【推荐1】Have you ever wondered when dogs first became “man’s best friend” and the world’s favourite pet? If you have then you’re not alone. When and where dogs first began living side-by-side with humans are questions that have stirred hot debate among scientists. There are a few hard facts that all agree on. These include that dogs were once wolves and they were the first animal to be domesticated (驯养) by humans. They came to life some 15, 000 years ago, before the dawn of agriculture.

Beyond that, there is little agreement. The earliest bones found that are unquestionable dogs and not wolves date from 14,000 years ago. However, 30,000-year-old skulls (头骨) have been discovered in France and Belgium that are not pure wolves and that some scientists think could be dogs.

With such puzzling evidence, many scientists are now turning to DNA to find out when and where dogs were first domesticated. In one research project, tens of thousands of blood samples have been taken from street dogs around the world. The plan is to compare them with those of wolves. It’s even possible to analyse DNA from ancient bones. Tiny pieces of the 30,000-year-old skulls mentioned earlier are currently being studied, and another DNA study has already shown that ancient dogs preserved in the Alaskan ice fields evolved (进化) from Asian wolves, not American ones.

Indeed, the ancient DNA may turn out to be more informative than the DNA of living dogs. Because dogs have accompanied humans around the world for thousands of years, their current distribution may tell us very little of their origins. This is why different groups of scientists believe that dogs variously originated in eastern Asia, Mongolia, Siberia, Europe or Africa.

But why were the animals domesticated in the first place? The most recent theory is that dogs domesticated themselves, originally living in and around our ancient villages to eat any food thrown out. Today, this is a way of life still shared by three quarters of a billion unowned dogs worldwide.

1. Which of the following is the statement generally agreed on by scientists studying dogs?

A．They originally were used as farm animals.

B．They evolved from wolves found in Europe.

C．They helped the development of agriculture.

D．They were the first animal to be trained by humans.

2. Why does the writer first mention the 30,000-year-old animals’ skulls?

A．To show that dogs were much larger in the past.

B．To prove that dogs developed from Asian wolves.

C．To suggest that dogs may have evolved much earlier.

D．To argue that dogs were first kept in France and Belgium.

3. How did scientists determine the origins of the ancient dogs found in Alaska?

A．By examining the animals, DNA.

B．By analyzing the age of their bones.

C．By studying the shape of their skulls.

D．By comparing them with modern clogs.

4. Why did dogs start living with humans?

A．Because they were attracted by food.

B．Because they were trapped by humans.

C．Because they couldn’t survive in the wild.

D．Because they were trained to protect the villages.

【推荐2】Most people know not to touch a jellyfish(水母)but some jellies can sting people without touching them—by connecting tiny bits from their body that float off into the sea and move around independently.

Upside-down jellyfish throw small balls of stinging cells in a network of sticky mucus(黏液), to kill prey such as shrimp. “It is as if we could spit out our teeth and they killed thing for us somehow,” says Cheryl Ames at Tohoku university in Japan. “It’s a real revolutionary novelty.”

Upside-down jellyfish, several species of the genus Cassiopea, live in warm coastal waters off Florida, Australia, the Red Sea and southerly parts of the Mediterranean. Their stings aren’t generally seen as dangerous, but there have been occasional reports of “stinging water” around them. “It’s really irritating. You’re constantly being stung on any surface that’s exposed,” says Ames.

Now Ames’s group has found that this happens because the creatures shed hollow balls of stinging cells up to half a millimeter wide. Named cassiosomes, they carry hairs that can make them float around in circles to boost their chances of hitting prey. “It was a really amazing moment when we all took turns in looking through the microscope and saw there were tiny, little things moving about in the mucus,” says Ames. The jellies released cassiosomes and mucus when brine shrimp, their natural prey, were put in their tank. The cassiosomes could kill the shrimp within a minute. In the wild, the dead shrimp are then sucked into the jellies’ body by their pulsating motions. And these jellies tend to float at the bottom of lakes, and extend their networks of mucus to float above them. “The mucus may not be easily visible to swimmers,” says Ames.

The unique feeding mechanism isn’t the jellies main source of nutrients. They also have algae inside them, which photo synthesize. And the reason why the jellies float upside down is to expose these plant cells to the sun. The cassiosomes also contain algae, which might provide the energy for them to float around-they could survive outside the jellies for up to 10 days in the lab.

1. What does Cheryl Ames think of the jellyfish’s way to catch food?

A．Fresh.

B．Mysterious

C．Terrible.

D．Unacceptable.

2. What can we learn about cassiosomes?

A．They can easily be noticed by the swimmers.

B．They can send the shrimp to the jellies themselves.

C．They are spread in the mucus released by the jellyfish.

D．They use their hair to attract the shrimp.

3. Why do the jellies float upside down?

A．To protect themselves from the sun.

B．To hide themselves from the enemy.

C．To transport algae to the cassiosones.

D．To get more energy provided by algae inside.

4. In which column of a newspaper can we read this passage?

A．Travel abroad.

B．Under the sea.

C．Business.

D．Religion.

【推荐3】Hiking is tricky when you’re carrying a threatened species. Ally Whitbread carefully walked through the wilds while carrying a cooler full of small, rare snails (蜗牛)— the Chittenango ovate amber snails.

“I feel like I’ve got 500 babies to take care of — just like a very crazy mother hen,” she said. Whitbread is part of a team transporting a lab-grown population to a new, remote home. The snails are facing extinction — only dozens are estimated to remain at one waterfall in upstate New York. “Such a recovery process can take years to decades. There are several things remaining to be unlocked during the process — what the action is going to bring, what role that species might play, and whether they might live well. We are just racing to better understand our planet's biodiversity before the species die out.”

It took the scientists years to raise this population in the lab. The hike to a hidden waterfall is a chance to examine what makes them grow well in the wild, or what doesn’t. The snails don’t have any known unique features critical to humans, and it’s been a long journey just to attempt to save them. These efforts could figure out their hidden benefits.

Specialist Cody Gilbertson said the drive to save them can go deeper, not just the love for science. The creatures are no bigger than a fingertip and look up at their caregivers. “You know their big eyes are staring at you, like — there’s no way that you're not going to kind of fall in love,” Gilbertson said.

Dropping them off at their new waterfall home wasn’t even the end — it’ll be another 5 years before the team knows whether the snails can survive there. They’ll go for a hike twice a month to track their progress.

1. How does Whitbread feel about the snails’ future?

A．Hopeful.

B．Disappointed.

C．Excited.

D．Uncertain.

2. Why do the scientists bring the lab-raised snails to the new habitat?

A．To unlock their hidden benefits.	B．To identify factors in their survival.
C．To preserve the planet's biodiversity.	D．To observe their reproducing process.

3. What motivated Gilbertson to save the snails?

A．Their potential role.	B．Their endangered state.
C．Their lovable appearance.	D．Their growing conditions.

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

A．Lengthy Rescue to Resettle a Tiny Snail	B．Innovative Try at Studying Threatened Spocies
C．Special Experience of Hiking with Snails	D．Major Breakthrough in Protecting Rare Species

【推荐1】In October, I told the eight-year-olds in the class I teach in Pompton Lakes, New Jersey, about my plan. “Since all of you have done extra jobs around the house to earn some money,” I said, “then we’ll buy food for a Thanksgiving dinner for someone who might not have a nice dinner otherwise.” I hoped they could experience a sense of their own power to bring change.

I watched them while they walked up and down the supermarket. “Flowers!” Kristine cried. The group rushed towards the holiday plants.

“You can’t eat flowers.”—It was wiser to use any extra money to buy something that could be turned into meals.

“But Mrs Sherlock,” came the begging voice, “we want flowers.”

Defeated finally, I put a pot of “funny” purple mums (菊花) in the cart full of foods. “She’ll like this one,” the children agreed.

An organization had given us the name and address of a needy grandmother who had lived alone for many years. We finally pulled up in front of a small house. A slightly-built woman with a weary face came to the door to welcome us.

My little group ran to get the foods. As, each box was carried in, the old woman kept on saying “Thanks.”-much to her visitors’ pleasure. When Amy put the mums on the counter, the woman seemed surprised. She’s wishing it was a bag of rice, I thought.

We returned to the car. As we fastened our seat belts, we could see the kitchen window. The woman inside waved goodbye, then turned and walked across the room, past the turkey, past the goods, straight to the mums. She put her face in them. When she raised her head, there was a smile on her lips. She was transformed (转变) before our eyes.

The children were quiet. At that moment, they had seen for themselves the power they have to make another’s life better. The children had sensed that sometimes a person needs a pot of funny purple flowers on a dark November day.

1. What is the author’s plan aimed at?

A．Helping students focus on their happiness.

B．Teaching students the necessity of doing housework.

C．Letting students feel their ability to make a difference.

D．Getting students to know how to be financially independent.

2. Why did the author consider the mums “funny”?

A．Because she thought they were too ugly.

B．Because she thought they were for children.

C．Because she thought they were too expensive.

D．Because she thought they couldn’t help people in need.

3. What can we know from the passage?

A．The old woman preferred food to flowers.

B．Flowers are more important than food to the poor.

C．The old woman’s dark day was brightened by the children.

D．All the money the children earned was transformed to food.

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

A．A Perfect Lesson	B．The Importance of Giving
C．A Happy Shopping Day	D．The Secret to Happiness

【推荐3】This year marks the 170th anniversary of Paul Gauguin’s birth. He lived for just 54 years but he packed his brief life with activity.

The French painter spent his early childhood in Peru before returning to France. As an adult, he continued to travel a lot. Most famously, he spent much of the last decade of his life in Tahiti, an island in southern Pacific Ocean. Indeed, Gauguin is best known for his colorful paintings of Tahitians and their culture.

The restlessness of this great painter has been normal among modern artists since the middle of the 19th century. They’re never satisfied for long with a certain style or way of life. Once something becomes conventional, it’s turned down.

The artistic culture that Gauguin developed from was that of Impressionism (印象派). Painters like Claude Monet had wanted to paint how they saw the world, not how their teachers taught them it should be seen. Gauguin, and similar artists like his friend Vincent van Gogh, moved even further away from “respectable” art than the Impressionists. For them, it was not simply a matter of seeing the world differently, but feeling and thinking about it differently, too.

Gauguin saw, felt and thought differently from most members of European society. He thought that European culture was too fancy and notspontaneous. This is why he turned to the traditions of other parts of the world, like Africa, and, eventually, Tahiti. Artists like Gauguin used the word “primitive” for these cultures, but not as a negative term. For him, Europe, in becoming modern, industrial and scientific, seemed less natural than other parts of the world.

In truth, Gauguin’s paintings may be unconventional but they are certainly not “primitive”. They are the work of a painter with great awareness of what he was doing. It was this awareness that made him such an important painter for those that came after, in the 20th century. When we look closely at the works of Gauguin we begin to understand Pablo Picasso, and especially Henri Matisse, a little better.

1. What can we infer about Gauguin’s life?

A．He had an unhappy childhood.	B．He lived most of his life in Peru.
C．He enjoyed painting in Tahiti.	D．He preferred a traditional life style.

2. What’s the main purpose of Paragraph 4?

A．To explain why Gauguin’s works were popular.

B．To point out where Gauguin’s inspiration came from.

C．To show Gauguin’s different understanding of painting.

D．To compare Gauguin’s painting style with Vincent van Gogh’s.

3. Which of the following best explains “spontaneous” underlined in Paragraph 5?

A．Natural.

B．Modern.

C．Industrial.

D．Scientific.

4. The author mentions Picasso and Matisse in the last paragraph to show ________.

A．their styles are different from Gauguin’s	B．great artists share many similarities
C．they are as important as Gauguin	D．Gauguin’s influence on their works

【推荐1】People who speak or perform before the public sometimes may suffer from “Stage Fright. ” Stage fright makes a person nervous. In the worst case(情况) it can make one's mind go back and forget what one ought to say, or to act. Actors, musicians, dancers, lawyers, even radio show hosts(节目主持人) have suffered from stage fright at one time or another.

Diana Nichols is an expert in helping people free from stage fright at a medical centre in New York City. She helps actors learn to control themselves. Miss Nichols says some people have always been afraid to perform before the audience. Others, she says, develop stage fright after a fearful experience.

She offers them ways to control the fear. One way is to smile before going onto the stage. Taking two deep breaths also helps. Deep breathing helps you get control of your body.

Miss Nichols persuades her patients to tell themselves that their speech or performance does not have to the perfect. It's all right to make a mistake. She tells them they should not be too cautions(谨慎的) while they are performing. It is important that they should continue to perform while she is helping them. After each performance, they discuss what happened and find out what advice helped and what did not. As they perform more and more, they will fear less and less as much as 50%. Miss Nichols says the aim is only to reduce stage fright, not to eliminate it completely. This is because a little stage fright makes a person more cautious, and improves the performance.

1. One who is suffering stage fright may        .

A．forget one's part before the audience

B．smile all the time on the stage

C．make a speech fast than ever

D．be cautious to improve his performance

2. The underlined word “eliminate” in the last paragraph means        .

A．keep

B．reduce

C．change

D．get rid of

3. The wrong way to overcome stage fright is        .

A．to smile before going to the stage.

B．to take two deep breaths to calm oneself

C．to pay less attention to one's mistakes in performance

D．to perform less and to watch more

4. Which of the following statements is right?

A．We can get rid of stage fright completely.

B．A little stage fright can make actors perform better.

C．We can reduce stage fright as much as one second.

D．A little stage fright leads to complete failure.

【推荐2】In the future，we may not need to rely on human donations for life-saving skin grafts(移植）.

That’s the goal of Xeno Therapeutics, a biotech non-profit organization. The US Food and Drug Administration approved the group’s initial application for temporary skin grafts removed from genetically modified(基因改良）pigs. This means that they can start testing pig skin grafts on people who have experienced severe burns.

Skin，the body’s largest organ，plays an important role in blocking pathogens(病原体） from reaching our organs inside. It also helps the body keep a constant temperature. People with severe skin damage are at a high risk of developing deadly infections as a result of changes in temperature.

At the moment, the only skin grafts available in the US come from the dead people who have agreed to be organ donors, or patients who have gone through surgery to remove skin after large weight loss. These human skins used for grafts are not easy to find.

Xeno Therapeutics, which gets its name from animal-to-human transplants, has raised pigs that have skin remarkably similar to our own. Grafts from these pigs are therefore more likely to hide without being detected by the host's immune system—at least temporarily. The idea is that they could be used for immediate burn treatment, followed human skin graft treatment later.

“I’d say that just like comparing a Coke with Pepsi，it would be hard to tell which was the human skin and which was the pig graft，” said Xeno Therapeutics CEO Paul Holzer.

The non-profit organization has been working to conduct the clinical trials, which will only be testing the grafts’ safety and tolerability in six patients with severe burns. Assuming the results are positive after a month, the grafts will need to pass through two more stages of testing before they can be approved for widespread clinical use.

Several other groups around the world are working to make animal organs suitable for clinical medicine. In Brazil, researchers are exploring using tilapia skin as temporary bandages for burn victims whose skin is regrowing.

1. What’s the aim of Xeno Therapeutics?

A．To make profit from the grafts.	B．To apply pig skin on human patients.
C．To modify pigs genetically.	D．To test people with severe burns.

2. Why is skin important to human body?

A．It acts as a protective layer for our body.	B．It helps us recover from deadly diseases.
C．It prevents itself from being damaged.	D．It keeps one’s temperature changing.

3. What is Paul Holzer’s attitudes towards the pig skin grafts?

A．Doubtful.	B．Worried.
C．Confident.	D．Flexible.

4. What can we know about the grafts?

A．Only skin removed from pigs can be used for grafts.

B．Brazilian doctors have also applied pig skin for grafts.

C．Animal skin has been used on six patients safely.

D．They won't be put to use until they pass test

【推荐3】French children are saying "Hello" to the new academic year and "Bye" to their cell phones during school hours． That's because a new law has come into effect which bans phone use by students up to the age of 15． The legislation， which follows a campaign promise by French President Emmanuel Macron， also bans tablets and smart watches．

The ban is also in place at break times， with exceptions in cases of emergency and for disabled children， the French Education Ministry said in a statement． In emergencies， students can ask their teachers for permission to use their phones． Meanwhile， high schools can voluntarily carry out the measure．

Education Minister Jean-Michel Blanquer said the new rules aim to help children focus on lessons， better socialize and reduce social media use． The ban is also designed to fight online bullying and prevent thefts and violence in school． Blanquer has claimed the legislation would improve discipline among France's 12 million school students， nearly 90% of whom have mobile phones． "Being open to technologies of the future doesn't mean we have to accept all their uses，" Blanquer said in June as the bill was going through in Parliament．

As for enforcement， it's up to individual school administrations to decide how to put through the ban． School principals can decide to store students' phones in lockers or allow them to keep them， switched off， in their backpacks． The law allows teachers to take away the phones until the end of the day in case of someone disobeying the bans．

Jacqueline Kay-Cessou， whose 14-year-old son， David， is entering eighth grade at the Camille See International School， told the reporter she was happy to hear of the ban． "It's fantastic news． It's something I've wanted for years，" Kay-Ccssou said． "I think phones are socially harmful． Kids can't think and sit still anymore and it's highly addictive．"

1. What is the new rule for ordinary French students in the new term？ ______

A．They are not allowed to use their watches．

B．They should follow President Macron．

C．They should say "Hello" to school teachers．

D．They can't use their cell phones at school．

2. What is the opinion of Jean-Michel Blanquer？ ______

A．Cell phones are the main reason for school violence．

B．The society should be strict with the school students．

C．New technology should be properly applied at school．

D．None of the young students should have mobile phones．

3. Who is/are responsible for carrying out the ban？ ______

A．The school administrators．	B．The student monitors．
C．The students' parents．	D．The Education Minister．

4. What is the purpose of the last paragraph？ ______

A．To show the parental response to the ban．

B．To provide a conclusion for the text．

C．To offer an example for the new law．

D．To make a list of cell phone's harms．

【推荐1】ULTIMATE CANADA AND THE ROCKY MOUNTAINEER

15 DAYS FROM £4,495

From the dramatic setting of Vancouver to the easy-going city of Toronto, this adventure takes us across Canada by rail, onboard the iconic Rocky Mountaineer and The Canadian.

Days 1-3, London to Vancouver

Fly from London to Vancouver. Enjoy a sightseeing tour on Day 2, seeing Stanley Park and Chinatown. You're free to explore on Day 3.

Days 4-6, Rocky Mountaineer

Journey on the Rocky Mountaineer through the wilderness on the way to Kamloops. Continue on Day 5, along the “First Passage to the West" route to Banff, where we spend two nights. Discover Banff National Park on Day 6. visiting Emerald Lake and Lake Louise. Later, enjoy a talk from a retired Mountie.

Days 7-8, Jasper National Park

Take a coach along Icefields Parkway to Jasper, stopping to admire the impressive Athabasca Glacier. Spend two nights surrounded by the attractive mountain scenery of Jasper, with a free day on Day 8.

Days 9-11, The Canadian

Start a long journey on The Canadian to Toronto, settling into our berths as we pass pine forests and towering peaks. Spend Day 10 and Day 11 on board, travelling through Winnipeg and across the Canadian Shield.

Days 12-15, Toronto and London

Arrive in energetic Toronto for two nights, visiting the spectacular Niagara Falls on Day 13. After a free day on Day 14, fly home in the evening, arriving on Day 15.

The 2022 itinerary is different. Please call for details.

WHAT'S INCLUDED

• UK Tour Manager throughout

• Return scheduled flights

• Luggage Service without payment

• 10 nights' accommodation, 3 nights on The Canadian and 13 meals

• All tour excursions

DEPARTURES

7 May, 21	£ 4,795	24 Sept, 21	£4,995
21 May, 21	£4,895	7 May, 22	£4,495
4 Jun, 21	£4,995	21 May, 22	£4,795
25 Jun, 21	£4,895	4 Jun, 22	£4,995
3 Sept, 21	£5,095	25 Jun, 22	£5,095
17 Sept, 21	SOLD OUT	20 Aug, 22	£4,995

See our website for full 2021 and 2022 dates and prices.

1. Where can the traveler enjoy the amazing Athabasca Glacier?

A．In Vancouver.

B．In Kamloops.

C．In Jasper.

D．In Toronto.

2. What fee is NOT included during the whole dventure?

A．Round-trip scheduled flights.	B．Free Luggage Service.
C．15 nights' accommodation.	D．UK Tour Manager all the way.

3. On which of the following adventures will the traveler spend most?

A．Trip departing on 7 May, 21.	B．Trip departing on 25 Jun, 21.
C．Trip departing on 20 Aug, 22.	D．Trip departing on 3 Sept, 21.

【推荐2】Parker Stewart, a 16-year-old from Sayre School, a college preparatory school in the United States, knew last year that he wanted his independent study on the environment to have a broad impact on the community. In order to "reduce the carbon footprint," Stewart planned to produce enough solar energy to power the school's science labs. Now his plan is set to happen. The installation of 30 solar panels is scheduled for late January.

As he began his research on solar energy, he discovered a useful phone app. By entering an address, he could find out how much sunlight the location receives each day. Based on how much sunlight it receives, Stewart found that his school building was the desired position.

At the suggestion of his science teacher, Debbie Wheeler, Parker first performed an energy audit（测算）of the science lab to see how much energy a typical lab uses per day. Then, he started his research, contacting a local installer of solar panels, Synergy Home, to do the job.

Parker lacked money for launching the project, so he convinced Sayre's head of school to fund him after explaining the benefits of solar power for the school and community. Since Sayre provided the initial seed money to provide supplies and the purchase of one panel, the project has grown to include a total of 30 panels. They are expected to generate enough energy to run all four of the science labs on campus.

"It feels like a dream to think that an idea I had resulted from my AP Environmental class would have this kind of impact," said Stewart, expressing gratitude for Wheeler's help.

Wheeler said the success of the project was due to Parker's efforts and willingness to follow through on the project from start to finish.

“I've had other students talk about environmental initiatives on campus, but Parker had the persistence to make it happen," she said.

1. How did the app help Stewart start his project?

A．To find an ideal location.	B．To conduct an energy audit.
C．To look up specific information.	D．To introduce financial aids.

2. Who invested in Stewart's project at the beginning?

A．Sayre School.	B．His parents.
C．Synergy Home.	D．His community.

3. What inspired Stewart to do his solar power project?

A．The phone app he discovered.

B．The air pollution in his community.

C．A suggestion from his science teacher.

D．An idea from his Environmental class.

4. What contributed to Stewart's success according to Wheeler?

A．His wisdom.	B．His bravery.
C．His willpower.	D．His independence.

【推荐3】America is a mobile society.Friendships between Americans can be close and real，yet disappear soon if situations change.Neither side feels hurt by this.Both may exchange Christmas greetings for a year or two，perhaps a few letters for a while-then no more.If the same two people meet again by chance，even years later，they pick up the friendship.This can be quite difficult for us Chinese to understand，because friendships between us flower more slowly but then may become lifelong feelings，extending（延伸）sometimes deeply into both families.

Americans are ready to receive us foreigners at their homes，share their holidays，and their home life.They will enjoy welcoming us and be pleased if we accept their hospitality（好客）easily.

Another difficult point for us Chinese to understand Americans is that although they include us warmly in their personal everyday lives，they don't show their politeness to us if it requires a great deal of time.This is usually the opposite of the practice in our country where we may be generous with our time.Sometimes，we，as hosts，will appear at airports even in the middle of the night to meet a friend.We may take days off to act as guides to our foreign friends.The Americans，however，express their welcome usually at homes，but truly can not manage the time to do a great deal with a visitor outside their daily routine.They will probably expect us to get ourselves from the airport to our own hotel by bus.And they expect that we will phone them from there.Once we arrive at their homes，the welcome will be full，warm and real.We will find ourselves treated hospitably.

For the Americans，it is often considered more friendly to invite a friend to their homes thanto go to restaurants，except for purely business matters.So accept their hospitality at，home！.

1. The writer of this passage must be______.

A．an American	B．a Chinese
C．a professor	D．a student

2. Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?

A．Friendships between Americans usually extend deeply into their families.

B．Friendships between Americans usually last for all their lives.

C．Americans always show their warmth even if they are very busy.

D．Americans will continue their friendships again even after a long break.

3. From the last two paragraphs we can learn that when we arrive in America to visit an American friend, we will probably be_______.

A．warmly welcomed at the airport	B．offered a ride to his home
C．treated hospitably at his home	D．treated to dinner in a restaurant

4. The underlined words"generous with our time"in Paragraph 3 probably mean_____.

A．strict with time	B．serious with time
C．careful with time	D．willing to spend time

5. A suitable title for this passage would probably be"_____".

A．Friendships between Chinese

B．Friendships between Americans

C．Americans' hospitality

D．Americans' and Chinese's views of friendships