【推荐2】Hundreds of friends on Facebook can’t replace a handful of close friends in real life, a study has found. In a recent study, researchers discovered that people with only a few friends were at least as happy as those with far more if many of theirs were online.

Social media, the researchers said, has encouraged younger people to have larger but more impersonal networks of “friends”. But instead of trying to amass friends, they added, a better cure for loneliness might be spending time with those you’re closest to.

Scientists from the University of Leeds did their study using data from two online surveys on 1,496 people by a non-profit research organization. People taking part in the study showed their ages, the make-up of their social networks, how often they had different types of social interactions, and their own feelings of well-being. They included details of how often and how they interacted with families or neighbors, and whether they included people who provided services to them in their networks.

The number of close friends someone had appeared to be the only thing which influenced how satisfied they were with their social life.

“Loneliness has less to do with the number of friends you have, and more to do with how you feel about your friends,” said Dr Wändi Bruine de Bruin. Actually, it's often the younger adults who admit to having a bad opinion of their friends.

If you feel lonely, it may be more helpful to make a positive connection with a friend than to try and seek out new people to meet.

1. According to the text, friends made on social media can ______.

A．take the place of friends in real life

B．only help people increase the number of friends

C．be as important as people’s close friends

D．bring people more happiness than friends in real life

2. Which of the following can replace the underlined word “amass” in Paragraph 2?

A．Play the role of.	B．Increase the number of.
C．Take advantage of.	D．Think highly of.

3. What can be learned from the scientists’ study?

A．Scientists conducted one online survey on 1,496 people.

B．People surveyed mentioned new forms of social networks.

C．The number of friends was the only cause of people’s happiness.

D．People surveyed showed their ways to interact with families.

4. What’s the author’s purpose in writing the text?

A．To show us the importance of friends.

B．To tell us ways to get rid of loneliness.

C．To advise us to make few online friends.

D．To present us with the findings of a study.

【推荐2】When thinking about placing a human being in space, one of the most important questions was how to design special clothing needed to protect a person from the dangers of the space environment. The cold of space will freeze skin in a short time. The fierce heat of the sun can cause severe burns. The lack of atmosphere can cause gases in the body to expand and even burst. With no oxygen to breathe, a human being will die in only a few moments. Radiation from the sun is another risk in space. So is damage from small pieces of rock and objects like meteoroids (陨石).

In 1933, an American flyer, Wiley Post, designed one of the first successful devices to protect a pilot at extreme heights. It was a large device that looked like a can surrounded the pilot's head. Astronauts in the American space agency (NASA) flew the first American space flights in the early 1960s. The clothing was similar to that invented by Wiley Post.

Today, astronauts wear very different protective clothing. It lets them move, do useful tasks, and stay outside their spacecraft in comfort and safety for several hours. The spacesuit is called the shuttle extravehicular mobility unit or EMU. It was designed to endure longer and to permit more movement than earlier spacesuits.

The EMU has a number of parts that an astronaut can link together by using only one hand, which makes it possible for each astronaut to select the parts that fit correctly.

Nowadays, NASA scientists are also considering the kind of spacesuits that would be needed for exploration on the planet Mars. Because of the gravity on Mars, spacesuits may have to be designed to be lighter than suits used in orbit or on the moon. The equipment may also have to protect astronauts from dust carried in the winds on Mars. And, they must be easy to repair and keep clean during a longer flight to and from the red planet.

1. Which of the following is NOT mentioned about the dangers of space environment?

A．Lack of oxygen.	B．Fierce heat from the sun.
C．Gases in the body.	D．Radiation from the sun.

2. Which of the following statements is true, according to this passage?

A．Wiley Post designed the first protective clothing for astronauts.

B．Astronauts wearing earlier spacesuits had some difficulty in moving,doing useful tasks and so on.

C．EMU has many parts that can be linked together by using two hands.

D．Special spacesuits have been used for exploration of the planet Mars.

3. The best title of the passage might be ______.

A．Space exploration	B．Astronauts’ flights
C．The Advantages of Spacesuits	D．The Evolution of Spacesuits

【推荐3】Since the 1970s, scientists have been searching for ways to link the brain with computers. Brain­computer interface (BCI) technology could help people with disabilities send commands to machines.
Recently, two researchers, Jose Millan and Michele Tavella from the Federal Polytechnic School in Lausanne, Switzerland, demonstrated (展示) a small robotic wheelchair directed by a person's thoughts.
In the laboratory, Tavella operated the wheelchair just by thinking about moving his left or right hand. He could even talk as he watched the vehicle and guided it with his thoughts.
“Our brain has billions of nerve cells. These send signals through the spinal cord (脊髓) to the muscles to give us the ability to move. But spinal cord injuries or other conditions can prevent these weak electrical signals from reaching the muscles.” Tavella says. “Our system allows disabled people to communicate with external world and also to control devices.”
The researchers designed a special cap for the user. This head cover picks up the signals from the scalp (头皮) and sends them to a computer. The computer interprets the signals and commands the motorized wheelchair. The wheelchair also has two cameras that identify objects in its path. They help the computer react to commands from the brain.
Prof. Millan, the team leader, says scientists keep improving the computer software that interprets brain signals and turns them into simple commands. “The practical possibilities that BCI technology offers to disabled people can be grouped in two categories: communication, and controlling devices. One example is this wheelchair.”
He says his team has set two goals. One is testing with real patients, so as to prove that this is a technology they can benefit from. And the other is to guarantee that they can use the technology over long periods of time.
1. BCI is a technology that can ________.

A．help to update computer systems

B．link the human brain with computers

C．help the disabled to recover

D．control a person's thoughts

2. How did Tavella operate the wheelchair in the laboratory?

A．By controlling his muscles.

B．By talking to the machine.

C．By moving his hand.

D．By using his mind.

3. Which of the following shows the path of the signals described in Paragraph 5?

A．scalp→computer→cap→wheelchair

B．computer→cap→scalp→wheelchair

C．scalp→cap→computer→wheelchair

D．cap→computer→scalp→wheelchair

4. The team will test with real patients to ________.

A．make profits from them

B．prove the technology useful to them

C．make them live longer

D．learn about their physical condition

5. Which of the following would be the best title for the text?

A．Switzerland, the BCI Research Center

B．New Findings About How the Human Brain Works

C．BCI Could Mean More Freedom for the Disabled

D．Robotic Vehicles Could Help to Cure Brain Injuries

【推荐1】Family violence and abuse prevention strategies are focused at three levels: the general population, specific groups thought to be at high risk for abuse, and families who have already experienced abuse. Public education and media campaigns aimed at the general population convey the criminal nature of domestic assault, suggest ways to prevent abuse, and identify where abuse victims can get help. However, to prevent or reduce family violence, education, elements of American culture that contribute to such violence must change. For example, violence in the media must be controlled or eliminated, and traditional gender roles and views of women and children as property must be replaced with egalitarian gender roles and respect for women and children.

Another cultural change is to reduce violence-related stress by reducing poverty and unemployment and by providing adequate housing, nutrition, media care, and educational opportunities for everyone. Though programs such as Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) and Special Supplemental Food Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) were not designed to prevent domestic violence and abuse, “they provide important assistance to low income families and thus support the functioning of these families.” Integrating families into networks of community would also enhance family’s well-being and provide support for families under stress.

What social interventions are available for families that are already experiencing abuse or neglected? Abused women and children may seek relief at a shelter or a safe house for abused women and children with housing, food, counseling services, legal assistance, employment assistance, and an environment that empowers women by encouraging them to make independent choices about their abusive relationships and about their future. Shelters also provide a communal living situation with other abused women, which reduces the sense of isolation and helps the women express their anger and overcome feelings of guilt and inadequacy. An alternative to shelter is a safe house, a private home of individuals who volunteer to provide temporary housing to abused women who decide to leave their violent homes. Battered men are not allowed to stay at women’s shelters, but many shelters help abused men by providing money for a motel room, counseling, and support services.

1. The word “egalitarian” in the first paragraph most probably means “_______”.

A．relating to economics	B．relating to everyday events
C．having to do with legal contracts	D．having to do with equal treatment

2. Which of the following is NOT mentioned in the passage as a way to directly reduce violence in families?

A．Cutting down on violence in the media

B．the AFDC program

C．Reducing unemployment

D．Strengthening family ties

3. According to the passage, which of the following statements does the writer seem to support?

A．Providing women more wealth can largely reduce family abuse.

B．Laws must be passed to prevent family abuse.

C．Unfair attitude towards women is the only cause of family abuse.

D．Women should be equally paid.

4. The last paragraph is organized by ____.

A．listing the order of events in helping abused women

B．defining the term “safe house”

C．discussing the effects of family violence

D．listing social interventions available to help the abused

【推荐3】Do you jump out of bed early, wide awake and ready to start your day？If so, you would be called an “early bird”. Perhaps, you hate the sound of your alarm clock each morning and have little energy until afternoon. If so, you're probably a “night owl”．

Most people can be divided into such two groups, but what makes us this way？And is one better than the other？There are different opinions.

Usually, early risers have been praised as hard-working while those who prefer to get up late are considered lazy. Most people believe the early bird catches the worm.

Yet some scientists now believe “night owls” can really focus(集中) longer and produce more than early risers.

Research has found that the early bird does not always get the worm. In a Belgian study, both “morning people” and “evening people” were watched during their normal asleep and awake routines(常规)．After 10 hours of being awake, the “evening people” became more alert(思维敏捷的). However, the “morning people” became sleepy and less focused. Researchers believe the reason for this difference is that night owls receive a last-minute increase from their brains. This added energy allows them to stay alert for longer periods of time.

Environment, lifestyle, activities and childhood routines all may have an effect on sleeping habits, yet genetics(遗传学)may play the biggest role.

It is possible to change your sleeping habits through regular bedtimes, early exercise and by avoiding midnight snacks. But if you're happy rising early or staying up late, you're probably doing what works best for your own personal body clock.

1. The author introduces the subject by ________.

A．telling an interesting story

B．giving different opinions

C．showing research results

D．asking a question

2. What does the underlined sentence in Paragraph 3 really mean?

A．Those who get up early achieve their goals.

B．Early to bed, early to rise is good for health.

C．“Night owls” can focus longer than “early birds”.

D．“Early birds” are as hard-working as “night owls”.

3. What did the researchers find in a Belgian study?

A．Late risers become sleepier than early risers.

B．Early risers become as focused as later risers.

C．Late risers can think quickly after being awaken for 10 hours.

D．Early risers can think clearly after being awake for 10 hours.

4. What opinion does the author finally agree to?

A．People should get up early.

B．Whatever time suits you, it’s OK.

C．Staying up late is good for health.

D．It’s impossible to change one’s sleeping habit.

【推荐1】Just like any other home, the International Space Station (ISS) requires some housekeeping in the form of routine work and repairs That is why NASA astronaut Scott Kelly and fellow astronaut Kjell Lindgren performed a spacewalk outside the station on Wednesday. The operation began at 8:03 a.m. and lasted for more than seven hours. It was the first spacewalk for both men.

The ISS has been in constant use for 15 years and needs to be upgraded (升级) from time to time. During their spacewalk, Kelly and Lindgren did basic electrical work, such as attaching new cables that will provide power to docking ports on the station. The ports will be used when new crew (工作人员) and cargo ships arrive at the ISS in 2017. The two astronauts also placed a thermal (防寒的) cover on a key scientific instrument on the station to protect it from the cold temperatures of space.

As the more senior astronaut, Kelly led the spacewalk. However, Lindgren handled some of the more challenging parts of the job in some of the tighter areas of the station.

“Lindgren has longer arms,” said NASA'S Grant Slusser, who served as ground director for Wednesday's spacewalk.

Kelly and Lindgren spent months training and practicing for the operation. The preparation began in NASA's Neutral Buoyancy Lab (NBL), a 6.2-million-gallon swimming pool with a full-size replica (复制品) of most of the ISS located at the bottom. Here astronauts become accustomed to working in an environment similar to the one outside the space station.

During the spacewalk, Kelly and Lindgren received updates from NASA that provided them with both major and minor detail, right down to how many turns are needed to tighten a bolt (螺栓).

Once the task was successfully completed, the astronauts reentered the ISS. But they will not remain inside the station for too long. Both men will perform a second spacewalk scheduled for November 6.

1. What is Paragraph 2 mainly about?

A．The goal of Wednesday's spacewalk.

B．The duties of NASA astronauts in space.

C．The role of the International Space Station.

D．The flight schedules of spaceships in 2017.

2. Why did Lindgren take on the more challenging parts of the job?

A．He is several years senior to Kelly.

B．He has a physical advantage over Kelly.

C．He has more work experience than Kelly.

D．He is braver and more confident than Kelly.

3. The spacewalk Kelly and Lindgren performed ________.

A．started at night.	B．seemed a difficult task.
C．was directed by the NBL.	D．was their second spacewalk.

4. What will Kelly and Lindgren do next?

A．Go back to the earth.

B．Welcome the new crew's arrival.

C．Prepare for their next spacewalk.

D．Get in touch with the ground control center.

【推荐2】I’ve recently found myself wondering if I could do without Google Maps. It is, I think, the only app on my phone I’d really miss were I to swap my smartphone for a “dumb” one that handles only calls and text messages.

Why am I thinking about this? It’s because every time I try to read a book, I end up picking up my phone instead. I keep interrupting my own train of thought in order to do something that I don’t consciously want to do.

This is not accidental. Developers have become even more unashamed in their attempts to keep us hooked on our smartphones. Some of them speak in the language of addiction and behavioural psychology, though most prefer the term “persuasive tech”. In itself, persuasive tech is not a new idea — an academic named BJ Fogg has been running classes from a “persuasive tech lab” at Stanford since the late 1990s. But as smartphone ownership has rocketed and social-media sites have been born, persuasive tech has vastly expanded its reach.

One company, Dopamine Labs — named for the chemical released in the reward center of the brain — offers a service to tech businesses wanting to “keep users engaged”. Founder Ramsay Brown tells me he wants people to understand that “their thoughts and feelings are on the table as things that can be controlled and designed”. He thinks there should be more conversation around the persuasive power of the technologies being used. “We believe everyone has a right to cognitive liberty, and to build the kind of mind they want to live in,” he says.

The poster child of the resistance movement against addictive apps is former Google “design ethicist” Tristan Harris. He thinks the power to change the system lies not with app developers but with the hardware providers. In 2014, Harris founded “Time Well Spent”, a group that campaigns for more moral design practices among developers.

Any tech business that relies on advertising profits is motivated to hold its users online for as long as possible, Harris says. This means apps are specifically designed to keep us in them. Apple, on the other hand, wants to sell phones but doesn’t have a profit stream so tightly connected to the amount of time its customers spend online. Harris hopes that companies like Apple could use their influence to encourage more morally designed apps.

While I wait for Apple to sort this out, I find myself longing for something called a “Light Phone”, a credit-card-sized handset that does absolutely nothing but make and receive calls. Price tag? $150. Seems expensive. But the company’s website is very persuasive.

1. According to the author, what makes us so glued to our smartphones？

A．People's inborn behaviours.	B．App developers’ intention
C．User-friendly apps	D．Hardware providers

2. Dopamine Labs's founder believes that ____.

A．Tech businesses have gone too far in controlling users’ minds

B．Persuasive technologies are dangerous to users’ cognitive liberty.

C．The persuasive power of the technologies deserves more attention

D．Everyone can live the life they desire by using persuasive technologies.

3. Which of the following best explains the underlined words “The poster child” in paragraph 5?

A．The advertiser	B．The advocate
C．The opponent	D．The founder

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

A．Do we have a right to cognitive liberty?

B．What have persuasive tech done to us?

C．Why a dumb phone is a smart move?

D．How smartphones shape our minds?

【推荐3】Opportunity arose for a successful experiment in a remote village called Simarkundi surrounded by 1800 acres of jungle which wasn’t even accessible by bicycle — one had to walk 7 km through a dense jungle to reach it. Villagers here were either employed as manual labour in stone mining operations, or in the illegal felling of trees.

Siddharth hadn’t visited the village yet. In one meeting, he asked the local range officer who often interacted with Simarkundi’s residents about what they needed.

What residents needed desperately was a drinking water well. To access water, they had to get it by digging the dry river bed nearby which was then collected in earthen pots. Working with local officials, they began the construction of a 30 - feet drinking water well. Wanting to see if there was any progress on constructing this well, Siddharth visited the village for the first time in January 2006 undertaking a two - hour trek.

The well made him fall in love with the village, and he felt he could succeed unlike his earlier experiments. After the well was constructed, He would walk 14 km to the village back and forth every Sunday. Altogether, he made around 40 such visits on foot and after a few months villagers did some repair work in the forest, which allowed him to visit on a motorcycle. Today, you can visit the village in your car.

There was significant improvement in farm practices and residents raised their income greatly. They stopped cutting trees from the forests. Many backward practices were successfully addressed. They constructed a kuccha road to the village and there isn’t even an inch which isn’t irrigated. All this change happened within two years.

Siddharth was transferred out of Koderma to Ranchi in 2008, but even then he would visit the village every Sunday for the next five years to ensure these changes were permanent.

1. Why did Siddharth come to Koderma?

A．To do scientific experiments.	B．To help develop the backward area.
C．To employ local farmers.	D．To do a survey of country life.

2. Which of the following needed to be handled first?

A．Building roads.	B．Closing stone mines.
C．Constructing a drinking well.	D．Stopping destroying the forest.

3. Which word can best describe Siddharth?

A．Talented.	B．Stubborn.
C．Committed.	D．Courageous.

4. What does the underlined word “trek” in paragraph 3 refer to?

A．A rough ride.	B．A long hard walk.
C．A dangerous drive.	D．A long mountain trip.