【推荐1】Listening to music is considered a good thing for adults. Indeed it is. Scientific studies have proved it. Music has so many good effects on our body, mind and mood that this world would certainly not be a good place without music.     1     Some parents think so and let their children learn or listen to music. But some parents don’t know the importance of music to children. Here are some reasons why music is important to children.

First, music is good for children's intelligence. Studies have proved that children who learn music are likely to have higher intelligence than those who have no interest in or dislike music.     2    

Music also has comforting effect on children and helps remove their stress. Today’s children are under a lot of stress from schoolwork. Being under too much stress harms children’s health.     3    

    4     Some children are sad by nature. They seem to be lost in their own thoughts and don’t take interest in their surroundings. In such cases, a method known as “music therapy” comes to their rescue. It changes their moods and places a new kind of spirit in them.

Music is also a universal language that children ought to learn. Our world has become a global village.     5     Music can help them in understanding foreign cultures.

Now we can say that music is very important not only to adults but also to children. So children should be encouraged to learn music or listen to music.

A．Then, is music good for children?

B．Music can improve children’s moods.

C．Luckily, listening to music can help them feel better.

D．Music is shared between every culture and generation.

E．Music can help you recognize and remember information better.

F．This is because the brain gets inspired by the rhythm (节奏) and tone of music.

G．People are getting more and more interested in other cultures and countries.

【推荐3】Do you listen to the songs that your parents like? Chance are that you don’t. You probably think the music that they like is old and dull and that the Songs on your playlist are much cooler.

But here is what scientists found recently: people’s music tastes change as they age, according to a study published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. So it’s likely that your own musical preference will follow a similar path to your parents’ whether you like it or not.

We used to think that culture and personality are the only factors that affect one’s music choice. But researchers at the University of Cambridge, UK, gathered data from more than 250,000 people over the past 10 years. They noticed that as people age, their social circumstances change, and so does their music taste.

There are three musical periods that people pass through as they mature-intense”, “contemporary” and “sophisticated”.

The first period comes in the teenagers years, during which time people like intense music such as punk and rock because teenagers tend to be aggressive and want to establish their identity as independent individuals.

But as people move into early adulthood, their lifestyle changes—they socialize more and want to build close relationships with others. As a result, they become more fond of contemporary music, such as pop and R&B, which is usually uplifting and danceable and played at parties where people hang out together and chat.

When middle age comes, things have settled down for most people. This period will be dominated by more “sophisticated” music, such as jazz and classical, as well as more catchy music like country, folk, and blues.

“For many, this life stage is frequently exhausted by work and family, and there is a requirement for relaxing, emotive music,” Jason Rentfrow, a researcher member, told The telegraph.

But you must be thinking: “Aren’t there old people who are still into rock music?” Of course there are. But Rentfrow explained that their reasons for listening to rock music may have changed. “We use music for different reasons,” he said, and thus at that age people may listen to remind themselves of their youths.

1. Why do children usually like different songs from their parents according to the passage?

A．Children prefer cool music.	B．Music taste changes with age.
C．parents’ songs are always dull.	D．Parents have better social circumstances.

2. The underlined word “catchy” in Paragraph 7 probably means ________.

A．touching and easily remembered	B．awkward and easily captured
C．elegant but difficult to understand	D．flexible and difficult to catch

3. Middle age is a period when people ________.

A．have an aggressive goal	B．like Pop and R&B
C．desire close connections with others	D．lead a stressful life

4. What can we infer from the last paragraph?

A．Old people don’t like rock music.	B．Music can serve as a reminder.
C．Rock music makes old people younger.	D．Listening to rock music needs reasons.

5. What’s the main idea of the passage?

A．Why do people like music?	B．How can you improve your music talent?
C．What influences peopled music taste?	D．Why do different people like different music?

【推荐1】Andy Kong has worked very hard to get to where he is today. He credits becoming a millionaire by 20 to his strict Asian parents who tutored him at a young age by working for the family.

Kong, of Danville, Virginia, started working when he was only nine. English wasn’t a strong suit for Andy’s parents, and that’s where he was able to assist his family the most. After school and on weekends he would help out at their family-owned restaurant and nail salons. Not only did he do the labor work, but he was also involved in creating online ads. This was his introduction to the world of online business.

Andy started his Amazon business in the eighth grade. When he learned about Amazon Dropshipping (代发货模式) from a kid he saw on Instagram, he got inspired and decided to give it a try. Unfortunately, the store eventually got shut down because he was impatient with the growth. Instead of considering it a failure, he viewed this experience as a life lesson and learned from his mistakes. Meanwhile, his parents never stopped trying to talk him into focusing on school and their retail business.

“The biggest challenge when starting a business is getting someone to believe in you,” Andy says. He pushed through and did things for himself even when his loved ones discouraged it.

In 2019, Andy met his now business partners, and together, they created an Amazon management company called Project WiFi. This Project has proven to be extremely successful. They currently help over 55 clients run their online businesses, and plan to help many more in the future.

When asked about the secret to his success, Andy says, “Learning to sacrifice whether that’s family, friends, or soccer game for a single goal is the only way to succeed, rather than attempting multiple things. If it’s worth doing then it’s worth doing well with no shortcuts.”

1. Why did Andy work in his parents’ shops at a young age?

A．Because he could earn some pocket money.

B．Because his parents weren’t fluent in English.

C．Because his parents could help with his study.

D．Because he could get access to the Internet.

2. What does paragraph 3 mainly talk about?

A．A new online business model.	B．Results of working impatiently.
C．Difficulties in Andy’s career.	D．Andy’s tense family relationship.

3. What does Andy think contributes to his success?

A．His early working experiences.	B．Lessons learned from his failures.
C．Gaining other people’s trust.	D．Focusing on the thing you choose.

4. Which of the following can best describe Andy Kong’s personality?

A．Committed and generous.	B．Open-minded and motivated.
C．Creative and faithful.	D．Hard-working and sociable.

【推荐3】Grandpa Nybakken loved life--especially when he could play a trick on somebody. But on a cold Saturday in downtown Chicago, Grandpa felt that God played a trick on him.

Grandpa worked as a carpenter. On this particular day, he was building some boxes for the clothes his church was sending to an orphanage abroad. On his way home, he failed to find his glasses. He remembered putting them there that morning, so he drove back to the church. His search proved fruitless.

Suddenly it hit him that the glasses had slipped out of his pocket unnoticed and fallen into one of the boxes. His brand new glasses were heading for China! The Great Depression was at its height, and Grandpa had six children. He had spent twenty dollars for those glasses that very morning.

“It’s not fair,” he told God. “I’ve been very faithful in giving off my time and money to your work, and now this.”

Later, the director of the orphanage was on vacation in the United States. He came to speak at my grandfather’s small church. Grandpa sat in his usual seat.

“But most of all,” he said, “I must thank you for the glasses you sent last year.”

“Even if I had the money, there was simply no way of replacing those glasses. A long with not being able to see well, I experienced headaches every day, so my co-workers and I were much in prayer about this. Then your boxes arrived. My staff removed the covers and they found a pair of glasses lying on the top.” After a long pause, he continued, “Folks, it was as though they had been custom-made just for me! I want to thank you for being a part of that!”

The people listened, happy for the amazing glasses. But the director surely must have confused their church with another, they thought, there were no glasses on their list of items to be sent overseas.

But sitting quietly in the back, with tears streaming down his face, an ordinary carpenter realized the Master Carpenter had used him in an extraordinary way.

1. Which of the following is NOT true about Grandpa Nybakken according to the passage?

A．He was a loyal Christian.

B．He had a large family to support.

C．He was an outgoing man full of love.

D．He was a carpenter working in the church.

2. The people in the church but Grandpa felt confused at what the director said because ______.

A．the glasses were not included in the donation list

B．the director wanted to return the glasses even though he liked it

C．the director could not get such glasses in their own country

D．Grandpa didn’t tell the director that he was the owner of the glasses.

3. Who does “the Master Carpenter” in the last paragraph probably refer to?

A．Grandpa’s master.	B．God.
C．One of Grandpa’s friends.	D．Grandpa’s co-worker

4. Which can be the best title of the passage?

A．Grandfather’s life	B．The Helpful Donation
C．An Impressive Speech	D．The Perfect Mistake

【推荐1】Most kids can walk into a library or bookstore and find hundreds of books to read. But it’s not that simple for kids who are blind. They read in a different way. Jenny Lee and other braille (盲文) transcribers take the printed words of a book and change them into a code of raised dots. Blind people can read these dots with their fingers. To know what braille feels like, take a ballpoint pen and press hard onto a piece of paper. Now turn the paper over and touch the raised dot made by the pen point.

When Lee first saw the dots of the braille alphabet, she wondered if she’d ever be able to read and write them easily. She took a class and practised hard for about six months before she passed the final exam: she had to convert 35 pages of a book into braille. Today, Lee works for a publisher. One of her jobs is to change children’s books into braille.

To do this, Lee first types the story into a computer and then uses a computer program to translate it into the braille code. Next, she looks over the translation several times to make sure it’s mistake-free. After that, a copy of the braille story is printed with a special printer. Then Lee and a proofreader work together to find and correct any mistakes. When a book is ready, many copies of it are printed. Afterwards, some are sold through websites and others are sent to libraries.

Sometimes, going over a story again and again gets tiring. That’s when Lee takes a break. Several of Jenny Lee’s co-workers, who are blind, use guide dogs. When the animals aren’t working, Lee likes spending a few minutes with them. To her, playing with dogs “is always a pick-me-up in the middle of the day”.

“I love this mission,” Lee says. “Through my brain power and my fingers, I am putting the dots into some kid’s hands.”

1. How does the writer explain what braille feels like?

A．By explaining what braille words look like.

B．By describing how blind people read books.

C．By asking readers to experience it themselves.

D．By giving examples of different braille words.

2. What was Lee’s first reaction to braille?

A．She was excited to get a new skill.

B．She was amazed at the clever idea.

C．She realized she could teach it herself.

D．She believed it would be difficult to learn.

3. What does the underlined word “pick-me-up” in paragraph 4 most probably mean?

A．A discussion to release work stress.

B．Something to improve one’s appetite.

C．Something to help restore one’s spirit.

D．A free ride accompanied with a guide dog.

4. What does Lee think of her job?

A．Profitable and hopeful.	B．Tiring but meaningful.
C．Relaxing and helpful.	D．Boring but challenging.

【推荐2】According to a recent investigation conducted by the Associated Press(美联社), many Google services on both Android and iPhone devices store records of user location data, and the bad news is that they do it even if the users have turned off the Location History on devices.

Google replied to the study with the following statement, “There are a number of different ways that Google may use location to improve people’s experience, including Location History, Web and App Activity, and through device-level Location Services. We provide clear descriptions of these tools, and strong controls so people can turn them on or off, and delete their histories at any time.”

That isn’t true. Even with Location History paused, some Google apps automatically store time-stamped location data without asking. The Associated Press has used location data from an Android smartphone with Location History turned off to design a map of the movements of Princeton researcher Gunes Acar. The news agency was able to track his movements and identify visited locations, including his home address.

“The privacy issue affects some two billion users of devices that run Google’s Android operating software and hundreds of millions of worldwide iPhone users who rely on Google for maps or search.” continues the Associated Press. Jonathan Mayer, a Princeton researcher and former chief technologist with the FCC remarked that location history data should be deleted when the users switch off the Location History. “If you’re going to allow users to turn off something called Location History, then all the places where you keep location history should be turned off.” Mayer said, “That seems like a pretty straightforward position to have.”

1. What is the Associated Press really concerned about?

A．Google fails to improve users’ experience.

B．Google is able to record users’ location history.

C．Users can’t prevent their location data from being recorded.

D．Users are not informed of how to delete their location history.

2. How does the Associated Press prove that Google is lying?

A．By designing a map of Gunes Acar’s home.	B．By tracking the movement of Gunes Acar.
C．By checking Google’s operating software.	D．By comparing Google’s location history data.

3. The purpose of writing the passage is to           .

A．encourage the improvement of Google apps

B．warn the public of their over dependence on Google apps

C．raise public concern over privacy issue caused by Google apps

D．appreciate the Associated Press’s contributions to scientific research

4. Which section of a newspaper is the text probably from?

A．Culture.

B．Entertainment.

C．Finance.

D．Technology.

【推荐3】My doorbell rings. On the step, I find the elderly Chinese lady, small and slight, holding the hand of a little boy. In her other hand, she holds a paper carrier bag.
I know this lady. It is not her first visit. She is the boy’s grandmother, and her daughter bought the house next door last October.
Her daughter, Nicole, speaks fluent English. But she is now in Shanghai, and her parents are here with the little boy. Nicole has obviously told her mother that I am having heart surgery soon, so her mother has decided I need more nutrients.
I know what is inside the bag—a thermos with hot soup and a stainless-steel container with rice, vegetables and either chicken, meat or shrimp, sometimes with a kind of pancake. This has become an almost-daily practice.
Communication between us is somewhat affected by the fact that she doesn’t speak English and all I can say in Chinese is hello. Once, she brought an iPad as well as the food. She pointed to the screen, which displayed a message from her daughter telling me that her mother wanted to know if the food was all right and whether it was too salty. I am not used to iPads, so she indicated I should go with her to her house. Then, she handed the iPad to her husband and almost immediately I found myself looking at Nicole in Shanghai and discussing her mother’s cooking and salt intake. Instantly, tears welled in my eyes.
“Your mother just can’t be bringing me meals like this all the time,” I insisted. “I can hardly do dishes in return.”
“Oh, no, Lucy.” Nicole said. “Mum doesn’t like western food. Don’t worry about it; she has to cook for the three of them anyway, and she wants to do it.”
The doorbell keeps ringing and there is the familiar brown paper carrier bag, handed smilingly to me.
I am now working on some more Chinese words—it’s the least I can do after such display of kindness.
“Thank you” is, of course, the first one. Somehow, it seems inadequate.
1. The elderly Chinese lady visits Lucy regularly because ________.

A．Lucy pays her to deliver food

B．Lucy likes cooking Chinese food

C．she cares about Lucy’s state of health

D．she wants to make friends with Lucy

2. Nicole’s mum took an iPad to Lucy’s home for ________.

A．displaying	B．communicating
C．cooking	D．chatting

3. In this passage Lucy mainly expresses her ________.

A．preference for the Chinese food

B．gratitude to the Chinese family

C．love of the advanced technology

D．affection for the Chinese language

【推荐1】We all know that regular exercise is vitally important for both a healthy mind and body. Research has shown that just five minutes of exercise in a “green space” can help people to keep mentally healthy.

Let’s take a look at some ways to get close to nature and make them a part of your regular exercise routine.

Get on your bike

Cycling is a cheap, easy and fun way to get some good exercise in the outdoors. Try leaving your car at home and cycling to work one day, if that’s possible. Or get the family together and go on a weekend bike ride. Check out the local cycle paths before you go, and plan a safe route. Make sure you take some healthy snacks with you to keep your energy levels up.

Try some outdoor yoga

Practising yoga can be great for reducing anxiety and aiding relaxation, so why not take your yoga mat and try out some asanas (yoga postures) in the open air? Yoga is great for stretching tight muscles and increasing flexibility as well as improving mobility, control and breathing. Why not finish your practice with some quiet meditation to further calm the mind?

Go running

Instead of spending hours on the treadmill（跑步机）, grab a friend and go off for a jog around your local park, or some nature trails. If you are used to running on a treadmill, you may find it harder at first, so make sure you have some good, supportive running shoes. You could also find out where your nearest Parkrun is. They are open to everyone, free, and are safe and easy to take part in.

1. If you want to cycle with your family, you’d better __________.

A．have a healthy body

B．check the bikes carefully

C．learn some survival skills

D．make good preparations for it

2. What’s the advantage of outdoor yoga according to the text?

A．Getting closer to nature.

B．Feeling relaxed or peaceful.

C．Keeping active and energetic.

D．Having no effect on people’s bodies.

3. What problem do some people have if they want to run around their local park?

A．It takes them some time to get used to it.

B．It needs some patience to continue.

C．It makes them lose interest in running.

D．It leads them to fall behind their friends.

【推荐2】The Moringa tree (辣木树), or Drumstick tree, grows to between three and ten meters tall. Its flowers are cream-colored. The plant has long and round green pods (豆荚) that can grow to 30 cm. The plant is very common in South and Southeast Asia, Africa and America. Although the tree is relatively unknown in China, it is extremely useful.

The leaves are used for eye and ear diseases, fevers, etc. They are also held against the forehead to reduce headaches, or made into tea to treat stomach problems. As they contain a lot of iron, they have been used for the treatment of anemia (贫血), a medical condition in which there are too few red cells in the blood, causing tiredness.

The seeds (种子) are commonly used to treat certain skin diseases. Ground seeds can be mixed with salt or oil to apply to the body to treat backache. The oil from the seeds is also used as a hair treatment, and to keep mosquitoes away and treat their bites.

The roots function in exactly the same way as the seeds. They have additional uses for heart and circulation problems. The plant contains high levels of fiber and protein, so it is planted mainly to feed farm animals and human beings. The leaves are eaten fresh or cooked.

Like every other part of the tree, its flowers are not just decorative but also functional. They taste a bit like wild mushrooms and are considered a delicious food. They are used to make tea to treat the common cold and mixed with honey to make cough medicine.

There is not a part of the tree that is not used. The Moringa tree is probably the most useful tree in the world.

1. What is special about the Moringa tree?

A．It has an interesting name.

B．It is beneficial in many ways.

C．It can grow to a great height.

D．It can be found all over the world.

2. Which parts of the Moringa tree have the same medical function?

A．Its pods and seeds.

B．Its flowers and seeds.

C．Its seeds and roots.

D．Its leaves and flowers.

3. What is the main purpose of planting the Moringa tree?

A．To keep mosquitoes away.

B．To protect the surrounding oil.

C．To treat different mental diseases.

D．To provide food for animals and humans.

4. What is the medical value of the Moringa tree according to the text?

A．Its flowers help treat cough.

B．Its leaves help treat backache.

C．Its roots can cure ear diseases.

D．Its seeds can cure stomach disease.

【推荐3】Why are some people better able to fight off the flu than others? Part of the answer, according to a new study, is related to the first flu strain we encounter in childhood.

Scientists from UCLA and the University of Arizona have found that people’s ability to fight off the flu virus is determined not only by the subtypes of flu they have had throughout their lives, but also by the sequence（顺序）in which they have been infected by those viruses. Their study was published in the open-access journal PLoS Pathogens. The research offers an explanation for why some people become much worse than others when infected with the same strain of the flu virus.

In addition, UCLA scientists, including Professor James Lloyd-Smith, who was also a senior author of the PLoS Pathogens research, recently completed a study that analyzed travel-related screening for the novel coronavirus（冠状病毒）2019-nCoV. The researchers reported that screening travelers is not very effective for the 2019 coronavirus —that it will catch less than half of infected travelers, on average —and that most infected travelers are undetectable, meaning that they have no symptoms yet, and are unaware that they have been exposed. So stopping the spread of the virus is not simply a matter of enhancing screening methods at airports and other travel centers.

“This puts the onus(责任，负担) on government officials and public health officials to follow up with travelers after they arrive, to isolate them and trace their contacts if they get sick later,” said Lloyd-Smith, a UCLA professor of ecology and evolutionary biology. “Many governments have started to impose quarantines（隔离）, or even travel bans, as they realize that screening is not sufficient to stop the spread of the coronavirus.”

One major concern, Lloyd-Smith said, is that other countries, especially developing nations, lack the infrastructure and resources for those measures, and are therefore vulnerable to importing the disease. “Much of the public health world is very concerned about the virus being introduced into Africa or India, where large populations exist that do not have access to advanced medical care,” he said.

1. What is the significance of the scientists’research?

A．It explains the cause of the flu virus.

B．It reduces the risk of people being infected.

C．It analyzes people’s ability to fight off the virus.

D．It stops the spread of the flu virus all around the world.

2. What do we know about the novel coronavirus from paragraph 3?

A．Travelers are at high risk of being exposed to it.

B．It is more difficult to stop its spread than expected.

C．Most travelers infected with it are detected by screening.

D．It spreads especially quickly at airports and railway stations.

3. Why does the writer mention Lloyd-Smith’s words in paragraph 4?

A．To persuade people not to travel.

B．To provide a method to kill the virus.

C．To show the harmful effects of the virus.

D．To stress the responsibilities of officials.

4. Which of the following best explains the underlined word“vulnerable”in the last paragraph?

A．weak	B．impossible.
C．responsible.	D．indifferent.