【推荐3】How does a place become a World Heritage Site (世界遗产)? It takes a lot of people to decide.

First, if a country wants one of its places to be on the List of World Heritage Sites, it has to ask the UNESCO (联合国教科文组织). The place must be important and special. The UNESCO put the Great Wall on the list in 1987 because, it said, it was a great part of Chinese culture and beautifully made to go with the land. When a country asks, it must also make a plan for taking care of the place.

Second, the World Heritage Committee of the UNESCO talks about different places and decides whether to put them on the list. The committee meets every June. Many experts help the committee to decide.

Third, after a new place goes on the list, the UNESCO gives money to help keep it looking good. If a place is in serious danger, it may be put on the List of World Heritage in Danger. The UNESCO gives special care and help to those places.

Then, countries have to give the UNESCO regular reports about places on the list. If the UNESCO thinks a country isn’t taking good enough care of a place, the site will be taken off the list.

1. What can we infer from the passage?

A．Becoming a World Heritage Site takes hard work.

B．A place with beautiful scenery is often on the List of World Heritage Sites.

C．A place which is taken good care of is often on the List of World Heritage Sites.

D．The Great Wall became a World Heritage Site for its long history.

2. If a place successfully becomes a World Heritage Site, the country ________.

A．can ask the UNESCO for more money and help

B．should continue to take special care of it

C．won’t take trouble to care for it

D．will try to put it on the List of World Heritage in Danger

3. What’s the passage mainly discussing?

A．How the World Heritage Committee of UNESCO decides a World Heritage Site.

B．How the World Heritage Committee of UNESCO protects a World Heritage Site.

C．How the Great Wall became a World Heritage Site.

D．How a place becomes a World Heritage Site.

4. What’s the purpose of putting a place on the List of World Heritage Sites?

A．To attract more tourists from other countries.

B．To get more money and help from other countries.

C．To have it taken better care of.

D．To make it known to other countries.

【推荐2】The sales advertisements tempt (诱惑): Blue-light-blocking glasses are supposed to protect eyes from the effects of short-wave length light emitting from our smartphones, computer screens and LED lights. Given how much time we spend on our devices, this sounds like a smart investment, right? After all, eye strain (疲劳) is a real issue and can lead to poor sleep and even eye diseases. The glasses can cost $15 all the way up to several hundred dollars. But do they work?

Elizabeth Esparaz, an ophthalmologist (眼科专家) based in Cleveland, Ohio, says the science that manufacturers share as they promote these glasses can be confusing. For starters, blue light is not just about tech devices, and it’s not always bad. “The sun emits a much higher intensity of blue light than human-made devices, which helps our mood, alertness and sleep-wake cycle,” says Dr. Esparaz.

The problem is blue light at night: It contains the release of melatonin. “Melatonin helps regulate our circadian rhythms (生理节奏) and makes us sleepy,” says Dr. Esparaz.

So, in theory, wearing blue-light-blocking glasses should help people who watch movies in bed or read from a tablet at night avoid sleeplessness. A review study from the University of Oklahoma that looked al 24 previous studies found that people affected by sleep disorders, jet lag and shift work fell asleep faster after using these glasses.

As for eye strain, a 2021 Australian study showed that those wearing the glasses did not experience less eye strain than those using clear glasses. And a 2018 review study, also by Australian researchers found insufficient evidence that they prevent certain eye diseases.

“These glasses aren’t going to be harmful,” says Dr. Esparaz, But, she adds, a lack of standardization in the industry means there’s no way to know if one pair is better than another. A more reliable solution: Turn on the blue-light-filtering function on your devices and limit screen time before bed. To help with eye strain, Dr. Esparaz suggests taking breaks and using lubricating eye drops.

1. What is Dr. Esparaz’s attitude toward business publicity?

A．Unclear.

B．Tolerant.

C．Approving.

D．Doubtful.

2. What can we learn about blue light from the first two paragraphs?

A．It can be beneficial.	B．It may improve sleep.
C．It actually causes health issues.	D．It merely comes from digital devices.

3. Australian studies found that wearing blue-light-blocking glasses ________.

A．helps prevent eye disease	B．are not harmful to eyesight
C．contributes to no less eye strain	D．benefits those with sleep disorders

4. What might be the best title of this passage?

A．Blue-light-blocking Glasses: Your Best Choice	B．Blue-light-blocking Glasses: Good or Bad
C．Blue-light-blocking Glasses: A Good Business	D．Blue-light-blocking Glasses: Smart and Cool

【推荐1】根据短文内容，从短文后的选项中选出能填入空白处的最佳选项。选项中有两项为多余选项。

Lately, there is a rising trend in families choosing to homeschool their child than send their child to a traditional educational institution. Let’s look at some of the benefits of homeschooling.

1. Flexible Schedule

Homeschooling enables a flexible schedule.    1    With homeschooling, your child can start homeschooling at 9 a.m. or later depending on your preferred schedule. You can schedule your child’s homeschooling education as you see fit with materials or subjects that may be not available in a traditional school.

2. Individual Attention

With homeschooling, your child gets all the individual attention. For example, if your child is weak in maths, you could devote more time and energy to teaching maths. Your child’s homeschooling schedule can be adjusted for that. For example, if your child is better at science than at maths, simply devote more homeschooling hours to maths and cut back on science. With homeschooling, the choice is yours.    2    

3. Family Activity

The schooling of the child can become an extended family activity. Examples are field trips and experiments. Plus, the child also receives more quality time with his/her parents.    3    The child is also free of any negative peer pressure or influences.

4.     4    

With homeschooling, the child does not need to prove his/her abilities to other children. Parents are able to plan the learning program according to his strengths and weakness. Parents can also change the curriculum to suit the learning style of the child.    5    Some children even learn better from experiencing or seeing things in action.

A．No peer pressure

B．Religion Learning

C．Traditional schools can’t do that.

D．There is more time for family bonding.

E．For example, the child needn’t wake up at 7 every morning.

F．Plus, it is quite impossible to provide individual attention to all students.

G．For example, some children learn better from reading while others need to write.

【推荐2】Teaching the true meaning of the holidays

While parents are focusing on this all year round, the holidays are a major built-in opportunity for parents to help children develop character and values. Receiving gifts has no long-term effect on a child’s development, but contributing to others and learning about giving and selflessness does.     1    

Show historical significance

It’s important to help children understand the history of the holidays their own family celebrate. Read fiction or non-fiction books about the holidays and visit places where holidays are celebrated in different days.     2    

Encourage thoughtful planning

When preparing for the holidays, involve your child in the act of cooking or buying gifts.     3     Work together to choose special gifts for family members and ask your child to think about what would make each person happy. These skills encourage children to be thoughtful. These skills are best developed through experience rather than being told to be polite or thoughtful.

Get crafts with giving

Find ways for your child to give back to teach the true meaning of holiday giving. Suggest that each child get a toy by donating toys to those in need.     4     Consider participating in a service project or obtaining a “Crafts with Kindness” kit from the Bright Horizons Foundation for children that includes craft activities, and do-it-yourself cards.

Set an example

    5     Set an example by allowing your child to see you perform acts of kindness, join in spiritual service or give back to local organizations.

A．Share and create traditions.

B．They are giving and getting all at the same time.

C．So it is time to teach children the true meaning of the holidays.

D．Classics can inspire your child to think about the true meaning of the holidays.

E．Ask your child to make a list of people who devote their lives to helping others.

F．Help them make connections between the values of the holidays and their actions.

G．Parents are the role models who can teach children the true meaning of the holidays.

【推荐3】There is a popular saying in the English language, “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” Well, that is not true.

Unkind words, name-calling or even the so-called “silent treatment” can hurt children as much as being physically hit, sometimes even more so. A developing brain can be damaged by unkind words, a study shows. A recent study of middle school children showed that verbal abuse by other children can harm development in the brain. The study was a project of researchers at Harvard Medical School in Massachusetts.

Researcher Martin Teicher and his team studied young adults aged between 18 and 25. These young men and women had no experience with domestic (家庭的) violence, or physical abuse by their parents. The researchers asked the young people to rate their childhood exposure to verbal abuse from both parents and other children. Then the researchers performed imaging tests on the brains of the subjects.

The images showed that the individuals who reported suffering verbal abuse from their peers in middle school had underdeveloped connections between the left and right side of the brain. The two sides of the brain are connected by a large bundle of connecting fibers called the corpus callosum (胼胝体). This was the area that was underdeveloped.

The middle school years are a time when these brain connections are developing. So, unkind, hurtful comments from children or adults during this period have the greatest effect. The researchers tested the mental and emotional condition of all the young people in the study. The tests showed that this same group of individuals had higher levels of fear, depression, annoyance and drug abuse than others in the study.

The researchers published their findings online on the American Journal of Psychiatry’s website. We cannot control what other people say to our children. But we can prepare them. A website called CreativeWithKids. com suggests 64 things that all children need to hear. Here are our top 20.

1. Why is the saying in the first paragraph quoted?

A．To arouse readers’ concern.

B．To introduce the topic of the passage.

C．To summarize the whole passage.

D．To act as the basis of the research.

2. According to imaging tests on the brains of the subjects, ______.

A．middle school students have underdeveloped connections between who sides of the brain

B．drug abuse affects middle school students more than verbal abuse

C．only hurtful comments from children have the greatest effect on brains

D．the corpus callosum will be underdeveloped if affected by unkind words

3. Which of the following would be the best title of the passage?

A．Actions speak louder than words

B．Words will never hurt you

C．Unkind words hurt the brain

D．Spare the words, spoil the child

4. What will the passage go on to discuss?

A．Some beneficial words to say.

B．Ways to deal with middle school students.

C．Further research done in the field.

D．Different opinions about the findings.