【推荐1】“For thousands of years, people have known that the best way to understand a concept is to explain it to someone else. While we teach, we learn,” said Roman philosopher Seneca. Now scientists are bringing this ancient wisdom up-to-date. They’re documenting why teaching is such a fruitful way to learn, and designing innovative ways for young people to engage in instruction.

Researchers have found that students who sign up to tutor others work harder to understand the material, recall it more accurately and apply it more effectively. Student teachers score higher on tests than pupils who’re learning only for their own sake. But how can children teach others while learning themselves? One answer: They can tutor younger kids. Some studies have found that first-born children are more intelligent than their later-born siblings (兄弟或姐妹). This suggests their higher IQs result from the time they spend teaching their siblings. Now educators are experimenting with ways to apply this model to academic subjects. They engage college undergraduates to teach computer science to high school students, who in turn instruct middle school students on the topic.

But the most cutting-edge (前沿的) tool under development is the “teachable agent” — a computerized character who learns, tries, makes mistakes and asks questions just like a real-world pupil. Computer scientists have created an animated (动画的) figure called Betty’s Brain, who has been “taught” about environmental science by hundreds of middle school students. Student teachers are motivated to help. Betty master certain materials. While preparing to teach, they organize their knowledge and improve their own understanding. And as they explain the information to it, they identify problems in their own thinking.

Feedback from the teachable agents further enhances the tutors’ learning. The agents’ questions force student tutors to think and explain the materials in different ways, and watching the agents solve problems allows them to see their knowledge put into action.

Above all, it’s the emotions one experiences in teaching that facilitate learning. Student tutors feel upset when their teachable agents fail, but happy when these virtual pupils succeed as they derive pride and satisfaction from someone else’s accomplishment.

1. What are researchers rediscovering through their studies?

A．Seneca’s thinking is still applicable today.	B．Better learners will become better teachers.
C．Human intelligence tends to grow with age.	D．Philosophical thinking improves instruction.

2. What do we learn about Betty’s Brain?

A．It is a character in a popular animation.	B．It is a teaching tool under development.
C．It is a cutting-edge app in digital games.	D．It is a tutor for computer science students.

3. How does teaching others benefit student tutors?

A．It makes them aware of what they are strong at.

B．It motivates them to try novel ways of teaching.

C．It helps them learn their academic subjects better.

D．It enables them to better understand their teachers.

4. What is the key factor that eases student tutors’ learning?

A．Their sense of responsibility.	B．Their emotional involvement.
C．The learning strategy acquired.	D．The teaching experience gained.

【推荐2】I am a strong believer that if a child is raised with approval, he learns to love himself and will be successful in his own way.

Several weeks ago, I was doing homework with my son in the third grade and he kept standing up from his chair. I kept asking him to sit down, telling him that he would concentrate better. He sat but seconds later, as if he didn’t even notice he was doing it, he got up again. I was getting angry, but then it hit me: I started noticing his answers were much quicker and right when he stood up. Could he concentrate better while standing up?

This made me start questioning myself and what I had been raised to believe. I grew up to believe that a quiet child was more likely to succeed. This child would have the ability to study hard, get good grades and become someone important in life. Kids that were active and loud would only be losers.

Now people perhaps come to realize that their kids are born with their own sets of DNA, and all they can do is loving and accepting them. As parents, throughout their growing years and beyond that, we need to guide them and help them find their way.

I have stopped asking my son to sit down and concentrate. Clearly, he is concentrating, just in his own way and not mine. We need to accept our kids, and their ways of doing things. There is nothing sweeter than seeing our children being themselves. It makes us happy and that’s just the way I want my kids to live a happy life.

1. The author tried to keep his son seated so that ________.

A．he couldn’t disturb the author

B．he could keep silent in the room

C．he could finish his homework on time

D．he could pay more attention to his study

2. Encouraged by the example of his son, the author began to doubt ________.

A．the importance of parents

B．the old education concepts

C．the good grades of some kids

D．the love between kids and their parents

3. What does the author think of teaching children?

A．Encouragement is important.

B．Children shouldn’t be punished.

C．Children can’t be taught in the same way.

D．Children should be taught to behave themselves.

4. In the opinion of the author, children should ________.

A．have no freedom	B．have their own style
C．learn from their friends	D．be friendly to their parents

【推荐3】We all do little things to boost the way we feel and think throughout the day. Something as simple as taking a walk or eating a piece of chocolate can brighten your mood almost instantly, thanks to certain chemical reactions that occur in the brain.     1    If you’re going through something complex, you need a more permanent practice. That’s where writing comes in.

As Mental Health Awareness Month begins, it’s worth learning about the ways that you can use writing to support your mental well-being.     2    

Use writing for mindfulness. Mindfulness is a practical technique for improving mental wellness, but can writing have the same effect?     3     By focusing on a particular moment and getting it all out there on the page, you can free yourself from any of the other concerns that are crowding your mind. This way, you can use writing as an approach to mindfulness and as a way of relieving stress.

Another benefit to writing is its ability to clear your mind of worries, negative thoughts, or sources of pain.     4     Fortunately, writing can speed up the process of restoring mental purity and clarity.

    5     People were more likely to talk to others about a painful event after writing about it privately, which powerfully suggests that writing can indirectly lead to reaching out for support, which can mean even greater healing and relief.

Through the process of populating a blank page with letters and words, writing can be a useful mental health tool that both records your experiences and allows you to work through them.

A．Become more self-aware.

B．These pleasures are just temporary, however.

C．There’s real power behind the pen—here’s why.

D．Writing is also the best method of self-care treatment.

E．Clearing your brain of negative thoughts can be really tough work.

F．Actually, the act of writing for a mere 20 minutes each day can work.

G．No, writing is quite a different thing.

【推荐2】What does the average 15-year-old do with her free time? Most teenagers are hanging out with friends, talking on their smart phones or playing games on their computer. But Swetha Prabakaran is different. She enjoys spending her time making the use of technology easier for all.

It’s called coding “Coding, in the most simplest terms, is just you tell a computer to do what you want. It’s just like telling a dog to sit. You’re telling a computer to do something and just like we write in English a ‘to do’ list or directions, you write a language for computers.”
Swetha Prabakaran loves to code and she likes the details of how to teach computers to make life easier for people.“I
focus on computer science, specifically in application development with phones and websites on computers, developing little games or applications that make other people’s lives easier.”

A junior at top-rated Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology, in Virginia, Swetha   Prabakaran learned about coding while taking a computer programming class.“I really like computer science with which I can be really creative and have a lot of flexibility to do the things that I want to do with and build something new that can help people with what I created”

Swetha is the founder of Everybody Code Now! It works to empower the next generation of youth to become engineers, scientists and entrepreneurs. It works with students, currently in various states, to bring introductory computer science   lessons and exposure to technology to students through their schools and partnerships with teachers.

Swetha is working on an app which will help other non-profit organizations.“So I’m working on a couple of apps right
now that might help local non-profit organizations reach more people or make it easier for people to find such non-profits through a websites or apps because everybody has a phone now and so we want to be able to make them these super tools that you can use for anything.”

Swetha says he finds teaching others to code satisfying. She says she will continue to encourage other girls to give coding a try and see the power coding gives you right at their fingertips.

1. How did the writer develop the second paragraph     .

A．By comparing with English learning.	B．By giving a few examples.
C．By making some suggestions.	D．By giving a simple explanation.

2. Why did Swetha choose computer science at school?

A．Because it gave her freedom to create new things.

B．Because she could pay computer games freely.

C．Because it made her free to do anything at class.

D．Because she enjoyed learning science a lot.

3. What is the aim of Everybody Code Now?

A．To encourage teachers to teach with technology.

B．To encourage teens for science careers in the future.

C．To inspire teens’ interest in school lesso

D．To introduce computer science lessons to everyone.

4. What does the last paragraph imply?

A．Girls are good at coding actually.

B．Swetha had a gift for coding.

C．Swetha was content at her teaching.

D．Everyone has the power to code.

5. What might be the most suitable title for the passage?

A．Coding is a Mixture of Power and Talent.

B．Girls Can Get Confidence from Coding.

C．Everybody Cody Now is Growing Worldwide.

D．Teen CEO Says Everyone Should Code.

【推荐1】Best Sleep Music Apps

If you’re in search of a better night’s sleep, trying a sleep music app might be the answer. Here are some sleep music apps to choose from.

Calm

Calm has an impressively large library of relaxation and sleep-causing sounds. It stands out for providing the latest collection of modern music from popular artists. This app offers a free version, but to really take advantage of what Calm has to offer, you had better choose the paid version, which costs $69.99 for one year. A lifetime membership is $399.99.

Headspace

Headspace is an app designed in the simplest way that makes it quick and easy to use its library of sleep-specific music, so it is friendly to the aged. Helpful suggestions point out features like how to set a timer without making you feel the app difficult to use. Headspace only costs $39.99 yearly.

Relax Melodies

Relax Melodies is designed to calm your mind with relaxing sounds. “Discover” page helps you find some app features, like bedtime stories and breathing exercises. Though its free version provides a great introduction to the idea of sleep music, the paid version unlocks a larger library of sounds. It only costs $49.99 yearly or you can pay $8.99 a month.

Pzizz

One thing that sets Pzizz apart is its voice narration (旁白), with male and female options available. Usually, the voice is low and calm. If you find the presence of a voice to be comforting or benefit from someone helping you to relax your mind and body, then Pzizz is suitable for you. Monthly costs for it are $7.99, yearly $49.99 and lifetime $249.99.

1. Which app would you recommend to your grandparents?

A．Calm.

B．Headspace.

C．Relax Melodies.

D．Pzizz.

2. What do Calm and Relax Melodies have in common?

A．They offer physical exercises.	B．They include collections of modern music.
C．They provide free service.	D．They introduce users to a large library.

3. What can you do with Pzizz?

A．Create the voice narration you like.	B．Chat with someone before sleep.
C．Listen to low and calm music.	D．Listen to the voice you like best.

【推荐2】

English TV Guide for June 13 TVB Pearl 5:00 a.m. Tiny Planets 6:15 a.m. Putonghua Weather Report 6:20 a.m. Financial Report 6:30 a.m. Football Asia 8:00 a.m. Delia School of Canada Presents: Science Minutes 9:20 a.m. Prince Jewelry & Watch Presents: Swiss Watch Fairs 2007 ATV World 11:00 a. m. Financial news 12 p.m. China News Report 12:15 p.m. Financial news 5:35 p.m. ATV Putonghua News 7:00 p.m. Weather Report 11:00 p.m. Late News 11:20 p.m. Late Show With David Letterman CCTV-9 7:00 a.m. Weather Report 8 a.m., 7 p.m. World Wide Watch 9:15 a.m., 3:15 p.m. Travel in Chinese 9:30 a.m., 3:30 p.m. Nature & Science 9:55 a.m., 3:55 p.m. Chinese Civilization 10:00 a.m. Financial Bulletin 11:30 a.m., 6:30 p.m. Around China 12 p.m. News Hour 1:30 p.m., 9:30 p.m. Travel in China 8 p.m. Asia Today ESPN China 6 a.m., 7:30 p.m. Sports center Asia 9 a.m., 9:30 p.m. Sports center 6:30 a.m. Table Tennis 8:00 a.m. Badminton, BWF Super Series — Indonesia Open 9:01 a.m. Baseball, Pittsburgh Pirates vs New York Yankees 12 p.m. Triathlon, Ironman New Zealand] 1:00 p.m. Golf, Sports center at the U.S. Open Preview 2:01 p.m. Soccer, Manchester United vs Liverpool 8:00 p.m. Soccer, Tiger Fc Locker Room 8:30 p.m. Golf, Sports center at the U.S. Open Preview

1. If you can’t listen to English, but you want to know about the weather conditions, you watch TV at the time __________.

A．12 p.m.	B．7:00 a. m.
C．7:00 p.m.	D．6:15 a. m.

2. If you are interested in Chinese Civilization, you’d better watch __________.

A．CCTV-9	B．TVB Pearl
C．ESPN China	D．ATV World

3. It seems that ESPN China is mainly about _________.

A．Music

B．Sports

C．TV play

D．Film