【推荐1】The human face is a remarkable piece of work. The astonishing variety of facial features helps people recognize each other and is vital to the formation of complex societies. So is the face’s ability to send emotional signals, whether through an unconscious red face or the trick of a false smile. People spend much of their waking lives reading faces, for signs of attraction, hatred, trust and fraud. They also spend plenty of time trying to hide true feelings or intentions.

Technology is rapidly catching up with the human ability to read faces. In America facial recognition is used by churches to track worshippers’ attendance; in Britain, by shop owners to spot past thieves. In China, it confirms the identities of ride-hailing drivers, permits tourists to enter attractions and lets people pay for things with a smile. Apple’s new iPhone is expected to use it to unlock the home screen.

Set against human skills, such applications might seem incremental (增值的). Some breakthroughs, such as flight or the Internet, obviously transform human abilities; facial recognition seems only to encode(编码) them. Although faces are unique to individuals, they are also public, so technology does not, at first sight, interfere with (干预) something that is private. And yet the ability to record, store and analyze images of faces cheaply, quickly and on a vast scale promises one day to bring about great changes to opinions of privacy, fairness and trust.

Start with privacy. One big difference between faces and other biometric data, such as fingerprints, is that they work at a distance. Anyone with a phone can take a picture for facial-recognition programs to use. Facebook's bank of facial images cannot be used by others, but the Silicon Valley giant could obtain pictures of visitors to a car showroom, say, and later use facial recognition to serve them ads for cars. Law-enforcement agencies now have a powerful weapon in their ability to track criminals, but at enormous potential cost to citizens’ privacy.

The face is not just a name-tag. It shows a lot of other information—and machines can read that, too. Again, that promises benefits. Some firms are analyzing faces to provide automated diagnoses(诊断) of rare genetic diseases, far earlier than would otherwise be possible. Systems that measure emotion may give autistic(孤独症的) people a grasp of social signals they find difficult.

1. What do we learn about facial recognition from the passage?

A．It is applied to catch thieves by police.

B．It is widely applied by Chinese in many fields.

C．It has been applied by Apple to unlock home screen.

D．It is applied to track worshippers by American churches.

2. What does the third paragraph mainly talk about?

A．Facial recognition will cause great changes to minds.

B．Facial expressions are not only unique but also public.

C．Flight and the Internet surely transform human abilities.

D．Facial recognition has just the same effects as other breakthroughs.

3. What can be inferred from the last two paragraphs?

A．The face is superior to other biometric data.

B．People can keep a balance between face and privacy.

C．The fingerprint is a powerful weapon in tracking criminals.

D．The face has shown many benefits especially in medicine.

4. What is the best title of the passage?

A．Reading faces.	B．Scientific breakthroughs .
C．Nowhere to hide.	D．Human facial expressions.

【推荐2】What are “soft skills”? You may ask. “Soft skills” is the term used for those skills that are not technical or job—related.       1     These skills characterize your relationships with other people, or how you approach life and work. In the workplace, soft skills are considered to be a complement to hard skills, which refer to a person’s knowledge and occupational skills.

    2     Imagine you are working in a company producing something, let’s say light bulbs. You come up with a new technology. Your light bulbs are suddenly much better than others and your profits go up. But, after a while, your competitors get hold of the technology. Suddenly, the light bulbs are all the same again and your profits are decreasing. At this time, you still need the new technology.       3    

Hard skills are like your technology: anyone can acquire them through formal education, training programs, and concentrated effort, and they are necessary. Without them you will not be able to operate in the workplace. Soft skills are your unique selling point.     4     Plus, soft sills are regarded as the ability to recognize and manage your own and others’ emotions. However, in reality, they go beyond that, and into the wider areas of how you organize yourself and how you approach life. It has been suggested that a number of professions soft skills may be more important than career skills over the long term.

Like hard skills, soft skills require a lot of practice to make you really skilled at using them.     5     You measure your success in developing soft skills in how well you manage relationships with those around you. These include family, friends, and co—workers, as well as customers and those who provide you with goods or services.

A．Hard skills are skills you can gain through education, training programs and certifications.

B．They also give you a competitive edge in the workplace and even in life.

C．However, what you need most is a reputation for good customer service.

D．One reason why soft skills are so valued is that they help better human connections.

E．Unlike hard skills, there are no exams to prove that you can do them.

F．They include social skills, interpersonal skills, and a positive attitude.

G．Soft skills can help you a lot in business competition.

【推荐3】Welcome to your future life!

You get up in the morning and look into the mirror. You look young. In 2035, many people can live to be about 150 years old. So at the age of 40, you’re not old at all. And your parents look the same age as you!

You say to your shirt, “Turn red.” It changes from blue to red. In 2035, “smart clothes” can change the color or style as you like.

You walk into the kitchen. You pick up the milk, but you hear the voice, “You shouldn’t drink that!” Your fridge remembers the information about the milk. It knows that the milk is not fresh. In 2035, every household appliance is like your secretary.

It’s time to go to work. In 2035, cars drive themselves. Just tell your “smart car” where to go. On the way, you can call a friend with your watch. Such “smart technology” is all around you.

So will all these things come true? “All these will come true, even better,” says a scientist.

             I couldn’t agree more with the scientist. I am looking forward to the new life.
1. How do “you” look in the mirror in 2035?

A．Young.

B．Fat.

C．Healthy.

D．Tired.

2. Where is the “voice” from?

A．The watch.	B．The secretary.
C．The milk.	D．The fridge.

3. What are the cars in 2035 like?

A．They run in the sky.	B．They don’t need gas.
C．They don’t need drivers.	D．They can talk with humans.

4. Which of the following is TRUE about the life in 2035?

A．People won’t get old.

B．People don’t need to wear clothes.

C．People don’t need to have breakfast.

D．People can call their friends with a watch.

5. What is the text mainly about?

A．Future technology in everyday life.

B．Food and clothing in 2035.

C．Medical treatments of the future.

D．The reason for the success of new technology.

【推荐1】The World Health Organization (WHO) recently said that it planned to add gaming disorder 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 (症状) 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 large 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 suggestion.

“This isn't an issue of opinion; it's an 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 suggestion 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．Playing games for several hours every night.

C．Having no hobbies but playing games.

D．Keeping playing until winning the games.

2. Why is Gentile's research mentioned?

A．To explain the cause of gaming addiction.

B．To show the impact 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 did Levounis think of the WHO's decision?

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 diseases similar to gaming disorder.

4. What's the article mainly about?

A．The WHO explaining what gaming disorder is.

B．New research findings about gaming disorder.

C．The benefits of defining gaming as a disease.

D．The discussions about defining gaming disorder as a disease.

【推荐2】More than a billion people around the world have smart phones, almost all of which come with some kind of navigation app such as Apple Maps or Amap. This raises the age-old question we meet with any technology: What abilities is our brain losing to these apps? But also, importantly: What abilities are we gaining?

Talking with people who are good at finding their way around or good at using paper maps, I often hear a lot of annoyance with digital maps. North/south direction gets messed up, and you can see only a small section at a time. I can really understand that it may be quite disturbing for the already skilled to be limited to a small phone screen.

But consider what digital navigation aids have meant for someone like me. Although being a frequent traveler, I'm so terrible at finding my way that I still use Apple Maps almost every day in the small town where I have lived for many years.

In many developed nations, street names and house numbers can be meaningful, and instructions such as go north for three blocks and──then west’’ make sense to those familiar with these rules. In Istanbul, however, where I grew up, none of those hold true. For one thing, the locals seldom use street names. Besides, the city is full of winding and ancient alleys(小巷) that cross with newer avenues at many angles. In such places, you’d better turn to the locals. In the countryside, however, there is often nobody outside to ask. In fact, along came Apple Maps, like a fairy grandmother whispering directions in my ear. Since then, I travel with a lot more confidence, and my world has opened up.

Which brings me back to my original question: While we often lose some skills after depending on new technology, this new equipment may also allow us to gain new abilities. Maybe when technology closes a door, we should also look for the doors it opens.

1. Why do people who are skilled at reading paper maps feel upset?

A．They are interested in reading paper maps,

B．They don’t know how to use navigation, apps.

C．They are limited to a single smart phone app.

D．They are confused by digital maps’ direction.

2. According to the text, which is the best way to find the destination in Istanbul?

A．Asking local people the way.

B．Following the navigation app.

C．Getting familiar with the city rules.

D．Looking for street names and house numbers.

3. What’s the author’s attitude towards the navigation apps?

A．Cautious	B．Ambiguous
C．Favorable	D．Critical

4. What could be the best title of the passage?

A．Benefits of Navigation Apps

B．Disadvantages of Navigation Apps

C．My World Opens Up by New Technology

D．Have Navigation Apps Worsened Our Brain?

【推荐3】阅读下面的短文和问题，根据短文内容，在相应题号后的横线上写下相关信息，完成对该问题的回答。答语要意思清楚，结构正确，书写工整。

At the start of nearly every doctor's visit, chances are that you will be asked to get your weight measured for that day's exam record - and you would be hard-pressed to find a person whose physician has not brought up his or her weight at some point, and doctors' recommendations to drop pounds are still extremely common. But many conversations around weight have become a barrier, not a help, in the campaign to make people healthier.

Higher body masses are associated with increased risk for hypertension, diabetes and coronary disease. Many studies have shown that heavier people are at higher risk for these illnesses. But the big picture is not the whole picture. Researchers have identified a smaller group of overweight people considered to be ''metabolically (新陈代谢地) healthy'' - meaning they do not exhibit high blood pressure or other diseases.

Research over the past two decades has shown that health professionals have negative attitudes toward fat people. Some refuse to see these patients at all, as the South Florida Sun Sentinel reported in 2011. Such practices keep people from regular annual exams and prevent the finding of serious underlying conditions. Not only that but doctors' appointments with fat patients are shorter on average, and they routinely use negative words in their medical histories of such people. And research suggests that the stress of being a heavy person may cause metabolic changes that may lead to more poor health outcomes.

To achieve better health outcomes, doctors should focus on behaviors that have proven positive outcomes for health instead of the weight-centric health care practice. And people of all sizes are entitled to evidence-based factors that empower them and keep them healthy. Lifestyle changes, such as eating fruits, vegetables and whole grains, along with increased physical activity, can improve blood pressure, levels and sensitivity - often independently of changes in body weight.

1. What will you be asked to do when visiting a doctor for the first time? (不多于4个单词)
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2. Why does the stress of being a heavy person may lead to more poor health outcomes? (不多于6个单词)
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3. What are doctors expected to do to achieve better health outcomes? (不多于10个单词)
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4. What is the passage mainly about? (不多于4个单词)
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