【推荐2】Net Library is a library that lends out digital books. It treats a digital book like a paperback copy. It charges libraries per book per copy and gives publishers a cut of the total income.
From the consumer’s point of view, this means that if more than five people want the latest Danielle Steel romance novel, other people who request that book will get a message saying the title is unable to get.
Many publishers seem to have embraced its model. More than 350 publishers gave the company rights to hand out their digital works, and McGraw-Hill Corporation and Houghton Mifflin Corporation have put money into the company. The California public libraries and about 1,800 others across the US are trying out the Net Library service.
Some librarians criticize the Net Library model. Stanford University librarian Michael Keller argues that the company is creating an unnatural fear of digital works, which is contrary to the ideas of the Internet.
Keller and some other librarians argue for the e-book vision set forth by Brary. Brary is starting a service that lets us users read books for free.
But it will charge about 25 cents a page when a person tries to point out material or copy and taste it into a different file or tries to download a copy onto a computer.
Christopher Warnock, chief executive of Brary, believes most consumers won’t want to buy entire books, only the parts that interest them.
“There is not really a lot of good owning an electronic file and having to store it and manage it. It doesn’t make sense,” he said.
1. How do publishers get money from the Net Library?

A．They get money from selling their books to the Net Library

B．They get money from the readers．

C．They get money by cutting the cost of the books．

D．They share the money with Net Library．

2. The underlined word “embraced” in the third paragraph means

A．tried out something hard

B．held something tightly

C．disliked something badly

D．taken something willingly

3. What does the last paragraph mean?

A．Net Library is not a good way for the consumers．

B．There is no need for consumers to have a whole book．

C．Brary is not a good library for the consumers．

D．It’s reasonable to charge the consumers money for copying some pages．

【推荐3】Adding math talk to story time at home is a winning factor for children’s math achievement, according to a new research from a university. The study from psychologists Sian Beilock and Susan Levine shows a marked increase in math achievement among children whose families used Bedtime Math, an iPad app that delivers engaging math story problems for parents and children to solve together.

Even children who used the app with their parents as little as once a week saw gains in math achievement by the end of the school year. The app’s effect was especially strong for children whose parents tend to be anxious or uncomfortable with math.

Previous research from this group has demonstrated the importance of adults’ attitudes about math for children’s math success. For example, a recent study found that math-anxious parents who help their children with math homework actually weaken their children’s math achievement.

The new findings demonstrate that structured, positive interactions around math at home can cut the link between parents’ uneasiness about math and children’s low math achievement.

“Many Americans experience high levels of anxiety when they have to solve a math problem, with a majority of adults feeling at least some worries about math,” said Beilock, professor in Psychology and author of Choke, a book about stress and performance. “These math-anxious parents are probably less likely to talk about math at home, which affects how competent their children are in math. Bedtime Math encourages a dialogue between parents and kids about math, and offers a way to engage in high-quality math interactions in a low-effort, high-impact way.”

Study participants included 587 first-grade students and their parents. Families were given an iPad installed with a version of the Bedtime Math app, with which parents and their children read stories and answer questions involving math, including topics like counting, shapes and problem-solving. A control group received a reading app that had similar stories without the math content and questions related to reading comprehension instead. Children’s math achievement was assessed at the beginning and end of the school year. Parents completed a questionnaire about their nervousness with math.

The more times parents and children in the math group used the app, the higher children’s achievement on a math assessment at the end of the school year. Indeed, children who frequently used the math app with their parents outperformed similar students in the reading group by almost three months in math achievement at year’s end.

1. Bedtime Math is an iPad app that ________.

A．requires parents and children to answer reading comprehension questions

B．encourages children together with their parents to solve math story problems

C．teaches children how to count, recognize shapes and solve practical problems

D．assesses children’s math achievement and parents’ nervousness with math

2. The previous study found that _______.

A．children’s math achievement are related to parents’ attitude about math

B．help from math-anxious parents improves children’s math achievements

C．interactions around math at home will cut off the family relationship

D．children can achieve more success if they see the importance of math

3. We can infer from the passage that _______.

A．children using the app can see gains in math achievement

B．children whose parents are uneasy about math outperform other students

C．it is the math problems related to the stories that make the great difference

D．the frequency of using the app has nothing to do with children’s achievement

【推荐1】At a primary school in a small town in the east of South Carolina, second-grade teachers Garneau and Lynne are convinced that separating elementary-age boys and girls produces immediate academic improvement in both genders(性别).

David Chadwell, South Carolina’s expert of single gender education says, “Boys and girls learn, hear and respond to their surroundings differently.We can teach boys and girls based on what we now know.”

Male and female eyes are not organized in the same way, he explains.The organization of the male eye makes it sensitive to motion and direction.“Boys understand the world as objects moving through space,” he says.

The male eye is also drawn to cooler colors like silver and black. It’s no accident that boys tend to create pictures of moving objects instead of drawing the happy colorful family, like girls do in their class.

The female eye, on the other hand, is drawn to warmer colors like red, yellow and orange.To attract girls, Chadwell says, the teacher doesn’t need to move as much as in boy’s class. Using descriptive phrases and lots of colors in presentations or on the blackboard gets their attention.

Boys and girls also hear differently.“When someone speaks in a loud tone, girls understand it as yelling,” Chadwell says.“They think you’re mad and can shut down.” Girls are more sensitive to sounds. He advises girls’ teachers to watch the tone of their voices. Boys’ teachers should sound more forceful, even excited.

A boy’s nervous system causes him to be more cautious when he is standing, moving, and the room temperature is around 69 degrees Fahrenheit.Stress in boys, he says, tends to increase blood flow to their brains, a process that helps them stay focused.Girls are more focused when seated in a warmer room around 75 degrees Fahrenheit.Girls also respond to stress differently.When exposed to threat and conflict, blood goes to their guts(肠道), leaving them feeling nervous or anxious.

These differences can be applied in the classroom, Chadwell adds.“Single gender programs are about making the best use of the learning.”

1. What is David Chadwell’s attitude toward separating elementary-age boys and girls while learning?

A．Supportive	B．Worried
C．Concerned	D．Uninterested

2. To engage boy in a class, the teacher ______.

A．must have a moving object in this hand

B．needs to wear clothes in warm color

C．has to speak politely

D．had better move constantly while teaching

3. Which of the following shows the organization of the passage?
( ①=“ Paragraph” 1 ②=“ Paragraph” 2 ③=“ Paragraph” 3   …... ⑧=“ Paragraph” 8 )

A．	B．
C．	D．

4. Which of the following students is most likely to be focused?

A．A boy sitting in a warm room

B．A standing boy who is faced with stress

C．A girl standing in a cold room

D．A girl who is facing a lot of pressure

【推荐2】The two-hour show on March 25, 2019 put on by Tim Cook may be remembered as a milestone for the company – and the entertainment industry. Mr. Cook did not announce his company’s latest device. Instead, he unveiled a set of products and services, including video streaming (在线播放), news games and even a credit card.     

Apple’s 900 million iPhones worldwide grant it access to a massive potential audience. Analysts speculate that Apple will eventually offer them something similar to Amazon Prime, where customers pay a fixed monthly fee for some combination of news, games, cloud storage, music and video, and which could possibly connect with the company’s iPhone subscriptions (订阅).

Apple TV+, which got prioritized by Mr. Cook, will offer original programming in more than 100 countries. The money Apple plans to spend on original shows – perhaps $1 billion to $2 billion thus far – is dwarfed by that of Netflix, which will spend as much as $15 billion this year on original and licensed content, or Disney, whose own video-streaming is expected shortly. But Apple’s high-profile shows are for now meant chiefly to draw customers to its universe of apps and services. That includes subscription services for games, a long list of big American magazines and a few newspapers. You can pay for it all using your new Apple Card, developed with bankers at Goldman Sachs (高盛，著名投资银行). The credit card puts Apple in direct competition with banks: it has no fees and will give users 2% cash back on purchases made via Apple Pay, the company’s payments system – or 3% on purchases of Apple kit and service.

Although Apple continues to earn most of its money from devices, its business in services is growing quickly, accounting for nearly $40 billion of revenues of $266 billion in 2018. The new subscription offering, which is easier to click and buy than their predecessors (先前版本), should accelerate that trend. Its new partners hope to be along for the ride. Analysts at Goldman Sachs estimated that Apple may turn 10% of the 85 million monthly users of its free News app into paying subscribers, wining a cut of newspaper and TV subscriptions sold through its services.

Some content providers are cautious. The New York Times and The Washington Post have rejected Apple’s advances on behalf of its news service. Netflix and Disney will not take part in Apple TV+, which they view as more a threat than an opportunity.

1. The underlined word dwarfed in paragraph 3 most probably means ________.

A．made to appear insignificant	B．reduced to a great extent
C．limited to a fixed scale	D．grown to its full potential

2. What is most likely to be further discussed if the article continues?

A．What action Apple might take to attract potential subscribers.

B．Who might gain huge benefits from Apple’s new service.

C．How Goldman Sachs won the support from Mr. Tim Cook.

D．Why some companies are alert to Apple’s strategy changes.

3. What is the best title for this article?

A．Tech Giant Apple Stages New Moves	B．A Great Challenge to the Entertainment Industry
C．The Entertainment Industry Calls for Cooperation	D．A New Bottleneck for Tech Giant Apple

【推荐3】He was the baby with no name. Found and taken from the north Atlantic 6 days after the sinking of the Titanic in 1912, his tiny body so moved the salvage（救援）workers that they called him “our baby. ” In their home port of Halifax, Nova Scotia, people collected money for a headstone in front of the baby's grave, carved with the words: “To the memory of an unknown child. ” He has rested there ever since.

But history has a way of uncovering its secrets. On Nov. 5, this year, three members of a family from Finland arrived at Halifax and laid fresh flowers at the grave. “This is our baby,” says Magda Schleifer, 68, a banker. She grew up hearing stories about a great-aunt named Maria Panula, 42, who had sailed on the Titanic for America to be reunited with her husband. According to the information Mrs. Schleifer had gathered, Panula gave up her seat on a lifeboat to search for her five children -- including a 13-month-old boy named Eino from whom she had become separated during the final minutes of the crossing. "We thought they were all lost in the sea," says Schleifer.

Now, using teeth and bone pieces taken from the baby's grave, scientists have compared the DNA from the Unknown Child with those collected from members of five families who lost relatives on the Titanic and never recovered the bodies. The result of the test points only to one possible person: young Eino. Now, the family sees: no need for a new grave. "He belongs to the people of Halifax," says Schleifer. "They've taken care of him for 90 years. "

Adapted from People, November 25, 2002
1. The baby travelled on the Titanic with his___________.

A．mother

B．parents

C．aunt

D．relatives

2. What is probably the boy's last name?

A．Schleiferi

B．Eino.

C．Magda.

D．Panula.

3. Some members of the family went to Halifax and put flowers at the child's grave on
Nov. 5__     .

A．1912

B．1954

C．2002

D．2004

4. This text is mainly about how______________.

A．the unknown baby's body was taken from the north Atlantic

B．the unknown baby was buried in Halifax, Nova Scotia

C．people found out who the unknown baby was

D．people took care of the unknown baby for 90 years

【推荐1】Here are some must -know festivals from a handbook which you cannot miss.

The Cannes Film Festival The Cannes Film Festival is the world’s most famous film festival and is held in May each year in Gannes, In the south of France. It was held for the first time from September 20 to October 5, 1946, in the coastal（沿海的） city of Cannes. This festival attracts the attention of all the media（媒体）and receives the visits of important artists, Hollywood actors and directors as well as a large number of film makers.

French Open The Roland Garros Stadium plays host to the Grand Slam Tennis Tounament（联赛）. It takes place in Paris at the end of May every year. Only the best tennis players around the world can take part in this tournament.

Nice Jazz Festival Nice, in the south of France, receives more than 45,000 visitors each year. All of them are there for Nice Jazz Festival, which takes place in the Arencs dc Cimicz every summer. Concerts are held each day between 7 p.m. and midnight.

1. The first Cannes Film Festival lasted for ________.

A．ten days	B．about half a month
C．more than 20 days	D．five days

2. If you are a tennis lover and you’re in France in May, you can’t miss ________.

A．the Cannes film Festival	B．Nice Jazz Festival
C．French Open	D．none of them

3. Which of the following is NOT true?

A．during Nice Jazz Festival, concerts are held between 7 p. m. and midnight.

B．Some important artists, Hollywood actors and directors are interested in the Cannes Film Festival.

C．The Cannes Film Festival and French Open take place in the same month.

D．The Cannes Film Festival and Nice Jazz Festival were first held in the same year.

【推荐2】It doesn’t take a lot to live a healthy live. That parents often have family meals with their children ranks first.

A Harvard study found that families that eat together are twice as likely to eat their five servings of fruits and vegetables a day as families who don't eat together. Families also eat less fried food when they eat together. Finally, children who regularly eat with family have diets higher in fiber, calcium, iron, and vitamins B6, B12, C and E.

During family meals, parents can set a good example of healthy eating that children may follow. They also display polite table manners. Family meals teach children important skills.

When a family eats together, kids can learn about nutrition and healthy eating. In many studies of school-aged children, those who eat family meals have a higher level of nutrition knowledge.

When a family eats together, kids learn about food safety, like hand washing before eating.

Children who have company at meals are slimmer than those who eat alone. That's because they eat less, eat more slowly, and talk more. This is a good way to deter obesity in children.

Family meals can help children build vocabulary. Studies showed kids who ate with their families performed better at school and had a broader vocabulary. Family meals offer an opportunity for conversations where kids learn vocabulary-building words to help them read and communicate better.

Children gain a better sense of belonging within the family when they eat together with their parents at home. Family meals offer a time for a family to come together as a group and develop a feeling of belonging. That sense of belonging leads to better self-esteem（自尊）. In conclusion, family meals are very important.

1. The writer wants to tell us that         .

A．eating together with family is a good chance to teach children

B．it's more favorable for children to eat with their families

C．it's desirable for children to eat more regularly

D．enjoying family meals is equal to eating a big and delicious dinner

2. Which of the following statements is NOT true?

A．Having a company meal is easy to become fatter and fatter.

B．In the mealtime, parents should set a good example of healthy eating.

C．Family meals can help children with a higher level of nutrition knowledge.

D．Family meals can make children form a good habit of eating.

3. What does the underlined word “deter” in Paragraph 6 mean?

A．find

B．replace

C．prevent

D．improve

4. What is the passage mainly about?

A．Why family is important to kids.	B．How to eat in a healthy way.
C．How to raise children well.	D．Why family meals are important.

【推荐3】When Du Yongbo, 23, entered Beijing Jiaotong University graduate school, he could see a difference between himself and his local peers in terms of their consumption capacities and life attitudes. However, he was lucky compared to other newcomers from small towns. The difference could have been more obvious if he had not spent his undergraduate years doing extra learning.

Growing up in Baoding, Hebei. Du was enrolled in a little-known institution in Hebei after high school.

"Knowing that I would be stuck in this place for the next four years, I felt like I was chained down," he said.

Determined to change his situation, Du made use of everything he could find on campus, starting with the technology lab. Here he got to know talented members of the senior class and joined them in their innovative experiments and technology competitions. Du learned a lot more than he could ever have by sitting in class.

But Du didn't just hide away in the lab all day long. He kept himself busy by working with all kinds of student societies, such as the Speech and Eloquence(雄辩)Association and the Drama Club.

"I used to be a little self-isolating, but student club experiences gave me new hobbies and the ability to manage tough people and issues," he said.

Internet was a great helper too. Du once planned to study user interface design at a training center. But he was taken aback upon hearing the training fee—70,000 yuan. Fortunately, a friend instructed him to buy a similar course on Taobao for a much lower price. That was when Du learned about the abundance of resources online. He was eager to know more, studying online educational resources and listening to podcasts(播客).

Now that he has made his way to Beijing, Du says that all his efforts have paid off and that he has gotten the chance to stretch his legs on a bigger platform.

1. Du felt different from his local peers when entering a graduate school because____________.

A．he entered Beijing Jiaotong University graduate school

B．he had spent his undergraduate years doing extra learning

C．he was lucky compared to other newcomers

D．he came from a smaller town than Beijing

2. When Du was admitted to an institution in Hebei, he felt____________.

A．excited

B．depressed

C．self-isolating

D．confused

3. Which of the following is true according to the passage?

A．Du was determined to change his situation to make use of everything he could find.

B．Du learned a lot more by sitting in class after he was enrolled in an institution.

C．Du took part in some student societies to develop his abilities on campus.

D．Du's friend instructed him to study user interface design at a training center.

4. What can be the best title for the passage?

A．Doing is better than saying

B．Experience is the mother of wisdom

C．Nothing is impossible to a willing heart

D．Every man has his price

【推荐1】Every November, Time magazine picks out what it calls “The 25 Best Inventions” of the year. Here, Teens has chosen some of the most interesting ones.

Ember Mug

It’s hard to always keep coffee at the right temperature, especially in winter. It’s too hot to drink at first, but before we know it, it gets too cold and loses all its taste. The perfect level of warmth for a cup of coffee only lasts for 37 seconds, which makes the Ember Mug a great innovation. It keeps your coffee or tea at a certain temperature, anywhere between 45℃ and 62℃ once you set it through a smart-phone app.

Tasty One Top

TV cooking shows make cooking look so easy, but it’s almost impossible to get the recipes to cook the same as how the professionals cook. However, the Tasty One Top DIY cooking companion is here to help. Developed by Buzzfeed, the cooker can be connected to a smartphone app, which has more than 1,700 recipes and videos. You choose a recipe and the app will let the cooker know what to do. For example, it’ll tell you when to turn your steak or when to add certain ingredients.

Jibo

Smart speakers from companies like Amazon and Xiaomi have added a lot of fun to our lives, but they’re still just faceless speakers. However, Jibo, developed by MIT professor Cynthia Breazeal, has brought smart technology to life. Said to be “the world’s first social robot for the home”, Jibo looks like a cartoon character. Inside its “head”, there are various sensors (传感器) and cameras, which allow it to recognize faces and speech. It can also set alarms, remind you of important things, tell you the weather and read news or messages from your friends and family.

1. Which of the following is true of Ember Mug?

A．It’s an invention to heat coffee in 37 seconds.

B．It can make a cup of tea.

C．It’s hard to keep coffee at the right temperature by Ember Mug.

D．You can use it by setting through a smart-phone app.

2. How can Tasty One Top help people?

A．By giving people different recipes.

B．By helping people cook intelligently.

C．By saving energy while cooking.

D．By offering different kinds of cooking apps.

3. What can Jibo probably be?

A．A faceless robot.

B．A family assistant.

C．A cartoon character.

D．A smart alarm.

4. What does the underlined word “innovation” mean?

A．matter	B．magazine
C．invention	D．temperature

5. What is the purpose of the passage?

A．To advertise high-tech products.

B．To introduce some new inventions.

C．To encourage subscription to Time.

D．To tell about some “tasty” products.

【推荐2】It was a quiet village in which there was a military camp(军营). It was far from the towns and cities and there were some high mountains around. Of course it was a good place for training the new soldiers. But it was difficult for the young men to go outside. Mr. White, an officer of forty, was strict with them and he hardly let them leave the camp.

Once Mr. White was ill in bed. He couldn't work and a young officer, Mr. Hunt, began to train the new soldiers instead of him. He knew the young men well and let nine soldiers go to the nearest town to have a holiday. But night fell and none came back to the camp. He was worried about it and stood at the gate. It was five to twelve when Mr. Hunt decided to go to the town and see what was happening with the young men. He started the car quickly and set off. At that moment the nine soldiers came back. It seemed they were all drunk. Of course they found the officer was angry.

"I'm sorry, sir," said the first soldier. "I left the town on time. But something was wrong with my bus on my way here. I had to buy a horse and made it run fast. Bad luck! It died and I had to run back."

And the other seven soldiers said they were late for the same reasons. It was the last soldier's turn. He said, "I'm sorry, sir. I got on a bus on time, but…"

Having heard this, the officer became even angrier and stopped him at once. He called out, "If you say something was wrong with your bus, I'll punish you at once!"

"No, no, sir," said the young man. "My bus was all right, but the dead horse were in its way!"

1. The military camp was built in the village to     .

A．stop the soldiers from going to towns

B．stop the soldiers from meeting their friends

C．train the new soldiers

D．make the young men live quietly

2. Mr. Hunt let the nine soldiers have a holiday because     .

A．he was kind to them

B．they felt lonely

C．they had something important to do

D．they were the best of all

3. The young officer was worried because     .

A．a traffic accident had happened

B．he was afraid something happened to the nine soldiers

C．the nine soldiers didn’t come back on time

D．the nine soldiers drank too much in the town

4. The nine soldiers returned to the camp late because     .

A．something was wrong with their buses

B．their horses died on the return way

C．it took them much time to run back

D．they all had drunk much in the town

5. Which answer do you think right?

A．I’ll believe only the last soldier

B．The officer believed the nine soldiers

C．I'll believe none of the nine soldiers

D．The officer won't punish his soldiers

【推荐3】

Einstein was not only the outstanding scientist of the 20th century, but also a gifted and enthusiastic musician. He once said that had he not been a scientist, he would have been a musician. “Life without playing music is unthinkable for me，” he said. “I live my daydreams in music. I get most joy in life out of music.”

Einstein’s mother, Pauline, was a talented pianist who brought music to life in the family home. Einstein began to learn the violin at the age of 6. However, he worked hard until discovering the joys of Mozart’s sonatas (奏鸣曲) at the age of 13. From that point on, although he had no further lessons, his violin remained his companion (伴侣)．

When Einstein moved to Aarau in Switzerland in 1895 to complete his schooling, he seemed to have devoted a good deal of his time to music. Just before his 17th birthday Einstein played at a music examination in the school. The examiner reported that “a student called Einstein shone in a deeply felt performance of one of the Beethoven sonatas”. In addition to his great skill in playing the violin, he also played the piano and, in particular, loved to improvise (即兴创作)．

In later life, Einstein’s reputation as a physicist often led to invitations to perform at benefit concerts, which he generally accepted happily. At one such event, a critic — not knowing Einstein’s real reputation as a physicist — wrote, “Einstein plays excellently. However, his world­wide reputation is undeserved. There are many violinists who are just as good.”

Probably the summary of Einstein the violinist that comes nearest to the mark comes from his friend Janos Plesch, who wrote, “There are many musicians with much better skills, but none, I believe, who ever played with more sincerity or deeper feeling.”

1. We learn from Paragraph 1 that Einstein ________.

A．had a great love for music

B．enjoyed daydreaming in music

C．had stopped playing music for a while

D．preferred to be a musician rather than a scientist

2. After discovering the joys of Mozart’s sonatas, Einstein ________.

A．began to create his own music

B．spent a lot of time playing his violin

C．started learning the piano by himself

D．moved to Switzerland to learn the violin

3. What can we infer from Paragraph 3?

A．Einstein did excellently in the examination.

B．Einstein’s life in Aarau affected his musical taste.

C．Einstein’s performance disappointed the examiner.

D．Einstein practiced the Beethoven sonatas for his birthday.

4. By mentioning the critic’s words, the author probably wants to show ________.

A．Einstein didn’t live up to his reputation

B．Einstein was also an outstanding violinist

C．Einstein played better than professional violinists

D．Einstein wished there would be more benefit concerts