra (眼镜蛇) was set free on September 10 in a park in Xiangtan City, South China’s Hunan Province. 　    1    And they began hunting for the deadly creature to try to prevent it from hurting anyone.

In the name of mercy, some people free captive (关在笼子里的) animals, including foreign species, mostly bought from pet shops or markets.     2    Last April, someone freed hundreds of foxes and raccoon dogs in a Beijing suburb, causing economic losses to animal farmers and endangering the safety of local residents.

    3    Besides, today people are increasingly aware of the importance of environmental protection and biodiversity. But it is necessary to ensure that acts of freeing captive animals do not violate laws or harm the interests of the public.    4    

In order to regulate the release of captive animals, the government revised the law on wildlife conservation in 2016. According to the updated regulations, no individual or organization should harm the public interest by freeing captive animals.    5    

A．And any creatures set free should be local species that have no threat to local biodiversity.

B．However, their warm-hearted kindness often causes serious consequences.

C．Freeing a cobra in a park reflects the troublemaker’s ignorance of other people’s lives.

D．Such news has frequently appeared in recent years.

E．Local police immediately arrested the troublemaker.

F．Influenced by Buddhism, freeing captive animals is an act that deserves respect in China.

G．It is important to protect animals including those set free by people.

【推荐3】We're often reminded of the importance of protecting the planet as we see it for future generations — and children at St Oswald's CE Primary School Chester certainly agree.

Nine-year-old Isohel Kelleher from the school's Hummingbirds class thinks adults need to take notes. "Sometimes they can be busy and I don't think they think they can make a difference, but if everyone does a little bit it all adds up," she tells Huff Post UK. "We started looking at plastic pollution in our oceans and the things like plastic bags that are polluting them, " she says. "Fish can eat the plastic and they can die, or we might even eat the fish ourselves. ”

Mr Timms, Isohel's teacher, has been leading a new project at the school which lets children loose creatively to raise the awareness of the need to be more environmentally friendly. The entire Hummingbirds class, which is made up of nine-year-old and ten-year-old pupils, has been busy writing poems and creating online videos to warn adults about the serious situation of our oceans and wildlife.

Mr Timms thinks children play an important role in teaching us how to take care of the things around us. "We sometimes overlook how much we can really learn from children," he says. "It is really hard to believe having parents come in saying that their children have been asking them to stop using plastic and to recycle more, and even stopping them using plastic straws. ”

Mr Timms is proud of his Hummingbirds class. "The message that they would like to send to the world is simple: stopping this isn't someone else's job, and it won't be OK if we just leave it."

1. What does Isobel Kelleher mean in paragraph 2?

A．People shouldn't eat fish any more.

B．Adults have done their part pretty well.

C．Everyone can do something to stop pollution.

D．Plastic pollution is already too serious to be solved.

2. How does the Hummingbirds class deal with the pollution?

A．By preventing people using plastic bags.

B．By picking up waste plastic in oceans in person.

C．By teaching students to write poems creatively.

D．By warning adults about the pollution with poems and videos.

3. What can be inferred from Mr Timms' words in paragraph 4?

A．The project has already proved effective.

B．Some parents are angry with the project.

C．Children are good at looking after parents.

D．Adults ought to learn little from their kids.

4. What does the underlined word "this" in the last paragraph refer to?

A．Using plastic straws.	B．Plastic pollution.
C．Protecting the planet.	D．The Hummingbirds class.

【推荐1】Scientists have discovered why the Mona Lisa's expression looks so different to different people and at different times.

For centuries, art lovers and critics have been confused by and debated the Leonardo Da Vinci painting's gaze and slight smile.

But new research from the University of California, San Francisco has shed new light on the shining and seemingly changing face of the Mona Lisa.

Through experiments, they discovered that our emotions really do change how we see a neutral face.

Dr Erika Siegel and her colleagues study how our emotions change our perceptions of the world around us—even when we aren't aware that something has changed our feelings.

This relies on the modern theory of" the brain as a predictive organ, instead of a reactive one,” says Dr Siegel.

In other words, “we have a lifetime of experience and we use those experiences to predict what we are going to experience next.”

We all have one dominant eye and one more passive non-dominant one. If each eye is receiving different information, we only consciously perceive what dominant one sees. But non-dominant sights can still enter our subconscious.

They showed 43 people two sets of flashing images simultaneously, so that the dominant eye saw and registered neutral expressions, while the non-dominant eye “saw” flashes of neutral, or smiling faces, which they would only subconsciously be aware of.

After viewing the flashing faces, the researchers showed the participants options of faces and asked them to pick out which ones they had seen.

When their non-dominant eyes had seen a happy face, they were more likely to think the neutral face had actually been smiling, and the same was true for other expressions.

This means that “if you see the Mona Lisa after you have just had a screaming fight with your husband, you're going to see the painting differently,” says Dr Siegel.

“But if you're having the time of your life at the Louvre, you're going to see the mysterious smile,” she adds.

“We are the architects of our own experience. Our brain makes predictions about what it expects to see and uses information from the world to update its expectations,”Dr Siegel says.

1. What is the purpose of Dr Siegel's research?

A．To discover why people perceive the same thing differently.

B．To help appreciate the Mona Lisa.

C．To win a debate.

D．To tell a smiling face from a neutral face.

2. Which of the following is the closest in meaning to “shed new light” in Paragraph 3?

A．Made something bright.	B．Provided new explanations.
C．Added light-colored paints.	D．Increased amount of natural light.

3. Why did the researchers show the participants two sets of flashing images?

A．To play a game.

B．To pick out their dominant and non-dominant eyes.

C．To strengthen the effect of the non-dominant eyes.

D．To provide images of more expressions.

4. Which of the following can be the best title for the text?

A．Effects of Emotions	B．Seeing Is Believing
C．A Mysterious Research	D．Is Mona Lisa Smiling?

【推荐2】The World Health Organization recently said that it planned to add gaming disorder(游戏成瘾)to its new list of disease classifications, angering the gaming industry but pleasing doctors who hope it may make treatment more easily available.

Some US experts said it would make little difference when it comes to helping people with the disorder, although others said it would bring attention to a disorder that people sometimes don’t recognize. Many of us enjoy video games, but does playing our favorite game for a couple of hours every night mean we’re suffering from gaming disorder? Not, according to the WHO. The symptoms listed by the WHO include a lack of control over gaming, treating gaming more seriously than other life interests and daily activities, and continuing to play games despite the negative consequences that playing them might have. “The behavior pattern is enough to result in significant damage to one’s personal, family, or social life,”the WHO said.

Meanwhile, Douglas Gentile of Iowa State University has carried out influential research into the cause of gaming addiction in young people. “I and many others had assumed that gaming is not really a problem but is a symptom of other problems,”he told NBC News. Many had thought it was simply a failure of self-control.

To see if it was，Gentile’s team studied a group of children who had been gaming for several years. “We found that when kids became addicted，their anxiety increased…and their grades decreased,”Gentile said. When kids were able to back off from gaming, their symptoms disappeared, he added. Gentile thinks medical organizations should pay attention to the WHO’s proposal. “This isn’t an issue of opinion; it’s all issue of science,”he said. “This is a major scientific and medical organization. They don’t do things lightly and without reason.”

Dr Petros Levounis, chair of psychiatry at the New Jersey Medical School at Rutgers University, said that he hoped the WHO’s proposal would lead to more research into obsessive (过度的)behavior among all types of people. “Now，there is renewed interest and excitement,” he said.

1. Which of the following is a sign of gaming disorder according to the WHO?

A．Putting games before everything else.

B．Keeping playing until winning the games.

C．Playing games for several hours every night.

D．Having a few hobbies besides playing games.

2. Why is Gentile’s research mentioned?

A．To explain the cause of gaming addiction.

B．To show the influence of gaming disorder.

C．To show the reasons behind the WHO’ s decision.

D．To introduce the study that influenced the WHO’s proposal.

3. What can we learn from what Levounis said?

A．It needed further research to make it more convincing.

B．It would do little to help people with gaming addiction.

C．It would encourage new cures for gaming disorder.

D．It would encourage studies about similar diseases.

4. What does the author intend to tell us about gaming disorder?

A．Its description.	B．Controversial views.
C．Its harmful effects.	D．Explanations of the WHO’s decision.

【推荐3】Forget smartphones and smart glasses. One day, we might have smart tattoos(纹身).The company NewDealDesign came up with an idea for a product called UnderSkin. The device would look like a pair of tattoos on your palm and the side of your thumb. It would draw power from your body's energy, and you could use it to unlock doors, monitor your health, exchange and store information,or even express your personality. UnderSkin is just an idea-you can't go out and get one-but the technology exists to make it work. “We assume it is about five years from being real,"says designer Gadi Amit.

Writer and technology entrepreneur Amal Graffstra already has chip(芯片)called a radio-frequency-identification (RFID) tag embedded(植入)in his hand. “I used it to share contact

detail with people,"he says. The chip is about he size of a grain of rice and responds to radio signal with a unique identification number.

If a computerized tattoo or embedded tag isn't crazy enough for you, what a about a brain chip? The company Intel is working on technology that would let you control your device with your mind.Dean Pomerleaut,one of the researchers,explains,"Were trying to prove you can do interesting things with brain waves. Imagine being able to surf the Web with the Power of your thoughts."

Do you think embedded chips sound creepy or cool ? Some doctors are concerned about people hurting themselves while getting devices implanted. They argue that medical procedures are meant to cure sick people, and not to give healthy people special powers.Others worry about hacking and privacy. Could someone hack in and steal your identity,or even Control your mind? On a more philosophical level, if you have a computer inside your body,are you still human? Or are you a cyborg(生化电子人)?

1. What is the author's main purpose in writing the text?

A．To promote a technology product.

B．To introduce a new technology.

C．To explain the principle behind a technology.

D．To argue against a new technology.

2. What is Under Skin actually?

A．A very thin computer.

B．A tattooed part of your skin.

C．A small medical chip.

D．A chip controlling your mind.

3. Which of the following best explains“creepy"underlined in the last paragraph?

A．difficult

B．scary

C．impossible

D．worthless

4. What is the author's attitude towards embedded chips?

A．Supportive.

B．Doubtful.

C．Objective.

D．Concerned.