【推荐2】Ways to Improve Vocabulary in Just One Day

The average American has a vocabulary in the thousands . Try these tricks to make sure yours builds up.

Watch movies

"If you see the movie version of your favourite book you're likely to have a deeper understanding and knowledge of the words in it," says Neuman, professor of Childhood and Literacy Education at New York University . "Seeing and reading something on the same topic is really important.”

Read magazines

If you want to improve vocabulary, don't just flip through your favourite magazine, really read it.

Listen to how words sound

Many people won't remember tricky words unless they come across them frequently. But if you hear a word that you think sounds interesting, you become word conscious(有意识的) and start using it yourself, says Neuman.

Join a book club

"Book clubs are a wonderful strategy to learn new words,” says Neuman. Not only will it force you to set aside time in your day to read, but it's also a good way to discover books you might not normally be drawn to.

Listen to the radio

Those types of programs can expose you to topics you may not be familiar with. Don't miss these middle school vocabulary words adults still don't know.

Pay attention to your surroundings

Next time walk down a busy street or take a walk in the park, try to describe what you're seeing as much as possible inside your head.

Read, read, read

Even if you don't stop to look up every single foreign word, chances are you can improve vocabulary simply by figuring out(想出) their meaning based on the context.

1. How many tricks mentioned above are through hearing?

A．1.

B．2.

C．3

D．4.

2. According to the passage, how will you find some special and unusual books?

A．By listening to the radio.	B．By joining a book club.
C．By walking around.	D．By watching movies.

3. Where does this passage probably come from?

A．Textbook.

B．Science report.

C．Website.

D．Novel.

【推荐1】Choosing a major, which is the specialized area of your college study, can be overwhelming. But have no fear! Your choice of major will not lock you into a specific career for the rest of your life. And the major you choose will neither predict nor guarantee your future. Consider these factors when picking your major.

Career Prep

Choose a major because it will prepare you for a specific career path or advanced study. Maybe you already know that you want to be a nurse, a day trader, or a web developer. Before you declare, take a class or two in the relevant discipline, check out the syllabus for an advanced seminar, and talk to students in the department of your choice. Make sure you’re ready for the coursework required for the career of your dreams.

Earning Potential

Future   earning   potential   is   worth   considering—college   is   a   big     investment,     and while college can pay you back in many ways beyond salary, this can be a major factor for students who are paying their own way or taking out loans. According to PayScale.com, the majors that lead to the highest salaries include just about any type of engineering, actuarial mathematics, computer science, physics, government, and economics. Keep your quality of life in mind, too—that six figure salary may not be worth it if you're not happy at the office.

Subjects You Love

Some students choose a major simply because they love the subject matter. If you love what you're studying, you're more likely to fully engage with your classes and college experience, and that can mean better grades and great relationships with others in your field. If your calling is philosophy, don't write it off just because you're not sure about graduate school, or what the job market holds for philosophers. Many liberal arts majors provide students with critical thinking skills and writing abilities that are highly valued by employers.

Undecided? Explore your interests.

If you truly have no idea what you want to study, that's okay—many schools don't require students to declare a major until you are a second-year student. That gives you four semesters to play the field. Exploring your interests will help you find your best fit major—and maybe even your ideal career.

1. You don’t need to feel fearful when choosing your major because ______.

A．your major has completely nothing to do with your future

B．you are not limited to only one particular career for your whole life

C．changing career fields are unavoidable in your life

D．you only spend a little time on whatever subject you choose

2. The underlined word discipline is closest in meaning to ______.

A．field	B．rule
C．theory	D．knowledge

3. What do we learn about from Para. 3?

A．Your college investment will be all given back to you in the form of high salary.

B．Future career earning is viewed as the top concern for most college students.

C．High salary will not be worthwhile at the cost of your unhappy office work.

D．If you choose engineering-related majors, you are sure to earn high salary.

4. What can we infer from the passage?

A．You are advised to choose liberal arts majors for what are provided.

B．Worse grades result from poor relationships with others in college.

C．Employers like liberal arts majors more than science majors in job market.

D．Some students don’t necessarily need to decide their choices of majors upon entering college.

5. What is the passage mainly about?

A．Why is it difficult to choose a major.	B．What influences your choice of a major.
C．How can a major affect your career.	D．When should you decide your major.

【推荐3】Australian's Favourite Steam Train

Puffing Billy is one of the finest preserved heritage steam railways in the world and operates everyday of the year, except

Christmas Day, thanks to the tireless efforts of our volunteers. The Railway was built in 1900 to serve the local communities that lived in the hills, carrying anything from passengers to potatoes and plants.

Today, Puffing Billy Railway is a major tourist attraction and invites visitors to come and experience a century old tradition.

1. Which of the following can the reason for Puffing Billy still being in use?

A．It is ordinarily preserved.

B．Volunteers offer tireless efforts.

C．It carries passengers and goods.

D．The railway was built in the 20th century.

2. Which word can describe Puffing Billy?

A．Pet-friendly.	B．Student-friendly.
C．Disability-friendly.	D．Smoker-friendly.

3. What can you do on the train?

A．Drink beers with relatives and friends.	B．Sit on the carriage ledge to have a rest.
C．Put your head out to enjoy the scenery.	D．Open the door when the train is moving.

【推荐1】Short-term overseas visitors can now use mobile payments on the Chinese mainland. China's leading mobile payment company Alipay backed by Alibaba announced on Tuesday.

The digital payment giant just introduced an international version of its popular app. designed for overseas travelers to provide them with convenience when paying with their smartphones for shopping, eating and traveling in the Chinese mainland, according to Alipay.

In China, users can have access to services such as paying for taxis and booking hotel rooms and movie tickets directly within the app. However, if a user needs to open the payment function in the app. a local phone number and a Chinese bank account are required, which is inconvenient for short-term international visitors.

Now with the international version of Alipay, there is no more need to open a Chinese bank account. Visitors can use the "Prepaid Card" service provided by the Bank of Shanghai to top up Chinese yuan and enjoy services including scanning a QR code （二维码）to pay at restaurants and shops, as well as making online purchases.

An increasing number of visitors are choosing China as their travel destination, as the country eases visa requirements to promote tourism. In 2018, China welcomed about 30.54 million international visitors to the mainland, a year — on — year increase of 4.7 percent, according to the Ministry of Culture and Tourism.

1. What do we know about Alipay?

A．It offers enough money to consumers.

B．It has shifted its business to China.

C．It has moved its business to the world.

D．It is a new app for mobile payment.

2. Why does Alibaba develop the international version of Alipay?

A．To offer overseas visitors convenience.

B．To help visitors gain a bank account.

C．To promote the company's smartphones.

D．To prove the app is the most popular.

3. What does the underlined words “ceases" probably mean?

A．lowers	B．increases
C．raises	D．explains

4. What is the writer's attitude to the international version of Alipay?

A．Worried.	B．Doubtful.
C．Supportive.	D．Indifferent.

【推荐2】For the longest time,Amber Austwick was unable to speak.In fact,it took a donkey to inspire her first words. Amber,a 6-year-old girl in Birmingham,England,was born prematurely,along with her twin sister,Hope,in June 2010.

Both babies suffered severe bleeding in their lungs,but Hope got stronger while Amber needed a life-saving tracheotomy(气管切开术)that restricted air to vocal cords(声带).As a result,she was able to breathe,but unable to speak.But that changed three years ago,when Amber's mom,Tracy Austwick,took her to an animal shelter.It was there that Amber met Shocks,a donkey that had been rescued from abuse.

“It was quite scary really,”Tracy Austwick said.“Shocks was in the stadium and the riding instructor took little Amber to him and I found it scary for me because Shocks was so much bigger than her.”“But Amber wasn't scared and Shocks was really excited to meet her and they've kept that bond ever since.”The bond is so strong that when Amber was ready to say her first words,she said them to Shocks:“I love you.”

Amber's mother was shocked that her daughter spoke to Shocks.“It was such an emotional moment.I couldn't believe my daughter had finally found her voice,”she said.“Once she met Shocks he brought her out of her shell, she's a lot more confident with him and with friends at school who she loves to talk to about him and the donkey shelter.”

Although Shocks still lives at the shelter,he's part of the Austwick family.“Amber will always visit Shocks and she still sees him whenever she can,”Tracy said.

1. What do the twin sisters have in common?

A．They were born deaf and dumb.

B．They had vocal cord injured.

C．They suffered physical abuse.

D．They had severe lung problems.

2. The bond with Shocks made Amber______.

A．like going to the donkey shelter with her good friends

B．fear animals no longer and dare to get close to them

C．become more confident and willing to talk to people

D．fight against her lung disease bravely

3. Which of the following might be the best title for the text?

A．Shocks Helps Amber to Recover from Her Lung Bleeding

B．A New Medical Cure Is Applied to Rescue the Patients

C．Amber Has Developed a Strong Bond with Her Friends

D．Girl Who Couldn't Speak Tells A Donkey “I Love You”

【推荐3】Top Summer Programs For High School Students In 2021

Did you know summer activities can push your college application to the “yes” pile? If you haven’t decided how to spend your summer time, you may think about the possibility of attending a summer program. It will offer you opportunities to experience life on a college campus, explore fields you have interest in, and perhaps, even earn college credit for the courses you take.

The following are four top summer programs we select for high school students:

Summer Immersion Program

​During the free 7-week program, 10th-11th grade girls ​learn​ about ​computer science,​ ​gain​ ​exposure​ ​to​ ​tech​ ​jobs,​ ​and​ ​join​ ​a​ sisterhood​ ​of​ ​girls​ ​who​ ​are​ ​using​ ​computer​ ​science​ ​to​ ​become​ ​change-makers.

All programs run for 7 weeks during the summer from Monday through Friday, 9am — 4pm. Program dates vary by city.

Princeton Summer Journalism Program

The Princeton Summer Journalism Program (PSJP) is one of the only programs of its kind offering a free, forward-looking residential journalism and precollege institute for high achieving high school juniors from low-income backgrounds.

2020 Program Dates: Friday, July 31, 2021— Monday, August 10, 2021

The Summer Academy for Math and Science (SAMS)

SAMS allows students to develop deeper understanding in areas such as mathematics, physics and computer programming. In addition to their academic experiences, students also have the opportunity to cooperate, and develop meaningful relationships with peers from across the country.

Start Date: Saturday, June 27, 2021

End Date: Saturday, August 8, 2021

The Pioneer Research Program

In the Program, selected students work one-on-one with leading U.S. university professors in advanced study and research of a topic of their interest. The program is conducted entirely online, allowing high school students from all over the world to take part.

Summer term: June 8 — August 28, 2021

1. The purpose of writing this passage is to help high school students _______.

A．have more chance to study in college	B．get prepared for their college life
C．find where their real interests lie	D．study college courses in advance

2. What is special about Summer Immersion Program?

A．It doesn’t require payments for the courses.

B．It accepts girls who are interested in computer science.

C．It doesn’t have a fixed course opening date.

D．It helps students develop new friendships.

3. Which program can a student attend at home in China?

A．Summer Immersion Program	B．Princeton Summer Journalism Program
C．The Summer Academy for Math and Science	D．The Pioneer Research Program

【推荐1】No video games are allowed after 10 pm. It is not allowed to play games for more than 90 minutes on non-holidays. No more than 400 yuan per month is allowed to buy virtual weapons and costumes.

The Chinese government has issued new regulations aimed at controlling teenager’s addiction to video games. Some officials believe that this problem is the reason why more and more young people are suffering from myopia (近视) and poor learning. The rules forbid users under the age of 18 from playing between 10 pm and 8 am. The rules demand that they shouldn’t play more than 90 minutes on non-holidays and more than 3 hours on weekends and other holidays.

Officials have taken stronger measures to monitor large technology companies and promote them to help spread the advocated cultural values. The official media regarded some games as “poisons” and banned some violent games. In addition, minors (未成年人) must use real names and ID numbers when they log into the game. These regulations also limit the a-mount of money that teenagers can use to purchase virtual items such as weapons, clothing, and pets through the app.

Analysts said that these regulations have been largely predicted by the industry and are unlikely to affect its earnings. However, young gamers may also find ways to bypass (绕开) the rules, such as using the parent’s phone number and ID number. “There will always be something imperfect,” said Daniel Ahmad, senior analyst at Niko Partners. However, he added that thanks to the regulations, China is now one of the most regulated video game markets in the world.

Yang Bingben is the owner of an industrial technology company. He noticed that his son often plays games that don’t require networking and is difficult to control. “We have something new to replace the games,” he said, “our thinking should be to build more stadiums, such as football stadiums and basketball courts.”

1. The new regulations will help Chinese teenagers with their ________.

A．intelligence	B．personalities
C．study and eyesight	D．constitutions and morals

2. What did Daniel Ahmad think of the regulations?

A．They are adjustable.	B．They are effective.
C．They are creative.	D．They are worthless.

3. What can be inferred from Yang Bingben’s words?

A．Teenagers are spending more time in the stadiums.

B．Football and basketball will be popular with teenagers.

C．Getting rid of the addiction to video games is impossible.

D．Doing sports helps prevent teenagers playing video games.

4. In which section of a newspaper can you read the text?

A．Literature.	B．Education.
C．Fashion.	D．Sport.

【推荐2】As I jogged over the bridge and round the corner on my regular early morning run, he was standing opposite the jeweler’s, looking extremely suspicious. But the moment he saw me, instead of trying to avoid me, he came straight across the road as I drew level with the jeweler’s. Halfway across he began addressing me: “I thought you were going to…” — but his voice trailed away as he received no reply and no sign of recognition from me. It was quite obvious that he had mistaken me for someone else. But he started up again as if nothing had happened．“Good morning, ” he said．“Nice to bump into someone so early. Someone to talk to. I’ve taken to talking to myself on this job.”

I hate meeting people when I’m out early, and I was almost out of breath, so I just paused in my stride, nodded in a friendly manner, and went on up the road. The stranger had spoken quietly, and quite slowly. And I had noticed that he was well dressed, too. But if he looked suspicious dressed like that at that time of the morning, what about me? I was in a track suit, with an old sweater round my shoulders and a cap on my head．As to his odd remark about “talking to himself on this job”, I hadn’t paid any attention to it, although now it began to worry me. Was he perhaps a plain clothes policeman? At the time I somehow felt he was.

I had just turned the corner into the High Street when I heard the sound of breaking glass somewhere behind me, and I thought the sound came from the street I had just left. I stopped dead and almost without thinking looked back around the corner. The stranger was not there, but almost immediately an alarm bell in the jeweler’s began ringing furiously.

I found out later that a burglar had broken into the jeweler’s shop and stolen watches and rings worth about   ￡5,000. The police are still looking into the matter, but I’m afraid to go and tell them what I know now because they might even suspect me of committing the crime, and it might be difficult for me to prove my innocence. After all, I haven’t offered my assistance as a witness, and the only other person around that morning was the “stranger” who had spoken to me.

1. From the passage we can infer that the author _____.

A．always goes past the jeweler’s

B．didn’t like talking to the strangers

C．meets a few people every morning

D．saw a plain clothes policeman that morning

2. Why did the stranger talk to the author?

A．Because the stranger took the author as someone else.

B．Because the stranger loved talking to people.

C．Because the stranger recognized the writer.

D．Because the stranger took a job of talking to himself.

3. Why did the stranger seem suspicious?

A．He was about to go into the jeweler’s.

B．He was far too friendly.

C．He was dressed too well for that time.

D．He talked to himself a lot.

4. If the writer had been on the spot, _____.

A．he might have been badly injured

B．he would have seen what happened

C．he wouldn’t have heard the alarm bell

D．the stranger wouldn’t have broken the window

5. What idea does the author convey in the last paragraph?

A．he thinks the stranger is innocent

B．the burglar didn’t steal very much

C．he might commit the crime to the police

D．he hesitates whether to report to the police about what he knew

【推荐3】It was a red-letter day in the history of medicine-“Target Zero Day”, May 8th, 1980, marking the complete removal of smallpox, a terrifying disease. It was untreatable but, luckily, it turned out that vaccination (接种疫苗) provided good protection- -and that mass immunization (免疫) could wipe out the small- pox virus by blocking its spread.

According to legend, vaccination was invented by Dr Edward Jenner. Jenner showed that healthy children vaccinated with cowpox, a mild infection of cattle, could not catch smallpox. He was supposedly inspired by a comment from a local milkmaid, but there is evidence that the idea came from a medical friend, John Fester, who had experimented with cowpox. Nevertheless, Jenner deserves credit for introducing vaccination into the medical mainstream with his paper published in 1798.

In 1966, 160 years after the prediction that vaccination would clean off the disease, the World Health Organization launched its Smallpox Eradication Programme. This heroic 1-year drive was directed by two American public health doctors, DA Henderson and Bill Forge. Their hardships were enormous: One WHO official even promised to eat a tyre if smallpox was removed; Henderson promised to send him the tyre and wished him good appetite. But Henderson and Foege's hard work paid off--three years after the last smallpox case was informed (to make sure no outbreaks had been missed) Target Zero Day was declared.

40 years on, should we remember Target Zero Day? First, to celebrate victory of preventative medicine and freedom from a cruel disease. Then, we must remember the victims of smallpox. It had previously killed 1 in 12 worldwide. In 1914, a Canadian professor warned against forgetting smallpox, which was fast disappearing from North America. It went on to kill at least another 250 million people -- three times more than both world wars combined. Target Zero Day also reminds us of undefeated infections, including polio, measles, malaria, and of course the coronavirus Covid-19. Let's recognize Target Zero Day for what it is: a milestone in world history and a monument to the art of the possible.

1. What inspired Jenner to invent the vaccination?

A．A medical friend.	B．A local milkmaid.
C．Cattle.	D．Children.

2. What is the writer's purpose of mentioning the WHO official's promise?

A．To introduce the support from the WHO.

B．To stress the importance of good appetite.

C．To suggest the difficulty in removing smallpox.

D．To show his determination to carry on the drive.

3. Where can you find the figures that best support “smallpox is a terrifying disease?

A．In paragraph 1.	B．In paragraph 2.
C．In paragraph 3.	D．In paragraph 4.

4. What message does the text convey?

A．A promise made is a debt unpaid.	B．A trouble shared is a trouble halved.
C．Something is better than nothing.	D．Nothing is impossible to a willing heart.