【推荐1】The American book Who Moved My Cheese has been a bestseller all over the world. It teaches people how to face changes in their lives. Now its author Spence Johnson has written a book just for teens. The book tells us that when facing changes in our lives, like a new school or new friends, don't be afraid. Instead, use this change to make a better life. The book gives an example of a change at school. A school is changing from having two terms to three terms because there are too many students.
Several teens are talking about this. Most of them are unhappy and worried. But Chris is not. He laughs and tells a story about two mice, two "little people" and some cheese.
The four are in a maze (迷宫) looking for the cheese. Here, cheese means something important in life, likemoving to a new class or getting into college. But they find the cheese is gone. The mice realize that they can't change what has happened and have to find more cheese. This means finding different dreams. The little people,however, can't do this. They are afraid of changes so they find no cheese.
After Chris finishes the story, the friends understand one thing: to get more cheese, move m a new direction quickly. His friends understand how this can be used in the changes all teens face, such as doing well at school or having good relationships or just feeling good about yourself.
1. The book Who Moved My Cheese is _____.

A．written all over the world

B．read across the world

C．sold only in America

D．loved only by teens

2. What does the text mainly discuss?

A．Never change in our lives.

B．Change when you like to do.

C．Change with the changes.

D．Pay attention to the changes.

3. Which of the following statements is TRUE?

A．The author is British.

B．There are three terms in every school.

C．Most teens don't understand Chris' story.

D．The book tells teens how to face changes in their lives.

【推荐2】I live in the land of Disney, Hollywood and year-round sun. You may think people in such a glamorous, fun-filled place are happier than others. If so, you have some mistaken ideas about the nature of happiness.

Many intelligent people still equate happiness with fun. The truth is that fun and happiness have little or nothing in common. Fun is what we experience during an act. Happiness is what we experience after an act. It is a deeper, more abiding emotion.

Going to an amusement park or ball game, watching a movie or television, are fun activities that help us relax, temporarily forget our problems and maybe even laugh. But they do not bring happiness, because their positive effects end when the fun ends.

I have often thought that if Hollywood stars have a role to play, it is to teach us that happiness has nothing to do with fun. These rich, beautiful individuals have constant access to glamorous parties, fancy cars, expensive homes, everything that spells “happiness”. But in memoir after memoir, celebrities reveal the unhappiness hidden beneath all their fun: depression, alcoholism, drug addiction, broken marriages, troubled children and profound loneliness.

Ask a bachelor why he resists marriage even though he finds dating to be less and less satisfying. If he’s honest, he will tell you that he is afraid of making a commitment. For commitment is in fact quite painful. The single life is filled with fun, adventure and excitement. Marriage has such moments, but they are not its most distinguishing features.

Similarly, couples that choose not to have children are deciding in favor of painless fun over painful happiness. They can dine out ever they want and sleep as late as they want. Couples with infant children are lucky to get a whole night’s sleep or a three-day vacation. I don’t know any parent who would choose the word fun to describe raising children.

Understanding and accepting that true happiness has nothing to do with fun is one of the most liberating realizations we can ever come to. It liberates time: now we can devote more hours to activities that can genuinely increase our happiness. It liberates money: buying that new car or those fancy clothes that will do nothing to increase our happiness now seems pointless. And it liberates us from envy: we now understand that all those rich and glamorous people we were so sure are happy because they are always having so much fun actually may not be happy at all.

1. Which of the following is true?

A．Fun creates long-lasting satisfaction.

B．Fun provides enjoyment while pain leads to happiness.

C．Happiness is enduring whereas fun is short-lived.

D．Fun that is long-standing may lead to happiness.

2. To the author, Hollywood stars all have an important role to play that is to ________.

A．write memoir after memoir about their happiness

B．tell the public that happiness has nothing to do with fun

C．teach people how to enjoy their lives

D．bring happiness to the public instead of going to glamorous parties

3. Having infant children, the couples can   ________.

A．are lucky since they can have a whole night’s sleep

B．find fun in tucking them into bed at night

C．find more time to play and joke with them

D．derive happiness from their endeavor

4. If one gets the meaning of the true sense of happiness, he will ________.

A．stop playing games and joking with others

B．make the best use of his time increasing happiness

C．give a free hand to money

D．keep himself with his family

【推荐1】Sometimes we start a day with the previous day still in mind. We think about the mistakes we made in the previous day, how things went wrong, and how we felt bad about it. No wonder it becomes difficult to focus on the current day.

Here are some steps on how to start your new day fresh:

1. Take time to evaluate your day

At the end of a day, take some time to think about it. The purpose of this thinking time is not to regret how bad your day was, how things went wrong, or how people treated you badly. This won’t do you any good. Instead, the purpose of this thinking time is to extract（吸取）lessons which you can bring to the following day.

2. Make a commitment to apply the lessons

After you extract the lessons, you should make a commitment to apply them. To do so, find some actionable things you can do to apply the lessons. Next, remind yourself to do them. You may write them down if you want to.

3. “Close” your day

After you have spent the time to think about the day and extract the lessons, make a decision to “close” the day. You are done with it; don’t think about it anymore.

4. Bring only the lessons to the next day and nothing else

After you “close” a day, you should not bring anything out of it to the next day except for the lessons you extract. Focus on applying the lessons to the present. This way you will be able to start your day fresh without the burden of yesterday.

1. What will happen if we think too much about the past?

A．There will be a disaster.	B．There will be good results.
C．We will be distracted on the present day.	D．We surely won’t finish today’s task.

2. When should we draw lessons from the past mistakes?

A．At the end of a day.	B．When we make mistakes.
C．At the beginning of a day.	D．When we regret making the mistakes.

3. Why should we extract lessons from the past day?

A．To set them down.	B．To consider them again.
C．To make a better decision.	D．To apply them for future use.

【推荐3】Human beings are the most intelligent of all animals because we are gifted with the ability to think and reason logically. Scientists and even common people with special intelligence have made a lot of inventions and contributions to modern lifestyle in the past. “Houses” have been the most popular area for discoveries and inventions in the past and even now.

Many household items have been the result of inventions of people who desired better functioning of the existent products. Every individual has intelligence and if it is used properly for the right purpose, it leads to invention of a new tool or device. Many new household inventions are made almost every day and there are specific companies, which particularly keep a record of all these inventions.

A lot of inventions have been made recently in the household field. These products are patented and have trade mark licenses. The patented sliding cinch is a very simple but effective method to prevent shoulder stress and injury for those who work before computers all day long. Vanity PC is a type of computer furniture that specifically hides all the computer wires and keeps a clean and good look. All the outdoor dust, mud and snow can be kept out of the house by fixing the dirt drain (排水管)at the entrance of the door. Another important invention is the automatic toilet night-light, in which a small light starts when the lid of the toilet seat is opened and closes as soon as the lid is closed.

These are some of the new household inventions invented mostly by common people. Thus, a variety of new household items are invented every day, which helps in a better functioning of household chores and in a more useful manner.

1. The first paragraph is intended to______________

A．stress the importance of inventions

B．introduce the topic of the article

C．show the advantages of modern lifestyle

D．tell the differences between human beings and animals

2. According to the passage, people make household inventions to ___________

A．earn more money and gain awards

B．accumulate their wealth

C．improve the present living conditions

D．meet the new demands of new science

3. It can be inferred that the sliding cinch is used to ___________

A．prevent your shoulder from being over-pressured

B．keep your shoulder safe and sound when you are in an accident or an operation

C．help you practice your shoulder more often and reduce shoulder pains

D．cover your shoulder and make it stronger to resist the outside strike

4. Common people can also make good inventions because___________

A．wisdom and inspiration sometimes come from everyday life

B．some inventions are easy to make and can be mastered by them

C．common people have a strong desire to do something for science research

D．success is often connected with hardship and bitter experience of common people

5. The passage mainly talks about____________

A．the correct use of household facilities

B．different ideas about household inventions

C．the history of household inventions

D．household inventions and their influence

【推荐1】Finding time to enjoy life is becoming harder and harder. As the average workweek lengthens, leisure time drops. Yet some of the world’s busiest people are able to develop rewarding careers and also make time for family and leisure activities. Here is their best advice plus that of time-management experts:
1. Use your peak hours wisely.
People tend to be most alert in late morning and midevening. Afternoon brings an increase in sleepiness. Use your high-efficiency hours to handle difficult jobs or engage in creative thinking. For low-efficiency times, concentrate on cleaning up or sorting your mail. By adapting to your mental condition, you can accomplish more in less time.
2. Make a plan.
Just 20 minutes of organizing can save an hour of extra effort remembering what must be done. “Don’t try to carry your life around in your head,” says Lucy Hedrick, author of Five Days to an Organized Life. “Write things down so you can free your brain for more inventive pursuit (追求).”
3. Discourage drop-ins.
The person who welcomes every visitor will get plenty of conversation but won’t accomplish much.
The trick is to develop harmless ways to protect yourself from minute-stealing interruptions. David E. Levy, a public-relations consultant (顾问), uses an alternative to the open-door policy by keeping his door half open. The message is clear: he really doesn’t want you to come in, but you can if it is important.
4. Tame (驯服) the telephone.
Few devices save more minutes—or waste so many more—than the telephone. Signal the end of your conversation with a phrase such as “Before we hang up…” You can save even more time by not taking every incoming call.
Keep a record of when people you call regularly are least busy and call them at those times. Even better, make appointments to call important contacts.
To help us gain an extra hour every day, a clockmaker in Dallas has created a timer measuring each minute at 57.6 seconds. The 2.5 seconds borrowed from each minute add up to an extra 60 minutes at the end of each day.
1. According to Lucy Hedrick, you should ________.

A．carry out your plans when you are free

B．stop occupying your mind with lots of things

C．forget everything annoying when taking a walk

D．enjoy your life whenever you can

2. Why does David E. Levy keep his door half open?

A．To show drop-ins are not welcome at all.

B．To tell drop-ins to come if they want.

C．To keep unimportant visitors from dropping in.

D．To indicate he is expecting a visitor.

3. Who works most efficiently according to the passage?

A．An editor who is trying to produce a title for his article in the afternoon.

B．A manager who is designing selling plans with his office door open.

C．A visitor to a mayor without making an appointment.

D．A student in class without taking any incoming calls.

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

A．Gain an Extra Hour Every Day

B．Live One Day at a Time

C．How to Live Your Life to the Fullest

D．Create Your Own Opportunities

【推荐2】The sun appears to experience far fewer changes in brightness and intensity than other stars like it. Researchers reported last week on their examination of 369 stars. They compared each one to the sun in terms of surface temperature, size and rotation. They found that on average, the other stars had five times more brightness variability than our sun.

The lead author was Timo Reinhold, an astronomer with the Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research in Germany. He told the Reuters news agency that the variability in brightness results from dark spots on the surface of the star moving in and out of view.

“A direct measure of solar activity is the number of sunspots on the surface,” Reinhold said. “Finding such stars with very similar parameters as our sun but being five times more variable was surprising.”

The sun —made up mainly of hydrogen and helium—is an average-sized star that formed more than 4.5 billion years ago. It stretches about 1.4 million kilometers across and has a surface temperature of 5,500 degrees Celsius.

The researchers compared scientific data on the similar stars to historical records of the sun’s activity. The records included about 400 years of observational data on sunspots. The researchers also studied about 9,000 years of data based on chemical element variants in tree rings and ice buildup tied to solar activity. These records show the sun has not been much more active than it is now.

The researchers said increased magnetic activity related to sunspots can lead to electromagnetic events that effect Earth. For example, large releases of plasma—a collection of charged particles—from outer areas of the sun’s atmosphere could cause problems for satellites and other communications equipment.

The discovery may be good news for life on Earth A much more active sun might have had more major effects on Earth’s geology and ancient climate. “A ‘too active’ star would definitively change the conditions for life on the planet, so living with a quite boring star is not the worst option,” Reinhold said.

The findings, he noted, do not rule out the possibility that the sun may be in a quiet period and could become more variable in the future. However, the researchers say there are no signs that solar activity will be increasing any time soon.

1. According to Timo Reinhold, what causes the variability in brightness of the sun?

A．Hydrogen and helium in the sun.

B．The surface temperature of the sun.

C．The diameter (直径) of the sun.

D．Dark spots on its outer part.

2. Which of the following helped researchers prove the sun’s inactivity?

A．Scientific data of all the other stars.

B．Data of sunspots observed in the past 400 years.

C．9,000 years of data of the activities of the sun.

D．Data of chemical element variants in icy trees.

3. What will probably happen if the sun becomes very active?

A．There will be a decreased magnetic activity.

B．The geology and climate of the Earth will be different.

C．Satellites and other communications equipment will work better.

D．People on the Earth have to live with the quite boring star.

4. What is the best title of this article?

A．The sun: less active than similar stars

B．The sun: less bright and intense than before

C．Sun spots: a direct measure of solar activity

D．Sun spots: the cause of electromagnetic events on Earth

【推荐3】Starman, the dummy(仿真人) riding a cherry-red Tesla Roadster(特斯拉敞篷车) through space, has made his closest approach ever to Mars. The electric roadster and its passenger were attached to the top of a Falcon Heavy rocket during the SpaceX rocket’s first test launch on 6 February 2018. Two years later, the Falcon Heavy rocket and the vehicle at its tip are making their second trip around the Sun. Mr. McDowell, a Harvard astrophysicist, found that Starman passed 7.4 million kilometres from Mars at 06:25 GMT 7 October, 2020.

The closest recent approach between the Earth and Mars was 56 million kilometres in 2003, though the planets are often hundreds of millions of miles apart depending on where they are in their orbits. No one can see the Falcon Heavy rocket at its current distance, but orbits over periods of a few years are fairly straightforward to predict, and Mr. MeDowell used data about how the rocket was moving when it left the Earth’s gravity behind to locate its recent movements exactly.

Last time Starman circled the Sun, MeDowell said, it crossed Mars’ orbit while the Red Planet was quite far away. But this time the crossing lined up with a fairly close approach, though still not close enough to feel a strong tug from Mars.

At this point in time, if you were able to go look at the Roadster, it would probably look pretty different. The strong solar radiation environment between the planets would probably have destroyed all the exposed organic materials. Without the Earth’s atmospheric and magnetic(磁场的) protection, even the plastics and carbon-fibre materials would start to break up. Over the course of decades or centuries, the car will end up with its aluminium(铝) frame and hard glass parts----that’s assuming that none of them get destroyed in impacts with passing space rocks.

1. What can we infer from the first paragraph?

A．Starman has set out on its second trip around the Sun.

B．Starman has travelled 7.4 million kilometres after launch.

C．Starman is now circling around the Earth in its orbit.

D．Starman still has a long way to go before getting to Mars.

2. How did MeDowell manage to locate Starman?

A．By keeping Starman under visual observation.

B．By predicting its future orbit around the earth.

C．By analyzing data about the rocket’s movement.

D．By seeking professional help from SpaceX.

3. The underlined word “tug” in Paragraph 3 is closest in meaning to ________.

A．pressure

B．drive

C．resistance

D．pull

4. What will happen to Starman in decades or centuries?

A．Be reduced to its frame and glass.	B．Crash onto Mars.
C．Return to SpaceX on the earth.	D．Be recovered during its next space mission.

【推荐1】If you’re looking forward to visiting a national park in the United States, here are some good options for you to choose from.

Acadia National Park—Maine

Lying on Mount Desert Island, a postcard-perfect island where Rockefellers and Astors summered, Acadia National Park is rich with rocky shorelines and has one of Maine’s most historic lighthouses. Hike to the top of 1,530-foot Cadillac Mountain to catch the sunrise, then go back to Bar Harbor, and treat yourself to a lobster roll at Stewman’s.

Where to Stay: Atlantic Oceanside Hotel, Bar Harbor Inn

Arches National Park—Utah

The red sandstone monoliths of Arches National Park in southeast Utah make for a giant playground for hikers, bikers, climbers, off-roaders, and other thrill seekers. However, climbing any named or unnamed arch in the park is banned by regulations. Throughout the park, there are 2,000 natural arches, including the famous Delicate Arch, which you might recognize from Utah’s license plate.

Where to Stay: Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites Moab, Fairfield Inn& Suites Moab

Yellowstone National Park—Wyoming

When you think of Yellowstone National Park, geysers will come to mind first and more specifically, Old Faithful, which does indeed live up to its name by erupting every 90 minutes or so. Another superstar of America’s oldest national park is the Grand Prismatic Spring, the park’s largest single hot spring, which also gains a reputation due to its striking coloration.

Where to Stay: Yellowstone Park Hotel, Explorer Cabins at Yellowstone

Shenandoah National Park —Virginia

Shenandoah’s famous 105-mile Skyline Drive is one of the prettiest drives in the Northeast.

This National Scenic Byway runs along the top of the Blue Ridge Mountains.

Where to Stay: Skyland, Hotel Laurance

1. Who would most probably be drawn to Acadia National Park?

A．People interested in modern buildings.

B．People interested in camping in the desert.

C．People wanting to enjoy a good view of the seashore.

D．People wanting to climb a mountain of over 2,000 feet.

2. What is Arches National Park suitable for?

A．Watching an east coast sunrise.	B．Looking at beautifully man-made arches.
C．Climbing the well-known Delicate Arch.	D．Having various outdoor thrilling activities.

3. What do we know about the Grand Prismatic Spring?

A．It is famous for its eye-catching colors.

B．It can erupt for about 90 minutes each time.

C．It is the largest single hot spring in the world.

D．It is the most distinguished tourist spot in Wyoming.

4. Where can someone enjoy beautiful sights along the drive?

A．In Utah.	B．In Virginia.
C．In Maine.	D．In Wyoming.

5. What is the text meant to?

A．Encourage us to visit the United States.

B．Recommend some national parks in the US.

C．Introduce several hotels nearby national parks.

D．Make a comparison between some national parks.

【推荐2】Sometimes life can seem challenging and we usually get the feeling that however happy we are，we never seem to be satisfied .We usually feel upset with the troubles that life throws at us．The best thing to do at that point of time is to close our eyes and start counting of all the blessings in life that God has given us．

If we think deeply, our life is full of blessings that we hardly recognize．Listening to the singing of birds early in the morning，we realize that there are many people who spend their life in a world that is silent while many others spend their lives in a world that is dark and may have never seen a rainbow（彩虹） or the setting sun．

When you go out for a drive，pull down the window and look at the poor beggar standing under the hot sun，begging for filling his hungry stomach．We get three meals a day without realizing its importance．Isn't that a blessing？

Whenever you are sad，look at the eyes of your parents and family filled with love and concern for you. There are many people who have never experienced the love of a family．Isn't that a blessing？

As Mother Teresa once said，"We don't need to do great things．We need to do small things with great love"．

The key to a happy life is when we consider others’ problems to be our own and try to help them．When we love people without any expectations and help them，our heart is filled with a sense of happiness and peace．

So next time whenever life knocks you down，close your eyes and start counting!

1. What does the author intend to tell us？

A．Love gives us courage．

B．Don’t be unsatisfied with our life．

C．True happiness lies in becoming rich.

D．The singing of birds can make us happy．

2. What should we do when we fell sad?

A．Drive outside and beg.

B．Close our eyes and cry.

C．Look for our parents’ love and concern.

D．Remember the happy time we’ve experienced.

3. What can be learned from the text？

A．It is a blessing to have three meals a day．

B．Mother Teresa calls on us to do great things in life．

C．It's natural to see a rainbow or the setting sun in life．

D．We have already known that life is filled with blessings．

4. What is the key to a happy life？

A．Considering our own things.

B．Learning to love and help others.

C．Letting our hearts fill with peace.

D．Helping others with many expectations.

【推荐3】Scientists are attempting to extract (提取) cells from a 40,000-year-old horse in hope of using the sample to clone the extinct (灭绝的) species back into existence. The male baby horse was discovered in 2018 in permafrost (永冻土) in northeastern Siberia of Russia.

A team of scientists from South Korea and Russia believes the young horse, called the Lenskaya or Lena horse, was about 20 days old when it died. The species of horse, now extinct, is between 30,000 and 40,000 years old. Thanks to the terrible coldness, the animal’s tissue was preserved enough for the scientists to obtain samples.

Semyon Grigoriev, head of the lab at the Mammoth (猛犸象) Museum of the North-Eastern Federal University in Yakutsk, said the horse was “well - preserved” and a “great find”. There is no damage to the horse’s body and even its hair is undamaged. The unfortunate animal, according to Gngo-riev, “could have drowned after falling into some kind of a natural trap.”

Hwang Woo-suk, a researcher from South Korea working on the project, said, “If researchers find a cell, they will do their best to clone the animal. If we get live cells from this ancient baby horse, it would be wonderful in terms of cloning.”

After that, they will make a cloned embryo (胚胎) and a female horse carry it as its mother. Hwang said modern-day horses are “very similar to the ancient one,” so there would be no problem getting help from a modern-day female horse.

The scientists are hoping the experiment on the baby horse will give them experience in progressing toward their ambitious goal-bringing back the extinct woolly mammoth.

“If we manage to clone the horse-it will be the first step to cloning the mammoth.” Hwang said.

1. Why was the Lenskaya horse kept in good condition?

A．The temperatures were extremely low.	B．It was buried under the ground.
C．Alocal museum had preserved it.	D．It died quite young.

2. What do we know about the baby horse?

A．It was a female horse.	B．It might have died by accident.
C．Its hair was partly destroyed.	D．Its tissue can hardly be found.

3. What must the researchers do before cloning the extinct horse?

A．Know more about extinct ancient horses.	B．Make an embryo i a female horse.
C．Find an ideal modern - day female horse.	D．Get live cells from the baby horse.

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

A．A new horse species found in Siberia	B．How to preserve ancient animals’ tissue
C．Scientists attempt to clone extinct horse	D．How to extract cells from extinct species