【推荐2】Living alone is hard, especially for old people. Besides, some old homeowners might have trouble bringing food and articles of daily use in from a car. Or they might need someone to tell them where they’ve put their house keys.

College students are trying to find cheap, comfortable places to live without borrowing even more money from a bank. Dorms(宿舍) are a choice for some, but they often come with crowded bathrooms, shared bedrooms. And sometimes university housing is even more expensive than local apartments. A Canadian organization, Toronto HomeShare, noticed both of these problems and came up with a way to solve the problem.

College students usually deal with some housework and provide company while living in comfortable environments without breaking the bank. The old benefit from it spiritually. Nick, a 27-year-old graduate student who lives with 75-year-old Maureen Tara, said, “Coming back home to Tara’s family helps me recover because it’s such a relaxed environment here. If I’ve had a hard day and I’m feeling low, there’s lots of love in the air.”

The level of care that older housemates need is different. Joshua is in a poor state of health. His son thanks the college student living with his dad for his help in dangerous situations when he’s not around. “At least, there is someone to talk to my dad,” says Joshua’s son. Students who’ve moved to a new city, far from their families and the comforts of a home-cooked meal, also need to find peace in their living situation.     

Boston’s Nesterly is a homeshare app for senior/student living pairings, and people living in St. Louis’s Skinker DeBaliviere neighborhood can take part in Homeshare St. Louis. The advantages of senior/student homeshare program are clear, and they might just make college students wonder why this wasn’t a choice when they were sharing crowded dorms with others.

1. What is the trouble of the old people living alone according to Paragraph 1?

A．They miss their families too much.

B．They cannot go somewhere far away.

C．They have trouble dealing with daily housework.

D．They cannot save themselves in dangerous situations.

2. What is Toronto HomeShare’s way to deal with the problem of the old and college students?

A．By making them live together.

B．By organizing students to help the old.

C．By making them experience each other’s life.

D．By supporting students’ life with the old’s money.

3. What does the example of Nick show?

A．College students may face great stress.

B．College students do chores to cover their rent.

C．Old people need young people’s help and care.

D．Sharing homes benefits college students spiritually.

4. What does the last paragraph say about the homeshare program?

A．It will include many other services.

B．It is carried out in Boston and St. Louis.

C．It needs to improve its services.

D．It is doubted by college students.

【推荐3】＂Did you hear what happened to Adam last Friday?＂ Lindsey whispers to Tori.

With her eyes shining, Tori brags, ＂You bet I did. Sean told me two days ago.＂

Who are Lindsey and Tori talking about? It just happens to be yours truly, Adam Freedman. I can tell you that what they are saying is (a) not nice and (b) not even true. Still, Lindsey and Tori aren’t very different from most students here at Linton High School, including me. Many of our conversations are gossip(闲话). I have noticed three effects of gossip: it can hurt people, it can give gossipers a strange kind of satisfaction, and it can cause social pressures in a group.

An important negative effect of gossip is that it can hurt the person being talked about. Usually, gossip spreads information about a topic — breakups, trouble at home, even dropping out — that a person would rather keep secret. The more embarrassing or shameful the secret is, the juicier the gossip it makes. Probably the worst type of gossip is the absolute lie. People often think of gossipers as harmless, but cruel lies can cause pain.

If we know that gossip can be harmful, then why do so many of us do it? The answer lies in another effect of gossip: the satisfaction it gives us. Sharing the latest rumor(传言) can make a person feel important because he or she knows something that others don’t. Similarly, hearing the latest rumor can make a person feel like part of the ＂in group.＂ In other words, gossip is satisfying because it gives people a sense of belonging or even superiority(优越感).

Gossip also can have a third effect: it strengthens unwritten, unspoken rules about how people should act. Professor David Wilson explains that gossip is important in policing behaviors in a group. Translated into high school terms, this means that if everybody you hang around with is laughing at what John wore or what Jane said, then you can bet that wearing or saying something similar will get you the same kind of negative attention. The do’s and don’ts conveyed through gossip will never show up in any student handbook.

The effects of gossip vary depending on the situation. The next time you feel the urge to spread the latest news, think about why you want to gossip and what effects your ＂juicy story＂ might have.

1. The author uses a conversation at the beginning of the passage to __________.

A．introduce a topic	B．present an argument
C．describe the characters	D．clarify his writing purpose

2. An important negative effect of gossip is that it _________.

A．breaks up relationships	B．embarrasses the listener
C．spreads information around	D．causes unpleasant experiences

3. In the author’s opinion, many people like to gossip because it __________.

A．gives them a feeling of pleasure

B．helps them to make more friends

C．makes them better at telling stories

D．enables them to meet important people

4. Professor David Wilson thinks that gossip can ________.

A．provide students with written rules

B．help people watch their own behaviors

C．force schools to improve student handbooks

D．attract the police’s attention to group behaviors

5. What advice does the author give in the passage?

A．Never become a gossiper.	B．Stay away from gossipers.
C．Don’t let gossip turn into lies.	D．Think twice before you gossip.

【推荐2】Many people like the feeling of the gentle wind in spring . Many like to see the falling leaves dancing in the wind in autumn. But sometimes, when the wind becomes a storm, it can be very destructive.
A series of such storms struck the US last month and caused very serious damage and human pain.
Every year, major storms cause many problems around the world. There is nothing people can do to stop these powerful forces of nature. But new techniques are helping scientists to predict how, when, and where big storms will happen. The more exact scientists’ warnings are, the better people can prepare for the storms.
Predictions are improving. “We’ve gotten better over the years, especially the last few years,” says Phil Klotzback, a scientist at an American university. How is a storm formed? Even if scientists know where a storm will happen, winds can suddenly change, carrying the storm to a new direction. “For a hurricane to happen, conditions have to be just right,” Klotzback says.
First, the ocean water needs to be warm enough so that it evaporates and rises into the air. As it rises, the vapor（水蒸气）cools and turns back into liquid. This process gives off heat. This produces energy like an engine that causes winds to increase. It drives the formation（形成）of a hurricane.
If wind speeds reach 40 miles per hour, the system is called a “tropical storm”, and it gets a name. At 75 miles per hour, it becomes a hurricane.
Hurricanes that hit the US start when a thunderstorm forms off the coast of Africa. Storms also develop over tropical waters in other parts of the world.
On average, 60 or 70 storms form off Africa every year. About 10 of them get names. There are usually about six hurricanes. Two tend to be very big, with winds of 115 miles per hour or higher.
The hurricane season lasts from June to November. Ninety percent of all hurricanes hit in August, September, and October.
1. According to the passage, hurricanes usually ___________.

A．form off the coast of Africa and America

B．hit parts of the world in summer and autumn

C．travel at 40 miles per hour and get its name

D．cause sea winds to rise and blow over the sea

2. The underlined word “evaporates” (in Paragraph 5) probably means “___________”.

A．begins to move	B．changes into a gas
C．becomes hot	D．gets lost

3. Which of the following about the information of a hurricane is in the correct order?
a. The ocean water evaporates and goes into the air.
b. Heat creates energy and causes winds to increase.
c. The vapor cools.
d. The ocean water is warm enough.
e. The vapor changes back into liquid.
f. This course gives out heat.

A．a, d, e, b, c, f	B．a, b, c, f, d, e
C．d, a, b, c, e, f	D．d, a, c, e, f, b

4. Which of the following statements is NOT true?

A．One out of six or seven storms get names.

B．Every year at least 60 storms form off Africa.

C．The speed of the biggest two hurricanes reaches 115miles per hour.

D．About one third of the hurricanes tend to be very big.

【推荐3】Do you feel lonely? If you do, you are not alone. It’s more than a personal mental health issue.

Loneliness is a global issue. Half-a-million Japanese are suffering from social isolation. The UK recently appointed a minister for loneliness, the first in the world. In Australia, Victorian state MP Fiona Patten is calling for the same.

What do cities have to do with loneliness? Think of the awkward silence in a lift full of passengers who never communicate. Now think of a playground where parents often begin chatting. It’s not that the built environment “causes” interaction，but it can certainly either enable or limit potential interaction.

Can we think of different ways to be in the city to “cure” loneliness? I recently conducted a graduate design studio at the Melbourne School of Design. The students，using design as a research methodology (方法), came up with potential architectural and urban responses to loneliness.

Fanhui Ding came up with a student---run restaurant for the University of Melbourne. Students get credit working on the farms that supply the restaurant, which can be used to pay for a meal. People also get discounts for dining at the same table, encouraging students to interact over food. Given the many international students who suffer from loneliness, her concept used cooking, food and farming to cure loneliness.

Some students deal with familiar cases, such as building “Puppy Society”, an app that connects a pet with multiple owners, designing more social interaction spaces in high-rise apartment buildings and redesigning supermarkets to make them places for people to visit on a Sunday morning.

Beverley Wang looked at loneliness in the ageing population. She came up with a project called “Nurture”, for which she designed a kindergarten co-housed with a nursing home. Designing spaces for storytelling, she brought the elderly into the kindergarten as informal teaching assistants, giving them a sense of purpose.

Moving beyond merely analyzing the problems, the research output shows that an alternative, less lonely future is indeed possible. Without claiming to solve loneliness, design can be an important tool in response to it.

1. What can be inferred from paragraph 2?

A．Half of the Japanese are living with loneliness.

B．The UK attaches little importance to loneliness issues.

C．Australia is likely to follow the UK’s example.

D．Loneliness has been a primary concern globally.

2. What can students do in Fanhui Ding’s design?

A．Work in the restaurant to pay for meals.

B．Pay less if they share tables with others.

C．Gather credits for their college graduation.

D．Establish international culture communication.

3. How does the project “Nurture” benefit elder people?

A．By providing them working opportunities.

B．By employing them as the formal staff.

C．By asking children to tell them stories.

D．By lifting their awareness of self-value.

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

A．Key principles of designing city buildings.

B．City’s potential to encourage social connection.

C．Good urban designs to battle social loneliness.

D．Architectural concepts to ease elders’ loneliness.

【推荐1】Millions of people pass through the gates of the Disney parks in California, Florida and Tokyo, Japan each year. What makes these places almost universal attractions? What makes foreign kings and queens and other important people want to visit these Disney parks? Well, one reason is the way Disney serves their “guests”.

All new employees, from vice-presidents to part- time workers, begin their employment by attending Disney University and taking “Traditions”. Here, they learn about the company’s history, how it is managed and why it is successful. They are shown how each department relates to the whole. All employees are shown how their part is important in making the park a success.

After passing “Traditions”, the employees go on to more specialized training for their specific jobs. No detail is missed. A simple job like taking tickets requires eight-hour days of training. When one ticket taker was asked why it took so much training for such a simple, ordinary job, he replied, “What happens if someone wants to know where the restrooms are, when the parade starts or which bus to take back to the campgrounds? We need to know the answers or where to get them quickly. Our constant aim is to help our guests enjoy themselves.”

Even Disney's managers get involved in the daily management of the park. Every year, the managers leave their desks and business suits and put on special service clothes. For a full week, the bosses sell hot dogs or ice cream, take tickets or drive the monorail, and take up any of the 100 jobs that make the park come alive. The managers agree that this week helps them to see the company’s goals more clearly.

All these efforts to serve the public well have made Walt Disney famous. Disney is considered by many as the best mass service provider in America or the world.

1. What do all new employees do on the first day they come to Disney parks?

A．They begin by receiving on-the-job training.	B．They must learn several jobs.
C．They begin as ticket takers.	D．They have already attended Disney University.

2. What is the main objective of the Disney employees?

A．To learn all parts of the business.	B．To see that their guests enjoy themselves.
C．To be able to answer all kinds of questions.	D．To keep their important guests happy.

3. Why do managers wear special service clothes and work in the park each year?

A．To set a good example to employees.

B．To remind themselves of their beginnings at Disney.

C．To gain a better view of the company's objectives.

D．To replace employees on holiday.

4. What does this passage mainly talk about?

A．How Disney employees are trained.

B．The history and traditions of the Disney enterprises.

C．Why Disney enterprises make a lot of money.

D．The importance Disney enterprises place on serving people well.

【推荐2】When I sent my daughter, Emma, off for her freshman year of college a few years ago, I found myself affected by an unbelievable feeling of melancholy. Clearly, I'm not alone. Just last week, The Wall Street Journal reported that more than 90 percent of colleges offer to help moms and dads who are “struggling with the change.”

Between Thanksgiving, winter holiday, spring break and summer break, the first one out of my nest has come fluttering back home nearly every month of the year since she has been away. Good friends like to joke that they see more of her now than they did when she was a senior in high school. In the meantime, Emma calls, texts or e-mails me almost every day.

Given all this, missing Emma seems kind of silly；I've never really gotten the chance. So why, then, have I still felt on some level that I've experienced a great loss?

All summer long before Emma left that first year, I took Emma out for countless mother-daughter breakfasts, lunches, coffees and walks. At the same time, I seemed to find fault with Emma all the time. In my eyes, Emma had spent the weeks leading up to school going out with her friends too much, staying out way too late, making too big a mess, not working enough and, for goodness sake, certainly not spending enough time with me!

Although it's taken quite a while to realize what was happening, I now understand that my unhappiness and anxiety are not a reflection of how much time Emma and I spend together. Regardless of how often she comes home, or how many times a day we chat or text, Emma is now gone in a far grander sense. She is well on the road to adulthood, and from this, she will never return.

1. What does the underlined word “melancholy” in paragraph 1 refer to?

A．Fierce anger.	B．Deep sadness.
C．Extreme excitement.	D．Great satisfaction.

2. Why does it seem silly for the author to miss her daughter?

A．They keep in touch frequently.	B．Friends like to make fun of her.
C．Emma has grown up to an adult.	D．Other parents don't behave like this.

3. What actually made the author overly worried?

A．The untidiness of Emma's room.	B．The passing of Emma's childhood.
C．Taking Emma out all too often.	D．Spending little time with Emma.

4. What is the best title for the text?

A．Changes in the Parent-Child Relationship	B．The Most Concerned Parents of All Time
C．Growing Pains for College Students	D．Struggling to Let Go of My Daughter

【推荐3】A century ago, millions of Quino checkerspot butterflies flew above Southern California. Each about the size of a paperclip, the Quinos hatched in great numbers each spring.

Toward the end of the twentieth century, however, the development of farms and cities dramatically reduced the butterfly’s habitat. By 1997, the population of the Quinos had declined to a tiny amount of its historical numbers.

The Quino’s situation continued to worsen. Wildfires burned much of its habitat, and temperatures were getting warmer and drier, making the environment more difficult to the butterfly’s host plant called the dwarf plantain.

Scientists knew that Quino caterpillars relied on the dwarf plantain as a food source. Each spring, the adult female butterflies laid eggs on dwarf plantains. When the caterpillars hatched, they fed on the plantain leaves. However, in the hot, dry summer, the plantains died off. The caterpillars responded by entering a state called diapause. Then, when normal winter rains came and the plantains’ flowers came out again, the caterpillars came back to life and started eating. Once they’d grown large enough, the caterpillars formed pupae and emerged as adult butterflies. This strategy worked well in most years, but as average temperatures rose and rainfall decreased, the caterpillars weren’t getting sufficient food, and fewer developed into butterflies.

Because the area where they lived was surrounded by developed cities and desert landscapes, the Quinos had limited options. They took off anyway, flying eastward into the hills. They landed in mountainous open spaces east of Los Angeles and San Diego. They found no dwarf plantains there. The females began laying their eggs on the leaves of other plants, primarily the Collinsia concolor. These plants remained green longer into the summer months. When the caterpillars Quinos survived, and their numbers grew in their new home.

Scientists were surprised when they began encounter innumerous Qunios in the eastern hills. They were cheered to learn that these small insects had adapted to changing conditions. The Quinos demonstrated the toughness needed to survive by finding not only a new habitat, but a new food source, too.

Meanwhile, scientists had been raising Quino caterpillars in a lab and released hundreds of caterpillars into protected areas around San Diego. Between the efforts of scientists and the butterflies’ own actions, more of those colorfully checkered wings may soon be seen fluttering above the Southern California skies.

1. From the passage, we know Quino checkerspot butterflies in Southern California ________.

A．were an endangered species	B．couldn’t survive the winter cold
C．were very adaptable to environmental changes	D．couldn’t respond to the food shortage on their own

2. How did Quino checkerspot butterflies adapt to changed conditions?

A．They travelled to a new habitat.	B．They found new dwarf plantains.
C．They laid more eggs on host plants.	D．They learned to fly high up in the mountains

3. What does the underlined word “diapause” in Paragraph 4 probably mean?

A．Dying from hunger.	B．Stopping bodily functions.
C．Becoming more active.	D．Surviving the hot summer.

4. Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?

A．Quino Checkerspot Butterflies: Get Help

B．Quino Checkerspot Butterflies: Endangered

C．Quino Checkerspot Butterflies: Small, but Strong

D．Quino Checkerspot Butterflies: Find a New Habitat

【推荐1】Everyone knows that walking is one of the best means of exercise for health, so physicians often recommend 150 minutes a week. But that’s a measure of volume (量). What about the walking speed? Does that make a difference? A recent paper indicates the answer may be yes.

Previous research had only focused on total amounts of exercise in minutes or steps. A team of experts in Sydney looked at whether people who walked similar distances but at different speeds gained more or less health benefits

The researchers studied 11 English and Scottish population-wide reports that included more than 50,000 regular walkers with an average age of late 40s. The walkers were grouped according to four walking speeds: slow, average, brisk(轻快的) and fast. Lastly, the researchers figured out the death( from heart disease and cancer) rate during an average follow-up period of 9.2years.

New researchers showed marathoners had less arthritis(关节炎) than non-runners.

Participants who walked at an “average” speed, as opposed to ” slow ” , had a 20 percent lower risk of death. Those walking at a “ brisk ” or “ fast ” pace enjoyed an additional 4 percent lower death rate. While the best speeds vary with one’s own age and fitness, a pace below 20 minutes per mile is considered average, and below 18 minutes per mile is considered brisk. All the benefits came from lower heart-related deaths. Walking pace had no effect on cancer rates.

“Our paper is the first paper to keep apart walking pace from the physical activity volume ,”

Explained Emmanuel Stamatakis , a professor of the Charles Perkins Center. “We also took steps to role out ( 排除 ) the possibility that the slow walkers were in poor health to begin with.”

“Walking more is better than walking less. But don’t fall into the trap of thinking that any walk improve health. Keep out of the ‘ slow ’ zone. Make sure you’re putting some effort into your walk”, Stamatakis noted. “ An appropriate effort for those in a comfortable walking routine might be slightly out of breath.”

When you’re short of time, simply walk faster to increase the pay-off. “ A faster pace means you are challenging yourself to make adaptations for better health and fitness,” said Stamatakis.

1. What’s the finding of the recent paper?

A．Slow walkers are in poor health at first.

B．Walking speed influences one’s health.

C．Walking pace has some effect on cancer rates.

D．Walking 150 minutes a week is good for health.

2. How were the walkers sorted in the research?

A．They were divided into groups by walking pace.

B．They were put into different age group.

C．They were groups by health condition.

D．They were organized by nationality.

3. What can we know about the research?

A．Participants are from eleven countries.

B．Participants include people of all ages.

C．It collected data during an average of 9.2 years.

D．It focused on total amounts of exercise in minutes.

4. What’s Stamatakis’s advice for those in a comfortable walking routine?

A．Working more.	B．Walking a little faster.
C．Trying other exercise.	D．Changing the present lifestyle.

【推荐2】The new garbage sorting regulation(规定) has taken effect in Shanghai July 1. Many citizens are still confused about the four different types of garbage. Thankfully, the government has released(发布) an official guideline to make the new rules clear.

The guideline, published by Shanghai provides a rather clear definition（定义） on the four kinds of waste: recyclable waste, hazardous (有害的）waste，household food waste and residual (剩余的）waste.

Specific as the new guideline is, residents still have a hard time sorting trash correctly and are finding it challenging to memorize them all. "We should do this from a pig’s angle, "commented one netizen, "Those that can be eaten by pigs are household food waste. Those even pigs don't want to eat are residual waste. If a pig consumes something and dies of it,then something must be hazardous waste. Those that can be sold to gain some money used to purchase pigs are recyclable waste."

Garbage sorting is not only beneficial to the environment and a way of handling global warming, but is also good for business and industry.It saves energy. That's because it's cheaper to recover raw materials(原材料) from recycled waste than go through the former producing processes(过程).

One resident in Switzerland once said, "If you get used to it,it becomes normal. Now I don’t think much about it. It's become an instinct. " At present, those who do not sort their trash properly will be fined RMB200, but we hope one day the environmental protection will also become our instinct soon.

1. What do the old books you want to throw away belong to?

A．Residual waste.	B．Hazardous waste.
C．Recyclable waste.	D．Household food waste.

2. Which of the following best explains "instinct" underlined in the last paragraph?

A．instruction.	B．habit.
C．motivation.	D．challenge.

3. Why is garbage sorting beneficial to business and industry?

A．It can deal with global warming.

B．It can make more raw materials.

C．It can lower the cost by simplifying the process.

D．It can make the former producing processes easier.

4. What’s the best title for the text?

A．Shanghai Garbage Sorting Regulation Begins.

B．People Are Still Confused About Garbage Sorting.

C．Four Sorts of Garbage Are Forbidden in Shanghai.

D．Shanghai Citizens Support the Garbage Sorting Policy.

【推荐3】

Some important dates in China’s fighting Covid-19 before May 7,2020
Jan 20, 2020~ Feb 20,2020	Jan 23: Wuhan declared temporary outbound (向外的) traffic restrictions. Jan 24: National medical teams began to be sent to Hubei and wuhan. Jan 27: The Central Steering (指导) Group arrived in Wuhan. Feb 18: The daily number of newly cured and discharged (出院) patients exceeded that of the newly confirmed cases.
Feb 21, 2020~ Mar 17,2020	Feb 21: Most provinces and equivalent administrative units started to lower their public health emergency response level. Feb 24: The WHO-China Joint Mission on Covid-19 held a press conference in Beijing. Mar 11-17: The epidemic (流行病) peak had passed in China as a whole.
Mar 18,2020 ~Apr 28,2020	Apr1: Chinese customs began NAT (核酸检测) on inbound arrivals at all points of entry. Apr 8: Wuhan lifted outbound traffic restrictions. Apr 26: The last Covid-19 patient in Wuhan was discharged from hospital.
Apr 29, 2020~ May 7,2020	Apr 30: The public health emergency response was lowered to Level 2 in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region. May 7: The State Council released Guidelines on Conducting Covid-19 Prevention and Control on an Ongoing Basis.

1. What happened between January 20 and February 20?

A．The Central Steering Group arrived in Wuhan.

B．The WHO-China Joint Mission on Covid-19 held a press conference.

C．The last Covid-19 patient in Wuhan was discharged from hospital.

D．Beijing lowered its emergency response level.

2. From which date were private cars allowed to go out of Wuhan?

A．January 23.

B．March 11.

C．April 8.

D．May 7.