【推荐1】During the winter in the Southern Hemisphere, a blue point of light shines overhead. The brilliant point on the sky, which looks like a bright star, is actually two stars in close orbit — accompanied by the closest known black hole to Earth.

The newly discovered black hole is about 1,011 light-years from our solar system in the star system HR 6819. Published today in Astronomy & Astrophysics, the object is locked in an orbit with two visible stars. It is estimated about four times the mass of the sun and about 2,500 light-years closer than the next black hole. “It seems like it’s been hiding in plain sight,” says astronomer Kareem El-Badry, a Ph.D. student at the University of California, Berkeley, who specializes in binary star (双子星) systems but wasn’t involved with the study. “HR 6819 is such a bright star (system) that people have been studying it since the 80s, but it seems like it’s had some surprises.”

“If you find one that is very close to you, and you assume you’re not special, then they must be out there everywhere,” says lead study author Thomas Rivinius, an astronomer at the European Southern Observatory (ESO) in Chile. Researchers have long estimated that the Milky Way is home to hundreds of millions of black holes, objects whose gravitational fields (引力场) are so strong, not even light can escape. But finding these dark objects has proven extremely difficult. Dozens of black holes in the galaxy have been spotted “feeding” on nearby clouds of gas — a process that sends out x-rays as the material moves around the edges of the black hole. But the majority of black holes in our galaxy cannot be seen, so the only way to find them is by observing their gravitational effects on surrounding objects.

In follow-up work, researchers led by study co-author Petr Hadrava aim to study the light given off by HR 6819 and understand the precise identity of the two close stars.

1. What do we know about the newly discovered black hole?

A．It moves with two other stars.

B．It came into being in the 1980s.

C．It weighs much more than earth.

D．It can be seen easily during the winter.

2. What can we infer from Thomas Rivinius’s words in paragraph 3?

A．Most black holes are common.

B．More black holes can be found.

C．Black holes are difficult to learn.

D．Black holes exist in star systems.

3. What will scientists probably do next?

A．Learn more about the two close stars.

B．Analyze the light around the black hole.

C．Observe the influence of black holes on stars.

D．Study the black holes in the system of HR 6819.

4. What is the best title for the text?

A．A New Star System in Universe

B．Two Special Stars in the Same Orbit

C．The Closest Black Hole to the Earth

D．The Biggest Black Hole in the Milky Way

【推荐2】When John was growing up, other kids felt sorry for him. His parents always had him weeding the garden, carrying out the garbage and delivering newspapers. But when John reached adulthood, he was better off than his childhood playmates. He had more job satisfaction, a better marriage and was healthier. Most of all, he was happier.

These are the findings of a 40-year study that followed the lives of 456 teenage boys from Boston. The study showed that those who had worked as boys enjoyed happier and more productive lives than those who had not. "Boys who worked in the home or community gained competence (能力) and came to feel they were worthwhile members of society," said George Vaillant, the psychologist (心理学家) who made the discovery. "And because they felt good about themselves, others felt good about them."

Vaillant’s study followed these males in great detail. Interviews were repeated at ages 25,31 and 47. Under Vaillant, the researchers compared the men’s mental-health scores with their boyhood-activity scores. Points were awarded for part-time jobs, housework, effort in school, and ability to deal with problems.

The relationship between what the men had done as boys and how they turned out as adults was surprisingly sharp. Those who had done the most boyhood activities were twice as likely to have warm relations with a wide variety of people, five times as likely to be well paid and 16 times less likely to have been unemployed. The researchers also found that IQ and family social and economic class made no real difference in how the boys turned out. Working — at any age — is important. Childhood activities help a child develop responsibility, independence, confidence and competence — the underpinnings (基础) of emotional health. They also help him understand that people must cooperate and work toward common goals. The most competent (能干的) adults are those who know how to do this. Yet work isn't everything. As Tolstoy once said, “One can live magnificently in this world if one knows how to work and how to love to work for the person one loves and to love one's work.”

1. Vaillant’s words in Paragraph 2 serve as ___________.

A．a description of personal values and social values

B．an analysis of how work was connected with competence

C．an example for parents’ expectations of their children

D．an explanation why some boys grew into happy men

2. Vaillant’s team obtained their findings by _______.

A．recording the boys’ effort in school

B．evaluating the men’s mental health

C．comparing different sets of scores

D．measuring the men’s problem solving ability

3. What does the underlined word "sharp" probably mean in Paragraph 4?

A．Quick to react.

B．Having a thin edge.

C．Clear and definite.

D．Sudden and rapid.

4. What can be inferred from the last paragraph?

A．Competent adults know more about love than work.

B．Emotional health is essential to a wonderful adult life.

C．Love brings more joy to people than work does.

D．Independence is the key to one’s success.

【推荐3】Imagine a stranger walking past you on a cold, rainy day. “Lovely weather, isn’t it?” the stranger says. Do you laugh, or even smile? If not, you may not have a dry sense of humor.
British people, and particularly the English, are well-known for our dry sense of humor. We often say the opposite of what we mean in order to be funny, and tell jokes in a tone of voice that makes it sound like we are being completely serious. As US writer Julian Tan put it on the HuffPost Students blog: “It is as if it is ‘Opposite Day’ every day in Britain.”
If the people of Britain are known for having a “_______” and not showing emotion, then our dry sense of humor shows this through jokes. Often it will take a long time or several beers, to get a British person to tell you what they actually think about something and get behind the wall of humorous sarcasm (讽刺) that they have in front of them.
English comedian Ricky Gervais put it like this: “We play jokes on our friends. We use sarcasm as a shield (护盾) and a weapon. We avoid being serious until it’s absolutely necessary.”
It can be annoying and confusing if you haven’t been raised with these types of jokes: “Why did he just say such a ridiculous thing? Is he making fun of me?” But it is also true that understanding this type of humor is a good way to make friends with people in the UK, even if you don’t find it funny.
It’s important to remember that the person telling the joke may actually be making fun of himself or herself, not you. One of the characteristics of British humor is “its strong theme of self-deprecation” (making fun of oneself), according to Tan. So don’t worry – often, English people, and British people in general, just want to make fun of themselves!
1. According to the passage, we can know that someone with a dry sense of humor can ___________.

A．not use sarcasm as a shield and a weapon.

B．not make friends with people in the UK

C．pretend to play jokes on their friends

D．say funny things in a serious way

2. Which of the following words best describes British humor according to Julian Tan?

A．Opposite.	B．Annoying.
C．Ridiculous.	D．Funny.

3. The underlined phrase “stiff upper lip” in Paragraph 3 refers to a quality of ___________.

A．remaining calm

B．communicating feelings

C．taking a positive attitude

D．focusing attention

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

A．British people are famous for being emotional

B．British people’s humor is often misunderstood

C．it’s a tradition for British people to make fun of each other

D．it doesn’t take a long time to make friends with British people

5. The passage is mainly about ____________________.

A．why British people like laughing at themselves

B．some tips on how to make British people laugh

C．the importance of humor in British culture

D．what British humor is like

【推荐2】

Toyota is working with Japan’s space agency on a vehicle to explore the lunar surface, with ambitions to help people live on the moon by 2040 and then go live on Mars. The vehicle being developed is called Lunar Cruiser, whose name shows respect to the popular Toyota vehicle Land Cruiser.

The vehicle is based on the idea that people eat, work, sleep and communicate with others safely in cars, and the same can be done in outer space, said Takao Sato, who heads the Lunar Cruiser project at Toyota Motor Corp.

“We see space as an area for our once in-a-century transformation. By going to space, we may be able to develop telecommunications and other technology that will prove valuable to human life,” Sato said.

Gitai Japan Inc. , a partner with Toyota, has developed a robotic arm for the Lunar Cruiser, designed to perform tasks such as carrying out inspections and maintaining the vehicle. The arm can work like different tools, scooping, lifting and sweeping.

Japanese craziness about the moon has been growing. A private Japanese company called ispace Inc. is working on lunar rovers (探月车), landing and orbiting, and is scheduled for a moon landing later this year. Businessman Yusaku Maezawa, who recently took videos of himself floating around in the International Space Station, has booked an orbit around the moon aboard Tesla CEO Elon Musk s Starship.

Toyota engineer Shinichiro Noda said he is excited about the lunar project, an extension of the automaker s longtime mission to serve customers and the moon may provide valuable resources for life on Earth. “ Sending our cars to the moon is our mission, ” he said, “ Toyota has vehicles almost everywhere, but this is about taking our cars to somewhere we have never been. ”

1. What is the purpose of the Lunar Cruiser project?

A．To make safe cars.	B．To explore the moon.
C．To send people to space.	D．To comfort the passengers.

2. What is paragraph 5 mainly about?

A．Japan’s aim to explore space.	B．Japan’s interest in the moon.
C．The achievements in space travel.	D．The cooperation in transporting the rover.

3. What is Shinichiro Noda’s attitude towards the lunar project?

A．Worried.

B．Positive.

C．Unconcerned.

D．Doubtful.

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

A．Japan’s Curiosity in Moon Travel

B．Lunar Rovers: to Be Landed on Mars

C．Contributions Made in Exploring Mars

D．Lunar Cruiser: Toyota Developing Vehicle for the Moon

【推荐3】Thirteen vehicles lined up last March to race across the Mojave Desert, seeking a million in prize money. To win, they had to finish the 142­mile race in less than 10 hours. Teams and watchers knew there might be no winner at all, because these vehicles were missing a key part — drivers.
DARPA, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, organized the race as part of a push to develop robotic vehicles for future battlefields. But the Grand Challenge, as it was called, just proved how difficult it is to get a car to speed across an unfamiliar desert without human guidance. One had its brake lock up in the starting area. Another began by throwing itself onto a wall. Another got tied up by bushes near the road after 1.9 miles.
One turned upside down. One took off in entirely the wrong direction and had to be disabled by remote   control. One went a little more than a mile and rushed into a fence; another managed to go for six miles but stuck on a rock. The “winner”， if there was any, reached 7.8 miles before it ran into a long narrow hole, and the front wheels caught on fire.
“You get a lot of respect for natural abilities of the living things，” says Reinhold Behringe, who helped design two of the car­size vehicles for a company called Sci­Autonics.“Even ants can do all these tasks effortlessly. It's very hard for us to put these abilities into our machines.”
The robotic vehicles, though with necessary modern equipment such as advanced computers and GPS guidance, had trouble figuring out fast enough the blocks ahead that a two­year­old human recognizes immediately. Sure, that very young child, who has just only learned to walk, may not think to wipe apple juice off her face, but she already knows that when there's a cookie in the kitchen she has to climb up the table, and that when she gets to the cookie it will taste good. She is more advanced, even months old, than any machine humans have designed.

1. Watchers doubted if any of the vehicles could finish the race because ________.

A．they did not have any human guidance

B．the road was not familiar to the drivers

C．the distance was too long for the vehicles

D．the prize money was unattractive to the drivers

2. From the passage we know “robotic vehicles” are a kind of machines that________.

A．can do effortlessly whatever tasks living things can

B．can take part in a race across 142­miles with a time limit

C．can show off their ability to turn themselves upside down

D．can move from place to place without being driven by human beings

3. In the last paragraph, the author implies that there is a long way to go ________.

A．for a robotic vehicle to finish a 142­mile race without any difficulties

B．for a little child who has just learned to walk to reach the cookie on the table

C．for a robotic vehicle to deal with a simple problem that a little child can solve

D．for a little child to understand the importance of wiping apple juice off his/her face

【推荐1】Architect Diébédo Francis Kéré from Burkina Faso has won the Pritzker Prize， the world’ s highest recognition in building design.

Kéré is a citizen of both Burkina Faso and Germany and lives in Berlin. On Tuesday he said he was the “happiest man on this planet” to become the 51st recipient of the famous yearly prize. Kéré is famed for building schools，health centers, housing, and other public spaces across Africa. His buildings can be found in his homeland, as well as in Benin, Mali, Kenya, Mozambique, Togo and Sudan.

When he was 20, in 1985, Kéré earned a vocational scholarship to study carpentry( 木工) in Berlin. But while absorbed in the practicality of roofing and furniture making, he also attended night school and was admitted to Technical University of Berlin, from which he graduated in 2004 with an advanced degree in architecture. He was still a student when he designed and built the innovative Gando Primary School.

Unlike traditional school buildings, which use concrete, Kéré’s inventive design combined local clay and cement to form bricks. The material helps keep the building cool in a hot environment. A wide, raised metal roof protects the building from rain and helps air flow. Kéré involved the local community throughout the design and building of the school. The number of students at the school increased from 120 to 700.

Kéré is the first African to be honored with the Pritzker. In his native Burkina Faso, citizens celebrated the win. Nebila Aristide Bazie, head of the Burkina Faso architects’ council, said the award highlights the African architect and the people of Burkina Faso.

“He knows, from within, that architecture is not about the object but the objective; not the product, but the process,” said the 2022 Jury. Kéré’s entire body of work shows us the power of material rooted in place. His buildings, for and with communities, are directly of those communities - in their making, their materials, their programs and their unique characters.

1. What can we know from the second paragraph?

A．Kéré designed many schools as a student.

B．Kéré’s designs are applied all over Asia and Africa. ,

C．Kéré is the first male winner of the Pritzker Prize.

D．Kéré was quite pleased to win the Pritzker Prize.

2. Why does Kéré usually use bricks made of local clay and cement?

A．To make buildings stronger.	B．To keep cool in hot weather.
C．To protect students from rain.	D．To ensure better indoor airflow.

3. What did Nebila probably think of Kéré’ s wining the Pritzker ?

A．Touching and impressive.	B．Amazing and unexpected.
C．Deserving and fortunate.	D．Exciting and inspiring.

4. What does the last paragraph intend to tell about?

A．The reasons for awarding Kéré the Pritzker.

B．Kéré’s concepts of architecture in Africa.

C．Kéré’s diverse styles of African buildings.

D．The real purpose of Kéré’s whole works.

【推荐2】Most Chinese know the story of Chang’e, the Chinese goddess of the moon. People can’t hear the word “Chang’e” without thinking of romantic images of a moon goddess.

For this reason, China’s mission to the moon was calling out for a strong female figure. Therefore, a young female space commander ( 指 挥 员 ) is under heated discussion on Chinese social media for her work on the Chang’e-5 Moon exploration program with comments about how she is a “frontline soldier in the field of aerospace” that young Chinese can look up to. Soon her pictures spread quickly on social media.

Ms Zhou, a 24-year-old lady of Tujia ethnic group, is China’s youngest ever space commander. She was involved in the successful launch of the Chang’e-5 lunar probe on 24 November, in charge of the rocket connector system, described as a key role.

In Wenchang space launch site, though she is only 1.58 meters and looks “mini”, she is called “big sister” for her attitude and energy. Since senior high, she has dreamed of being a member of a space research team. With her great efforts, she was admitted to an aircraft system and engineering major of a domestic university in 2014, making her aerospace dream come true. To grow into a commander, in two and a half years, she changed five positions to be familiar with different posts and types of work, each of which takes great courage and is full of challenges.

Her story has received attention from Chinese state-run media as well as overseas media outlets. However, it has not appeared to have had much of an effect on her. According to the media, she declined repeated requests for interviews because she does not wish to let fame get in the way of her work.

1. Why is Chang’e mentioned at the beginning of the text?

A．To introduce the topic.	B．To give an example.
C．To tell a romantic story.	D．To spread Chinese culture.

2. What makes Ms Zhou a heated topic on Chinese social media?

A．Her youth and beauty.

B．Her pictures on the media.

C．Her identity of Tujia Ethnic group.

D．Her role in the moon-landing program.

3. Why did Ms Zhou reject the media’s invitation to interviews?

A．She was too busy with her work.

B．She was shy and was not used to interviews.

C．She feared her fame might affect her career.

D．She considered fame nothing but a burden.

4. What can we learn from Ms Zhou’s story?

A．Many hands make light work.

B．Hard work makes up for inability.

C．The grass is always greener on the other side.

D．Attitude determines how successful one becomes.

【推荐3】The wildfires damaging parts of Australia can be seen from space in new satellite images released by NASA. Australia's capital, Canberra, was enveloped in a smoky haze Sunday and air quality at midday was measured at 10 times the usual dangerous limit. The damaging fires have killed at least 24 people in Australia and destroyed almost 2,000 homes. The early and damaging start to Australia’s summer wildfires, fed by drought and the country's hottest and driest year on record, has also been catastrophic (毁灭性的) for the country's wildlife, likely killing nearly 500 million birds, reptiles and mammals in New South Wales alone, Sydney University ecologist Chris Dickman told the Sydney Morning Herald.

Under such extreme conditions, the fires have been generating enough heat to create their own weather systems, including fire-generated thunderstorms and fire tornadoes. Thousands of firefighters continued to fight the flames that have burned millions of acres in New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia, an area twice the size of Maryland. In New South Wales, the rural fire service (RFS) said as of Sunday there were 150 fires active in the state, 64 of them uncontrolled.

On Saturday, Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced that, for the first time in Australian history, 3,000 army, navy and air force reservists (后备军人) will battle against the fires. He also committed $14 million to hiring fire-fighting aircraft from overseas. On Sunday, cooler temperatures and lighter winds brought some relief to threatened communities, a day after thousands were forced to escape as flames reached the suburban areas of Sydney. Thousands of firefighters fought to contain the fires, but many fires continued to burn out of control, threatening to wipe out rural townships and causing almost incalculable damage to property and wildlife.

1. What does the underlined phrase “fed by” mean ?

A．get food from someone	B．be strengthened by something
C．be destroyed by something	D．under control of something

2. Why were there thunderstorms and tornadoes ?

A．Because the fires generated thunderstorms and tornadoes.

B．Because there was rainy weather.

C．Because the fires generated enough heat to create extreme weather.

D．Because the weather systems is easy to change.

3. What can we learn form the last paragraph ?

A．Many soldiers will fight against the fires as they have done before.

B．Fires were controlled due to cooler temperatures and lighter winds.

C．A lot of people moved out of the suburban areas.

D．Damage to property and wildlife is limited.

4. What would be the best title for this passage ?

A．Australia's destructive wildfires	B．Soldiers fought against the fires
C．Wildlife died form the fires	D．Australia’s wildfires was under control