【推荐1】A huge 3D printer is now building new homes in the countryside in Southern Mexico. It is the world’s first 3D-printed village. Could this be part of the global housing solution?

The 500-square-foot houses are finished with roofs, windows and the inside parts. A nonprofit organization called New Story leading the project believes that the new construction could be part of the solution for affordable housing in some of the places in the world. The organization hopes to build 50 new houses by the end of 2020, replacing the ones that residents built themselves out of wood, metal and whatever materials they could afford.

The families live in a seismic zone that usually suffer from flooding. Building something that will stand up to an earthquake and keep them dry during heavy rains is a key consideration when it comes to the design.

New Story has been helping families in need of shelter. It has built more than 2,700 homes in South America and Mexico since it was founded in 2014. This is the first home-building project that it’s done with 3D printing.

Each house takes 24 hours, which is about two times faster than it takes to build a home with regular construction. The house has two bedrooms, one bathroom, a living room and a kitchen. And the houses can resist powerful earthquakes.

The technology is there and the application to building homes for those in need brings a lot of hope for the future. Experts say 3D printing is not science fiction. We have moved beyond science fiction into reality.3D printers build homes faster, better and less expensively. In the future, this will be humanity’s perfect housing solution that matches our highest values and ideals.

1. What do we know about New Story?

A．It must be a famous company.	B．It values 3D printing technology.
C．It earns a lot by building houses.	D．It takes the lead in 3D printing technology.

2. What's the focus for people living in the earthquake zone to build houses?

A．Predicting floods.	B．Resisting earthquakes.
C．Saving building costs.	D．Using expensive materials.

3. What does the author think of 3D printing?

A．It is hard to apply.	B．It is science fiction.
C．It has a bright future.	D．It has perfectly solved housing problems.

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

A．A Huge 3D Printer	B．New Story, a Great Nonprofit
C．The World’s First 3D-printed Village	D．3D-printed Houses, Popular Worldwide

【推荐2】An exciting landing process of Chang'e-4 lunar probe (月球探测器 ) was seen through the monitor at Beijing Aerospace Control Center in Beijing, Jan. 3, 2019. It touched down on the far side of the moon at 10:26 a.m. Beijing Time, becoming the first spacecraft soft-landing on the moon's unknown side never visible from Earth.

China's Chang'e-4 probe has started the exploration on the far side of the moon thanks to the relay satellite that provides a communication link with ground control. The relay satellite, named Queqiao, meaning Magpie Bridge, after a Chinese legend (传说 ) , was launched on May 21, 2018, and became the first communication satellite operating in the halo orbit, nearly 500,000 km from the earth. It can also provide communication for probes from other countries. The relay satellite will also be used for scientific and technological experiments. The maximum distance between the satellite and the Chang'e-4 probe on the far side of the moon is 79,000 km. The satellite processes data from the probe and sends it to Earth.

The satellite can stay in its orbit for a long time due to its relatively low fuel consumption, as the earth's and moon's gravity balances its orbital moving. While in orbit, it can "see" both the earth and the far side of the moon.

The concept of using a relay satellite in the halo orbit was first put forward by U.S. space experts in the 1960s, but was realized by Chinese space engineers.

Researchers hope to use the cameras on the satellite to record asteroids (小行星 ) hitting the far side of the moon. To control the cost of the Chang'e-4 probe, the relay satellite was designed to be relatively small, weighing about 400 kg.

Researchers had just 30 months to develop the satellite, putting them under high pressure. To promote public interest in space exploration, the China National Space Administration invited people to write down their wishes for lunar and space exploration, and the relay satellite carries the names of tens of thousands of participants and their messages.

1. What do we learn from the second paragraph?

A．The relay satellite was launched on Jan. 3, 2019.

B．Chang'e-4 probe was the first communication satellite.

C．The relay satellite only explores the far side of the moon.

D．The relay satellite can handle data from Chang'e-4 probe.

2. Why was the size of the relay satellite relatively small?

A．To reduce the cost as much as possible.

B．To make it circle Moon for a longer time.

C．To avoid being crashed by other satellites.

D．To follow American space experts' advice.’

3. What made researchers suffer from great stress?

A．Few people interested in the exploration on the moon.

B．The relay satellite carrying too much equipment.

C．Their lacking enough time to develop the relay satellite.

D．People's never being optimistic about the relay satellite.

4. What is the main idea of the text?

A．China is a new space power after the USA.

B．Chang'e-4 probe lands on Moon's far side.

C．Chinese space engineers make much progress.

D．Space exploration is a dangerous challenge.

【推荐3】With Moon as His Muse, Japanese Billionaire Signs Up for SpaceX Voyage

When Yusaku Maezawa took the stage here at one corner of the SpaceX factory floor, he explained that he did not just want to be the first private citizen to circle the moon. “I choose to go to the moon, with artists,” Mr. Maezawa said, echoing President John F. Kennedy’s speech in 1962.     1    

While SpaceX’s Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy rockets have been significant technological achievements, SpaceX’s engineers have started to turn their attention toward the B.F.R., a much more ambitious vehicle that SpaceX hopes will take Mr. Maezawa to circle the moon. It is a promising project at SpaceX, and is one that would grow rapidly in the coming several years.     2    

Although he would not discuss how much Mr. Maezawa is to pay for his trip, SpaceX’s CEO Mr. Musk made clear it would make a significant contribution to the development costs.     3     “I don’t think it’s more than 10, and I don’t think it’s less than two,” he said.

Mr. Maezawa said he did not like to be alone and so he would invite five to eight artists and performers to accompany him, part of a project he called Dear Moon.     4     “Art makes people smile, brings people together.” He said.

When asked whether a trip around the moon was the most beneficial way to spend his fortune, Mr. Maezawa said, “I want to contribute to society in a different way. Maybe 10 years from now, people will be laughing I paid so much, but somebody needs to make the first payment,” he added. “Otherwise, space development is not going to evolve.     5    ”

A．Mr. Maezawa also said that art contributed to his hope of world peace.

B．That’s why I think I should be the one to do this.

C．Mr. Maezawa’s trip to the moon was expected to last 5 days or so.

D．Mr. Maezawa’s four- to five-day moon trip would probably occur in 2023.

E．Mr. Musk estimated development costs at roughly $5 billion.

F．Only together with the financial help from all the artists, can humans realize the dream of flying to the moon.

G．He announced his intentions to travel to space with an unconventional crew during a news conference Monday evening.

【推荐1】Unlike doctors, nurses are at the forefront of care. They are there when you are admitted, when you rest and when you recover. They are the faces patients see when they are in pain, the ones they get to know and trust to take care of them.

Nursing is also an excellent option for those who want to work in healthcare but cannot go on to become a doctor. You can start with just a few weeks of education and work your way up. There are still educational requirements but many top nursing degrees are specifically designed to be completed while you work full-time.

If you want a career where your job is to actually help people heal, rather than deal with emergencies as they come, then nursing is for you.

Today alone, there are an estimated 800, 000 unfilled nursing jobs in the country, and a further 1 million shortage expected by 2030 when existing nurses start to retire. Job hunting is typically a nightmare for those fresh out of college, but in nursing, you are almost guaranteed a position in nearly every setting.

There are also new rules in place that mean you can work as a nurse in a variety of states without retaking the exams. There are still steps you will need to take if you move from one qualifying state to another, but this freedom means you can find your true home and continue to work as a nurse with very little interruptions. Travel if you want as a nurse; live in your dream home outside of the city as a nurse.

The world needs more nurses, because nurses make a direct impact on recovery. It is reported that one more nurse can save 9 extra people out of every 1,000 patients, that is to say your work matters.

1. What can we infer according to the first paragraph?

A．Healthcares would be complete without nurses.

B．Patients and nurses have a good relationship.

C．Patients like nurses much more than doctors.

D．Healthcares need more nurses than expected.

2. What’s the meaning of the underlined word “option” in the second paragraph?

A．Challenge.

B．Step.

C．Choice.

D．Way.

3. What is the possible situation in ten years?

A．800,000 nurses will be badly needed.

B．1 million nurses will dislike their jobs.

C．The USA will see a high rate of unemployment.

D．There will be a great demand for nurses.

4. What is the benefit as a nurse if you like traveling?

A．You needn’t take extra exams when working in other states.

B．You have much freedom as to what you’d like to do.

C．You can travel around the world without working.

D．You have a chance to travel without interruptions.

【推荐2】Tobacco has long been recognized as a huge health threat. It is known to cause lung and heart problems to many long-term users. According to the World Health Organization, 3,000,000 people die early each year because of tobacco use, including 890,000 deaths from second-hand smoke exposure.

E-cigarettes, an alternative (替代品) to smoking, have become popular. Also known as vaporizers (汽化器), they are electric devices that heat liquid nicotine into a vapor that can he taken in. This vapor is less harmful to inhale than smoke. For example, it does not produce tar (焦油), which can build up in a smoker’s lungs. Inhaling vapor - called vaping - is not without its own risks, however. Exposure to nicotine during youth can lead to addiction and cause long-term harm to brain development. The vapor may also contain harmful things. The Center for Disease Control has linked vaping to more than 805 cases of lung disease and 12 deaths so far in the US.

Vaping has greatly increased in popularity in the US, especially among teenagers. About 37 % of US high school seniors were reported vaping in 2018, up from 28% the year before, Harvard Health Publishing reported. Michael Blaha, a researcher at the Johns Hopkins Ciccarone Center for the Prevention of Heart Disease, listed 3 reasons that contributed to vaping’s popularity among young people. First, many teens eve that vaping is less harmful than smoking. Second, ecigarettes have a lower per-use cost than traditional cigrattes. Finally, e-cigarettes come in a wide range of sweet flavors, like apple pie and watermelon.

Blaha is most concerned that more teenagers are taking up vaping as a habit. “It’s one thing if you change from cigarette smoking to vaping. It’s quite another thing to start up nicotine use with vaping. And, it often leads to using traditional tobacco products down the road,” he said.

Governments around the world the divided about vaping. 39 countries and regions have banned the sale of e-cigarettes, according to the Global State of Tobacco Harm Reduction 2018. Last September, US President Donald Trump said the use of e-cigarettes might be negatively affecting young people and that it should be kept off the market until proved harmless.

1. The underlined word “inhale” in Paragraph 2 probably means “__________”.

A．blow away	B．spread out
C．give off	D．breathe in

2. In what way are e-cigarettes different from traditional tobacco products?

A．E-cigarettes do not produce tar.

B．E-cigarettes are not bad to smokers’ health.

C．E-cigarettes are less likely to cause nicotine addiction.

D．E-cigarettes do more harm to smokers’ brains than their lungs.

3. Why is vaping popular with young people according to Blaha?

A．Vaping is allowed at school.

B．Vaping makes them look cool.

C．They like the liquid taken from fruits.

D．They think it’s safer and cheaper than smoking.

4. What can we learn from Blaha’s words in Paragraph 4?

A．Those who smoke e-cigarettes tend to smoke tobacco later.

B．Vaping is more likely to attract teenagers than older people.

C．It usually takes a long time for smokers to enjoy e-cigarettes.

D．E-cigarettes should be encouraged to replace traditional tobacco products.

【推荐3】From the giant armadillo (仇狳) to the giant bison (野牛), many large plant eaters have been wiped out in the past 50,000 years. Now a study has found that the continents that lost the most of these giant herbivores (食草动物) had the biggest increases in wildfires in grasslands.

“There is evidence today that herbivores can limit fire by reducing the fuel load,” says Allison Karp at Yale University. In fact, some supporters of rewilding argue that restoring large herbivores can help reduce wildfires.

A few studies have already found that there were more fires in specific regions after the loss of giant herbivores during the past 50,000 years. Karp and her colleagues decided to look at the global picture by analyzing two existing databases. One, called HerbiTraits, has information on all herbivores larger than 10 kilograms that have lived in the past 130, 000 years. The other, called the Global Paleofire Database, has records of charcoal deposited (木炭沉积) in lakes from 160 sites worldwide, which show changes in fire activity nearby.

The team found that the biggest increases in fire activity were in the continents that lost the most big herbivores, such as South America, with smaller increases in the continents where there were fewer extinctions, such as in Africa.

Karp says her study cannot tell us anything about the effects of this increased fire activity. But other studies suggest that they were dramatic. After humans wiped out Australia’s giant herbivores, for instance, increased fire activity may have transformed the continent’s vegetation (植被).

The reasons for the loss of so many giant herbivores around the world during this period are still debated. It’s clear that many were hard hit by climate changes related to the last ice age, but human hunting may have been the killer factor in most cases.

1. Why do some people hope to bring in more herbivores?

A．To increase forests and grasslands.	B．To reduce wildfires to some degree.
C．To collect information on all herbivores.	D．To prevent extinctions of smaller animals.

2. According to the team, there might be fewer wildfires in places where __________.

A．fewer herbivores died out	B．there was thicker vegetation
C．more plant eaters went extinct	D．there were more charcoal deposits

3. What may be a probable cause of the giant herbivore population decline?

A．Increase in wildfire worldwide.	B．Global warming.
C．Decrease in the grassland.	D．Human hunting.

4. What’s the purpose of the passage?

A．To introduce the current situation of giant herbivores.

B．To show the effects giant herbivores have on wildfires.

C．To explain the importance of wildfires to giant herbivores.

D．To discover the reasons for the decrease of giant herbivores.