【推荐1】Next time your plane lands, listen to the sound of the tyres hitting the ground. The reason the tyres don’t explode is because they are made of natural rubber. The tyres of cars, motorbikes and trucks are also often made of the same stuff.

Natural rubber comes from trees. Workers cut the trunks of the trees and collect a white liquid called latex(乳胶). In the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, huge numbers of rubber trees were planted in countries including Malaysia, Burma and Brazil. More than a century ago, scientists discovered how to make man-made rubber, but natural rubber is much stronger and can last much longer. Nearly half the rubber which is produced each year is natural rubber and there is always a need for more.

Rubber trees are not easy to grow. They are affected by changes in temperature, too much or not enough rain, high winds and disease. Some trees survive while others die and it’s all down to their genes. Two British organizations, the Tun Abdul Razak Research Center(TARRC) and The Genome (基因组）Analysis Center (TGAC) , have been working together to look at rubber trees. This is the genes fit together in very long chains of DNA. The genome for a plant such as a rubber tree or animal needs to grow. The genome contains all the information the plant or animal needs to grow. The genome for a plant such as a rubber tree is smaller than a human genome but it is still very long, which is why it has been so difficult to find. As Ewan Mollison of TARRC says, the work has been like putting a picture puzzle together where all the pieces show blue sea and blue sky.

Now scientists can use the rubber tree genome to produce stronger trees. By understanding the genome, they can change the DNA in rubber trees in useful ways. They can also do it much faster than before. In the future, it will be possible to grow trees which survive climate change and disease.

1. What’s the author’s purpose of writing Paragraph 1?

A．To explain the landing of airplanes.

B．To introduce the advantage of natural rubber.

C．To provide the information about tyres.

D．To compare air traffic with road traffic.

2. What made natural rubber so demanding each year?

A．Quantities of rubber trees were planted in Southeast Asia.

B．Rubber trees are not easily affected by the climate change.

C．By now scientists haven，t discovered how to make man-made rubber.

D．Natural rubber is much tougher and more lasting than man-made rubber.

3. What does Ewan Mollison suggest in Paragraph 3?

A．Finding the genome sounds as interesting as a picture puzzle.

B．The genome of a rubber tree is as blue as sea and sky.

C．The genome of a rubber tree is not easy to be identified.

D．Completing a picture puzzle with sea and sky is difficult.

4. What can be a suitable title for the text?

A．The Origin of Natural Rubber.

B．The Application of Natural Rubber.

C．Natural Rubber: It’s All in the Genes.

D．Natural Rubber VS Man-made Rubber.

【推荐3】Apps such as Snapchat already give users the ability to add dog ears, colorful hats and other images onto smart phone photos. Virtual(虚拟的)mirrors are a little different. They are designed to let users see what they would look like wearing something that they might want to buy, such as eyeglasses and earrings.

A smart mirror is an app that turns the screen of a smart phone or other mobile device (装置) into a mirror, using its camera. As users look at the image(影像), the app will make it appear as if they are wearing the object. These smart mirror Apps are becoming popular among retail(零售的))businesses, which want to get people into their stores.

Peter Johnson is with FaceCake Marketing Technologies. He said, “Virtual try-on off the ability to try on a great many objects, many more than they would be able to try on if were no such kind of App.” Recently, Johnson showed how an app called Dangle works. It lets store customers try on different earrings(耳环)without touching a single pair Dangle can be used on a computer. It uses the app's facial recognition technology to make it appear as if the user is wearing earrings. The earrings in the image appear almost real.

With Dangle, retailers can show customers all of their earrings in a short period of time---something almost impossible without technology. There are other good reasons to use the app. Trying-on goods with the virtual mirror means there is nothing to damage, lose or at risk of being stolen.

Alec Gefrides is with the American technology company Intel. “We always hear about the big store closings,” said Gefrides. “But Intel sees technology becoming more important in providing customers with a better experience.”

1. What is a virtual mirror?

A．An app making the users more beautiful.

B．An app advising customers to buy what they need.

C．An app adding images onto smart phone photos.

D．An app changing the screen of mobile devices into a mirror.

2. What helps Dangle to provide customers with an almost real experience?

A．The image.

B．The virtual mirror app.

C．The screen of mobile devices.

D．The facial recognition technology.

3. What can we learn from the text?

A．A virtual mirror app helps sell more goods.

B．Dangle can make customers look different.

C．Expensive objects in the store won't be stolen.

D．Gefrides thinks virtual mirrors help keep goods secure.

4. What is the text mainly about

A．How to attract more customers

B．How to improve retail businesses.

C．The function and benefits of smart mirrors.

D．The importance of customers’ real experience.

【推荐1】Part of the reason that English has grown as a world language is that it easily adjusts to (适应) change. However, this means that what one was taught as a child in school may be out of date many years later. When words or phrases change, it can make speakers feel “wrong” because they were taught that something else was “right”.

One example of this is a word connected to school itself. Today, it is common for people to say that they “graduated high school or college”. The word “graduate” has two common meanings. One is to mark off a series. The other meaning is closely related. As you move through school, you cross off a series of achievements: grade school, middle school, high school, and college. So, in a way, school itself is “graduated”.

So, when people used to speak of getting a degree, they said they “graduated from college”. “To graduate college” would have meant to mark it off by year — the first year, the second year etc. Similarly, “to graduate to college” would have meant to complete high school and move up to the next level.

But as happens often in English, when people understand your meaning, smaller words can disappear. “I graduated college” is now easy to say. This may confuse people who were taught that you had to use “from” to be correct. But this is not the first time this phrase has been simplified. It used to be that you said “I was graduated from college” instead of “I graduated from college.”

You can’t know what English will keep and what it will lose. Who could imagine that we would still say we “dial” a phone number when we now push buttons on our cellphone? Yet we know what it means.

1. What do we know about the word “graduate”？

A．It got an extra meaning during its development.

B．There was a change in its meanings.

C．It had nothing to do with school at first.

D．It has two similar meanings.

2. Which of the following is the newest usage of “graduate”？

A．I was graduated from college.	B．I was to graduate to college.
C．I graduated from college.	D．I graduated college.

3. What’s the best title for the text?

A．Right or wrong?	B．Words come and go in English.
C．English is a very changeable language.	D．How should English be taught in school?

【推荐2】The idea that some kids pick up information better when it's presented visually, and others physically or by listening, is a myth(错误观念) that could rob children of opportunities to learn and a waste of parents' money, according to scientists.

Researchers at the University of Michigan looked at the pervasiveness of myths about so-called learning styles. They questioned what is known as psychological essentialism(本质主义): The idea that the category something fits into is determined by a biological "truth" with a genetic basis. For instance, girls liking pink, pit bulls being violent, or visual learners only remembering information when it is presented to them in a specific way.

They thought despite the theory existing for decades, there is no evidence to suggest tailoring a person's learning experience to their self-reported learning style helps them to remember information.

The researchers recruited a total of 668 U.S. adults for the study, asking them about their beliefs about learning styles. Respondents were asked to rate their agreement or disagreement with statements like "People are born with a tendency to have a certain learning style." In both surveys, over 90 percent of participants said they believed in learning styles. And around half of the people tested said they believed that we are born with learning styles; that they can easily be identified; inherited from our parents; and help to predict what a child will do in life.

Shaylene Nancekivell, a visiting scholar at the University of Michigan and study co-author, told Newsweek: "We should be using best practices in our classrooms and at home to teach our children. The popularity of the learning style myth and commercial products means that it is very easy to spend money and time on programs or strategies that may not be helping children learn. My biggest concern is that time is being spent teaching young children maladaptive strategies for learning. It is important that children from a very young age are taught with the best practices so they will succeed."

Asked how the study was limited, Nancekivell explained: "We need to reexamine and better understand our findings with educators. It will be important to dive deeper into educators' beliefs and reexamine our finding that educators who work with younger children are more likely to view learning styles in an essentialist light. We also need to better understand how the differing beliefs we have discovered translate into practice."

Dr. Paul A. Kirschner also commented: "The study identifies origins of the belief, and thus is possibly theoretically or philosophically significant, it stops there. The real problem is that THEY rob children of opportunities to learn by branding or classifying them as belonging to a specific group that cannot do certain things. It's also a good excuse for parents to blame teachers and schools for their children's poor study habits and for schools and teachers to blame makers of learning materials."

1. What effects will learning style myth probably cause?
①Robbing children of learning opportunities.
②Wasting children’s time and money.
③Acquiring maladaptive learning strategies.
④Being taught with the best practices.
⑤Believing they are born with a certain learning style.

A．①②⑤

B．①③⑤

C．②③④

D．①④⑤

2. What does the word “THEY” in last paragraph refer to?

A．Different beliefs.	B．Both surveys.
C．Learning styles.	D．Origins of the belief.

3. What does the passage mainly talk about?

A．Children aren’t born with learning styles.

B．Self-reported learning style helps children succeed.

C．What is psychological essentialism and its effect?

D．Experts have different attitudes toward learning styles.

【推荐3】Olympiads(奥林匹克竞赛)are a kind of competitive exam to tap exceptional students with the best of potential,talent,and IQ.These exams are conducted to challenge and motivate the brightest students from around the world and to urge more and more children to take up a career in pure science.But why do most parents nowadays want their children to participate in Olympiads?

Participating in and winning any kind of competition is one of the best feelings in the world.Competitions award merit(优点),performance,excellence—quite literally,the best in a human being.Thus,it might be understandable that:a lot of pride is associated with a child qualifying at any of the Olympiad levels.Who doesn’t want to be the proud parent of a smart,intelligent young child?

It has also been claimed that Olympiads can act as a great morale booster(信心增强剂).Bangalore-based programmer of Olympiad Helper,Vikash Anil says,“Even when students don’t win,their confidence grows.”

However,there are a number of serious considerations parents are missing out on,which has impacts on children.They are being burdened with the pressure of performing well in these exams—a pressure that is often too high and unhealthy for their young minds and bodies.They are also being introduced to peer pressure and“competition”in a very negative and ugly light.

What’s worse,the age at which children are being forced to take these exams keep dropping with each passing year.Children as young as 5 or 6 years old are being sent away to tuitions(辅导)right after school gets over.Many educationists are condemning this,because the International Science Olympiads is for high school students only.

The claim that Olympiads actually make children“more confident”cannot be readily accepted.While a lot of good outcomes are possible from Olympiads,it is also true that all students will not react positively to“failing”at Olympiads.More students are going to come out feeling miserable for having failed the exam.

Being a parent in today’s dynamic,commercial and material world is not easy.It is indeed a pity if parents are chasing“recognition”,rather than“excellence”and“merit”for their children.There is no such thing as a“good”,or a“poor”child.Parents should realize this,embrace this,and empower themselves and their children with this.

As a parting thought I would like to leave this Einstein quote:“Everybody is a genius.But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree,it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.”

1. Why do most parents want their children to participate in Olympiads?

A．To prove their children’s potential and excellence.

B．To prepare their children for a pure science career.

C．To strengthen their children’s competitive awareness.

D．To make their children benefit from stress and failures.

2. What is the author’s attitude to Vikash Anil’s words?

A．Doubtful.

B．Positive.

C．Disapproving.

D．Uninterested.

3. Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?

A．Olympiads:Are Children Relying on Tuitions Too Much

B．Olympiads:Are Children Starting at a Too Young Age

C．Olympiads:Are Parents Being Driven by Commercials

D．Olympiads:Are Parents Becoming Over-Ambitious