【推荐1】Rumors (谣言): we've all heard some and we've all spread some. In more traditional times they shook entire families. Today, they travel differently because the way we share information has also changed.

The fact is that rumors have great potential to upset things, whether socially or personally. We don't enjoy being on the receiving end of one, since they usually don't have good intentions. They are somewhat veiled (掩饰的) messages.

Normally rumors are oral messages: word of mouth. The paradox (自相矛盾) is that there is no evidence to support rumors, but the more people share it, the more they see it as true. To finish explaining rumors, we think that they follow certain very clear laws. Secrecy: The source is unknown. There is also a proven phenomenon that human beings usually forget the source of a message before they forget its content. Certainty: We hardly question rumors simply because of the mental effort involved. On the other hand, no one likes to doubt a person who convinces us that the information they spread is true. Change: It acts like a tree. New rumors branch out to fill in the gaps left by the first rumor.

Another property (属性) of rumors is that they tend to become viral. Each receiver is at the same time a potential transmitter (传输者) of the information. The receiver often adds their own opinion. Their manner and tone of transmitting it also changes it.

How can we end rumors? The answer is as simple as it is impossible: preventing people from communicating. A more realistic response is equally difficult, although less than the first one. It is that we should be critical of the information we receive. We should ask ourselves if the source is reliable. Ask (if possible) the person you heard it from whether they also trust the information. We should also think about if the rumor benefits someone, and if that someone started the rumor.

One rumor to be especially cautious of is a rumor about groups relatively unable to defend themselves. That's why we say, "History is always told by the winners." The first payment the defeated must make is to accept the victor's version of the story.

1. What can we learn about rumors?

A．We have all heard some and believed them.

B．We're happy to be the receiving end of them.

C．They may have negative influence on society.

D．They often hide good intentions in the messages.

2. How are rumours like a tree?

A．Rumours keep changing, just as trees change their colour.

B．Rumours are deeply rooted in reality, like tree roots in the earth.

C．New rumours have gaps, like the space between tree branches.

D．New rumours grow out of the original, like branches out of a trunk.

3. What does the underlined word ‘viral’ in Para 4 probably mean?

A．Something easily spread.

B．Something acceptable.

C．Something easily defended.

D．Something beneficial.

4. Which of the following may the author agree with?

A．It is easy to prevent people from spreading rumors.

B．People are often active in judging the rumors critically.

C．We should think about the hidden message of the rumors.

D．Stories told by the victors are usually better worth trusting.

【推荐2】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. 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, to 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 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 characteristics of natural rubber can be inferred from Paragraph 1?

A．Inexpensive.

B．Flexible

C．Conductive

D．Explosive.

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．The work 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】Some events have been added to the 2024 Olympias, with breakdancing, surfing, and sport climbing among the recent additions. A group of terms come with them that are foreign to the French language. Some French-language purists point out it’s too much to bear to rely on English to praise surfers on their “nose riding”— standing on the front of the board. They’ve decided they need a French solution.

The French government has created a team of language experts devoted to promoting the national language. They will meet periodically over the next couple of years to identify and define new sports terms. The French battle against the influence of other languages isn’t new. In 1994, the Toubon law was passed, forcing the use of French in all government publications, contracts and advertisements.Yet it contained several loopholes (漏洞), which allow brands and companies to extensively use English. As a result, anglicisms-words from the English language used in another language-are becoming more obvious.

Julie Neveux, linguistics professor at Sorbonne University in Paris, said anglicisms are “sometimes estimated at just under 5% of the present vocabulary, but they are disturbing because they show that we follow an economy and cultural model other than our own.” They are particularly present in sports competitions and events, during which athletes from around the world are used to communicating in English. “Sport was one of the first areas to be globalized,” said sports historian Michael Attali.

Despite their best efforts, no committee has successfully prevented English from influencing everyday language. “Similar committees have been put in place in the past, but nothing has changed so far,” said Attali.

“There are far fewer anglicisms in French than there are French words in English.” said Neveux, adding these exchanges should not be seen as a threat. “All living languages exist by borrowing from each other. Languages only exist thanks to their impurity.”

1. What goal will the team of language experts try to achieve according to Paragraph 2?

A．To speed up the spread of French in the world.

B．To make French influence other languages.

C．To promote national brands and companies.

D．To decide on some new French sports terms.

2. What does the underlined word “they” in Paragraph 3 refer to?

A．English words.

B．Anglicisms.

C．French expressions.

D．Newly created phrases.

3. What’s the result of the previous efforts to stop English from influencing other languages?

A．Fruitless.

B．Remarkable.

C．Important.

D．Unmentioned.

4. What can be inferred from the last paragraph?

A．English is the most popular of all.

B．All languages should stay pure.

C．Neveux welcomes the impurity of language.

D．The exchanges between languages should be avoided.

【推荐1】A new book called “Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother” by Amy Chua has caused a debate (争论) about cultural differences in parenting. Amy Chua is a teacher in an American university and both of her parents are Chinese. In the book, Ms. Chua writes about how she taught her daughters. She told NBC television that she had a clear list of what her daughters were not allowed to do, such as having a play date, watching TV or playing computer games and getting any grade less than an A.
Many people are against Amy Chua’s parenting style (风格), even her husband, who is American. They say it is rude and unfair to children. But she says her parents raised her and her three sisters in that way.
Ms. Chua says after her younger daughter shouted “I hate my life! I hate you!” she decided to retreat because she was afraid of losing her daughter. But she also says American parents often have low expectations of their children’s abilities.
“The debate is about what it means to be a successful parent and what it means to be a successful child,” said Stacy DeBroff, who has written four books on parenting. She says Amy Chua’s parenting style is not limited to Chinese families. It is a traditional way of parenting among immigrants (移民). They hope to get a better future for their children.
She also sees a risk (风险). When children have no time to be social or to develop their own interests, they might not develop other skills that they need to succeed in life. DeBroff advises parents to develop their own style of parenting and not just repeat the way they were raised.
1. Which of the following words can best describe Amy Chua?

A．Polite.

B．Cruel.

C．Strict.

D．Popular.

2. The underlined word “retreat” in Paragraph 3 is closest in meaning to _____.

A．give up

B．go on

C．go out

D．give out

3. According to Ms. DeBroff, _____.

A．Amy Chua’s parenting style should be forbidden

B．Americans should learn from Amy Chua

C．parents should have their own parenting style

D．Amy Chua’s style is bad for children’s growth

4. In which part of a newspaper can you read the passage?

A．Business.

B．Entertainment.

C．Sports.

D．Culture.

【推荐2】There are few more sobering online activities than entering data college-tuition calculators and gasping as the Web spits back a six-figure sum. But economists say families about to go into debt to fund four years of partying, as well as studying, can comfort themselves with the knowledge that college is an investment that, unlike many bank stocks, should yield huge dividends.

A 2008 study by two Harvard economists notes that the “labor-market premium to skill”— to the amount college graduates earned—decreased for much of the 20th century, but he come back with a vengeance since the 1980s. In 2005, the typical full-time year-round U. S. worker with a four-year college degree earned $50,900, 62% more than $31,500 earned by a worker with only a high-school diploma.

There’s no question that going to college is a smart economic choice. But a look at the strange variations in tuition reveals that the choice about which college to attend doesn’t come down merely to dollars and cents. Does going to Columbia University (tuition, room and board $49,260 in 2007-2008) yield a 40% greater return than attending the University of Colorado at Boulder as an out-of-state student ($35,542)? Probably not. does being an out-of-state student at the University of Colorado at Boulder yield twice the amount of income as being an in-state student ($17,380) there? Not likely.

No, in this consumerist age, most buyers aren’t evaluating college as an investment, but rather as a consumer product —like a car or clothes or a house. And with such purchases, price is only one of many crucial factors to consider.

As with automobiles, consumers in today’s college marketplace have vast choices, and people search for the one that gives them the most comfort and satisfaction in line with their budgets. This accounts for the willingness of people to pay more for different types of experiences (such as attending a private liberal - arts college or going to an out-of-state public school that has a great marine - biology program). And just as two auto purchasers might spend an equal amount of money on very different cars, college students (or, more accurately, their parents) often show a willingness to pay essentially the same price for vastly different products. So which is it? Is college an investment product like a stock or a consumer product like a car? In keeping with automotive world’s hottest consumer trend, maybe it’s best to characterize it as a hybrid; an expensive sunburned product that, over time, will pay rich dividends.

1. What’s the opinion of economists about going to college?

A．Huge amounts of money is being wasted on campus socializing.

B．It doesn’t pay to run into debt to receive a college education.

C．College education is rewarding in spite of the shocking costs.

D．Going to college doesn’t necessarily bring the expected returns.

2. The two Harvard economists note in their study that, for much of the 20^th century. _______.

A．enrollment kept decreasing in virtually all American colleges and universities

B．the labor market preferred high-school to college graduates

C．competition for university admissions was far more fierce than today

D．the gap between the earnings of college and high-school graduates narrowed

3. Students who attend an in-state college or university can _______.

A．save more on tuition	B．receive a better education
C．take more liberal-arts courses	D．avoid traveling long distances

4. What is the chief consideration when students choose a college today?

A．Their employment prospects after graduation.	B．A satisfying experience within their budgets .
C．Its facilities and learning environment.	D．Its ranking among similar institutions.