【推荐1】An earthquake is one of the most common natural disasters. It may cause great damage. So it is wise to learn some simple safety tips to protect yourself or your family members.

Fragile items like those made of glass are easily broken and should usually be placed on a lower surface, near the ground instead of placing them in the cupboards higher up. Never place them near your bed, sofas and other furniture where you would be sitting or lying down. When there is a strong movement, these pieces will fall on the floor directly and not on you.

There is a strong chance of short circuits (短路) and fire during an earthquake. Make sure you turn off electrical connections and gas immediately when an earthquake happens.

During an earthquake, lie beneath an object that is not easily damaged. Do not go near objects that could directly fall on you. Never use the elevator to go down. Stay inside until the   shaking stops and it is safe to go outside. Research has shown that most injuries happen when people inside buildings try to go out. Use the staircases at all times.

If you are outdoors, do not take shelter under a tree, streetlights, electric poles or tall   buildings. If you are driving, stop your car and stay in a safe place. Do not park your car under a tree or any tall object.

If trapped in debris (瓦砾堆), cover your mouth with a handkerchief or clothing. Tap on a pipe or the wall so that rescuers can find you. Use a whistle (哨子) if one is able to get. Never shout for help. Shouting can cause you to breathe in dangerous amounts of dust. Do not light a match(火柴) because you may burn yourself. Do not move about or kick up dust.

1. The purpose of the passage is to tell readers__________.

A．the damage caused by earthquakes	B．the rescue work after earthquakes
C．how to prevent earthquakes	D．what to do about earthquakes

2. The underlined word “Fragile” in Paragraph 2 probably means “__________”．

A．Easily found	B．Easily broken
C．Expensive	D．Heavy

3. During the earthquake, people are advised to __________.

A．go out of the building at once	B．drive to a safe place quickly
C．take shelter under a tree	D．turn off electricity and gas immediately

4. When trapped in debris, you’d better not   ___________.

A．shout for help aloud.

B．cover your mouth with a handkerchief or clothing.

C．tap on a pipe or the wall hard so that rescuers can find you.

D．use a whistle if possible.

【推荐3】Safe Travel Abroad

Preparing to go traveling abroad can be really stressful (有压力的), especially if you don’t know what to expect. Here is a list of important things to remember, so you know exactly what you need to do before you take off.

What vaccines (疫苗) do I need?

Go to your doctor for advice as soon as you know where you’re going traveling. They will know what vaccines you will need and will be able to advise you on when you need to have them. Remember, some vaccines need to be given months ahead, so make sure you book an appointment as early as possible.

Do I need a visa (签证)?

It’s important that you have the correct official documents for traveling abroad. If you don’t have the necessary paperwork, you might be refused entry. You’ll need to check that your passport hasn’t been out of date either.

How do I arrange travel insurance (保险)?

Travel insurance is really important. It can protect you in different kinds of situations, such as if you need medical treatment or if your flights are canceled. Travel insurance can be arranged easily online or over the phone, but you can always turn to your local travel agency. Travel agents will also be able to advise you on what you are insured against.

1. Who will most probably be interested in this text?

A．People who work in insurance companies.	B．People who need medical treatment.
C．People who plan to travel abroad.	D．People who want to take vaccines.

2. Which part of a newspaper may the text be from?

A．news

B．travel

C．sports

D．advertisement

3. Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?

A．It can be really stressful to prepare to go traveling abroad.

B．You might be refused entry if you don’t have necessary paperwork.

C．It’s not difficult to arrange travel insurance online or over the phone.

D．Some vaccines need to be given ahead, for some vaccines cannot easily be bought sometimes.

4. What’s the main purpose of the text ?

A．To help you make a travel plan.	B．To tell you how to keep safe while traveling.
C．To give you some advice on travel preparations.	D．To suggest you buy insurance for your family.

【推荐2】Although it is impossible to live completely free of stress, it is possible to prevent stress as well as reduce its effect when it can’t be avoided. The US Department of Health and Human Services offers the following suggestions for ways to deal with stress.

Try physical activity

When you are nervous, angry or upset, try releasing the pressure through exercise or physical activity. Running, walking, playing tennis or working in your garden are just some of the activities you might try.     1     Your body and your mind will work together to ease the stress in your life.

Share your stress

It helps to talk to someone about your anxieties and worries. Perhaps a friend, family member, teacher or even your leader can help you get a better view of what’s troubling you. If you feel your problem is serious, you might seek professional help from a psychologist or a doctor.     2    

Make time for yourself

Schedule time for both work and entertainment. Don’t forget, play can be just as important to you as work. You need a break from your daily routine to just relax and have fun. Go shopping or work on a hobby.     3    

Make a list of the things you need to do

Stress can result from disorganization and a feeling that “there’s so much to do, and not enough time”. Trying to take care of everything at once can be too much for you and as a result, you may not achieve anything. Instead, make a list of everything you have to do, then do one thing at a time, checking off each task as it is completed.     4    

Go ahead and cry

    5     It might even help you avoid a headache or other physical effects of anxiety and stress.

A．Do what you want to do.

B．Allow yourself at least a half hour each day to do something you enjoy.

C．Physical exercise will relieve your anxiety and worry and help you to relax.

D．Knowing who to ask for help is an important step in avoiding serious problems later.

E．Set out to do the most important tasks first.

F．A good cry can be a healthy way to bring relief to your anxiety.

G．Laugh when you want to.

【推荐3】There are two types of people in the world. Although they have an equal degree of health and wealth and other comforts of life, one becomes happy and the other becomes unhappy. This arises from the different ways in which they consider things, persons, events and the resulting effects upon their minds.

People who are to be happy fix their attention on the convenience of things: the pleasant parts of conversation, the well-prepared dishes, the goodness of the wine and the fine weather. They enjoy all the cheerful things. Those who are to be unhappy think and speak only of the opposite things. Therefore, they are continually dissatisfied. By their remarks, they sour the pleasure of society, hurt many people, and make themselves disagreeable everywhere. If this turn of mind were founded in nature, such unhappy persons would be more to be pitied. The intention of criticising and being disliked is perhaps taken up by imitation. It grows into a habit, unknown to its possessors. The habit may be strong, but it may be cured when those who have it realise its bad effects on their interests and tastes. I hope this little warning will be of service to them, and help them change this habit.

Although in fact it is chiefly an act of the imagination, it has serious results in life since it brings on deep sorrow and bad luck. Those people hurt many others; nobody loves them, and no one treats them with more than the most common politeness and respect. This frequently puts them in a bad temper and draws them into arguments. If they aim at getting some advantages in the social position or fortune, nobody wishes them success. Nor will anyone start a step or speak a word to favour their hopes. If they bring on themselves public objections, no one will defend or excuse them, and many will join to criticise their wrongdoings. They should change this bad habit and be pleased with what is pleasing, without worrying needlessly about themselves and others. If they do not, it will be good for others to avoid any contact with them. Otherwise, it can be disagreeable and sometimes very inconvenient, especially when one becomes mixed up in their quarrels.

1. What does the underlined phrase “sour the pleasure of society” most probably mean?

A．Make others unhappy.	B．Enjoy the pleasure of life.
C．Tend to please others openly.	D．Have a good taste with social life.

2. What can we conclude from the text?

A．We should pity all such unhappy people.

B．People can get rid of the habit of unhappiness.

C．Such unhappy people are dangerous to social life.

D．Unhappy people cannot understand happy people.

3. If such unhappy people insist on keeping the habit, the author suggests people should ________.

A．show no respect for them

B．prevent any communication with them

C．persuade them to recognise the bad effects

D．quarrel with them until they realise the mistakes

4. What is the purpose of the text?

A．To describe two types of people in the world: happy and unhappy.

B．To laugh at unhappy people and let us avoid such kind of people.

C．To suggest unhappy people should remove the habit of unhappiness.

D．To suggest people should fix their attention on happy things.

【推荐1】Breakdancing may make its debut (首次亮相) as an Olympic sport at Paris 2024, Tony Estanguet, head of the Paris 2024 organizing committee, said on February 21. Skateboarding, sport climbing and surfing which have already been added to Tokyo 2020, have been invited to return in Paris.

Estanguet said the choices responded to a need to make the Olympics “more urban” and “more artistic”. “We have chosen to present the International Olympic Committee (IOC) with the four sports because they are creative, appealing to youth and completely in line with our vision. They reflect perfectly Paris 2024's identity.”

Breakdancing is an example of a sport “which can be played anywhere and anytime in urban and other environments”. It appeared at the 2018 Summer Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires in the form of head­to­head “battles”. In competitive breakdancing, “breakers” face off in “battles” against each other, either as individuals or teams. Breakdancers use a mix of physical and artistic skills combining elements from gymnastics or acrobatics (杂技)．

The IOC had announced that the number of competitors at Paris 2024 would be restricted to 10,500, which limited the opportunity to add sports. But the organizers said the inclusion would not need the construction of facilities(设施) and would involve just 248 competitors, including 32 breakdancers. The surfing events are likely to be held in established surf centers such as Biarritz or Lacanau in southwest France.

The inclusion still needs to be rubber­stamped by the IOC, which is expected to decide on which sports to add in Paris 2024 after Tokyo 2020.

1. What do we know about breakdancing?

A．It involves multiple skills.	B．It's limited to group competition.
C．It will show up in Paris 2024.	D．It never appeared in the world events.

2. Paris 2024 organizers have chosen the four sports because they ________.

A．attract young people	B．perfectly reflect Paris' identity
C．make Paris more urban and artistic	D．can be played anytime and anywhere

3. What can we learn from Paragraph 4?

A．10,500 competitors will compete for the new sports.

B．More surf centers will be specially designed for Paris 2024.

C．The IOC will reject the proposal because of inadequate facilities.

D．The inclusion won't require additional competition space to be built.

4. Which is the closest in meaning to the underlined word “rubber­stamped” in the last paragraph?

A．Recognized.

B．Canceled.

C．Refused.

D．Designed.

【推荐2】Famous centenarians (百岁老人) still active in arts, science are in no mood to retire. “Those who stand still, die,” is one of Oliveira’s favorite phrases. He knows from experience what it means, as the Portuguese film director has reached the age of 102 and is still active in his profession. Every year, Oliveira shoots a film and is currently working on his next project. “You have to work, work, work in order to forget that death is not far away,” he said. When asked about his age, Oliveira said with some humility: “It’s down to mother nature. It gave to me what it took from others.”
Being both mentally and physically fit in old age is partly a matter of luck, but it also has something to do with character. Not every white-haired person is wise and social skills, openness and the ability to train the brain are essential for senior citizens.
Along with the architect Oscar Niemeyer (103), Nobel laureate Montalcini (101) and director Kurt Maetzig (100), Oliveira is one of those people of whom it would be very wrong to think as members of a listless elderly generation.
Another master in his profession is the architect Oscar Niemeyer. The 103-year-old Brazilian is best known for his futuristic-looking buildings in Brasilia, but he also speaks out on behalf of the poor. “The role of the architect is to struggle for a better world where we can develop a form of architecture that serves everyone and not just a privileged few,” said Niemeyer recently. He spends almost every day working in his office in Copacabana, and even when he falls ill he keeps working on ideas: After a gallbladder (胆囊) operation he composed a samba tune (桑巴舞曲) in the clinic.
Another man who could sing a song about age is 107-year-old Heesters. The Dutch-born opera singer spent most of his life performing in Germany, where he still works. Recently Heesters said: “I want to be at least 108-years-old.” He also plans to keep performing. “Should I just sit at home and wait until they come and pick me up? ” Heesters has not given up trying to add to his tally of awards and is looking for a “good stage role”.
Italian scientist Rita Levi-Montalcini, who is 101-year-old and is still active in medical science, has described the force that keeps driving her on: “Progress is created through imperfection.” In 1986 she and her lab colleague were awarded the Nobel Prize for Medicine for their work on nerve growth factor. She’s convinced that humans grow on challenges.
With so many brilliant examples given, we can see clearly that age is no barrier to some high achievers.
1. From the first two paragraphs, we can see ______.

A．being active at 102 is achievable for everybody

B．Oliveira owes his long life to his mother’s help

C．being fit in old age is a matter of luck and character

D．social skills and wisdom are difficult for the senior

2. How many centenarians are mentioned in this passage?

A．4

B．5

C．6

D．7

3. By saying “Should I just sit at home and wait until they come and pick me up?” in Paragraph 5, Heesters shows us he ________.

A．wants to sit or lie in comfort

B．is waiting for people to pick him up

C．is willing to work till he dies

D．prefers to give performance at home

4. In the passage so many examples were given to show ________.

A．old age is a big problem if you want to succeed

B．as a senior citizen, you have to be open-minded and optimistic

C．old people should never think of themselves as old

D．old age cannot prevent a great person from achieving a lot

5. In the writer’s opinion, the architect Oscar Niemeyer is not ________.

A．intelligent

B．pessimistic

C．positive

D．diligent

【推荐3】Have you ever found yourself in this situation: You hear a song you used to sing when you were a child — a bit of nostalgia (怀旧) or “blast from the past”, as we say. But it is not a distant childhood memory. The words come back to you as clearly as when you sang them all those years ago.

Researchers at the University of Edinburgh studied the relationship between music and remembering a foreign language. They found that remembering words in a song was the best way to remember even one of the most difficult languages.

Here is what they did. Researchers took 60 adults and randomly divided them into three groups of 20. Then they gave the groups three different types of “listen-and-repeat” learning conditions. Researchers had one group simply speak the words. They had the second group speak the words to a rhythm, or beat. And they asked the third group to sing the words.

All three groups studied words from the Hungarian language for 15 minutes. Then they took part in a series of language tests to see what they remembered.

Why Hungarian, you ask? Researchers said they chose Hungarian because not many people know the language. It does not share any roots with Germanic or Romance languages, such as Italian or Spanish. After the tests were over, the singers came out on top. The people who learned these new Hungarian words by singing them showed a higher overall performance. They did the best in four out of five of the tests. They also performed two times better than those who simply learned the words by speaking them.

Dr. Katie Overy says singing could lead to new ways to learn a foreign language. The brain likes to remember things when they are contained in a catchy 3, or memorable 4, tune 5.

Dr. Ludke said the findings could help those who struggle to learn foreign languages. On the University of Edinburgh's website Dr. Ludke writes, “This study provides the first experimental evidence that a listen-and-repeat singing method can support foreign language learning, and opens the door for future research in this area.”

1. The “song” mentioned in the first paragraph is intended to _________.

A．recall the past	B．attract the readers
C．introduce the topic	D．compare the childhood with the present

2. According to the passage which language doesn't share the same root with Germanic or Romance languages?

A．Hungarian.	B．Spanish.
C．Italian.	D．German.

3. Based on the last two paragraphs, we can conclude that _________.

A．singing is the best way to learn a language

B．the brain probably works best when the foreign language learners sing the words

C．a listen-repeat method is very effective for any language learner

D．Dr. Katie Overy and Dr. Ludke disagree with each other

4. In which situation can the finding of the research be applied?

A．A mother is going to teach her baby how to speak.

B．A child is going to have his first music lesson.

C．A student is going to learn a new English song.

D．An American is going to learn some Chinese.