【推荐1】

Moving a Giant

The logistics of excavating(挖掘)and relocating a town's century-old, living sequoia(红 杉)tree. Inhabitants of Boise, Idaho, watched with trepidation earlier this year as the city's oldest, tallest resident moved two blocks. The 105-year-old sequoia tree serves as a local landmark, not only for its longevity but also because renowned naturalist and Sierra Club cofounder John Muir provided the original seedling. So, when Saint Luke's Health System found that the 10-story-tall conifer(针叶树)stood stood in the way of its planned hospital expansion, officials called tree-moving firm Environmental Design.

The Texas-based company has developed and patented scooping and lifting technology to move massive trees. Weighing in at more than 800,000 pounds, the Boise sequoia is its largest undertaking yet. "I (had) lost enough sleep over this," says David Cox, the company's Western region vice president—and that was before the hospital mentioned the tree's distinguished origin. Before the heavy lifting began, the team assessed the root system and dug a five-foot-deep cylinder, measuring 40 feet in diameter, around the trunk to protect all essential roots. After encapsulating the root ball in wire mesh, the movers allowed the tree to adapt to its new situation for seven months before relocating it. The illustration details what followed. —Leslie Nemo

1. Mark A. Merit and his team at Environmental Design installed underneath the root ball a platform of seven-inch-diameter, 44-foot-long steelbars and, just below the rods, a first set of uninflated airbags (shown in gray). The team also dug a shallow ramp.

2. In roughly 15 minutes, the movers inflated the airbags to about three feet in diameter to raise the root ball to the surface of the hole.

3. By underinflating the front bags, the team allowed the platform carrying the tree to roll up the ramp and out of the hole while staying level. A trailer hauled the tree along as team members removed the airbags from the back of the platform and replaced them in the front. They repeated the process until the tree arrived at the edge of its new home.

4. There a second set of partially inflated bags (shown in white) waited inside the hole. Soil surrounding the sequoia in its original location was relocated as well, because trees are more likely to survive a transplant when they move with their original soil.

5. Using the first set of airbags, the movers rolled the platform into the new hole.

6. The bags waiting there were then inflated further to take the weight of the sequoia while the transportation bags were deflated and removed from under the tree.

7. The white bags were then deflated in about half an hour to lower the sequoia's root ball to the bottom of its hole. The bags were removed, but the metal bars were left with the tree because they rust and degrade over a number of years.

8. For the next five years the local park service will monitor and maintain the tree in its new home.

1. Which of the following words can be used to replace the words underlined " stood in the way of" ?

A．Resisted.	B．Balanced.
C．Blocked.	D．Promoted.

2. What is the reason for the relocation of Sequoia trees?

A．Because the Scooping and lifting technology should be put into use.

B．Because it blocks local hospital expansion plans.

C．Because it corresponds to government’s plan of Environmental Design.

D．Because sequoia trees are over a hundred years old.

3. How will the migrated sequoia trees be dealt with?

A．They will be given new soil in the new living environment.

B．Metal rods used to move sequoia trees will not be left on the trees.

C．They will be kept in transport bags all the time.

D．They will be managed by specialists in the next five years.

【推荐2】请认真阅读下列短文，并根据所读内容在文章后表格中的空格里填入一个最恰当的单词。
注意：每个空格只填 1 个单词。请将答案写在答题纸上相应题号的横线上。

We all need to feel understood, recognized and affirmed by our friends, family and romantic partners. We all need to find our tribe.

Research has shown that among the benefits that come with being in a relationship or group, feeling accepted is regarded as the most important driver of meaning. When other people think you matter and treat you as if you matter, you believe you matter, too.

Though we all share a need to belong, in the first decades of the 20th century, many influential psychologists and physicians did not acknowledge this fundamental aspect of human nature. The idea that children needed parental love and care to live a full and meaningful life was not only considered medically dangerous, but also dismissed as immoral and disgusting.

As behavioral psychology came into fashion and academic psychologists turned their attention to child- raising, this view shifted and they began to examine and affirm the vital importance of attachment in early life. They discovered that people, whatever their age, needed more than food and shelter to live full and healthy lives.

But, sadly, many of us lack close ties. At a time when we are more connected digitally than ever before, rates of social isolation are rising. The results of an Age UK poll published recently suggest that half a million people over the age of 60 usually spend each day alone, and it's not unusual for another half a million people to go without someone to speak to for five or six days. All these figures reveal more than a rise in loneliness — they reveal a lack of meaning in people's lives. In surveys, we list our close relationships as our most important sources of meaning. Research shows that people who are lonely and isolated feel their lives are less meaningful.

While close relationships are critical for living a meaningful life, they are not the only important social bonds we need to cultivate. Psychologists have also discovered the value of small moments of intimacy. “High-quality connections”, as one researcher calls them, are positive, short-term interactions between two people when a couple holds hands on a walk or when two strangers have an empathetic(移情作用的) conversation on a plane. High-quality connections have the potential to unlock meaning in our interactions with acquaintances, colleagues and strangers. We can't control whether someone will make a high-quality connection with us, but we can all choose to start one. We can say hello to a stranger on the street rather than look away. We can choose to value people rather than devalue them. We can invite people to belong.

Passage outline		Supporting details
The need to belong		*Everyone hopes to develop a     1     of belonging in a group. *People’s self-respect is     2     by other people's opinion.
The changing     3     to belonging		*Many famous experts in the first decades of the 20th century     4     that people had the need to belong. *Experts later came to realize that people,     5     of their age, needed attachment to enjoy full and healthy lives.
Consequences of     6     close ties		*Many people are cut off from the world and feel     7    . *People   who   do   not   have   enough   close   relationships   find   their   lives are less     8    .
Another way to meet the need		*High-quality   connections   make a     9       in   helping   satisfy   our need to belong. *We should     10     to make a high-quality connection.

【推荐3】While traditional wisdom tells us that we should eagerly catch every opportunity that comes our way, playing a little hard to get has its advantages. Studies have shown that opportunities are seen to be more valuable as they become less available, according to Robert Cialdini, a leading expert on influence, who said “What the scarcity principle says is that people are more attracted to rare opportunities.”

Appearing available can work against you, according to Jeremy Nicholson, a social psychologist. If you’re excited about a work opportunity, it indicates that you are in low demand.

“Making something harder to get,” Dr. Nicholson said, “tends to increase at least the perception of value.” If you are meeting with hiring managers or potential clients, Dr. Nicholson recommends that responding in a way that respects their interest without being too eager. Dr. Nicholson advises, with responses like: “I do have a couple of other projects to deal with. However, I could do this for you if you want.”

“It’s easy to become excited when an opportunity presents itself,” Ms. Ryan, founder of Human Workplace, said, “but remember that your power in any negotiation is related to your ability to walk away. Don’t accept an offer before fully considering the opportunity.” Once you have interest, turn that into diligence. Ms. Ryan recommends reading up on the organization from third-party perspectives, and checking out job-search websites to see what employees and ex-employees say about it. Keep in mind: The goal is to approach any negotiation cautiously and with a clear head.

Appearing less available isn’t about limiting our enthusiasm, but about trusting in our own self-worth so we can be proactive, experts say. This means mindfully transforming our excitement into strategy. “Emphasizing the uniqueness of your resources and your cooperative approach can help you more quickly advance your goals,” said Shirli Kopelman, a professor at the Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan.

1. Why is it necessary for us to appear scarce when we face opportunities?

A．Because we should strictly follow the principle about scarcity.

B．Because we should eagerly grasp opportunities coming our way.

C．Because we should value opportunities in the competitive society.

D．Because we should show rare opportunities to increase our advantages.

2. Which of the following statements is the suggestion given by Ms. Ryan?

A．Being eager enough and ready.	B．Being cautious and clear-headed.
C．Being confident and interested.	D．Being skillful and accomplished.

3. What does the underlined word “proactive” mean?

A．Accessible.

B．Strategic.

C．Enthusiastic.

D．Limited.

4. According to Shirli Kopelman, which is the best way to help us achieve our goals?

A．Not being too hard on our career.

B．Not controlling our enthusiasm.

C．Applying excitement to negotiations.

D．Stressing scarcity and cooperation ways.