【推荐1】Of all the problems that people face today, depression proves to be one of the hardest to pinpoint. People often suffer secretly, not wanting to admit their need of professional help. They continue with their normal routines and, many times, unhealthy eating habits. Now, health professionals are actually linking diet and depression and have found success in using diet to treat the disorder.

Several researchers and Australian institutions at Deakin University in Victoria, Australia, set out to evaluate the direct link between diet and depression. They carried out the study over a 12-week period and observed 67 patients with moderate to severe depression. For their control group, the patients received social support rather than switching their eating habits to a well-balanced diet. The other patients then received dietary counseling sessions where they were advised to eat a diet high in fruits, vegetables, and lean meats. After the trial period, over 30 percent of the patients had gone into remission with their depression. Only 8 percent of the control group actually experienced this same improvement. This trial has greatly helped researchers understand and better help patients suffering from depression.

Most Americans today do not associate their diet and depression together. Nearly 60 percent of Americans eat over processed foods. 90 percent of added sugar comes from these processed foods. For people with depression, this diet might give a short energy burst, but it will eventually cause energy to sink, bringing happy moods down with it. Many people also love caffeine, drinking multiple cups each day. Again, they consume extra sugar. However, the caffeine can also disrupt sleep and cause anxiety. In addition, people with depression may have a tendency to turn to alcohol Unfortunately, alcohol depresses the central nervous system, which will directly influence a person’s mood for the worse, especially those dealing with depression.

According to the research, diet and depression do go hand in hand. Those suffering from depression should do away with processed foods as much as possible. With a few simple changes in lifestyle, these patients can improve their mental health and return to normal activities with renewed energy and joy.

1. What prevents patients from being identified according to the passage?

A．Their reluctance to ask for treatment.	B．Lack of professional help.
C．Unawareness of their diet problems.	D．Inadequate social support.

2. What do we know about the study conducted at Deakin University?

A．The patients in the study came from different parts of the world.

B．Two groups were divided on the basis of their levels of depression.

C．The control group enjoyed a better improvement in their mood.

D．The study helps researchers find a better treatment for depression.

3. How do processed foods influence those dealing with depression according to the study?

A．Chemicals in them will weaken patients’ central nervous system.

B．Added sugar from them will finally lessen patients’ happiness.

C．They can make patients more likely to be addicted to alcohol.

D．They will reduce essential mood-boosting nutrients in patients.

4. Which of the following is the best title for the text?

A．What you need is just a right diet	B．What is your depression killer?
C．Is your diet making you depressed?	D．It’s time to change your life style

【推荐2】Stop those negative thoughts! When it comes to brain power, it appears your thoughts matter. That was the eye-opening conclusion of a study published in the journal Alzheimer’s and Dementia.

For this study, scientists carefully measured the cognitive(认知)function of 292 middle-aged to older people over a four-year period. The cognitive assessments included measures of memory, attention and language.

The study subjects(实验对象)had their thinking patterns regularly monitored by responding to a series of questions over two of the four years. The thought-pattem questionnaires were designed to identify repetitive negative thinking (RNT for short). RNT includes often thinking about negative past events as well as future sources of anxiety.

About a third of the study subjects had PET scans(正电子发射计算机断层扫描)of their brains tomeasure levels of the abnormal brain protcins, tau and amyloid. Tau and amyloid build up in people affected with Alzheimer’s disease.

The findings? Study subjects with greater RNT-these repetitive negative thought patterns-exhibited a clear decrease in cognitive function and memory over the four-year period. What’s more, they had more tau and amyloid built up in their brains. It is well-documented that our thoughts have powerful, direct effects on our bodies, so these results aren’t surprising.

Thankfully, studies show that we can change our thought patterns through mental-training practices, with meditation(冥想)documented to be one of the very best.

As someone who often got trapped in negative memories of the remote past, I can speak personally to the remarkable power of meditation to relieve this destructive thinking pattern, and I encourage everyone to explore this practice. I meditate every day and gratefully achieve that goal about 90% of the time.

Feel free to share this post with friends and loved ones because one of the greatest gifts we can give is the gift of better health. Enjoy!

1. How is the subjects’ RNT determined?

A．By measuring their blood level.

B．By analyzing their questionnaires.

C．By monitoring their behaviors.

D．By examining their signs of diseases.

2. What would be the influence of RNT?

A．Forgetting the negative past.

B．Changeable thinking patterns.

C．Worse body shape.

D．Poorer brain function.

3. What is a recommended solution to RNT?

A．Having brain scanned regularly.

B．Buiding up our strength.

C．Changing our study pattern.

D．Practicing mental training.

4. What is the author’s attitude towards meditation?

A．Favorable.

B．Doubtful.

C．Reserved.

D．Unclear.

【推荐3】Climate change in the coming decades could lead to an increase in cases of kidney stones(肾结石), according to a research by scientists in the United States.

A research team from the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia knew from previous studies that high temperatures and dehydration (脱水) increase the risk of developing kidney stones. The researchers said incidence (发生率) of the condition has increased in the last 20 years.

The scientists created a model to estimate the impact of heat on future kidney stone presentations in the southeastern US state of South Carolina, which has a higher incidence of kidney stone disease. The model predicted that the number of cases will increase between 2.2 percent and 3.9 percent by the year 2089, depending on projected daily temperatures under two climate change circumstances. In the first case, greenhouse gas emissions (排放物) are cut to an middle level as humans shift to using lower-emissions sources of energy, while in the second, emissions continue at the current rate. Meanwhile, in the first case, average temperatures increase by 2.3℃ by 2100, compared with 3.6℃ in the second. These projections were taken from studies made by the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

In comments with a news release, Gregory E Tasian, a urologist at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and senior author of the study, said, “While it is impossible to predict with certainty how future policies will slow or speed greenhouse gas emission and anthropogenic (人为的) climate change, and to know exactly what future daily temperatures will be, our analysis suggests that a warming planet will likely cause an increased burden of kidney stone disease on healthcare systems. As researchers, we have a duty to explore the burden of climate change on human health.”

1. Why does the author talk about temperature increase?

A．To find the reason of climate change.

B．To estimate the burden of kidney stones.

C．To predict the strength of greenhouse gas emissions.

D．To confirm the increasing incidence of kidney stones.

2. How did the scientists start the study?

A．By creating a model.	B．By predicting the effect.
C．By collecting information.	D．By measuring temperatures.

3. What can be inferred about global warming?

A．It will increase daily temperatures greatly.

B．It will be predicted by the model accurately.

C．It will likely have bad effects on human health.

D．It will be certainly controlled by future polices.

4. What is the scientists’ attitude to the impact of climate change on kidney stones?

A．Ambiguous.	B．Concerned.
C．Cautious.	D．Doubtful.

【推荐1】The grass swung gently above a crack in the limestone (石灰岩) and Ludvik Husu realized he had found what he was searching for: a new cave in Slovenia’s dramatic Karst (喀斯特) region.

The cave enthusiast, with more than 50 years of experience, told AFP that “the conditions were perfect ... all the signs pointed to something beneath” as he felt the air current push up from below.

The 63-year-old had come across a new, 60-meter-deep limestone cave, a discovery that made the headlines this summer in a country that prides itself on its 14,000 underground caves.

The tiny Alpine nation is unusually rich in caves, which are a major tourist attraction. Perhaps the best known is the Postojna cave system, the longest in Europe, discovered by another amateur enthusiast two centuries ago. It extends for 24 kilometers and has offered up valuable finds for biologists.

Stanislav Glazar, a Postojna cave guide, told AFP that more than 150 species have been discovered in the system.

Glazar said Postojna is one of the richest caves in the world “in limestone formations.” The cave, located about 50 kilometers south of the capital Ljubljana, was also home to the world’s first cave tourist train, which began transporting visitors in 1872.

Elsewhere in the Karst region, the cave systems are of historical, cultural and even extraterrestrial interest. For instance, the UNESCO-listed Skocjan system was where the European Space Agency sent some astronauts to prepare for life in space.

“Astronauts know that the Karst world is exceptional, in a similar way to the environment in space: you don’t know what to expect at your next step,” said Skocjan Caves director Tomaz Zorman.

But for Husu, it’s the exploration that proves most rewarding. Once he knows there is something beneath, he digs around the crack to widen it and alerts fellow cavers to help gain access. He then uses ropes and a lamp to go down to what are vertical entrances in most caves. But doesn’t he feel scared to enter such unexplored depths?

“You enter a cave out of curiosity — there is no fear! Those who feel fear should stay home,” he said.

1. What was people’s attitude towards Ludvik Husu’s new finding this summer?

A．Critical.

B．Positive.

C．Doubtful.

D．Indifferent.

2. What can be learned about the Postojna cave system from Stanislav Glazar’s words?

A．It has little biological value.

B．It has diverse limestone formations.

C．It is the most famous cave system in Europe.

D．It has been open to the public for two centuries.

3. What does the underlined word “extraterrestrial” in the seventh paragraph probably mean?

A．Financial.

B．Political.

C．Alien.

D．Biological.

4. What can be inferred from the text?

A．Slovenia is known for its Karst landforms.

B．Ludvik Husu started exploring caves before he was 13.

C．Slovenia has the most underground caves in the world.

D．Ludvik Husu is often upset about entering unexplored caves.

【推荐2】In recent years, the Yi Jin Jing exercise has gained great popularity among Chinese of all ages, thanks to Jin Yong’s novels and the Shaolin Temple in Central China’s Henan province, which has promoted kung fu techniques, including Yi Jin Jing, vigorously(蓬勃地) at home and abroad. There are more than 60 types of Yi Jin Jing exercises spreading in contemporary China, differing in lengths, gestures and movements. Thousands of health and fitness clubs in the country have been teaching classical techniques, Yi Jin Jing being the most favored course.

In ancient times, average people did the Yi Jin Jing exercise for health and longevity(长寿) , But kung fu masters do it in different and more difficult ways, hoping to hugely improve their physical abilities. For example,when it comes to breathing, a normal person, especially a beginner, would be advised to take a safe and comfortable approach. But kung fu masters would use an opposite deep breathing technique when doing Yi Jin Jing. They would breathe in deeply, then hold their breath while trying to lengthen certain muscles and tendons(筋), and in the end they would relax and breathe out very slowly.

It is widely believed that Zong Heng, a monk in Ming Dynasty, invented the Yi Jin Jing qigong exercise while he lived in a cave on Mt. Zining, where Zhangjiajing village is located.

In 2016,the Tiantai county people’s government in East China’s Zhejiang province officially declared Pingqiao, a mountainous town, as “Yi Jin Jing Township”, with Zhangjiajing village at its center. At least 30,000 local residents in and around the “Yi Jin Jing Township” have learned to perform the so-called Zining YiJin Jing qigong exercise. They put on massive performances for tourists. Yi Jin Jing training courses, coupled with hillside camping, sightseeing, local foods, have brought great benefit to the previously poor county.

1. What do we know from the first paragraph?

A．Yi Jin Jing is mentioned in Jin Yong’s books.

B．Shaolin Temple is the origin of Yi Jin Jing.

C．Health and fitness clubs have many kung fu masters.

D．Yi Jin Jing is the most popular qigong exercise.

2. How does the author mainly develop the second paragraph?

A．By giving an example.

B．By following time order.

C．By listing the differences.

D．By analyzing cause and effect.

3. Which map shows the correct locations of the places?

A．	B．
C．	D．

4. What may be the best title for the text?

A．Yi Jin Jing, the Most Powerful Qigong Techniques.

B．The Origin of Yi Jin Jing.

C．Learn Yi Jin Jing, Be Superman.

D．Try Classic Qigong Exercise: Yi Jin Jing.

【推荐3】It scarcely seems surprising that learning to underline a modal verb, such as “can”, and “may”, does little to help students use them effectively in their own writing. These words are anyway grasped by tiny children without the need to know what they are called. This may tempt the conclusion that the teaching of grammar should be shelved altogether. But there are reasons to reform it rather than throw it away.

Understanding of language is part of a wider education in what makes human beings human. How concepts are turned into sounds, and how those sounds combine to form commands or questions, are issues that have occupied many language experts. What they reveal about the mind has exercised psychologists and cognitive (认知的) scientists.

There are practical reasons to ask children to work hard at grammar, too. One is that a knowledge of it will make learning a foreign language easier. Even if you did know by nature how to make clauses in your native languages as a child — just without instruction — getting to grips with them in German or Russian in later years is simpler if you know how to define and spot them. As it is, many English-speakers come to understand grammar by studying a foreign language, rather than the other way round.

For grammarians keen on future jobs, the natural-language processing field is booming. After many years of poor results, technological wizards have developed programs for automated translation, speech recognition and other services that are actually usable, if far from perfect. These tools may rely more on knowledge of artificial intelligence than of the subjunctive, but linguistic (语言学的) expertise still matters, and may give beginners an edge over competitors whose best language is Python (编程).

Grammar could still be taught better. One small study showed improvement in some students when concepts are linked concretely to writing tasks. A cook does not need to know chemistry to make a delicious soup. But the science of how words combine to make meaning is fascinating and fundamental.

1. Why do some people consider stopping teaching grammar?

A．Teachers’ teaching methods are far from satisfactory.

B．It’s unnecessary for small kids to grasp modal verbs.

C．Drawing lines under words fails to be effective in learning.

D．Grammar Learning doesn’t bring obvious effect to writing.

2. Which of the following can replace the underlined phrase “getting to grips with” in paragraph 3?

A．Controlling.	B．Mastering.
C．Holding on to.	D．Dealing with.

3. When it comes to future jobs, grammarians believe _______.

A．a good command of Python is enough for programmers

B．the field of artificial technology still shows great promise

C．being expert in language means advantages in competition

D．computer geniuses will invent perfect tools to process language

4. What’s the main idea of this passage?

A．Grammar teaching shouldn’t be stopped but reformed.

B．Scientific study of human beings benefits from grammar.

C．Grammar helps children to learn foreign languages better.

D．There’s much room for improvement in grammar research.