【推荐1】China is a large country and has a population of about 1.3 billion. But most people live in the east and the living standard is much higher than in the west. Recently, the Chinese government has decided to promote development in central and western China. The part includes 11 provinces and autonomous regions (自治区) with a population of 285 million and an area of 5.4 million square-kilometers.

The rich nature resources in western China is one of the advantages for development. According to the plan, the government will focus on improving transportation. Highways and railways will be built. To protect nature, farmers will turn farmland back into forest. Since the western part is developing fast, all kinds of talents are badly needed. In June, 2003, several thousand college students chose to start their career in the west. They worked as volunteers. Some people even give up the chance of working in big companies in China’ coastal cities. For example, Wang Fei was a student from Qinghua University. Before June, he had received a job offer in Shanghai. However, he rejected the offer. Instead, he became one of the “Go West” volunteers.

Since 2003, tens of thousands of college students have gone to the west. They are trying their best to make the west become more and more beautiful. We are sure that the development will be a great success. China will be richer and stronger.

1. Now, what does western China need most?

A．Forest.

B．Highways and railways.

C．Skilled talents.

D．Resources.

2. Why do college students go to the west?

A．They want to make contributions to the development of western China.

B．Western China is more beautiful than eastern China.

C．They hate working in coastal cities.

D．They want to get more money.

3. What does the underline word “rejected” mean in the second paragraph?

A．Return.

B．Refuse to accept.

C．Make something less.

D．Review.

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

A．Volunteers	B．China’s development
C．Western China needs help	D．The bright future in western China

【推荐2】Apple is to open a research lab in the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen, according to Tim Cook, its chief executive, as it seeks to boost sales in the country and improve ties with the authorities.
Beijing has been encouraging foreign technology companies to carry out more high-end work on the mainland as part of efforts to revitalize local industry.
It will be Apple’s second facility in China. It already has a new research and development facility in Beijing.
The two R&D centers were “aimed at strengthening relationships with local partners and universities as we work to support talent development across the country”, Apple said in a statement.
A closer relationship with the Chinese authorities has been a priority following setbacks for the US technology company this year.
The iPhone has been losing market share to high-end handsets made by local competitors including Huawei, Vivo and Oppo, which topped the rankings in the second quarter, while Apple languished in fifth place, according to Canalys data.
Analysts said the announcement of the R&D centre was Mr. Cook’s latest attempt to gain favour with Beijing, following the US group’s $1billion investment in Didi Chuxing, the Chinese car-hailing company, in May.
Apple has had to change its approach in China as it faces rising nationalism and high-quality local competition, according to Ge Jia, a tech blogger, who wrote yesterday: “It’s time for Apple to cast aside their pride.” “Their previous strategy of only selling devices to China without leaving anything behind is not working any more and they are starting their process of localisation in China through the Shenzhen lab.”
1. Apple is going to open a research lab in Shenzhen to _____________.

A．promote Shenzhen’s economy

B．promote its sales in China

C．get help of Chinese experts

D．join in local competition

2. Which of the following is true?

A．There is only one research facility in China.

B．Apple has always been in good relationship with Chinese authorities.

C．Huawei has ranked to No.1 in the second sales quarter.

D．Apple is changing its strategy in order to boost sales.

3. What caused Apple’s sales in China to fall?

A．Its bad quality and high price.

B．Nationalism and high-quality local competition.

C．Out-of-date design and false advertisement.

D．Chinese government’s ban on purchase.

4. According to Ge Jia, what is Apple’s previous sales approach in China?

A．taking part in high-quality local competition.

B．choosing certain customers in China.

C．only selling devices.

D．selling devices as well as technology.

【推荐3】What is the first thing you notice when you walk into a shop? The products displayed at the entrance? Or the softbackground music?

But have you ever noticed the smell? Unless it is bad, the answer is likely to be no. But while a shop's scent(香味) may not be outstanding compared with sights and sounds, it is certainly there. And it is proving to be an increasing powerful tool in encouraging people to purchase.

A brand store has become famous for its distinctive (独特的)scent which floats through the fairly dark hall and out to the entrance, by scent machines. A smell may be attractive but it may not just be used for freshening air. One sports goods company once reported that when it first introduced scent into its stores, customers’ intention to purchase increased by 80 percent.

But while e-shops can only use sights and sounds, bricks-and-mortar stores (实体店) can offer a full experience from the minute customers step through the door to the moment they leave. Another brand store seeks to be much more than a shop, but rather a destination. And scent is just one way to achieve this.

Now a famous store uses complex man-made smell to make sure that the soft scent of baby powder floats through the kid department, and coconut（椰子)scent in the swimsuit section. A department store has even opened a new lab, inviting customers on a journey into the store's windows to smell books, pots and drawers, in search of their perfect scent.

1. According to the passage, what is an increasingly powerful tool in the success of some brand stores?

A．Friendly assistants.	B．Unique scents.
C．Soft background music	D．Attractive window display.

2. E-shops are mentioned in the passage to_________.

A．show the advantages of bricks-and-mortar stores

B．urge shop assistants to change their attitude

C．push stores to use sights and sounds

D．introduce the rise of e-commerce

3. The underlined word "destination" in Paragraph 4 means

A．a platform that exhibits goods	B．a spot where travelers like to stay
C．a place where customers love to go	D．a target that a store expects to meet

4. The main purpose of the passage is to

A．compare and evaluate	B．examine and assess
C．argue and discuss	D．inform and explain

【推荐1】Dolly Parton, an American musician, is used to performing for big crowds. But after her set this year at Glastonbury, Britain’s largest music festival which can date back to 1970, she admitted a butterfly was in her stomach. Since that show, her album Blue Smoke has stayed near the top of the album chart for eight weeks.

Live music is flourishing (繁荣) even as sales of recorded music have decreased greatly. In the past two years, it has grown by 15%. Live music lovers now spend more than €l billion a year on tickets and almost half that on food, drink and the like. In the early 1990s, Britain had few festivals. But around 450 will take place this year. The festival season, once limited to July and August, now stretches until early autumn. On the first weekend of September, four festivals battle it out.

One reason was a change of the licensing laws, which made it easier to put on a show outdoors. The recession (经济衰退) helped too: Britons who could no longer afford foreign holidays found a weekend of camping in a muddy field more attractive.

Ageing crowds are another bonus. Older people have more cash to spend on festivals, and their demands have helped make festivals safer and more pleasant. Security at bigger festivals has grown much tighter. Fancy food and drinks have replaced cheap hot dogs and beer.

All this is changing the way the music industry works. Festivals are increasingly seen as a way for artists to attract fans. Newer names find them essential: Clean Bandit, a British band who brought out their first album this year, is performing at around 20 festivals this summer. And music managers are increasingly taking into account how successfully artists will perform at big outdoor festivals before deciding to sign them.

1. What do we know about Dolly Parton?

A．She is an inexperienced performer.

B．Glastonbury used to be her favorite festival.

C．Glastonbury’s large audience made her nervous.

D．Her album Blue Smoke was an instant hit in the UK.

2. Which of the following can indicate live music is flourishing in Britain?

A．The licensing laws have been changed.

B．The festival season lasts longer than before.

C．Ticket prices of music festivals have increased by 15%.

D．People are willing to spend more money on recorded music.

3. What’s older people’s contribution to outdoor festivals?

A．Helping attract huger crowds of fans.

B．Spending more money on food and drink.

C．Offering music festivals financial support.

D．Urging organizers to offer a comfortable experience.

4. Why are music festivals important to new artists?

A．They may change Britain’s music industry.

B．They can be effectively promoted at the festivals.

C．They can cooperate with some big-name artists.

D．They may make the acquaintance of music managers.

【推荐3】If you were on the street in Mexico today you might think you were in an operating room, surrounded by doctors. You could see many concerned people with masks (口罩) trying their best to stop the swine flu (猪流感). And the masks aren’t only being used in Mexico. A friend of mine traveling from New York City to Florida was given a mask and a pair of gloves just after he reached the airport. And another friend went to get a haircut only to be faced with a hairdresser wearing a mask!

But do the masks really work? Is covering your nose and mouth the key to stopping the swine flu? To find out the truth, ABC’s reporter Sharyn Alfonsi talked with germ (细菌) expert Dr. Elaine Larsen. It turns out that when you sneeze (打喷嚏) the air coming out of your mouth at a speed of one hundred miles per hour carries germs which can travel anywhere around you and make people around you infected (被感染).

However, whether you become infected actually depends on the weather. As Sharyn reported, when you sneeze, the germs leave your body in small drops of water coming out of your mouth. If the weather is wet, the wet air will make the small drops bigger and heavier and they drop down towards our feet. If this happens, we won’t become infected. But if the air is dry, those small drops can float higher up, making it possible for them to touch someone else’s nose, mouth or their mask.

Larsen says the masks can stop the germs well but after a few hours, they start to get wet, holding a lot of germs they come across and causing you to breathe them in. The masks do work, but the key to stopping the germs is changing your masks often.

1. According to Para.1, in Mexico you can see that ____.

A．the patients are treated in the open air

B．some doctors work in the street

C．people speak little to each other in the street

D．many people wear masks in the street

2. According to the passage a patient spreads germs mainly through ____.

A．breathing	B．Speaking
C．touching others	D．sneezing

3. We learn from the passage that on a wet day ____.

A．sick people will be infected	B．germs can spread very far
C．germs spread very quickly	D．few people will be infected

4. If you keep wearing a mask for a long time, ____.

A．the mask will be old and worn out	B．you’ll love the feeling of wearing it
C．germs will be kept away from you	D．it will be easy for you to be infected

5. What should we pay attention to when wearing masks?

A．Keeping the masks dry.	B．Changing the masks often.
C．Choosing very thick masks.	D．Wearing big masks.