【推荐1】Do you find yourself struggling to do all the tasks that you need to do every day?    1    Here are four tips that can help you start on the right track.

Work at your energy peaks(顶峰)

We all have our own time of the day when we feel at our very best.    2    Figure out what part of the day you are at your very best mentally and physically, and this is the time that you should be doing your most important or most demanding task.

    3    

Stop putting off the task that you don't want to do. Get it done, and get it out of the way as soon as possible. You will feel better, trust me! Usually, the harder tasks are the more important tasks, so if you can master this rule, you will witness your productivity skyrocket.

Organize your work area.

Many people tend to work in a cluttered(凌乱的)environment, with all kinds of papers and documents lying all over their desk. They claim that they can "find themselves" throughout all that mess.    4    So keep your desk and work area clean and in order. Your productivity can only be maximized within such an environment

Balance out your life.

Most of our happiness comes from our relationships with one another. So make it your duty to spend time with your loved ones and cultivate your friendships. Happier people work better and more efficiently.    5    

A．Do the worst thing first.

B．Improve your work processes.

C．But the truth is that a clean desk equals clean work.

D．You can take that time to read a book, or go over important notes.

E．It's time that you should learn how to properly double your productivity!

F．This leads to more success and more free time for your relationships

G．Some people are more energetic in the morning, while others in the evening.

【推荐3】If you’re planning on travelling, there are a few simple rules about how to make life easier both before and after your journey.

First of all, always check and double­check departure(出发) time. It is amazing how few people really do this carefully. Once I arrived at the airport a few minutes after ten. My secretary had got the ticket for me and I thought she had said that the plane left at 10:50. When I arrived at the airport, the clerk at the departure desk told me that my flight was closed. Therefore, I had to wait three hours for the next one and missed an important meeting.

The second rule is to remember that even in this age of credit cards, it is still important to have at least a little of the local currency with you when you arrive in a country. This can be necessary if you are flying to a place few tourists normally visit. A few years ago I was sent to Tulsa, Oklahoma. I flew there from London via Dallas, with very little time to change planes in between. I arrived there at midnight and the bank at the airport was closed. The only way to get to my hotel was by taxi and because I had no dollars, I offered to pay in pounds instead.

“Listen! I only take real money!” the driver said angrily. Luckily I was able to borrow a few dollars from a clerk at the hotel, but it was very embarrassing.

The third and last rule is to find out as much as you can about the weather at your destination before you leave. I feel sorry for some of my workmates who travel in heavy suits and raincoats in May, when it is still fairly cool in London or Manchester, to places like Athens, Rome or Madrid, where it is already beginning to get quite warm during the day.

1. According to the passage, it’s obvious that ________．

A．the author learns some rules of travelling from his own experience

B．the author doesn’t plan his trips or journeys carefully

C．Englishmen like to wear heavy suits wherever they travel

D．the American taxi driver never travels to England

2. What should you make sure first before setting off?

A．Where you will go.	B．When you will leave.
C．How you will travel.	D．Whom you will go with.

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

A．London.

B．Manchester.

C．Dallas.

D．Tulsa.

4. Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

A．The author tells people to choose warm places as their travel destinations.

B．You should remember to take credit cards when travelling.

C．You should know more about the weather of the place you’ll visit.

D．You should take enough change when you travel to another country.

【推荐2】How Room Designs Affect Our Work and Feelings

Architects have long had the feeling that the places we live in can affect our thoughts, feelings and behaviors. But now scientists are giving this feeling an empirical（经验的，实证的） basis. They are discovering how to design spaces that promote creativity, keep people focused and lead to relaxation.

Researches show that aspects of the physical environment can influence creativity. In 2007, Joan Meyers-Levy at the University of Minnesota, reported that the height of a room's ceiling affects how people think. Her research indicates that higher ceilings encourage people to think more freely, which may lead them to make more abstract connections. Low ceilings, on the other hand, may inspire a more detailed outlook.

In additions to ceiling height, the view afforded by a building may influence an occupant's ability to concentrate. Nancy Wells and her colleagues at Cornell University found in their study that kids who experienced the greatest increase in greenness as a result of a family move made the most gains on a standard test of attention.

Using nature to improve focus of attention ought to pay off academically, and it seems to, according to a study led by C. Kenneth Tanner, head of the School Design & Planning Laboratory at the University of Georgia. Tanner and his team found that students in classrooms with unblocked views of at least 50 feet outside the window had higher scores on tests of vocabulary, language arts and maths than did students whose classrooms primarily overlooked roads and parking lots.

Recent study on room lighting design suggests than dim（暗淡的） light helps people to loosen up. If that is true generally, keeping the light low during dinner or at parties could increase relaxation. Researchers of Harvard Medical School also discovered that furniture with rounded edges could help visitors relax.

So far scientists have focused mainly on public buildings. "We have a very limited number of studies, so we're almost looking at the problem through a straw（吸管）," architect David Allison says. "How do you take answers to very specific questions and make broad, generalized use of them? That's what we're all struggling with."

1. What does Joan Meyers-Levy focus on in her research?

A．Light.

B．Ceilings.

C．Windows.

D．Furniture.

2. The passage tells us that ________.

A．the shape of furniture may affect people's feelings

B．lower ceilings may help improve students' creativity

C．children in a dim classroom may improve their grades

D．students in rooms with unblocked views may feel relaxed

3. The underlined sentence in the last paragraph probably means that ________.

A．the problem is not approached step by step

B．the researches so far have faults in themselves

C．the problem is too difficult for researchers to detect

D．research in this area is not enough to make generalized patterns

4. Which of the following shows the organization of the passage?
CP: Central Point       P: Point     SP: Sub-point（次要点）     C: Conclusion

A．

B．

C．

D．

【推荐3】Experts have long predicted that 3D printing will revolutionize (变革) the construction industry. The world's first two-story home printed in a single piece emerged in Antwerp, Belgium.

“What makes this house so unique is that we printed it with a fixed 3D concrete printer,” said Emiel Ascione, project manager at Kamp Construction Company, which pioneered the project. “Other houses that were printed around the world only have one floor. In many cases, the components were printed in a factory and were fitted together on-site. We, however, printed the entire building envelope in one piece on-site.”

The construction process began in November 2019 and took only 3 weeks, with the delivery of a massive 32-foot x 32-foot cement (水泥) 3D printer, known as BOD2. While it needed some human help to set up, once in operation, BOD2 was fully autonomous, requiring just one person to monitor the work from a nearby computer.

The two-story, 986-square-foot home, which has a small kitchen, two living rooms and a bathroom, as well as many human-installed eco-friendly features, such as underfloor heating and solar panels, was open from July 2020 to the end of September. It is aimed to encourage the construction industry to adopt emerging 3D printing technologies in its construction techniques.

“The 3D printed structure cost about 60 percent less than a typical brick home and was also much stronger,” Ascione said. “It shows the construction industry the accessibility and potential of this technique.”

This is not the only 3D printed housing project in the works. In Tabasco, Mexico, the world's first 3D printed neighborhood has been built. The two-bedroom homes, designed to accommodate the homeless, are strong enough to withstand natural disasters like hurricanes and earthquakes. At this rate, 3D printers may soon become a fixture at construction sites worldwide.

1. What is BOD2 used for?

A．Producing concrete.	B．Printing building outlines.
C．Making engineering drawings.	D．Putting together house components.

2. What does the underlined word "it" in paragraph 3 refer to?

A．The construction process.	B．The two-story house.
C．The cement 3D printer.	D．The nearby computer.

3. Why was the two-story house open to the public?

A．To shelter the homeless.

B．To attract more investment.

C．To demonstrate its multi-functions.

D．To promote 3D printing in the building industry.

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

A．3D Printing: A Solution to Housing Problems

B．BOD2: New Trend of the Construction Industry

C．Mexico's 3D Printed Neighborhood Is Well Received

D．World's First Two story Home Was Wholly-printed in Belgium