【推荐3】Many people want to know how to help kids be fitter. There are some steps only parents can take, but kids can take charge, too.     1    

1. Eat a variety of foods, especially fruits and vegetables.     2     In that case, you’re more likely to get the nutrients your body needs. Shoot for at least five servings of fruits and vegetables a day—two fruits and three vegetables.

2.     3     When you’re really thirsty, cold water is the No. 1 thirst-quencher (饮料). And there’s a reason your school cafeteria offers cartons of milk. Kids need calcium to grow strong bones, and milk is a great source of this mineral. Aim for 3 cups of milk per day, or its equivalent.

3. Listen to your body. What does it feel like to be full? When eating, notice how your body feels and when your stomach feels comfortably full.     4    

4. Limit screen time. Screen time is the amount of time you spend watching TV or DVDs, playing video games, and using the computer.     5     Try to spend no more than 2 hours a day on screen time.

5. Be active. One job is to figure out which activities you like best. Not everyone loves baseball or soccer. Maybe your passion is kickball, or dancing. Ask your parents to help you do your favorite activities regularly. Find ways to be active every day.

A．The following healthy foods can be of great help to your body.

B．Eating too much can make you feel uncomfortable and, over a period of time, can lead to unhealthy weight gain.

C．You may have a favorite food, but the best choice is to eat a variety.

D．If you, a kid, want to be fit, the following may be useful.

E．Go to bed early and get up early.

F．Drink water and milk most often.

G．The longer you spend on these sitting-down activities, the less time available for active stuff, like basketball, and swimming.

【推荐1】According to archaeologists, language first appeared among Homo sapiens about thousands of years ago. However, how language evolved is still in dispute and mainstream theories fall into two distinctly different camps.

That language came about as an evolutionary adaptation is one widely held theory. That was where the idea of natural selection came into play, which was the belief that the specific physical features of a population made that population more likely to survive its environment, like the turtle and its shell. On one hand, humans needed to communicate with each other in order to survive the harsh environment. Being able to communicate by using language gave the human species a distinct survival advantage. On the other hand, language was needed for social interaction, according to those who subscribed to the adaptation theory.

In their paper "Natural Language and Natural Selection", researchers Steven Pinker and Paul Bloom theorized that a series of calls or gestures evolved over time into combinations, giving us complex communication, or language. As things became more complicated around them, humans needed a more complex system to convey information to one another. Early man saw a group of deer he wanted to hunt. He made a sound to his hunting partner that means "deer are nearby." One day, a storm came in and the hunter noticed that thunder scared the deer away. As a result, the hunter went hungry until the storm passed. Over time, the same hunter also learned to recognize the warning signs for bad weather-dark skies and increased wind. Early man realized that when the sky darkened and the wind picked up, he needed to tell his hunting partner to speed up the pursuit of the deer. Therefore, he came up with a series of sounds that refer to both the deer and the bad weather. That series of sounds was the beginning of an evolutionary adaptation that eventually became language.

As humans learned more about how to best survive, they developed a need to convey these survival methods to their population. To be brief, that's the adaptation theory.

1. According to the passage, the text is mainly about ________.

A．varieties of language theories.	B．the gradual development of language
C．the research on natural selection	D．the reproduction of human

2. What's the meaning of the bold words "subscribed to" in paragraph. 2?

A．Be concerned about

B．Object to

C．Approve of

D．Show no interest in

3. In paragraph 3, how does the author explain the adaptation theory?

A．By giving an example.	B．By listing data.
C．By carrying out a survey.	D．By comparing.

4. What will the author most probably tell us next?

A．The exact place where humans came from.

B．The methods of humans' shaping non- verbal thinking.

C．The reasons why animals cannot form language.

D．The other theory of how language evolved.

【推荐3】“He is the best choice for goodwill ambassador.” Indian movie fans in China say.

Indian actor Aamir Khan has got his major celebrity status in China. Aamir Khan was in China last week to promote his latest Hindi film Secret Superstar. During his weeklong stay, first in Shanghai and then in Beijing, the Indian actor also found out that he has become a major celebrity in a country where Hollywood’s reach has been traditionally limited.

Some local analysts compare his star status in China to that of Hollywood actors Tom Hanks, Tom Cruise and Leonardo DiCaprio. Others wonder if Khan is an activist actor. Still others describe him as a feminist（女权主义者）. The Chinese media seem to have called him Mishu, or Uncle Aamir. The surprising rise in popularity of the 52-year-old Bollywood star is owing to his striking movies. At more than 1 million, Khan has the most followers as an Indian on Sina Weibo, the country’s Twitter-like platform.

Secret Superstar had made more than 400 million yuan（$63 million）earlier this week. The story of a teenage Muslim girl’s fight against ugly patriarchy（父权制）to realize her dreams was released in China on Jan 19.

Last year, his film Dangal, inspired by the real journey of an Indian wrestler through a conservative landscape to turn his daughters into world-class athletes, had made nearly 1.3 billion yuan.

In 2011, Khan’s work first got major attention from Chinese moviegoers with Three Idiots, which was released in India much earlier. A statement on India’s orthodox education system, similar to that of China, the Hindi film went along with the local audience. Film critics and fans alike recommended it to their friends.

Some film critics say the education systems, gender discrimination（性别歧视）and domestic violence（家庭暴力）that Secret Superstar shows are among similarities of social issues in India and China. A series of “masterpieces” have made Khan an effective brand in China, in addition to his movie marketing and film devotion.

1. How many movies starred by Aamir Khan are mentioned in the passage?

A．Three.

B．Four.

C．Five.

D．Six.

2. Which of the following statements is true according to the passage?

A．Aamir Khan was a feminist.

B．Secret Superstar had made more than $400 earlier this week.

C．Last year, his film Dangal first got major attention from Chinese moviegoers.

D．Aamir Khan has got his major celebrity status in China.

3. Which of the following might be the best title of the passage?

A．Aamir Khan’s masterpieces hit China	B．Indian movies
C．Secret Superstar	D．A famous actor

4. Where can you possibly read this passage?

A．In a popular science magazine.	B．In an academic journal.
C．In a newspaper.	D．In a tourist brochure.

【推荐1】It is presently harvest season for Christian Nacht Wey, who operates an apple farm, or orchard, in the western German town of Gelsdorf. Besides apples, Nacht Wey’s farm also produces a second harvest: electricity. Many of the farm’s trees grow under solar panels(太阳能电池板)that have been producing power during this year’s unusually sunny summer. Putting solar equipment on the same land as crops is becoming increasingly popular in Europe and North America. Farmers are finding that this method can make the most of their land, while creating a second way to earn money.

But getting the right mix of crop and solar is difficult. Most fruit requires specific growing conditions. Even small changes in the environment can harm crops and cause money losses. Even if the fruit survives, it might turn the wrong color or be less sweet and may be difficult to sell.

For these reasons, Nacht Wey is working with researchers to test which kinds of apples do well under a solar cover. For testing purposes, Nacht Wey covered some of his trees with a traditional netting material. It is normally used to protect sensitive crops from serious weather events.

Juergen Zimmer is an expert with the area’s agricultural services department. He told the AP that apples grown under the solar covers were a little less sweet this year than those under the nets. But almost no solar-shaded apples got damaged in the strong sunlight that hit the area on July 24. In the non-shaded group, about 18 percent of apples suffered sun damage that day, Zimmer said. Researchers hope the tests will show that fruit crops perform well under solar panels. This could help prevent renewable energy production from competing for valuable agricultural land. That competition has become an increasing question as the need for renewable energy increases to fight climate change and rising food prices.

1. What does the author try to tell us in Paragraph 2?

A．The method of the test.	B．The disadvantage of solar panels.
C．The importance of solar panels.	D．The difficulty of growing crops under solar panels.

2. What are netting materials usually used to do?

A．Speed up the growth of apples.

B．Test what apples are suitable for a solar cover.

C．Examine why some crops are sensitive to heat.

D．Keep some crops from being damaged by terrible weather.

3. What is the researchers’ attitude to using the solar covers?

A．Doubtful.	B．Supportive.
C．Unclear.	D．Uncaring.

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

A．German Farmer Grows Fruit Under Solar Power Equipment

B．Researchers Find Out New Way to Produce Renewable Energy

C．Solar Energy Could Play Big Part in Valuable Agricultural Land

D．Increasingly Popular Way of Operating Orchard Among German Farmers

【推荐2】【课本原文】

CHEMICAL VERSUS ORGANIC FARMING

Chemical pesticides and artificial fertilisers have been in widespread use in farming since the middle of the 20th century. When they were first introduced, many farmers welcomed them as a great way to fight crop disease and increase production. Over time, however, what some scientists have found is that their long­term use can sometimes harm both the land and people’s health.

For example, pesticides can damage the land by killing not only harmful bacteria and insects, but also helpful ones. In addition, these chemicals can stay in the soil and underground water sources for a long time. This affects the crops grown on the land and, in turn, the animals and humans who digest them. Many people worry that these chemicals may make them ill and even cause cancer. In fact, some pesticides like DDT have been prohibited in most countries because of the damage they cause to people and the environment. As for chemical fertilisers, crops grown with them usually grow too fast to be rich in nutrition. They may look beautiful on the outside, but inside there is usually more water than essential minerals, and they often have less flavour as well.

As an alternative, some farmers have switched to organic farming, and many customers have turned to organic food when they shop at the local grocery. Organic farming is simply farming without using any chemicals. Organic farmers focus on keeping their soil rich and free of disease through natural means. For example, many organic farmers use natural waste from animals as fertiliser. This makes the soil in their fields richer in minerals. It also keeps the air, soil, water, and crops free of chemicals.

Organic farmers also use many other methods to produce rich soil. They often change the kind of crop grown in each field every year. For instance, they may grow corn or wheat in a field one year, and then grow beans there the next. Why different crops are grown is that they put important minerals back into the ground, making it ready for the next batch of crops. Organic farmers also plant diverse crops that use different depths of soil to help keep it rich. For example, peanuts grow on the ground’s surface, but many other vegetables put down deep roots. The goal of using different organic farming methods is to grow good food while avoiding damage to the environment or to people’s health.

Some people would prefer to stop the use of man­made chemicals in agriculture entirely. What keeps them from doing so is the fact that chemical farming serves the high demand for food around the world. Organic farming is nowhere near able to meet that need. Therefore, there is still a long way to find a suitable solution that puts sufficient food on the dinner table while keeping people and the environment as healthy as possible.

1. Why did many farmers welcome the introduction of chemical farming?

A．They can fight crop disease and increase production.

B．They harm both the land and people’s health.

C．They can help produce rich soil.

D．They are not expensive.

2. What concerns many people about the use of pesticides?

A．Pesticides can damage the land.

B．Chemicals can stay in the soil for a long time.

C．Pesticides can kill harmful bacteria and insects.

D．Chemicals may make people ill and even cause cancer.

3. Why do organic farmers change the kind of crop grown in each field every few years?

A．It helps put important minerals back into the ground.

B．It can avoid damage to the environment.

C．It can help increase output.

D．The writer didn’t tell us.

4. Why can’t we stop the use of man­made chemicals in agriculture entirely?

A．Organic farming cost us a lot of money.

B．Organic farming can meet people’s need.

C．Chemical farming brought us huge profit.

D．Chemical farming helps serve the need for food.

【推荐3】A research project called Mineral has created robots that move around in farm fields. The project aims to use computers to help farmers grow more food in ways that are healthy for the environment.

With the number of people on earth getting bigger each year, more food needs to be grown in order to feed everyone. As weather patterns continue to change because of the climate crisis, this task is becoming even more difficult. Some experts say that to feed everyone, more food will need to be grown over the next 50 years than in the last 10,000 years. In the past, farmers tried to quickly increase the amount they produce, using methods that were not always healthy for the environment—more fields, fertilizers, and pesticides.

Instead, the focus of the Mineral project is on getting farms to produce more by improving conditions for each plant. Elliot Grant, who leads the project, says the goal is to “manage the plant instead of the plot.” Mineral’s team spent several years talking to farmers to see what problems they were having and how these problems might be fixed. That led to the creation of special robots, called “plant buggies (车)”.

At first, the buggies were very simple. They were built on bicycles and took pictures with cell phones. Over time, they’ve been improved repeatedly. The plant buggies roll on four wheels and are high enough to glide (滑行) over rows of plants without hurting them. They’re covered in solar panels and have strong wheels, which allows them to roll through muddy fields. The robots can take detailed pictures of plants, track each plant’s location, and measure the plant’s size.

Before, farmers had information about the soil and the weather, but they couldn’t track every plant. Now, with Mineral’s robots, they can. By collecting lots of information like this, Mineral believes computers can help farmers make predictions about how their plants will grow. Studying each individual plant could end up saving time and money.

1. What’s the Mineral project’s goal?

A．To replace farmers with robots.	B．To design and sell farming robots.
C．To better handle environmental pollution.	D．To improve food production in a green way.

2. What contributes to the need for more food?

A．The constant disasters.	B．People’s bigger appetite.
C．The increasing population.	D．The development of industry.

3. What does the underlined part “the plot” in Paragraph 3 refer to?

A．A secret plan.	B．A piece of farmland.
C．The mark on a map.	D．The series of events.

4. What is special about plant buggies?

A．They can collect soil information.	B．They can make weather predictions.
C．They can monitor each plant’s condition.	D．They can help fertilize and water the crops.