【推荐1】New Zealand has announced it will outlaw smoking for the next generation, so that those who are aged 14 and under today will never be legally able to buy tobacco.

“New legislation (法规) means the legal smoking age will increase every year, to create a smoke-free generation of New Zealanders,” associate Health Minister Dr Ayesha Verrall said on Thursday. “This is a historic day for the health of our people”, she said.

The government announced the rising age alongside other measures to make smoking unaffordable and inaccessible, to try to reach its goal of making the country entirely smoke-free within the next four years. Other measures include reducing the legal amount of nicotine in tobacco products to very low levels, cutting down the shops where cigarettes could legally be sold and increasing funding to addiction services. The new laws will not restrict vape (电子烟) sales.

New Zealand’s daily smoking rates have been dropping over time-down to 11.65% in 2018, from 18% a decade earlier. But smoking rates for Maori and Pacifika were far higher-29% for Maori and 18%for Pasifika. “If nothing changes, it would be decades till Maori smoking rates fall below 5%,” Verrall said. She said to end smoking in the next four years was within reach:“I believe it is. The issue is, though, if we don’t change what we’re doing, we won’t make it for Maori-and that’s what the plan is really focused on”.

Smoking has already been widely replaced by vaping among teenage New Zealanders, which is also attracting many young people who would never have taken up smoking-according to surveying of 19,000 high school students this year, nearly 20% were vaping daily or several times a day. “While there are some concerns about vaping, one thing is for certain-its harm is ignorable compared with tobacco smoking”, said Letitia Harding, the CEO of ARFNZ (哮喘和呼吸基金会).

Verall said the legislation would be introduced in 2022, with the age limits coming in in 2023.

1. What’s the final goal of the new legislation?

A．To make the country entirely smoke-free within years.

B．To forbid the people aged 14 and under to buy tobacco.

C．To make buying tobacco hard.

D．To increase the legal smoking age.

2. What’s true about New Zealand outlawing smoking for the next generation?

A．Purchase of smoking becomes easier and less pricy.

B．The vape sales will be greatly influenced.

C．It benefits the building of a smoke-free generation.

D．Everyone is allowed to purchase tobacco with permit.

3. What do the numbers in paragraph 4 reflect?

A．New Zealand’s daily smoking rate is quite low.

B．It has taken a long time to decrease the rate of smoking.

C．The smoking rate will be higher over the years.

D．Smoking rates are not equal among different parts in New Zealand.

4. What’s the best title of this passage?

A．A Historic Day of Smoking

B．Decreasing Smoking Rate of New Zealand

C．Vape-replacement of Tobacco

D．New Zealand to Ban Smoking for Next Generation

【推荐2】I got my first driver’s license(执照)in 1953 by taking driver education in my first year at Central High School in Charlotte, North Carolina. Four years later when it was time to renew(更新)my license I was a married woman. Henry and I were living in Baltimore, Maryland. Two weeks before my 20th birthday, Henry drove me to the motor vehicle office on a hot July afternoon.

When I got to the office and showed to the man behind the counter my North Catrolina driver’s license, ready to renew, the man told me that I was under age by Maryland law since I was not yet 21. “Mr. Henry Smith, your husband, will have to sign for you,” he said. I argued, pointing to a very large belly(肚子)of mine,” I am married. I am having a baby. Why should I have to have someone sign for me to drive?” He answered coldly, “It’s the law, madam?”

Henry encouraged me to calm down, just go ahead and get the license and be done with it “No.” I said. I refused to have him sign for me. So I left without a Maryland license.

I called the North Carolina Motor Vehicle Office and renewed my NC license by mail-using my name Susan Brown. And thus(因此)it was for the next twelve years. Since Henry was in the army I could drive under my home   state license.

By the time Henry left the army we were once again living in Maryland, and I had to take the Maryland driver’s exam. Since then I just go in and renew every four years-sign the name Susan Brown, have my new picture taken, and walk out with a license to drive.

1. How old was Susan when she got her first driver’s license?

A．18 years old.	B．17 years old.
C．16 years old.	D．15 years old.

2. How did they go to the vehicle office?

A．By car.	B．By bike.
C．By bus.	D．By walk.

3. Susan got her first driver's license ________.

A．before she got married to Henry	B．when she was twenty years old
C．after she finished high school	D．when she just moved to Maryland

4. We can infer from the text that in the U.S. ________.

A．American males should serve in the army

B．different states may have different laws

C．people have to renew their licenses in their home states

D．women should adopt their husbands ' family names after marriage

【推荐3】Tens of thousands of drone (无人机)owners will have to register their devices for the first time under regulations designed to safeguard privacy.

Rules introduced yesterday require all drones that are fitted with cameras to be logged with the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA). Anyone who fails to do so faces being taken to court and fined up to £1,000. Drones heavier than 250g already have to be registered with the CAA, which costs £9 and must be renewed annually, but the new measures extend this requirement to all devices, including the lightweight models that are used by hobbyist pilots.

The move comes after sharp rise in the number of drones bought by enthusiasts or those operating them for commercial reasons, such as to inspect infrastructure or for photography and filming.

However, the rise has prompted concerns over privacy, with fears that drones are being used to spy on private residences and other buildings. It has also led to an increase in the number of near-misses between drones and other aircraft, including commercial passenger jets. The latest figures show 531 near-misses involving drones were logged in the past decade, including 125 recorded in 2019.

By law drones are supposed to be operated within an operator's line of sight. They have to remain below an altitude of 400ft to avoid interfering with aircraft and flown at least 164ft away from people and buildings. The government has already toughened up regulations in recent years. This includes requiring all operators to pass an online test before being allowed to fly devices. Other changes to the regulations include allowing drones that weigh up to 25kg to be operated, compared with a previous limit of 20kg.

Devices will also fall into three new categories of risk --high, medium and low -- depending on how they will be flown. Low-risk drones, including those typically used by hobbyists, will have operational limitations but will not need authorisation （授权）for flights. Authorisation is needed for larger medium-risk and high-risk drone flights, which are typically carried out in more complex environments, including those beyond the operator's line of sight, which is banned under normal circumstances.

Christian Struwe, the director of public policy, said of the new regulation: "It simplifies different processes and allows customers to travel from country to country without having to worry about different rules in different foreign locations.”

1. Why must the drone owners register their devices?

A．To protect their rights of flying drones.

B．To avoid breaking the new regulations.

C．To follow the rules not to invade others’ privacy.

D．To make sure their drones meet the weight requirement.

2. What does the underlined words in paragraph 2 probably mean?

A．Updated every day.

B．Registered every year.

C．Redesigned every year.

D．Replaced every month.

3. What is the potential danger drones probably cause?

A．Drones will be used for commercial purposes.

B．It is impossible to avoid being spied by drones.

C．Operating drones requires higher qualification.

D．Drones probably crash into passenger planes while in use.

4. What does paragraph 5 mainly talk about?

A．Ways of operating drones.

B．The requirements on drones.

C．Online test on drone operators.

D．Methods of making standard drones.

5. What does the passage mainly focus on?

A．How to make a standard drone.

B．How drones are operated by enthusiasts.

C．The negative effect of drones on people.

D．The importance of registering the drones.

【推荐1】Should humans explore space? If you ask me, I’ll definitely give a positive answer.

The exploitation (开发) of space has a direct impact on the lives of humans, as well as the state of our world. Satellites moving around the earth enable communication across the world. connecting people of different continents and broadcasting information worldwide. The Global Positioning System (GPS) can identify our location anywhere. Furthermore, weather satellites can forecast harmful weather conditions which allows humans to prepare for deadly natural disasters and save lives.

Space programs can also indirectly contribute to the solution to poverty and world hunger. For example, large plots of land could be used far better if humans applied technologies. The most effective tool is the artificial earth satellite. It can screen areas of land within a very short time, indicating useful measures such as the condition of crops, soil rainfall, and droughts. It can then transmit this information to ground stations on the earth for better use.

In recent years, space-based technologies have become an important factor to reach and expand global health objectives. Information provided by remote technologies can be applied to study the epidemiology (流行病学). This data provided by space technologies can monitor disease patterns, understand the environmental causes that spread it, make predictions about where it can spread in the future, and make plans to fight it efficiently.

Furthermore, access to better education means better life prospects and opportunities for human beings. Rural communities have disadvantaged access to education and satellite communication technologies are trying to bridge this gap. With the advancement of technology, students can now access any information and connect with peers and teachers in different parts of the world via video conferences and the creation of virtual classrooms.

Space exploration is something we can do for future generations. Mankind is using the resources provided on the planet, but these will run out one day. Overpopulation can be an existential threat for all mankind. With the advancement of space technology, it will be wise to use and explore the vast potential of other planets, such as the availability of mining resources on asteroids or other planets.

For the exploration of the universe, perhaps the most advantageous of all is that it will unite us to work together for a common purpose, regardless of our differences.

1. What can space exploitation do according to Paragraph 2?

A．Improve the traffic on the earth.	B．Promote travel between countries.
C．Help prevent deadly natural disasters.	D．Help humans communicate and exchange information.

2. How can space programs help with poverty and world hunger?

A．By benefiting crop production with artificial earth satellites.

B．By transporting food worldwide more easily.

C．By creating job opportunities for the poor.

D．By protecting available land resources.

3. What does the author think of mining resources on other planets?

A．Time-wasting

B．Arguable.

C．Necessary.

D．Educational

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

A．Why Space Exploration Is Important?

B．Why Humankind Should Keep Exploring?

C．Why We Should Improve Space Technology?

D．Why Humans Should Keep Developing Technologies?

【推荐3】When I was young, my mother didn't have the money to send me to school, but she thought it was important for me to keep up with education. So she decided to teach me extra lessons herself. But because she had to go to work, the only time she could do it was at 4:30 in the morning.

We need every one of you to develop your talents and your skills so that you can help us old folks solve our most difficult problems. If you quit on school—you're not just quitting on yourself, you're quitting on your country. No one's written your destiny（命运）for you, because you write your own destiny. You make your own future. That's why today I'm calling on each of you to set your own goals for your education and do everything you can to meet them. Your goal can be something as simple as doing all your homework, paying attention in class, or spending some time reading a book.

But whatever you decide to do, I want you to commit to it. I want you to really work at it. I know that sometimes you get that sense from TV that you can be rich and successful without any hard work—that your ticket to success is through rapping or basketball or being a reality TV star. No one's born being good at all things. You become good at things through hard work. You're not a good athlete the first time you play a new sport. You don't hit every note the first time you sing a song. You've got to practice.

1. What can we learn from the first paragraph?

A．The writer's home was very rich.

B．The writer's mother was a teacher.

C．The writer was born in a poor family.

D．The writer didn't like reading books.

2. What does the writer want everyone to do by improving their talents and skills?

A．To quit on their country to earn more money.

B．To offer help to the old people who have difficulties.

C．To write their own new destiny by working as TV star.

D．To spend some time writing books about their own life.

3. Why does the writer call on everyone to set his/her own goal?

A．Because everyone's future is determined by themselves.

B．Because everyone's future is to do simple work.

C．Because everyone should do their homework.

D．Because everyone should pay attention in class.

4. How can people realize their great dream?

A．By rapping.

B．By playing basketball.

C．By being a reality star.

D．By working hard.