【推荐1】“We’re getting brighter and brighter and brighter,” warns Paul Bogard, author of the upcoming book, End of Night: Searching for Natural Darkness in an Age of Artificial Light.

Bogard says the developed world’s desire to light up the night has gotten out of control. “Things like gas stations and parking lots are lit now 10 times as bright as they were just 20 years ago,” Bogard tells Celeste Headlee, host of weekends on All Things Considered. “It has everything to do with marketing, really. The gas station at the corner has figured out that if they turn up the lights, more people will be attracted to those lights.”

And, Bogard says, all that light is having some unintended consequences. For one, it affects our sleeping patterns, he says. Others say the effects of light pollution are worse, which involve the bird migration (迁徙), and humans’ extra weight problems.

Richard Stevens, an epidemiologist at the University of Connecticut Health Center, was one of the first to make the connection between bright, artificial light and breast cancer. Stevens’ research found that artificial light can interrupt our body clock — and affect our production of melatonin (褪黑激素). “We know for sure that the lighting in the modern world can interrupt our body clock, and that cannot be good,” Stevens tells Headlee.

Cities such as Santa Rosa, Calif., and Brainerd, Minn., are turning off a certain number of streetlights. Even Paris seems willing to cut down on its illumination (照明) to reduce light pollution.

The French Environment Ministry recently announced that starting this summer, office buildings and storefronts will have to turn off artificial lights between the hours of 1 a.m. and 7 a.m. Major landmarks like the Eiffel Tower will continue to be lit.

Yet Bogard says he hopes Paris will lead a lighting revolution. “The fact that Paris, the city of lights, is choosing to control their use of light at night is fantastic, and can serve as a model for cities all over the world,” he said.

Perhaps, someday soon, we’ll get off the subway, look up at the dark city sky, and see the stars of the Milky Way again.

1. Why do gas stations turn up lights?

A．To attract customers.	B．To ensure safety.
C．To motivate employees.	D．To comfort the passers-by.

2. What concerned Richard Stevens about the lighting?

A．It may cause overweight.

B．It may lead to a waste of resources.

C．It might affect the migration of birds.

D．It may contribute to breast cancer.

3. What can be inferred from the last paragraph?

A．The subway will shorten its service hours.

B．We are losing the beautiful dark sky view with the stars.

C．The night lighting of the Eiffel Tower will be turned off.

D．We won’t see the artificial lights of office buildings at midnight.

4. In which section of a website can the text be found?

A．Business.

B．Education.

C．Life kit.

D．Environment.

【推荐2】Now is the time to act on climate change. We need to cut carbon emissions (排放), and knowing this, it is easy to be pessimistic. Strangely, I’m feeling the opposite. And that’s mostly because of one factor: Batteries. It isn’t obvious but over the last decade or so, just as we’ve watched our computers get faster and screens get thinner, batteries have greatly improved too.

According to the European Patent Office, the number of battery patents filed grew by an average of 14 percent every year between 2005 and 2018. Energy storage is getting better and better, as more companies are discovering new chemistry and processes to make them work more efficiently.

And the results of all of this work are astonishing. Energy density—the amount of power that can be stored in the same sized battery—has doubled in the last decade. And the costs of batteries have fallen a lot too.

Brilliantly, because electric batteries are improving so noticeably, we can already see the results. Last September, 15 percent of all new vehicle registrations were pure electric vehicles. So the change is starting to happen.

It’s conceivable that in the not-too-distant future, alongside other essentials in our homes like a boiler and a fusebox, we might also have an enormous battery in the garage. This would take power from the grid (电网) or maybe even solar panels on the roof, and power appliances and lights in our homes at the times when demand for electricity is high.

So, given how much technology has improved batteries over the last decade, I can’t help but be strangely optimistic about the future. Batteries may not be as flashy (显眼的) as phones, rockets or other new technologies, but when it comes to technology to fight climate change, they’re definitely leading the charge.

1. What is the author’s attitude towards cutting carbon emissions?

A．Doubtful.

B．Favorable.

C．Unclear.

D．Anxious.

2. What is the possible result of batteries’ great improvement?

A．It’ll make them more environment-friendly.

B．It’ll make people use electricity at will.

C．It will slow the development of pure electric vehicles.

D．It’ll cause the prices of batteries to rise.

3. What does the underlined word “conceivable” in paragraph 5 mean?

A．Unacceptable.

B．Astonishing.

C．Possible.

D．Unreliable.

4. Which of the following is a suitable title for the text?

A．Carbon Emissions Result in Climate Change

B．Now Is the Time to Act on Climate Change

C．How Battery Technology Can Save the Planet

D．How Much Technology Has Improved Batteries

【推荐3】In the eyes of many environmentalists, the world appears to be getting worse. They believe, the natural resources are running out and the air and water are becoming ever more polluted. But if we check the facts, things look different. Energy has become more abundant, not less so. Fewer people are starving. What seems to cause this gap between perception and reality?

One factor is the prejudice in scientific research. Scientific funding goes mainly to areas with many problems. That may be wise policy, but it will also create an impression that there are more potential problems than actually exist.

Secondly, environmental groups seek attention from the mass media. They also need to get continuous financial support. Understandably, perhaps, they sometimes exaggerate (夸大) their arguments. In 1997, for example, the World Wide Fund for Nature issued a statement titled: “Two thirds of the world’s forests lost forever”. The truth turns out to be near 20%.

The media can add to confusion too. People tend to be more curious about bad news than good. Newspapers and broadcasters are there to provide what the public wants. That, however, can lead to significant misinterpretations. For example, when a natural disaster happens, the media usually highlights the negative parts, giving more attention to the disaster’s details and what happens afterward. This flood of bad news can make people think that such events are more frequent or serious than they actually are. Consequently, people may develop a sense of insecurity, despite statistically low probabilities of similar events happening to them.

Another factor is people’s poor perception. People worry that vaccines can cause severe side effects or long-term health problems. Despite extensive scientific evidence demonstrating their safety and effectiveness, some individuals remain hesitant due to unfounded fears.

It is crucial that we look at the facts if we want to make the best possible decisions for the future. It may be costly to be overly optimistic – but more costly still to be too pessimistic.

1. What aspect of scientific research does the writer worry about in paragraph 2?

A．The need to produce results.	B．The selection of research areas.
C．The lack of financial support.	D．The desire to solve research problem.

2. Why does the writer quote the example from the World Wide Fund for Nature?

A．To show how influential the mass media can be.

B．To show how effective environmental groups can be.

C．To show how the mass media can help groups raise funds.

D．To show how environmental groups overstate their claims.

3. The writer suggests that newspapers publish articles that are intended to ________.

A．educate readers	B．mislead readers
C．meet readers’ expectations	D．encourage readers’ feedback

4. What does the author try to convey in the last paragraph?

A．Making decisions based on reality.	B．Balancing optimism and pessimism.
C．Being optimistic to avoid costly mistakes.	D．Addressing the environmental crisis gradually.

【推荐2】A few examples of AI (人工智能) replacing humans are: saving or withdrawing money in or from banks; face recognition at supermarkets or airports; removal of junk mails; ridesharing (拼车) apps helping people find taxis and there are still so many more! The hot debate that has been bothering the education world for ages is whether AI will replace teachers.

The AI teacher, known as the robot teacher, is a computer or machine that can teach a student according to the level it is programmed to.

There is an ever-increasing demand for teachers today that is not being met. Additionally, human teachers do carry with them some disadvantages. Some teachers are self-interested; others can be too satisfied with themselves or with a situation, so that they do not feel any change is necessary; some can have a weak-headed character or not be as knowledgeable about particular subjects as they should be.

While the thought of a reliable (可靠的) computer teaching your child might seem potential, an Al teacher cannot read its students’ emotions (情感). It cannot further simplify (简化) problems that students are having unless it is programmed to do so. It also cannot inspire its students as a human teacher can.

AI cannot replace teachers. It cannot provide its students with what they need: love, communication, student-teacher friendly and harmonious (和谐的) relationship. However, this does not mean that the Al is not necessary. Al is wonderful in a classroom! It makes the human teachers’ job easier and helps them be more efficient.

1. Why does the writer give some examples of AI uses in Paragraph 1?

A．To predict what Al will do.

B．To explain what Al is all about to us.

C．To introduce the topic of the text.

D．To show us science is developing fast.

2. What does the third paragraph mainly talk about?

A．Al should replace human teachers.

B．Human teachers do have disadvantages.

C．Al is closely related to human teachers.

D．Human teachers are expected to be perfect.

3. Why do people prefer human teachers to teach?

A．Using AI needs knowledge and technology.

B．AI must be programmed to teach students.

C．Human teachers can improve themselves by learning.

D．Human teachers can communicate emotionally.