【推荐3】People in the United States honour their parents with two special days: Mother's Day, on the second Sunday in May, and Father's Day, on the third Sunday in June.    1    . They raise their children and educate them to be responsible citizens. They give love and care. These two days offer an opportunity to think about the changing roles of mothers and fathers.    2    More fathers must help with childcare.

These two special days are celebrated in many different ways. On Mother's Day people wear carnations—red ones or white ones.    3    A white one shows that the mother is dead. Many people attend religious services to honour parents. It is also a day when people whose parents are dead visit the cemetery(公墓). On these days families get together at home, as well as in restaurants. They often have outdoor barbecues for Father's Day. These are days of fun and good feelings and memories.

    4    Children make them in school. Many people make their own presents. These are valued more than the ones bought in stores.    5    However, it is the thought that counts. Greeting card stores, florists, candy makers, bakeries, telephone companies, other stores do lots of business during these holidays.

A．It is not the value of the gift that is important.

B．Parents educate children to be good persons.

C．Another tradition is to give cards and gifts.

D．More mothers now work outside the home.

E．These days are set aside to show love and respect for parents.

F．Fathers are not as important as mothers at home.

G．A red one symbolizes a living mother.

【推荐1】Do you ever get restless if you haven’t checked your phone for a few minutes? If so, you’re not alone. Studies reveal that people these days check their phones once every four minutes on average! Some of this usage may be related to work. However, much of it is because many apps — particularly social media apps — use “clever techniques” to keep us coming back for more.

One of such techniques is to push notifications. You’re getting on with your work or something else when — ping! — a notification pops up on your screen, informing you that a friend has posted something new or commented on your post. It may seem like a small interruption, but it often is enough to break your concentration and make you go back to your phone again.

Another method is to make a game of the in-app experience by setting up a competitive goal element. Some apps, for example, uses streaks (连续纪录), which count the number of days you have used the app. If you keep a streak going, you might get a medal or some other rewards. Therefore, keeping one’s streak alive becomes a major reason to return to the app again and again.

Once you’ve opened an app, its goal is now to get you continue using it. Messaging apps use a simple but effective trick to keep you engaged even when you’re not writing anything. Have you ever noticed that in some apps, three dots (…) appear to let you know your friend is typing a reply? This trick is designed specifically to create your expectation or curiosity. You wonder what your friend is going to say. Well, you’ll have to keep waiting and see.

While using social media apps is certainly fun, becoming addicted definitely isn’t. Now that you know some tricks used by these apps’ designers, you’ll be better equipped to reduce their influence and keep a healthier relationship with your phone.

1. What does the underlined word “reveal” in Paragraph 1 probably mean?

A．Encourage.

B．Predict.

C．Prevent.

D．Show.

2. What is special about an app using streaks?

A．Ongoing pings will inform you of new posts.

B．Competitive games will greatly discourage you.

C．Everyday use of the app might earn you a medal.

D．Appearance of three dots might disturb your typing.

3. There are           “clever techniques” mentioned in the passage.

A．two

B．three

C．four

D．five

4. What is the best title for the text?

A．The Tricks That Keep You Glued to Your Phone.

B．Can People Break Their Addition to Games?

C．Could Technology Further Improve Phones?

D．The Social Media Apps That Waste Your Time.

【推荐2】According to a new study from Cornell University, about one-fifth of the global population, or 2 billion people worldwide, will be forced to resettle or go deeper inland by 2100 due to the continuous rise in sea level.

The study, published in the journal Land Use Policy, showed that the booming global population could make the matter worse. The researchers expected that there are about 1.4 billion “climate change refugees(难民)” in the world by 2060 and by 2100 the number of the homeless people due to the rising sea level could reach up to two billion.

“We're going to have more people on less land and sooner than we think,” said lead author Charles Geisler, professor at Cornell. “The future rise in global average sea level probably won’t be gradual. Yet few policy makers are observing the significant barriers that coastal climate refugees, like other refugees, will run into when they move to higher ground.”

For the study, the researchers reviewed potential problems that climate change refugees may face if they go deeper inland. The researchers were able to provide primary estimates of their loss on inland resettlement space. The researchers found that some inland regions were unlikely to support new waves of climate change refugees due to the remains of war, road developments and rare natural resources.

Apart from the rising sea level, increasing storm weather and the booming global population are also having a huge influence on the numbers of climate change refugees. Storms can push seawater further inland. The increasing global population requires more land even as the ocean swallows up rich coastal zones and the river deltas. These force people to search for new places to move to higher ground.

1. What would happen if the sea level were to rise?

A．2 billion people would be “refugees” by 2060.

B．50% of the population would lose their homes.

C．Inland regions would become more crowded.

D．Coastal regions would be polluted seriously.

2. What can be inferred from Charles Geisler’s words?

A．The sea level will go up in a little-by-little way.

B．Moving to higher land isn’t the key solution.

C．Land and population vary according to climate change.

D．Policy makers should think more for climate change refugees.

3. Why do climate change refugees fail to move to some inland regions?

A．Because they can’t live a normal life there.

B．Because they can’t adapt to the climate there.

C．Because they will go to war.

D．Because they will destroy the natural resources.

4. What does the author stress in the last paragraph?

A．In the future climate will become worse.

B．The earth will see more climate change refugees.

C．Global warming is a double-edged sword.

D．Sea will bring humans more disadvantages.

【推荐1】Finding time for yourself

Few people, these days would disagree with the theory that it’s vital to take time for yourself. Creating some space for enjoyment and restoration each day or at least every week, is a win-win proposition. It’ll make you both happier and more effective in fulfilling your responsibilities at work and home.     1    . Here are some useful suggestions.

Don’t wait until it feels right.     2    , so you want to tell yourself that you’ll only relax once everything is under control. But since both work and family life generate an infinite number of to-dos, that strategy is doomed (注定要失败的). As time-management writer Laura Vanderkam points out, it’s far more useful to learn to tolerate the discomfort of knowing your email inbox is filling up, or that the living room is still a pigsty.

    3    . It’s all too easy to fill ‘me time’ with things you think you should enjoy, above all exercise. If you genuinely love such activities, they’re perfect. But if the truth is that you don’t, you’ll only get angry.     4    , even when the person doing the telling is ourselves. Make sure at least a small part of your week is spent doing something you can honestly say you enjoy for itself.

Pay attention to good feelings. Once you do get some restorative time, borrow a Buddhist technique for making it count: when you realize you’re enjoying yourself, spend half a minute consciously paying attention to the feelings of pleasure.     5    .

A．Choose true enjoyment

B．We hate being told what to do

C．Make commitments in advance

D．It’s unpleasant to have unfinished tasks bother you

E．So, you’ll often find that those feelings increase as a result

F．Making a plan in advance can create the space you need for your own happiness

G．Making sure you actually get a moment to yourself requires a shift in perspective

【推荐2】Bria Neff, age 12, of Sioux Falls, South Dakota, has been named a winner of the Gloria Barron Prize for Young Heroes. Each year, the Barron Prize celebrates 25 uplifting, socially concerned young people from across the U.S. and Canada who have made a huge positive difference to people and the environment.

Bria founded “Faces of the Endangered” to protect endangered species through the sale of her artwork. She has sold over 250 paintings of endangered animals and given away more than $34, 000 to animal conservation (保护) groups. Bria has also published two educational coloring books; income helps support the zoo’s endangered species. She uses her website and Facebook page to present the challenges facing endangered animals, inspiring followers in 48 countries.

Bria began her work as an 8-year-old, when she won an art competition hosted by the International Fund for Animal Welfare. She was shocked to learn there are over 3,000 endangered species and decided to combine her enthusiasm for painting with her love of animals to show species in danger of extinction. She carefully researches each animal before painting it. “I hope I can inspire kids like me to believe they can do great things,” says Bria.

The Barron Prize was founded in 2001 by author T.A. Barron and was named after his mother, Gloria Barron. Each year’s 25 Barron Prize young heroes show the great diversity of America. They are female and male, and from various backgrounds. Many of them have focused on helping their communities and fellow beings; many others have focused on protecting the environment. “We need our heroes today more than ever. That is the purpose of the Gloria Barron Prize: to shine a spotlight (聚光灯) on these amazing young people so that their stories will inspire others,” says Barron.

1. Which of the following best describes Bria Neff?

A．Inspiring and responsible.	B．Honest and reliable.
C．Brave and hard-working.	D．Smart and patient.

2. What was the reason for Bria Neff ’s publishing two coloring books?

A．To show her gift for painting.	B．To help endangered animals.
C．To honor extinct species.	D．To make herself a hero.

3. What can be learned about the Barron Prize?

A．It was intended for all Americans.

B．It was named after a famous writer.

C．It concentrates on the education for young kids.

D．It encourages the young to make a difference to the world.

4. Where is this text most likely from?

A．A research paper.	B．A public speech.
C．A news report.	D．A history book.

【推荐3】As we enter into this new age of cities in which more than half the world’s population will live in an urban area, we must also take a hard look at how we will care for the significant increase in our elderly population. While many will be living longer, they will be doing so with age-related health issues and disease.   Of special concern, the number of people living with dementia（痴呆）worldwide is set to treble by 2050. Alzheimer’s Disease International reports that 44 million people live with the disease now but that figure will increase to 135 million by 2050. With this added pressure to health systems, technology is the critical factor to success.
In Oslo, Norway, a retired engineer, Mr. Helge Farsund cares for his wife, Kari. Kari, who had been an intensive-care nurse who served with the Red Cross in Rwanda, was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s three years ago. Looking to live as normal a life as possible as Kari’s condition progressed, they are participating in a pilot project studying how a smart home powered by sensors enables people with Alzheimer’s Disease to stay in their home.
The system is created by Abilia. At the center of the system is an iPad-like device. The screen has Skype, which allows carers to regularly check in with patients．
Some l,000 people now have the system installed in their homes, and 25 of them, including the Farsunds, are testing the latest version, which combines the screen with wirelessly connected sensorsaround the house to detect motion. If a door is opened or left open, or if the stove is left on, the system alerts patients and caretakers of danger. The planner also provides spoken reminders about daily tasks, such as when they need to take medicine and events like birthdays as well as enabling caretakers and family members to check in remotely via Skype.
“With this kind of system, it allows people to take care of themselves, which is the most important thing,” says vice president Oystein Johnsen. For him, any move to improve city life needs to begin with people. “Smart cities are coming and they need to start with individuals in their own home,” he says. “It also saves the government money. In Norway it cost one million Norwegian krone (￡100,000) per year to have someone in a home, while this system costs 15,000. That is a lot of money to save.”
1. Which section of BBC news is most likely to include this passage?

A．Health	B．Entertainment
C．Technology	D．Business

2. The case of Helge and Kari Farsund in the second paragraph serves to     .

A．expose a social problem

B．introduce the main topic

C．show sympathy to the elderly

D．arouse medical workers’ interest

3. Which of the following functions can all be performed by the system?
①To warn people of possible dangers
②To help check in with patients
③To offer people some medicine
④To cure people of Alzheimer's
⑤To remind people of daily tasks
⑥To play movies like an iPad

A．①②⑤	B．②③⑤
C．①④⑥	D．③④⑤

4. According to the last paragraph, Oystein Johnsen will approve that     .

A．smart cities should be human-based

B．the system should reduce its cost

C．mass production is still impossible

D．individuals are responsible for future