【推荐1】Few things come with no disadvantages at all. Even education is not always a pure good. Over the past few decades, East Asia has seen a surprising rise in the rate of short-sightedness. And a growing pile of evidence suggests that the main potential reason for this is education-specifically, the fact that children spend large parts of the day in comparatively dimly lit classrooms.

The evidence suggests that regular exposure to bright daylight is vital in properly controlling the growth of children’s eyes. Too little light leads to lengthened, short-sighted eyes. Researchers think that this explains why rates are so high in Asia, where a strong cultural emphasis on the value of education leads to long school days and often private tutoring in the afternoon and evening. That leaves little time for sunshine. Western children, whose parents are increasingly worried by a competitive jobs market that threatens much less secure employment than they enjoyed, are beginning to go the same way.

Special eyedrops(眼药水), as well as clever glasses and contact lenses(隐形眼镜), may be able to slow the progression of myopia(近视)once it has started. But prevention is better than mitigation, and the science suggests a cheap, straightforward measure. A series of encouraging trials show that giving school children and especially those in primary education-more time outside can cut the number who go on to develop myopia.

Governments are well placed to solve such collective-action problems, while reassuring anxious parents that a bit less classroom time is unlikely to be ruinous. After all, countries such as Finland and Sweden do well in global education rankings with a less intense approach to education. Giving more outdoor time to young children would still leave room for them to cram(突击准备)for exams in their teenage years. Far-sighted governments should send the kids outdoors.

1. What is a problem with education in East Asia?

A．Intense competition.	B．Increase in the rate of short-sightedness.
C．Dimly lit classrooms.	D．A lack of teaching equipment.

2. What makes the rate of short-sightedness in Asia so high?

A．Students study indoors for too long.

B．Parents attach little importance to education.

C．Students study in terrible learning environment.

D．It results from a competitive jobs market.

3. What does the underlined word “mitigation” mean in paragraph 3?

A．Making something less serious.	B．Curing an illness or injury.
C．A change in something.	D．Becoming worse. 3

4. Which of the following is a suitable title for the text?

A．Asia faces severe education problems.

B．Long school days are harmful to students.

C．Schools should send their students outside.

D．East Asia has seen a surprising rise in myopia.

【推荐2】“Super-agers” have long puzzled scientists, but now researchers say they are unpicking why some people live beyond 80 and still appear to be well.

Researchers say studies show that super-agers appear to adapt more easily to the slings and arrows of life, and are more open-minded and less sensitive. But they have also made another discovery. Looking at the brains of 10 super-agers after they died, Prof Emily Rogalski, from Northwestern University said they discovered these individuals have more of a certain type of brain cell known as Von Economo neurons ( 神经) than average elderly individuals. “We can’t explain how they ended up with more Von Economo neurons or why that is important. But these are a special type of neurons that have only been found in a couple of regions of the brain.”

Studies have shown there are other differences as well. “When we look at the rate of cognitive ( 认知的) thinning in the cognitively average 80-year-olds, their brains are thinning at nearly two and a half times that of the super-agers,” said Rogalski.

Being underweight also seemed to matter, with those who had a very low body mass index after the age of 80 more likely to die. It’s not bad to be skinny when you’re young but it is when you’re old.

The researchers say they have also found that the common bad habits do not necessarily lead to an early grave, with many super-agers saying they smoked and enjoyed a drink. “We ask them why is it that you think you are a super-ager, how did you get here, and there are a couple of funny ladies and they will say, well it’s   because I have some alcohol with my friends every day at 5 o'clock. Others have never had a drink,” said Rogalski.

However, Rogalski added, that did not mean that people should take up bad   habits to live longer, noting that some people might have a genetic makeup that allowed them to tolerate smoking and drinking. Nonetheless, Rogalski thinks we can learn from super-agers. “We are getting quite good at extending our lifespan but our health span isn’t keeping up and what the super-agers have is more of a balance between those two, they are living long and living well,” she said.

1. What can we learn about Von Economo neurons?

A．They can be found all over the super-agers’ brains.

B．They lead to super-agers’ easier adaptation to hardships.

C．Super-agers are found to have more of them in their brains.

D．Scientists have discovered how they are produced in brains.

2. Compared to the average elderly, super-agers .

A．have better life habits

B．tend to drink more alcohol

C．are usually much slimmer

D．are slower in brain thinning

3. What does Rogalski intend to tell us by the underlined sentence?

A．We should develop good habits to live longer.

B．We should seek to live well while living long.

C．Super-agers should help us extend our health span.

D．Extending lifespan is harder than keeping health span.

4. What is the writer’s purpose in writing the passage?

A．To reveal some secrets of super-agers.

B．To introduce the ways of staying young.

C．To explain the advantages of living long.

D．To describe various habits of super-agers.

【推荐3】Whether it’s a tricky maths problem or an unexpected bill, life is full of stressful experiences. Now researchers have found that humans produce a different odour (气味) when under pressure and dogs can sniff it out.

While previous studies have suggested dogs might pick up on human emotions, possibly through smell, questions remained over whether they could detect (察觉) stress and if this could be done through scent.

Writing in the journal Plos One, Clara Wilson, a PhD student at Queens University Belfast and the first author of the research, and her colleagues report how they first constructed a stand bearing three containers, each topped by a lid with holes. The researchers were able to train four dogs to point out the container that was holding a particular breath and sweat sample taken at a different time of day, even when the lineup included unused gauze (纱布).

With the team confident that the dogs understood the approach, they turned to breath and sweat samples from 36 people who had been asked: to count backwards from 9,000 in units of 17. The participants reported feeling stressed by the task and for the 27 who carried it out in the lab, their blood pressure and heart rate rose.

The dogs were taught to pick out samples taken just after the task from a lineup that included two containers holding unused gauze. The researchers then tested whether the dogs could do the same when the lineup included not only unused gauze but samples taken from the same participant just before the task, when they were more relaxed. Each set of samples was shown to a single dog in 20 trials. The results show that the dogs chose the “stressed” sample in 675 out of the 720 trials.

“It was pretty amazing to see them be so confident in telling me ‘nope, these two things definitely smell different’,” said Wilson. While it was unclear what chemicals the dogs were picking up on, the study shows humans produce a different odour when stressed. Wilson said it was possible that even untrained pet dogs might detect changes in odour when a human became stressed.

1. What did dogs detect human emotions by according to previous studies?

A．Smell.

B．Taste.

C．Expression.

D．Hearing.

2. Why did the researchers use three containers at first?

A．To have the dogs more confused.	B．To hold the breath more stably.
C．To let the dogs know the approach.	D．To increase the reliability of containers.

3. What’s the attitude of Clara Wilson towards the result of the test?

A．Doubtful.

B．Convinced.

C．Indifferent.

D．Negative.

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

A．Your Smell Will Change When You Feel Nervous	B．Dogs Know Why You Are Relaxed
C．Your Emotional State Can Be Detected by Odour	D．Dogs Can Sniff out. When You Are Stressed

【推荐3】The Shiant Isles, remote, cliff-edged islands off the coast of Scotland, are home to 350,000 seabirds. This is the starting point of National Geographic journalist Adam Nicolson’s new book, The Seabird’s Cry. Celebrating 10 species in detail, he describes the unbelievable recovery of seabirds and the adaptation that has enabled them to survive and navigate the oceans.

Speaking from his home in Sussex, England, Nicolson explains how guillemot (海雀) colonies become information exchange centers; how new research is showing that those long-distance travelers “smell” their way across the globe; and what we can do to support seabird populations.

National Geographic has just kicked off Year of the Bird with a cover story by Jonathan Franzen titled “Why Birds Matter”. Such a beginning of Year of the Bird is beneficial to birds. Nicolson said, “I’ll ask you the same question — why? For me, these seabirds are symbols of uniqueness. There is so much on the land where the rest of the living world seems to be controlled by us, but when you go to seabird colonies, there is pumping, loud, and raging uniqueness. It’s a glance of the untouched world.”

“The reason why it’s untouched is that, until recently, we have not controlled the oceans that the seabirds depend on. More of them have survived in great numbers than most other creatures in the developed world, where huge amounts of the animal kingdom have been removed by us. So one reason these birds matter is that they are symbols of what the world might be like if we hadn’t done so much damage to it.”

“Seabirds also tend to disappear due to their migration and changed habits of life. Very deep in our awareness is a sense that they are ambassadors from another world. And witnessing and feeling that are, I think, the great enlargers of life.”

1. What does the book The Seabird’s Cry mainly focus on?

A．Seabirds on an island group.	B．The importance of seabirds.
C．The extinction of seabirds.	D．A remote island group.

2. What can we learn from Nicolson’s explanation?

A．Wisdom of seabirds.	B．Ways to protect seabirds
C．The hard situation of seabirds.	D．The strange life of seabirds.

3. What does the underlined phrase “kicked off” in Paragraph 3 mean?

A．Expressed.

B．Cut across.

C．Made up for.

D．Started.

4. According to Nicolson, why can seabirds survive in large numbers?

A．Their habits of life have been changed a lot.

B．Their habitats are still free from humans’ control.

C．They’re able to adapt to the changing environment.

D．They have moved away from their original habitat.

【推荐1】Being able to count at least ten people as friends makes us happy, but those with five or fewer are likely to be miserable, researchers say.

Their study of hundreds of men and women also found that people who feel satisfied with their lives always have lots of close friends and regularly make new ones. While it is not clear whether our friends make us happy or we make friends because we are happy, the researchers say it is clear that we should maintain our friendships. Psychologist Richard Tunney said, “Whatever the reason is, actively working on friendships in the same way as to maintain a marriage is a prerequisite(必备条件) to happiness.” Dr. Tunney, of Nottingham University, quizzed(询问) more than 1,700 people about their satisfaction with their lives and the state of their friendships. Those with five friends or fewer had just a 40 percent chance of being happy. In other words, they were more likely to be unhappy than happy. Ten was the first number at which people were more likely to be happy than unhappy. The happiest people were those with dozens of friends, according to the study, which was carried out for the National Lottery(彩票).

For women, this meant having 33 friends; for men, the number was 49. Dr. Tunney said, “People who were extremely satisfied with their lives had twice the number of friends of people who were extremely dissatisfied.” Women tended to have fewer friends than men but formed tighter relationships. Interestingly, the study found that childhood friends are no more likely to make us happy than people we become close to later in life. Lottery winners, however, have a different opinion on life. They are always happier than others despite spending their time with a small circle of old friends. This could be because they trust people they’ve known for a long time.

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

A．The Secret to Happiness Is to Make New Friends

B．Having at Least 10 Good Friends Makes People Happy

C．Why Most People Like to Make Friends Regularly

D．Men’s and Women’s Friends Are Different

2. Which of the following opinions may Richard Tunney NOT agree with?

A．People with few friends are sure to be unhappy.

B．Our friends can make us happy.

C．Happiness may come from a good marriage life.

D．We may become happier if we have more friends.

3. According to the passage, lottery winners ________.

A．enjoy making new friends

B．make new friends easily

C．like staying with old friends

D．have no time to make friends

【推荐3】The other day on a cold night, I left my wife and drove from Harrisburg to Lewisburg, a distance of about 100 miles. It was rather late. Several times I got stuck behind a slow-moving truck on a narrow road with a solid white line on my left, and I became increasingly impatient.

At one point along an open road, I came to a crossing with a traffic light. I was alone on the road by now, but as I drove near the light, it turned red and I made a stop. I looked left, right and behind me. Nothing. Not a car, no suggestion of car lamps, but there I sat, waiting for the light to change, the only human being for at least a mile in any direction.

I started wondering why I refused to run the light. I was not afraid of being caught, because there was clearly no policeman around, and there certainly would have been no danger in going through it.

Much later that night, the question of why I'd stopped for that light came back to me. I think I stopped because it's part of a contract（契约）we all have with each other. It's not only the law, but it's an agreement we have, and we trust each other to honor it： we don't go through red lights.

Trust is our first inclination. Doubting others does not seem to be natural to us. The whole construction of our society depends on mutual（相互的）trust, not distrust. We do what we say we'll do； we show up when we say we'll show up； and we pay when we say we'll pay. We trust each other in these matters, and we're angry or disappointed with the person or organization that breaks the trust we have in them.

I am so proud of myself for stopping for the red light that night.

1. How does the author feel about the truck driver?

A．Pleased.	B．Satisfied.
C．Sorry.	D．Annoyed.

2. What can we infer about the author?

A．He hates driving at night.

B．He desired to cross the red light that night.

C．He approves of obeying traffic rules by himself.

D．He is easy when suffering the traffic jam.

3. What is the meaning of the underlined word "inclination" in paragraph 5?

A．Tendency.	B．Faith.
C．Adjustment.	D．Guidance.

4. What should we do to create a better society according to the author?

A．Be polite to others.	B．Improve traffic rules.
C．Be patient and helpful.	D．Trust each other.

【推荐1】University of Pennsylvania researchers say that for the first time they have linked social media use to increases in depression and loneliness. The idea that social media is anything but social when it comes to mental health has been talked about for years, but not many studies have managed to actually link the two. To do that, Penn researchers, led by psychologist Melissa Hunt, designed a study that focused on WeChat, Snapchat and Instagram.

The study was conducted with 143 participants, who before they began, completed a mood survey and sent along photos of their battery screens, showing how often they were using their phones to access social media. “we set out to do a study which attempts to imitate real life.” Hunt said.

The study divided the participants into two groups: The first group was allowed to maintain their normal social media habits. The other, the control group, was restricted to 10 minutes per day on social media. The restrictions were put in place for three weeks and then tested for now comes such as fear of missing out, anxiety, depression and loneliness.

The results showed a very clear link between social media use and increased levels of depression and loneliness.” Using less social media then you normally do would lead to significant decreases in both depression and loneliness,” Hunt said.

Social media invites what Hunt calls “downward social comparison.” “When you’re online, it can sometimes seem that everyone else is cooler and having more fun and included in more things and you’re left out,” Hunt said. And that’s just generally discouraging. “Every minute you spend online is a minute you are not doing your work or not meeting a friend for dinner or having a deep conversation with your roommate.” And these real life activities are the ones that you can encourage self-esteem and self-worth, Hunt added.

“People are on their devices, and that’s not going to change,” she said. But as in life, a bit of control goes a long way.

1. What can we learn from the first paragraph?

A．Social media is a good tool for social activity.

B．Social media can’t increase people’s social activities.

C．Social media is the cause of depression and loneliness.

D．No studies about social media and mental health have been done.

2. What are the participants required to do?

A．To participate in a mood survey first.

B．To show how often they use their phones.

C．To keep their normal social media habits.

D．To stay in the lab for three weeks.

3. What can we infer from Hunt’s words in the last two paragraphs?

A．Social comparison makes people work harder.

B．Social media activities can increase self-esteem and self-worth.

C．People will reduce the use of social media.

D．controlling the use of social media will make a difference to people’s life.

4. What is the text mainly about?

A．The tendency of using social media.

B．The importance of the study on social media.

C．The disadvantage of using social media.

D．A study on the relationship between social media and mental health.

【推荐2】In modern society there is a great deal of argument about competition. Some value it highly, believing that it is responsible for social-progress and prosperity. Others say that competition is bad; that it sets one person against another; that it leads to unfriendly relationship between people.
I have taught many children who held the belief that their self-worth relied on how well they performed at tennis and other skills. For them, playing well and winning are often life-and-death affairs. In their single-minded pursuit of success, the development of many other human qualities is sadly forgotten.
However, while some seem to be lost in the desire to succeed, others take an opposite attitude. In a culture which values only the winner and pays no attention to the ordinary players, they strongly blame competition. Among the most vocal are youngsters who have suffered under competitive pressures from their parents or society. Teaching these young people, I often observe in them a desire to fail. They seem to seek failure by not trying to win or achieve success. By not trying, they always have an excuse: "I may have lost, but it doesn't matter because I really didn't try." What is not usually admitted by themselves is the belief that if they had really tried and lost, that would mean a lot. Such a loss would be a measure of their worth. Clearly, this belief is the same as that of the true competitors who try to prove themselves. Both are based on the mistake belief that—one's self-respect relies on how well one performs in comparison with others. Both are afraid of not being valued. Only as this basic and often troublesome fear begins to dissolve (缓解) can we discover a new meaning in competition.
1. What does this text mainly talk about?

A．Competition helps to set up self-respect.

B．People hold different opinions about competition.

C．Competition is harmful to personal quality development.

D．Failures are necessary experience in competition.

2. Some people favor competition because they think it ________.

A．pushes society forward

B．builds up a sense of pride

C．improves social abilities

D．develops people's relationship

3. The underlined phrase “the most vocal” in Paragraph 3 refers to those who ________.

A．try their best to win

B．highly value competition

C．are strongly against competition

D．mostly rely on others for success

4. Which viewpoint does the author agree to?

A．Self-worth relys on winning.

B．Competition leads to unfriendly relationship.

C．Winning should be a life-and-death matter.

D．Fear of failure should be removed in competition.

【推荐3】Scientists say a huge percentage of bird species are in danger because their habitats, or homelands, are disappearing.

Traditional migration paths take birds through countries that are not protecting locations to stop, rest and feed. The scientists studied the migration, or flight, paths, of almost 1,500 species and decided that 91 percent of them passed through dangerous areas.   The major danger for migratory birds is development in human society. Building and paving has covered over nature where birds stop and feed as they move from one part of the world to another. For example, a bird called the bar-tailed godwit migrates from its breeding grounds in the Arctic flying all the way to the southern earth in Australia and New Zealand stopping at Yellow Sea mudflats in China along the way.

One of the scientists who worked on the study says “many of these critical sites have been taken up owing to urban, industrial and agricultural expansion.” The problem, according to researchers, is that many of these small birds die along their migration because they don’t have a safe place to eat and rest to restore their energy for the next part of their journey. Countries in North Africa, Central Asia and those along the coasts of East Asia are having the most difficult time conserving land. The scientists say these countries do not have enough areas that are safe for birds. In addition, many of the sanctuaries(避难所) are not wide enough to cover the paths of migratory birds.

One species that doesn’t exist any longer is the Eskimo curlew. “Our world gets poorer every time we lose a species,” one of the scientists says. The researchers say if one country might have preserved safe zones for migratory birds while a neighboring country might not, a bird might die.

One scientist who is not involved in the report says that while some habitats are changing, more work can be done to make urban areas safe for birds. He says small changes--- like planting more native plants or keeping cats out of areas birds would be likely to use--- could make a big difference.

1. Why is development in human society considered as the major danger for migratory birds?

A．Construction activities occupy birds’ paths.

B．Serious industrial pollution damages birds’ habitats.

C．Hunting activities happen more frequently.

D．Airplane flights directly harm birds’ safety.

2. What’s the current situation of protecting migratory birds?

A．Countries in East Asia don’t want to make any changes.

B．The progress still remains at the primary stage.

C．Some of the efforts of humans aren’t working well.

D．Not many countries are involved in the activities.

3. According to the researchers, __________.

A．governments need to work together and provide safe areas

B．safe zones in neighboring countries need to be combined together

C．more bird species will die out if they continue migrating through countries

D．human activities should give way to the birds when the migrating season comes

4. What can we know about the migratory birds according to the passage?

A．They always travel from the north to the south.

B．They need to stop during the migration to correct directions.

C．All of them are endangered because of lacking protection.

D．Some of them take rests or feed in cities.

5. What’s the main idea of the passage?

A．The migration of birds influences society development.

B．Migratory birds are dying from losing their homes.

C．Countries need to work together to protect migratory birds.

D．Protecting migratory birds is very necessary.