【推荐1】Antecedent (先前的) carbon emissions are greenhouse gases released during the making of a product. Most manufacturers or customers pay little attention to them. In fact, operating emissions is important in a fossil-fuel-powered world.

An expert, Annika Ramskold, summarized the problem and said, “Going fossil free isn’t just about how things are powered. It’s about removing fossil fuels from how things are sourced, made, transported and assembled. While electric vehicles are a great start, we need to go further. Fossil fuel free vehicles mean greenwash (环保幌子) until the entire production part has been decarbonized (使环保).”

One manufacturer paying much attention is a Swedish electric motorcycle company. It plans to build the world’s cleanest motorcycle. But it may have trouble visualizing carbon dioxide. The company came up against the problem. It said, “As the Cleanest Dirt Bike Ever project involves global suppliers. it is difficult to get primary data, due to the complex global supply chain. It is also difficult to clean up that global supply chain. We investigated the possibility of treating each component separately. This needed to track the entire supply chain of each individual part. We eventually didn’t focus on the end product, but dealt with the materials used to make said parts.”

So instead, they are concentrating on the four main materials in the bikes—aluminum. steel, plastic and rubber. But some parts of the bike, including motor. battery, controller, brakes and suspension. are made by outside suppliers located globally. The company will have much trouble making much of a dent in that.

Ultimately, the answer is how much stuff goes into your vehicle. The motorcycle is said to have a twentieth of the antecedent carbon of an electric car. This is why the company’s work is so important. When people finally understand the effect of antecedent carbon emissions. they may realize that the most important choice they can make is not to drive a car as much as possible.

1. What does Annika Ramskold want to stress?

A．People should stop producing fossil fuel free vehicles.

B．Electric vehicles can solve environmental issues well.

C．It’s important to make production environmentally friendly.

D．Customers should pay little attention to operating emissions.

2. Which one can best describe the Swedish company’s project?

A．Fruitful.

B．Challenging.

C．Meaningless.

D．Conventional.

3. What does the author advise people to do?

A．Know the reasons for emissions.	B．Make some important choices.
C．Buy the company’s motorcycles.	D．Adopt greener means of travel.

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

A．Sweden Is Trying to Go Green

B．Making Production Green Is Really Green

C．Global Companies Reject Carbon Emissions

D．Choosing Electric Vehicles to Reduce Emissions

【推荐2】A new report shows that most American fourth and eighth graders did not do well in math and reading tests. The latest so-called “Nation' s Report Card” was published last week.

There were some exceptions. Students in Washington, D. C. made important gains in both reading and math this year, according to the National Assessment of Education Progress. Students in the state of Mississippi also made major improvements compared to earlier reports.

Nationally, however, America' s eighth graders are falling behind in math and reading. And, math scores among fourth graders also decreased. Only a little more than one-third of eighth graders are proficient in reading and math. About a third of fourth graders are proficient readers. Over 40 percent are considered proficient in math.

U. S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos said the overall national results show a student achievement crisis(危机). She also said the problem cannot be fixed by giving more money to public schools. Instead, she called for expanded school choice. This includes her suggestions for greater dependence on privately run schools.

DeVos said last week that American children continue to fall behind students of the same grade in other countries. But with education freedom, American students can compete.

Scott Sargrad is with the Center for American Progress. He writes about education at the kindergarten through 12th grade levels, or K-12. He thinks DeVos is wrong and that “money matters in education.” The falling scores are because of lower spending on education following the Great Recession(经济衰退) of 2008.

1. What does the latest Nation's Report Card tell us about American students?

A．None of the American students do well in math.

B．The majority of eighth graders are poor at reading.

C．Fourth graders in Mississippi fall behind those in other states.

D．Students from Washington, D. C. made no improvements at all.

2. What does the underlined word “proficient” in Paragraph 3 probably mean?

A．Poor.

B．Skilled.

C．Slow.

D．Puzzled.

3. Why does Betsy DeVos think the crisis arises?

A．Because of schools’ poor management.	B．Because of a lack of money in education.
C．Because of limited educational freedom.	D．Because of students ’dependence on schools.

4. What can we infer from the last paragraph?

A．K-12 is an educational institute.

B．Scott Sargrad is in favor of DeVos’ideas.

C．Spending more money on education is the solution.

D．Many educational problems led to the Great Recession.

【推荐3】Many people have the habit of browsing the Internet on their phones before going to sleep. Even though you might have important things to plan for the next day, this habit is actually very unhealthy.

There are a number of studies and researches about the effects of the longer use of mobile phones at night. One of these is about the health and well-being of humans, which shows negative findings about this kind of subject. Mobile phones’ radiation has become popular to those who are always aware of its damaging and harmful effects that can actually harm people in the long run. This issue is extremely alarming and disturbing; especially when the radiation happens to someone, it becomes seriously dangerous. The blue lights from your mobile phones contain numerous severe health issues.

Blue lights have been included in the light spectrum(光谱) which is commonly a group of colors in the ray of light and it only shows that there is no difference between exposing to the sun and using our mobile phones, because they both contain blue lights. In some way, being exposed to that kind of light at night is extremely harmful to the eyes.

Such light at night results in disturbing sleep and increasing the risk of cancer. Melatonin(褪黑激素) is the natural weapon of the body in fighting against cancer. However, it is being blocked by the blue lights. If this happens once, it might become a big health problem, so you have to put in mind that using mobile phones continuously at night leads to severe health issues.

It is not really that bad to use your mobile phones at night if there is an emergency or an urgent need to use it. The important thing is to just minimize your time with your mobile phone for your entire health.

1. What do researchers think may make the longer use of phones at night more harmful?

A．Exposure to the sun.

B．Radiation.

C．Disturbing sleep.

D．Melatonin.

2. Why is exposure to the sun similar to using mobile phones?

A．Blue lights from them do harm to our eyes.

B．Their lights are made up of the same color.

C．The light from them is called the light spectrum.

D．They both have bad effects on our health.

3. What will happen if melatonin fails to work properly?

A．We will be disturbed by depression.

B．We are bound to be infected with cancer.

C．We may be troubled by some health problems.

D．Melatonin will fight against blue lights.

4. What can we learn from the passage?

A．There will be more studies about using phones.

B．It is harmful to frequently browse the Internet.

C．More bad habits are connected with using phones.

D．We should limit phone use before bedtime.

【推荐1】The world’s deepest underground lab designed to detect dark matter in Langzhong, Southwest China’s Sichuan Province will receive new equipment, which is one of the most important science and technology infrastructure（基础设施）projects of the country.

A ceremony was held on Saturday in a tunnel at Jinping Mountain. Researchers said the world’s deepest and China’s first dark matter lab sits 2400 meters below Jinping Mountain, the equivalent（相等的东西）to the height of five Oriental Pearl Radio and TV towers. An online video produced by Sichuan Daily revealed that the Jinping Underground Laboratory is over 300 square meters. The extreme depth allows for a thick layer of rock to shield（保护）the lab and facilities from cosmic rays, Sichuan Radio and Television (SRT) reported.

Jing Mingkun, a researcher at the lab, told SRT the facility would hardly be affected by radiation since the mountain can protect it from high-energy cosmic ray. The facility to detect and study dark matter is located at the center of the lab and protected with shielding systems. Once the rays are shielded, researchers are able to study dark matter, which would be similar to hearing the voice of a radio announcer when other noise is blocked out, Jing explained. Due to the extreme difficulty, dark matter has yet to be detected, Jing explained.

Chen Yang, a professor at the school of astronomy and space sciences at Nanjing University, told the Global Times that detecting matter from outer space in the lab has a huge advantage as the earth’s surface can absorb and filter noise. “A Japanese Nobel laureate detected a kind of matter from the supernova in 1987 in an old underground mine,” Chen said. He explained that if the facility can detect dark matter, it would be a significant achievement. “Detecting dark matter is very difficult. Current detectors can only catch rays sent by dark matter,” Chen said.

After completing the project, the lab will offer an environment with near-zero cosmic rays, so it could become a global center for physical research and attract international science experts, the SRT report said.

1. What is the world’s deepest underground lab built for?

A．Setting up new equipment.	B．Conducting infrastructure projects.
C．Developing new technology.	D．Discovering dark matter.

2. Why is the Jinping Underground Laboratory set up deep underground?

A．To store secret information.

B．To have a quiet working environment.

C．To protect the lab and facilities from cosmic rays.

D．To match with Oriental Pearl Radio and TV tower.

3. What’s the author’s purpose of mentioning Chen Yang in Paragraph 4?

A．To present the method of detecting dark matter underground.

B．To show the importance of detecting dark matter underground.

C．To prove the difficulty of detecting dark matter underground.

D．To list the achievements of detecting dark matter underground.

4. Which of the following can best describe the author’s attitude towards the project?

A．Indifferent.	B．Negative.
C．Skeptical.	D．Supportive.

【推荐2】English is the most widely used language in the history of our planet. One in every seven human beings can speak it. More than half of the world’s books and three quarters of international mail are in English. Of all languages, English has the largest vocabulary — perhaps as many as two million words.

However, let’s face it: English is a crazy language. There is no egg in an eggplant, neither pine nor apple in a pineapple and no ham in a hamburger. Sweet-meats are candy, while sweetbreads, which aren’t sweet, are meat.

We take English for granted. But when we explore its paradoxes (探讨它的矛盾), we find that quicksand can work slowly, boxing rings are square, public bathrooms have no baths in them.

And why is it that a writer writes, but fingers don’t fing, grocers don’t groce, and hammers don’t ham? If the plural of tooth is teeth, shouldn’t the plural of booth be beeth? One goose, two geese — so one moose, two meese?

How can a slim chance and a fat chance be the same, while a wise man and a wise guy are opposites? How can overlook and oversee be opposites, while quite a lot and quite a few are alike? How can the weather be hot as hell one day and cold as hell the next?

English was invented by people, not computers, and it reflects (反映) the creativity of human beings. That’s why, when stars are out, they are visible (能看见的); but when the lights are out, they are invisible. And why, when I wind up my watch, I start it; but when I wind up this essay, I end it.

1. According to the passage ________.

A．sweet-meats and sweetbreads are different things

B．there should be egg in an eggplant

C．pineapples are the apples on the pine tree

D．boxing rings should be round

2. Which of the following is the correct plural?

A．Beeth.

B．Geese.

C．Meese.

D．Tooth.

3. Which of the following includes two items which have the similar meaning?

A．A wise man and a wise guy.	B．Overlook and oversee.
C．Quite a lot and quite a few.	D．Hot as hell and cold as hell.

4. The underlined words “wind up” in the last paragraph probably mean “________”.

A．blow

B．roll up

C．get hurt

D．finish

5. Through the many paradoxes in the English language, the writer wants to show that human beings are ________.

A．clever

B．crazy

C．lazy

D．dull

【推荐3】Last night one of our 3 family dogs was hit and killed by a car in front of my mother’s house. The dogs became more or less, my mother’s children after her human children grew up and moved out and my father ran with a midlife crisis and left her. The one that was killed had bonded with my mom far more than the others. She is shocked and upset. I loved the dog, but my true sadness currently results from having to watch my mother experience another tragedy after everything she has been through in her life.

In the midst of all of this I have to sincerely applaud the driver of the vehicle, which feels wrong, but it's not.

I’ll start by stating it was not his fault. The dog chased(追赶) a deer into the road at night. In an effort to not hit the deer with his car he changed direction suddenly, not seeing the dog, leading to her deaths. He could have very easily continued on his way, but he did something that I hope I never forget. He did the right thing (in my eyes). The driver pulled over, carefully wrapped our dog in a blanket he got from his car, and carried her up to my mother's front door.

He was visibly shaking and very upset. He informed my mother of what happened and she broke down immediately. He consoled her the best a stranger could and waited with her while my sister rushed to her house. He left his information and offered assistance in anyway he could.

Yes, he is the man who hit and killed our dog-accidentally. What he really did was sparing my mother from discovering unexpectedly a horrible scene herself while searching for the dog. He had so many choices. Choices that were far easier than what he chose. He did the right thing and for that, thank you, stranger. You recovered my faith in humanity.

1. What can we learn about the author's mother?

A．She has suffered a lot in her life.	B．She has grown up with her dogs.
C．She misses her husband very much.	D．She has three dogs killed in an accident.

2. What's the author s attitude towards the dog-killer?

A．Doubtful.

B．Indifferent.

C．Critical.

D．Praising.

3. What does the underlined word “consoled” in paragraph 4 mean?

A．Encouraged.

B．Followed.

C．Comforted.

D．Helped.

4. What is the best tide for the text?

A．An Unfortunate Accident	B．Sadness over a Dog’s Death
C．An Easy-to-Make Choice	D．Faith in Humanity Recovered

【推荐1】“Super-agers” have long puzzled scientists, but now researchers say they are unpicking why some people live beyond 80 and still appear to be well.

Researchers say studies show that super-agers appear to adapt more easily to the slings and arrows of life, and are more open-minded and less sensitive. But they have also made another discovery. Looking at the brains of 10 super-agers after they died, Prof Emily Rogalski, from Northwestern University said they discovered these individuals have more of a certain type of brain cell known as Von Economo neurons ( 神经) than average elderly individuals. “We can’t explain how they ended up with more Von Economo neurons or why that is important. But these are a special type of neurons that have only been found in a couple of regions of the brain.”

Studies have shown there are other differences as well. “When we look at the rate of cognitive ( 认知的) thinning in the cognitively average 80-year-olds, their brains are thinning at nearly two and a half times that of the super-agers,” said Rogalski.

Being underweight also seemed to matter, with those who had a very low body mass index after the age of 80 more likely to die. It’s not bad to be skinny when you’re young but it is when you’re old.

The researchers say they have also found that the common bad habits do not necessarily lead to an early grave, with many super-agers saying they smoked and enjoyed a drink. “We ask them why is it that you think you are a super-ager, how did you get here, and there are a couple of funny ladies and they will say, well it’s   because I have some alcohol with my friends every day at 5 o'clock. Others have never had a drink,” said Rogalski.

However, Rogalski added, that did not mean that people should take up bad   habits to live longer, noting that some people might have a genetic makeup that allowed them to tolerate smoking and drinking. Nonetheless, Rogalski thinks we can learn from super-agers. “We are getting quite good at extending our lifespan but our health span isn’t keeping up and what the super-agers have is more of a balance between those two, they are living long and living well,” she said.

1. What can we learn about Von Economo neurons?

A．They can be found all over the super-agers’ brains.

B．They lead to super-agers’ easier adaptation to hardships.

C．Super-agers are found to have more of them in their brains.

D．Scientists have discovered how they are produced in brains.

2. Compared to the average elderly, super-agers .

A．have better life habits

B．tend to drink more alcohol

C．are usually much slimmer

D．are slower in brain thinning

3. What does Rogalski intend to tell us by the underlined sentence?

A．We should develop good habits to live longer.

B．We should seek to live well while living long.

C．Super-agers should help us extend our health span.

D．Extending lifespan is harder than keeping health span.

4. What is the writer’s purpose in writing the passage?

A．To reveal some secrets of super-agers.

B．To introduce the ways of staying young.

C．To explain the advantages of living long.

D．To describe various habits of super-agers.

【推荐2】Are you at least 17 years old? Do you weigh more than 110 pounds? Do you consider yourself fairly healthy?

If you answered yes to all of these questions, you should be donating(捐赠) blood every two months. n my survey of my schoolmates, I found that only 50 percent of them have ever donated blood and that only 1 out of 13 of them donate regularly. The lack of blood donors is a serious problem that requires immediate action.

According to the American Red Cross Web pages, in the United States alone someone receives a blood transfusion(输血) once every three seconds. People who benefit from donations include cancer patients as well as babies. The need for blood never takes a vacation and neither should donors.

Let me tell you about Brooke, a three-year-old girl with cancer. Brooke has spent about half of her life in the hospital receiving treatments. Her treatment will require about 500 units of blood in total, of which only 250 units have been replaced. She still needs the other half of the total amount to continue her treatment. If she doesn’t receive this blood, she will not live to start kindergarten.

Examples like Brooke’s are becoming all too common these days, with only 1 in 20 Americans donating blood and this number keeps dropping each year. These facts are extremely worrying considering that nearly half of us here will need blood sometime in our lives.

You can now see the seriousness of the problem with the lack of blood donations. Fortunately， it is a problem that can be easily solved. Each and every one of you can be part of the solution. All you have to do is go to the nearest Red Cross and donate your blood.

1. How does the author explain the problem mentioned in Paragraph2?

A．By making comparisons.	B．By answering questions.
C．By describing his own experiences.	D．By presenting research findings.

2. What can we learn from the American Red Cross Web pages?

A．The strong need for blood.	B．The suffering of patients.
C．The benefits of taking vacations	D．The efforts of the Red Cross.

3. The three-year-old girl Brooke           .

A．can’t wait to start kindergarten

B．stays alive by receiving blood daily

C．doesn't get fair treatment in the hospital

D．will need another 250 units of blood

4. What is the purpose of the text?

A．To present some new medical results.	B．To persuade people to donate blood.
C．To explain the risks of blood donation.	D．To call on people to save a little girl.

【推荐3】The second little pig was unlucky. He built his house from sticks. It was blown away by a wolf, which quickly ate him up. His brother, by contrast, built a wolf-proof house from bricks. The fairy tale could have been written by a salesman for the construction industry, which strongly favours brick, concrete and steel. However, in the real world it would help reduce pollution and slow global warming if more builders copied the wood-loving second pig.

In 2015 world leaders meeting in Paris agreed to move towards zero greenhouse-gas emissions（排放）in the second half of this century. That is a tall order, and the building industry makes it even taller. Cement-making alone produces 6% of the world’s carbon emissions. Steel, half of which goes into buildings, accounts for another 8%. If you count all of the energy that goes into lighting, heating and cooling homes and offices, the world’s buildings start to look like a serious environmental problem.

Governments in the rich world are now trying to promote greener behavior by requiring developers to build new projects to “zero carbon” standards（标准）. From January 1st 2019 all new public buildings in the European Union must be built to “nearly zero-energy” standards. All other types of buildings will follow in January 2021. Governments in eight further countries are being advised to apply the similar standards.

These standards are less green than they seem. Wind turbines and solar panels on top of buildings look good but are much less productive than wind and solar farms. And the standards only count the emissions from running a building, not those let out when it was made. Those are thought to account for between 30% and 60% of the total over a structure’s lifetime.

1. Why is the fairy tale mentioned at the beginning of the passage?

A．To inform builders of salesmen’s trick.

B．To remind readers of a childhood fairy tale.

C．To persuade the builders to copy the second pig.

D．To attract readers to a problem of the building industry.

2. What does the underlined word “that” refer to in Paragraph 2?

A．To reduce pollution.	B．To construct taller brick buildings.
C．To slow global warming.	D．To reach zero greenhouse-gas emissions.

3. What is the author’s attitude toward the “zero carbon” standards?

A．Confident.	B．Supportive.
C．Doubtful	D．Unconcerned.

4. What can be a suitable title for the text?

A．Brick Houses to be Safer

B．Wood Buildings to be Greener

C．The “Zero Carbon” Standards

D．The Paris World Leader meeting