【推荐1】Be Productive After Work

After an extremely long work day, all you’d like to do is relax. While lounging on the couch is super inviting, it isn’t totally productive. I’m not saying you need to write a novel overnight or start a new company.     1     Can’t you accomplish goals that you always say you’ll do? Here are a handful of ways to stay productive after wrapping up your work day.

Unplug

    2     Just you. With social media, constant emails and Tinder updates always buzzing(发出嗡嗡声) around us, focus becomes nearly impossible. Obviously, unplugging from technology every evening is unrealistic, so try doing it even just one night out of the work week. Take time for yourself and reflect on your day. Then you can see yourself from a different angle!

Spend time on a hobby

Instead of devoting hours to something less meaningful after work, why not learn a new skill?

Cooking, public speaking, poetry writing, ballet; the list goes on and on.     3     I guarantee you can make time to pick up a hobby just once a week. You can make new friends, pick up a great new skill and have fun together. Sites like meetup.com and Yelp are perfect for discovering new classes and meeting new people.     4    

Work out

One of the biggest struggles with being productive is combating fatigue(克服疲劳) and maintaining a substantial level of energy after work.     5     Following a consistent fitness routine can boost your creativity, and confidence, both at work and in your personal life. More importantly, when you exercise, you’re increasing blood flow to the brain, which can help sharpen your awareness.

A．That’s where fitness comes in!

B．Take different forms of physical activities.

C．Do you find the meaning of having a hobby?

D．Zero technology. No emails. No social media.

E．Why not sign up for one of these weekly classes?

F．If it were up to me, I would seize every opportunity.

G．But wouldn’t it be nice to work on some personal projects?

【推荐2】It’s shopping season，which means pulling those credit and debit cards(借记卡)out of your wallet，entering your digits online—the holidays provide identity thieves with countless opportunities to cheat．    1    As the Equifax security breach exposed the personal information—including birth dates，credit card numbers，and Social Security numbers．

Protect your Social Security number．

    2    Of its nine digits，the first three are tied to where you lived，the next two are a group number within that geographical location，and the last four are your serial number．Since it’s not that hard for a criminal to figure out where you were born，it’s really only those last four digits that stand between you and all the problems you’re trying to avoid．So guard your number with your life．

Strengthen all your log-in information．

If your passwords and the answers to your reminder questions are easy enough for a thief to guess，then your secure accounts aren’t secure at all. The stealing of Social Security numbers has become such a concern that Medicare has introduced new ID cards for senior citizens that omit the numbers．If you believe that your Social Security number has been compromised，you can change it．    3    “They should be ascomplicated as each site’s system can bear and never fewer than 12 characters，”says Richard Roszko，a computer engineer．

Lock up your phone．

Always keep your device locked and use a strong，long pass code．Those annoying software updates often address new security issues，so don’t skip them．   And don’t let Apps save your passwords．You’ll need two“keys”to access those accounts—usually a password and a security code．You receive the code in a text，an e mail，or a phone call from the App you’re trying to access．So if you’re the one trying to access the account(on，say，your sister’s laptop)，you’ll be fine．    4    

    5    

Using debit cards for online shopping is a double serving of daring fate．You’re hurt not only because you’re shopping online but also because when a debit card is stolen，you may be out of luck．“If a credit card is hacked(非法侵入)，you owe zero dollars on the fraud，but if your debit card gets hacked，the money is drained(取光)from your account．”

A．Don’t pay with a debit card．

B．That’s an especially big concern this year．

C．Change your password as often as possible．

D．Your Social Security number is not as secure as you would hope．

E．Experts suggest that you have a unique password for every one of your online accounts．

F．But if it’s a thief without your phone，he or she won’t receive the code and will be locked out．

G．As for your password reminder questions，avoid using what could be found by the thieves on the media．

【推荐3】We all know what it is like to be unable to turn your head because of a cold in the muscles of your neck, or because an unexpected twist has made your neck ache and stiff. Your whole body feels tight. The slightest move makes you jump with pain. Nothing could be worse than a pain in the neck.

That is why we use phrase to describe some people who give you the same feeling. We have all met such people.

One is the man who always seems to be clapping his hands—often at the wrong time—during a performance in the theater. He keeps you from hearing the actors.

Even worse are those who can never arrive before the curtain goes up and play begins. They come hurrying down to your row of seats. You are comfortably settled down, with your hat and heavy coat in your lap. You must stand up to let them pass. You are proud of your self—control after they have settled into their seats…Well, what now…Good God, one of them is up again. He forgot to go to the men’s room, and once more you have to stand up, hanging on to your hat and coat to let him pass. Now, that is “a pain in the neck.”

Another, well—known to us all, is the person sitting behind you in the movies. His mouth is full of popcorn;   he is chewing loudly, or talking between bites to friends next to him. None of them remain still. Up and down, back and forth, they go—for another bag of popcorn, or something to drink.

Then, there is the main sitting next to you at a lunch counter smoking a smelly cigar. He wants you to enjoy it too, and blows smoke across your food into your mouth.

We must not forget the man who comes into a bus or subway car and sits down next to you, just as close as you will let him. You are reading the newspaper and he leans over and stretches his rock so that he can read the paper with you. He may even turn the paper to the next page before you are ready for it.

We also call such a person a “rubber neck,” always stretching his neck to where it does not belong, like neighbors who watch all your visitors. They enjoy invading your privacy. People have a strong dislike for rubbernecks. They hate being spied upon.

1. Where can you find this passage?

A．Medicine dictionaries.	B．Social science books,
C．Kids’ comic books.	D．Science text books.

2. How do you feel when late comers walk back and forth in front of you in a cinema?

A．Ignored.

B．Bored.

C．Disturbed

D．Relaxed.

3. A “rubber neck” often _________.

A．says bad words behind people.

B．quarrels face to face with neighbors.

C．bargains the price with sales women

D．asks about other people’s business

4. Which of the follow is a “pain on the neck”?

A．Someone who helps you find your seat in a movie theatre.

B．Someone who smokes in a smoking section on a train.

C．Someone who throws trash out of his car window on the highway.

D．Someone who goes to the doctor for his severe pain on the neck.

【推荐1】From the health point of view we are living in an amazing age. We are free from many of the most dangerous diseases. A large number of once deadly illnesses can now be cured by modern medicine. It is almost certain that one day medicines will be found for the most stubborn remaining diseases. The expectation of life has increased greatly. But though the possibility of living a long and happy life is greater than ever before, every day we witness the unbelievable killing of men, women and children on the roads. Man VS the motor car! It is a never-ending battle which man is losing. Thousands of people the world over are killed or horribly killed each year and we are quietly sitting back and letting it happen.
It has been rightly said that when a man is sitting behind a steering wheel (方向盘), ________________________ There is no doubt that the motor-car often brings out a man’s very worst qualities. People who are normally quiet and pleasant may become unrecognizable when they are behind a steering-wheel. They say, they are ill-mannered and aggressive, willful as two-year-olds and completely selfish. All their hidden angers and disappointments seem to be brought to the surface by the act of driving.
The surprising thing is that society smiles so gently on the motorist and seems to forgive his behavior. Everything is done for his convenience. Cities are allowed to become almost uninhabitable because of heavy traffic; towns are made ugly by huge car parks; the countryside is ruined by road networks; and the deaths become nothing more than a number every year, to be easily forgotten.
It is high time a world rule was created to reduce this senseless waste of human life. With regard to driving, the laws of some countries are unbelievably lax (不严格) and even the strictest are not strict enough. A rule which was universally accepted could only have an obviously beneficial effect on the accident rate. Here are a few examples of some of the things that might be done. The driving test should be standardized and made far more difficult than it is; all the drivers should be made to take a test every three years or so; the age at which young people are allowed to drive any vehicle should be raised to at least 21; all vehicles should be put through strict tests for safety each year. Even the smallest amount of alcohol in the blood can damage a person’s driving ability. Present drinking and driving laws ( where they exist) should be made much stricter. Speed limits should be required on all roads. Governments should lay down safety specifications for car factories, as has been done in the USA. All advertising stressing power and performance should be banned. These measures may not sound good enough. But surely nothing should be considered as too severe if it results in reducing the number of deaths. After all, the world is for human beings, not motor-cars.
1. What is the main idea of this passage?

A．Traffic accidents are mainly caused by motorists.

B．Thousands of people the world over are killed each year.

C．The laws of some countries about driving are not lax.

D．Only stricter traffic laws can prevent accidents.

2. What does the author think of society toward motorists?

A．Society laughs at the motorists.

B．Huge car parks are built in the cities and towns.

C．Victims of accidents are nothing.

D．Society forgives their rude driving.

3. What does the author mean by saying “ his car becomes the extension of his personality” in   Paragraph 2?

A．Driving can show his hidden qualities.

B．Driving can show the other part of his personality.

C．Driving can bring out his characters.

D．Driving can represent his manners.

4. Which of the followings is NOT mentioned as a way against traffic accidents?

A．Build more highways.

B．Stricter drivin tests.

C．Test drivers every three years.

D．Raise age limit and lay down safety specifications.

【推荐2】It is quite reasonable to blame traffic jams, the cost of gas and the great speed of modern life, but manners on the road are becoming horrible. Everybody knows that the nicest men would become fierce tigers behind the wheel. It is all right to have a tiger in a cage, but to have one in the driver’s seat is another matter.

Road politeness is not only good manners, but a good sense. It takes the most cool-headed drivers great patience to give up the desire to beat back when forced to face rude driving. On the other hand, a little politeness goes a long way towards reducing the possibility of quarrelling and fighting. A friendly nod or a wave of thanks in answer to an act of politeness helps to create an atmosphere of good will and becomes so necessary in modern traffic conditions. But such behaviors of politeness are by no means enough. Many drivers nowadays don’t even seem able to recognize politeness when they see it.

However, misplaced politeness can also be dangerous. A typical example is the driver who waves to a child crossing the street at a wrong place into the path of oncoming cars that may not be able to stop in time. The same goes for encouraging old ladies to cross the road wherever and whenever they want to.

An experienced driver, whose manners are faultless, told me it would help if drivers learnt to correctly join in traffic stream without causing total blockages that give rise to unpleasant feelings. Unfortunately, modern drivers can’t even learn to drive, let alone master the roadmanship (公路驾车技能). Years ago, experts warned us that the fast increase of the car ownership would demand more give-and-take from all road users. It is high time for all of us to take this message to heart.

1. Which of the following can be the best title for this passage?

A．Traffic Jams.	B．Good Manners.
C．Road Politeness.	D．Modem Drivers.

2. What often cause(s) troubles on the road?

A．Traffic jams.	B．The behaviour of the drivers.
C．The great speed of modern life.	D．Terrible road conditions.

3. According to the writer, what should a good driver do?

A．Encourage children to cross the road whenever they want to.

B．Beat back when forced to face rude driving.

C．Be able to recognise politeness when he sees it.

D．Join in a traffic stream quickly however other people feel.

4. It is not always right for drivers to _____.

A．master the roadmanship

B．neglect politeness when they see it

C．give a friendly nod in answer to an act of politeness

D．encourage old ladies to cross the road whenever and wherever they want to

【推荐3】Carbon dioxide emissions from transportation are now thought as the top source of green-house gases. One of the most effective ways to reduce your carbon footprint is to reconsider how much, and how often, you travel.

Going car free for a year could save about 2. 6 tons of carbon dioxide, according to a study from the University of British Columbia. How can you stop using a car? Try taking a train, bus or better yet, riding a bike.

But let’s be realistic. You will likely need to use a car this year. So, when you do, here are some tips to make your trip more climate-friendly. Driving efficiently can help to reduce emissions. Go easy on the gas and brakes and drive like you have an egg under your foot. Regularly service your car to keep it more efficient. Keeping your tires pumped correctly can re-duce emissions. Low tire pressure will hurt your fuel economy. Air conditioning and frequent city driving can make emissions go up. So cut down on these as often as possible. Use cruise control (定速巡航) on long drives-in most cases, this can help to save gas. Don’t weigh your car down with extra things that you don’t need on your trip.

Fly often? Taking one fewer long round-trip flight could reduce your personal carbon footprint significantly. If you use public transportation often and fly less, your carbon foot-print might still be relatively sustainable, but if you drive and fly a lot, your emissions will be sigher. If you can’t avoid flying, you can offset them by donating money to sustainable proacts, such as supplying efficient stoves to rural homes, or projects which help farmers deal with crop waste environmentally.

1. What does the author think of going car free?

A．Efficient.

B．Costly.

C．Impractical.

D．Reliable.

2. Which can be adopted to save fuel of your car?

A．Maintaining your car properly.	B．Using cruise control in the city.
C．Stepping hard on the gas and brakes.	D．Geiting rid of all the necessary loads.

3. What does the underlined word “offset” in paragraph 4 mean?

A．Make up for.

B．Team up with.

C．Set foot in.

D．Put up with.

4. Which is the best title for the text?

A．How to save fuel when driving cars	B．How to reduce your carbon footprint
C．Reduce carbon footprint by all means	D．Lower carbon footprint in transportation

【推荐2】Buildings, pollution, poor soil, insects, and even car crashes can add to tree loss. However, between 2016 and 2021, the city of Seattle in Washington state was reported to have lost about 255 hectares of tree covering, for which climate change was blamed. Then came the driest summer on Seattle’s record books in 2022. The drier conditions and hotter temperatures have left many trees with brown leaves, naked branches, and extreme seeding. These are all signs of tree stress.

According to Nicholas Johnson, a tree expert for Seattle City Parks, if this warming climate continues we are going to have a lot of trees die. Just like people, under the heat trees get weak.

Researchers from France and Australia studied the effect of hotter temperatures and less rain on more than 3,100 trees and plants in 164 cities across 78 countries. They found about half the trees in the cities were experiencing climate conditions beyond their limits. They also found that by 2050 nearly all trees planted in Australian cities will not survive.

It’s not the gradual change but these extreme swings of too much water, too little water, too much wind, and terrible storms that are going to cause these rapid changes. In 2005, Hurricane Katrina destroyed about 10 percent of the trees in New Orleans, Louisiana. And in 2021, Hurricane Ida uprooted many new tree plantings.

To settle the problem of tree loss, non-native trees have been brought to cities for some time. In the city of Bellevue, Washington, experts are growing different kinds of trees specifically for climate change. On city grounds, they are planting baby giant sequoias, just a few centimeters tall. The giant sequoias are not native to the Pacific Northwest area. But the trees can deal with the lack of rain and insects. Once these trees are established, they grow incredibly fast. Having many different kinds and ages of trees is important to keeping urban forests alive.

“Life always finds a way,” said Nicholas Johnson. “And in Seattle, people are helping life find a way.”

1. What is the first paragraph mainly about?

A．The bad condition of trees in Seattle.

B．The terrible climate in Seattle in recent years.

C．Natural reasons for tree loss.

D．The signs of tree stress.

2. What is endangering the trees in Australia cities?

A．Buildings.	B．Pollution.
C．Extreme climate.	D．Car crashes.

3. How do tree experts solve the problem of tree death?

A．By improving planting methods.

B．By changing the kinds of trees.

C．By treating trees as babies.

D．By improving the soil quality.

4. Which is Nicholas Johnson’s attitude to the future of trees in cities?

A．Indifferent.

B．Negative.

C．Skeptical.

D．Positive.

【推荐3】A number of studies have shown that employees who view their work as a calling (使命感) tend to do better on subjective measures, such as work and life satisfaction, than those for whom a job is chiefly a means to a salary.

New research finds gains in objective terms (客观方面) too. The researchers began by analyzing data from the Wisconsin Study, which collected information on thousands of high school graduates over many years. Those who described their work as a calling in 2015 earned more than others that year, after various aspects were taken into consideration, and the situation remained unchanged when participants were surveyed again in 2022.

To test the relationship of causes and effects, the researchers created three videos in which an employee named Sam spoke of his work as being a calling, or a job, or nothing special. Participants were asked to watch one of the videos before answering questions about what kind of bonus (奖金) and pay raise “Sam” should receive and whether he should be promoted. Those who observed the “calling” Sam were far more likely than the others to award a bonus. They gave him higher pay raises than people gave to the “job” Sam, and they were more likely to recommend him for promotion.

Analyses showed that the higher rewards resulted from the feeling that the Sam who saw his job as a calling was a better performer and was more committed to the organization — even though the videos showed the same level of performance. The unreasonable impression can also have negative effects, they said. “Managers might expect ‘calling’ employees to maintain positivity in the face of challenges. When they do not, these employees might experience worse negative reactions than ‘job’ employees.”

1. What does the second paragraph mainly talk about?

A．The limitation of the data.	B．The changes of the graduates.
C．The result based on the data.	D．The abilities of the graduates.

2. What sort of question should the participants answer?

A．Whether the Sam should grasp more skills.

B．Whether the Sam should make more efforts.

C．Whether the Sam should be given a higher rank.

D．Whether the Sam should get on better with others.

3. What does the underlined word “him” in paragraph 3 refer to?

A．An employee who regarded his work as nothing special.

B．An employee who viewed his work as a means of living.

C．An employee who considered his work as a burden.

D．An employee who treated his work as a calling.

4. How can managers expect “calling” employees to be when they face a hard situation?

A．The employees can be more modest.	B．The employees can be more doubtful.
C．The employees can be more cautious.	D．The employees can be more confident.

【推荐1】Fast food has become indicative of our thoughtless, throwaway society. Yes, it may taste good to some people, but the truth is, it is terrible for health. For those who live in a fast food fantasy world, eating it every day, believing that it is fast, convenient and inexpensive, it can be catastrophic（灾难性的）.

Contrary to being cheap, fast food is very expensive on many levels. To start with, a home-cooked nutritious meal will cost a lot less than any fast food meal and you will know exactly what ingredients are in your food.

However, the expense is not only in terms of the money you spend at the restaurant. There are hidden costs. Not only does it cost money to pay for the petrol to go and get this nutritionally poor food, but also it is very wasteful of paper, plastic and styrene（苯乙烯），all of which do serious damage to the environment: plastic and styrene cannot be got rid of, but break up into small particles（颗粒）and end up in our water supply or our air, and therefore our food chain. It is a very serious circle.

Besides not being good for you, fast food is also addictive（上瘾的）. The more you eat, the more you want, and so, more and more kids are suffering from fatness. Fast food restaurants have become a favorite hangout for teens, and not just for something to eat. If fast food was designed to be quick and easy, why do many of them have cafes, a WiFi zone and an eat-in restaurant？Those are not things a person in a hurry would use. The goal now is trying to attract customers to stay longer and thus spend more money. Their marketing is aimed at attracting kids because they are the ones who have money to spend and are customers of the future.

Fast food is dangerous to your health, hard on your wallet, addictive and harmful to the environment. Through the power of the melia（媒体），children, teens and adults are attracted to “fit in and be cool” ，be part of the fast throwaway lifestyle it promotes. How to resist the hype（促销广告）? Just take a good look at the results on those who eat it. Then look at yourself.

1. What is the author’s purpose in writing the text？

A．To present the advantages and disadvantages of fast food.

B．To tell readers about the negative effects of fast food.

C．To explain what ingredients you can find in fast food.

D．To compare home food with fast food.

2. The author thinks fast food is expensive because ______.

A．the price includes the labor and materials

B．the delivery charge of fast food is high

C．the hidden costs have to be included

D．the packaging is too expensive

3. Fast food chains want to attract young people because ______

A．the young care less about their health

B．their food promotes a young lifestyle

C．the young are more easily addicted to fast food

D．they consider the young as their main future customers

【推荐2】Scientists are urging that deep sea metal mining should be stopped temporarily. They warn in a report that it can cause severe and damaging effects on Pacific Ocean areas.

The recently-released report examined more than 250 published studies on deep Sea mining. The research was examined by the Deep Sea Mining Campaign——a collection of not-for profit organizations. The report centers on mining activities related to small metallic particles(颗粒; 微粒), called nodules, found on the seabed. The material can contain different metals. Increasing demand for these metals has led to a rise in deep-sea mining operations. The metals are commonly used in battery manufacturing(制造) and other technology products.

However, the scientists warn that mining for these nodules will cause irreversible（无法复原的）damage to an ocean already under pressure. The operations will affect areas across the South Pacific, including the nations of Kiribati, the Cook Islands, Nauru, Tonga and Papua New Guinea.

The report notes that a moratorium is the only responsible way to move forward until certain conditions surrounding deep-sea mining can be met. The scientists are calling for additional study to fully understand the environmental, social and economic risks.

Andrew Chin is the report’s lead researcher. He says in a statement that nodule mining will likely result in the loss of sea life and cause damage to deep seabeds for thousands of years. He adds that the operations can put people at risk who depend on the ocean and its continued health.

A company planning to be one of the first to carry out mining operations in the area is Canada’s Deep Green, which aims to begin by 2024. It seeks to mine metallic nodules to be used in power systems for electric vehicles. Deep Green Chief Executive Officer Gerard Barron defended the company’s plans in reaction to the report. He said deep-sea mining offered the best replacement for surface mining, which has a long history of pollution and destroying forests and wildlife.

1. Why are deep-sea mining operations on the rise?

A．More metals are needed.	B．Surface mining is banned,
C．Battery industry is falling.	D．The seabed is easy to find,

2. Which of the following best explains the word “moratorium” underlined in paragraph 4?

A．Loose measure.	B．Thorough study.
C．Temporary stop.	D．Permanent deal.

3. What can we learn from Andrew Chin’s words?

A．Conditions surrounding deep-sea mining are great.

B．The damage caused by nodule mining is reversible.

C．Nodule mining can cause harm in various aspects.

D．People are less likely to be affected by nodule mining.

4. Who holds the idea that deep-sea mining is the best choice?

A．scientists	B．Deep Sea Mining Campaign
C．Andrew Chin	D．Gerard Barron

【推荐3】I took a job as a receptionist for a vet(兽医)almost five decades ago. As a crazy animal lover, I accepted the position on the condition that I wouldn't have to assist with any wounded animals. I couldn't bear to see any creature in pain.

At the end of my first week, we were closing the office for the day when a young man ran up to us holding a severely injured Doberman pinscher puppy in his arms and begging us to save his life. The four-month-old pup had been hit by a car.

The doctor and I ran back into the operating room. The only place the skin was still attached to this poor little animal's body was around one shoulder. The vet worked tirelessly for what seemed like hours, sewing him back together again. That was the easy part. The puppy had broken multiple bones, including his spine. If he survived the next few days, we were quite sure he would never walk again.

That day forever changed my life. One of my first jobs was to give that Doberman puppy daily physical treatment. I remember moving his tiny legs to try to keep his muscles from weakening.

Weeks went by until one day, I felt this little fighter push back ever so slightly. And he continued to push back till he could finally use his legs.

Fast-forward about a year. I walked into the clinic's crowded waiting room and called the name of the next client. Suddenly, a huge Doberman who had been standing quietly with his owner on the opposite side of the room broke loose and rushed toward me. I found myself pinned against the wall with this huge dog standing on his back legs, his front paws on my shoulder, washing my face with abundant and joyful kisses.

I still tear up in amazement at the display of love and gratitude the dog had for me that day all those years ago.

1. The author didn't want to assist with wounded animals because

A．she didn't have relevant experience to treat animals.

B．she couldn't stand watching animals suffering from pain.

C．she showed no sympathy for wounded animals.

D．she saw no reward if she helped wounded animals.

2. What happened to the dog in the end?

A．The dog survived, but he couldn't walk again.

B．The dog was still a great fighter after recovery.

C．The dog would never know who saved his life.

D．The dog finally got back to his feet again.

3. Which of the following best describe the dog when he met the author?

A．frightened and aggressive

B．joyful and grateful

C．joyful and nervous

D．excited and aggressive