【推荐1】It seems that technology could be changing the places where we live. A project conducted by Johann Siau, a senior lecturer at the University of Hertfordshire’s School of Engineering and Technology, has built on the university’s InterHome project aimed to create a home that supervises people living at home who are weak or elderly.

“We’ve developed a wristband type of device（装置）,” said Johann Siau, “which allows us to monitor the condition of an elderly person, or whoever is wearing the device. It allows us to collect data of a person to see if the person has fallen or is away from where they are supposed to be. It connects an elderly person with an assisted living type of device with the InterHome.” The assisted living project is part of the university’s wider InterHome project, which is the development of a smart house. The house stores the usage patterns of the person living there and can adapt to make it use as little energy as possible. Connecting the two together and building the service element（元素）allow us to introduce the assisted living idea to care for the elderly. It’s very important that these technologies are there to help and support rather than to replace any of the existing services.

The InterHome is not just a prototype（样品）or a vehicle for research. It’s a study tool to help students from different scientific backgrounds learn about and develop technology. The InterHome combines the latest broadband technology, mobile data and communication. Researchers and students make sure that all the technology works together. Students get experience by developing new hardware and software themselves. It requires a variety of skills from students—electronic engineers, computer students, design students ad so on. “The present plan we are working on is a smart home project in Watford with some commercial companies, ” said Johann Siau. “We are looking at how a smarter home can provide extra value services.”

1. The underlined word “supervises’” in Paragraph 1 probably means “________”.

A．watches over	B．gives support to
C．directs	D．comforts

2. What is the InterHome project intended to do?

A．Call on the students to care for old people.

B．Provide better care and services for the elderly.

C．Carry out all the work the existing services do.

D．Develop houses that mainly aim to save energy.

3. What can we learn about the InterHome project from the article?

A．It is a large collection of many existing technologies.

B．It is just a platform to help students to do research work.

C．It is a smart home project developed by different universities.

D．It allows students to put into use and try out what they’ve learned.

4. What is the main purpose of the author in writing this article?

A．To build up a new platform for students to develop new technology.

B．To show how future buildings will change elderly people’s way of life.

C．To describe a new project that aims to develop a smart home for the elderly.

D．To introduce a new kind of technology to help people to enjoy a better life.

【推荐3】Batteries can power anything from small sensors to large systems. While scientists are finding ways to make them smaller but even more powerful, problems can arise when these batteries are much larger and heavier than the devices themselves. University of Missouri（MU) researchers are developing a nuclear energy source that is smaller, lighter and more efficient.

“To provide enough power,we need certain methods with high energy density（密度)", said Jae Kwon, assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering at MU. ''The radioisotope（放射性同位素）battery can provide power density that is much higher than chemical batteries ."

Kwon and his research team have been working on building a small nuclear battery, presently the size and thickness of a penny, intended to power various micro systems（MNEMS）. Although nuclear batteries can cause concerns, Kwon said they are safe.

“People hear the word ‘nuclear' and think of something very dangerous." he said. "However, nuclear power sources have already been safely powering a variety of devices, such as pace-makers, space satellites and underwater systems."

His new idea is not only in the battery's size, but also in its semiconductor（半导体). Kwon's battery uses a liquid semi conduct or rather than a solid semiconductor.

“The key part of using a radioactive battery is that when you harvest the energy, part of the radiation energy can damage the lattice structure（晶体结构）of the solid semiconductor." Kwon said, “By using a liquid semiconductor, we believe we can minimize that problem."

Together with J. David Robertson, chemistry professor and associate director of the MU Research Reactor, Kwon is working to build and test the battery. In the future, they hope to increase the battery's power, shrink its size and try with various other materials. Kwon said that battery could be thinner than the thickness of human hair.

1. Which of the following is true of Jae Kwon?

A．He teaches chemistry at MU.

B．He developed a chemical battery.

C．He is working on a nuclear energy source.

D．He made a breakthrough in computer engineering.

2. Jae Kwon gave examples in Paragraph 4 _____.

A．to show chemical batteries are widely applied.

B．to introduce nuclear batteries can be safely used.

C．to describe a nuclcar powered system

D．to introduce various energy sources.

3. Liquid semiconductor is used to _____.

A．get rid of the radioactive waste	B．test the power of nuclear batteries
C．decrease the size of nuclear batteries	D．reduce the damage to lattice structure

4. The text is most probably a _____.

A．science news report	B．book review
C．newspaper ad	D．science fiction story

【推荐2】It shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone that kids who read for pleasure are more likely to be at or above their expected reading level. Unfortunately, according to the National Assessment of Education Progress scores in 2018, 48 percent of fourth graders in the US have fallen below their grade level when it comes to reading. Schools have been trying different ways to improve students' reading skills, primarily by encouraging children to read more outside of the classroom.

One of the most successful programs has been the Reading to Dogs Program. The program is simple. Schools and libraries pair children that need help with their reading skills up with assistance dogs. The environment is usually very relaxed, with the dog and the child sitting together on the floor. This encourages physical interaction during the process which can help the child relax (petting dogs has been proven to lower blood pressure and reduce stress). Children benefit from the patience, acceptance and comfort of the dog's presence, while getting much needed practice with their reading skills in a non-judgmental environment. Children have an ability to interact one-on-one with a therapy dog to improve their reading skills. The benefits apply to other areas of the classroom as well, including students' concentration in class and their completion of homework.

In addition, the Reading to Dogs Program helps children:

1. Gain confidence. Children that score lower on reading exams are generally self- conscious about their abilities, and thus they are more likely to be uncomfortable when reading in front of their classmates. By replacing their classmates with a therapy dog, they are able to read in a completely non-judgmental environment, thus helping them to gain confidence in their skills.

2. Learn about responsible pet care. In addition to the educational and social benefits of this program, children also learn about interacting with an animal. For those who do not have pets at home, this program can teach children about proper dog care and behavior.

1. The author tends to think that         .

A．reading for fun may improve children's reading level

B．nearly half of all American students in Grade Four have performed badly

C．students cannot improve their reading ability by reading in class

D．dogs should be brought into classrooms to encourage kids to read

2. Assistance dogs can help children            .
a. improve their reading skills
b. raise more pets
c. focus on lessons
d. finish homework

A．a, b, c	B．a, c, d
C．b, c, d	D．a, b, d

3. What is the main idea of the last three paragraphs of the passage?

A．Why children read to dogs in America.

B．How the Reading to Dogs Program works.

C．What children gain from the program.

D．How dogs benefit from the program.

4. It can be inferred from the passage that            .

A．the program is the best way to improve reading skills

B．children can learn more from the patience of dogs

C．the dogs must receive training in reading in advance

D．children with lower reading abilities lack self-confidence

【推荐3】Everglades National Park (大沼泽地国家公园) is located in the state of Florida. It is the largest wilderness in the entire country and makes up 25% of the wetlands in the state. The park is home to several rare and endangered species. It is also the third largest national park in the US, after Death Valley and Yellowstone. Each year, about 1 million tourists visit the park. On a global level, it has been announced as a World Heritage Site.

Unlike most other national parks, Everglades National Park was created to protect an ecosystem (生态系统) from damage. In 1947, President Harry Truman spoke at the official opening of Everglades National Park, saying the goal of creating the park was to protect forever a wild area that could never be replaced.

10,000 different islands make up Everglades National Park. Each of these islands is lived by natural wildlife. The Everglades is home to about 15 species that are endangered. In addition, more than 350 bird species and 300 species of fresh and saltwater fish live within the park. The Everglades is also home to 40 species of mammals and 50 reptile species.

There are many ways to explore the Everglades. Visitors can see alligators (短吻鳄) while hiking the Anhinga Trail. The Everglades is one of the only places on Earth where freshwater alligators and saltwater crocodiles live in the same area. Visitors using airboats are likely to see large groups of birds. Some visitors might enjoy riding bicycles through Shark Valley. Others may want to move slowly through waters where they can see insects and wildlife closely.

According to experts, changes to the Everglades are becoming a danger to several different kinds of wildlife. They say it is a result of actions the US government began more than 50 years ago, and settlers began even earlier.

1. In the first paragraph, we’re mainly told that ________.

A．Florida is famous for its wetlands	B．the US has three important national parks
C．Everglades National Park is of great value	D．Everglades National Park is popular with visitors

2. How does the author describe the richness of wildness in the park?

A．By listing figures.	B．By personally experiencing.
C．By making a comparison.	D．By carrying on a study.

3. From the passage, we know that _______.

A．in fact Everglades National Park is a big island

B．visitors are not allowed to stay in the water in the park.

C．President Harry Truman first suggested setting up the park

D．the park is among the few places where alligators and crocodiles live together

4. What would be further discussed if the passage is continued?

A．What the government has done to protect the park.

B．How the park’s environment was badly changed.

C．What readers can do to help to save the wetlands.

D．How important endangered wildlife is to the world.

【推荐1】He never felt well on his journey home.He was sick.But this time,it was getting worse. He finally reached home and saw his mother and wife,who were ignorant of the fact that that happiness was not going to last long.

The disease showed its symptoms again.He ignored and gave his time to his family. In between,he saw dreams and kept noting those dreams in a notebook.

Things were getting worse.It had been almost 10 months since his return. No doctor, no medicine.His family tried to make him feel better in vain.But,he kept noting down his dreams and thoughts in a notebook,even in such a terrible health condition.

That unexpected day finally came.His mother got a shock.After all,he was too young to die. His wife cried her eyes out.

He was turned into ashes.But not his notebook.

Dear readers, this is a true story.That man was none other than our respected maths master Srinivasa Ramanujan.That notebook I was talking about was full of new mathematical discoveries but without any proofs(证明)of them.Though he had almost no formal training in pure mathematics,Ramanujan made great contributions to it, including(solutions to mathematical problems considered to be unsolvable.During his short life, Ramanujan   independently produced nearly 3,900 results.His work has opened entire new areas of mathematics and inspired a vast amount of further research.Nearly all his claims have now been proven correct.

We lost him at a very young age of 32 years.What he could have accomplished if he would have lived for some more years!

1. What are the dreams he kept writing down in a notebook about?

A．New mathematical discoveries.

B．Proofs of some mathematical problems.

C．Ways to treat his disease.

D．Doctors and medicine.

2. What do we know about Srinivasa Ramanujan?

A．He had a habit of daydreaming.

B．He received no formal training in mathematics.

C．He proved many unsolvable mathematical problems.

D．He stopped studying maths and returned home because of illness.

3. What can we infer about Ramanujan from the passage?

A．He suffered from a kind of mental disease.

B．His family were responsible for his early death.

C．His work is well recognized in the mathematical community.

D．He would have made more contributions if he had cooperated with others.

4. What might be the author’s attitude towards Ramanujan's death?

A．Inspired.	B．Shocked.
C．Guilty.	D．Sorry.

【推荐2】My 17-year-old daughter went off to college and having her away from home brought back memories of watching Peter Pan when she was little. In the classic TV production, one scene in particular impressed me: when Mrs. Darling puts her children into bed. As she turns off the last of the night light, she takes one last look at the bedroom and says, “Dear night lights protect my sleeping children.” As a mother, I know how much she loves her children.

It has been several weeks since we took our daughter to college and she seems to be adjusting well after a short period of homesickness. For us, though, it’s another story. Like most parents, I love checking in on my children at night. But now she’s gone, and I find night times the hardest. I miss her most at night.

In my neighborhood, most of the parents whose kids are off to college are dealing with similar melancholy. My husband is filled with anxiety. One friend talked about getting this sick feeling in her stomach as she prepared for the college drop-off. We complained that many of us were too busy to truly enjoy being with our children while we had them.

For us moms, seeing Toy Story 3 only made the sadness worse as we watched the character Andy, who is the same age as our kids, say goodbye to his childhood as he prepares to leave for college. And it’s not just “first-time” parents like me. Two moms who have kids already well into college said the separation didn’t get any easier. “You feel like something has been taken away from inside you，” said one of them.

I imagine things will get easier with time, especially as I see my daughter adjust to college life. Meanwhile, as I keep my cell phone close to me in bed and text my daughter goodnight and sweet dreams every night, I like to think at messages serve as a night light that keeps her safe.

1. The writer was deeply impressed by the scene in Peter Pan because ________.

A．she watched the scene with her daughter

B．the scene was very exciting and interesting

C．the scene taught her and her daughter a good lesson

D．as a mother, she understood how much a mother loved her children

2. After her daughter went to college, the writer ________.

A．didn’t get used to the change for a long time

B．often cried as she missed her daughter so much

C．realized she hadn’t done enough for her daughter

D．failed to have a good sleep every night

3. What is the underlined word “melancholy” in Paragraph 3 similar in meaning to?

A．Happiness.	B．Anger.
C．Sadness.	D．Excitement.

4. According to the last paragraph, why did the writer keep her cell phone close to her in bed?

A．To call her daughter any time.	B．To wait for her daughter’s calls.
C．To say good night to her daughter.	D．To wait for her daughter’s messages.

【推荐3】One of the costs of being a lover of old trees is the all-too-frequent loss of a beautiful soul you've grown fond of.Last summer was harder than most for old trees and their human supporters.The spring's nonstop rains flooded soils and caused root systems of many large,old trees to rot in part.Then,when the summer came,trees could not tap deep sources of water that would normally have maintained(维持）them.Many valuable old trees died.

When I volunteered on the Mount Rainier Tree Commission,I heard from many people concerned about their trees.We had little to offer them.That's because public and private urban tree resources and programs were aimed almost entirely at planting trees and not at all maintaining trees.No state or province program that I could find provided any financial resources for maintaining tree health. Small and under resourced cities such as ours were on their own.

This is backward.Scientists are learning that large,old trees are the most valuable,especially in cities.They put on wood fastest and take the most carbon out of the air. They harbor the most wildlife.They can lower summer temperatures by 20 degrees or more.In a recent study,researchers found that Boston would get more benefit from keeping the trees it has alive than from planting new trees.There's reason to think this finding would apply in other cities,too.

Now,our public and private tree programs often ignore old trees until it is too late.As long as we abandon our old trees,planting more is merely to keep pace with growing losses. We want trees to help protect us,but we leave them unprotected.Consider this in the human world:Nobody would send a baby into the world and expect it to just make it. Children need caring for and it's why we have schools and child health-insurance programs.We could get so much more out of our trees if we just put   a little more into them.

1. What does the underlined part in paragraph1 suggest?

A．Strong determination to plant trees.

B．Real regret at growing old trees.

C．Great concern about tree problems.

D．Deep love for valuable old trees.

2. Why was the author almost powerless to help people worried about their trees?

A．The urban tree programs were faced with financial problems.

B．The author's knowledge of maintaining tree health was limited.

C．The focus of the tree resources and programs was on tree planting.

D．The organization the author volunteered on was short of tree experts.

3. The author argues in paragraph 3 by.

A．comparing different cases

B．presenting research findings

C．referring to scientists' sayings

D．carrying out some experiments

4. Why does the author give the example of nursing babies in the end?

A．To stress the importance of tree insurance programs.

B．To show the close connection between trees and babies.

C．To advocate protecting trees as humans care for babies.

D．To persuade human beings to pay more attention to babies.

【推荐1】The area around Taal Lake on Luzon Island in the Philippines is known for its natural beauty. Tourism is popular there as travelers go there to see the scenery that surrounds Taal Volcano, one of the most active volcanoes in the country. It was quiet for years until January 12, 2020 when the volcano erupted. Since then, the cities surrounding the volcano have been covered with ash and many people are forced to leave home.

But the ash didn't stop the residents of Binan, a city that is 35 km south of Manilla, from finding a way to help their neighbors in the towns that suffered the most from Taal. Binan Mayor Walfredo Dimaguila ordered the city residents to collect the ash and to put it in sacks (麻袋) to be sent to the state-owned factory that can produce 5,000 bricks a day to turn it into bricks to use for rebuilding damaged communities.

“What we plan is to turn them into hollow blocks and bricks and sell them to interested companies,” Dimaguila said. But he noted, the money would be donated to the people directly affected by the volcano. “When Batangas (the region where Taal is located) is in recovery, the bricks can not only be used to build schools, community halls and livelihood centers but also help deal with ash pollution for the earth,” Dimaguila said. “The misfortune of our neighbors in Batangas is there. Let's transform this into opportunity.”

The Philippines, located in the Pacific “Ring of Fire: zone of fire” and part of the typhoon belt, is a country that is known for natural disasters like earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and major storms. But the Filipino people show their strong will and community spirit.

1. What has happened to Taal Volcano?

A．It attracts more and more visitors.

B．It becomes quieter and quieter.

C．It is covered with ash completely.

D．It causes bad effects on the locals.

2. What are people advised to do according to Walfredo Dimaguila?

A．To collect volcanic ash for recycling.

B．To save sacks for factories to use.

C．To set up a factory for making bricks.

D．To build communities for people from disasters.

3. What can we infer from Dimaguila's words in Paragraph 3?

A．Companies are expected to donate money.

B．Bricks made of volcanic ash are popular.

C．Batangas has been the most misfortune.

D．Turning ash into bricks benefits the earth.

4. What's the main idea of the passage?

A．Taal Lake on Luzon Island is destroyed.

B．Taal Volcano has enjoyed popularity.

C．Disasters always hit the Philippines.

D．The Filipino people turn ash into treasure.

【推荐2】THE OLYMPIC STUDIES CENTRE

YOUR SOURCE OF REFERENCE FOR OLYMPIC KNOWLEDGE

The IOC Olympic Studies Centre is the world source of reference for Olympic knowledge. Our mission is to share this knowledge with professionals and researchers through providing information, giving access to our unique collections, enabling research and stimulating intellectual exchange.

As part of the IOC, we are uniquely placed to collect and share the most up-to-date and accurate information on Olympism. Our collections include the IOC archives (档案), the official publications of the IOC and the Organizing Committee of the Olympic Games as well as books, articles and journals.

HERE TO HELP

Whatever your interest in the Olympic Movement—academic or professional—we will help you find the information you need, quickly and easily. We’re here to:

Answer your questions: share factual and historical information, Games results and statistics

Give personalized guidance: help you find what you need in our extensive library and archives

Lend you books and publications, even internationally

Give you online access: to our electronic documents

Award research grants: to PhD students and established researchers

Connect you to our network: of academic experts in Olympic studies

Join the academic community interested in Olympic studies

One of our key roles is to facilitate communication and cooperation between the IOC and the international academic community in order to promote research and stimulate intellectual exchange.

This worldwide community is mainly composed of over 40 Olympic Studies Centers and hundreds of individual scholars and university students working on academic projects related to the field of Olympic studies.

Thanks to this regular exchange and the work conducted by the academics, we enrich the world’s Olympic knowledge, share new analysis on key topics related to the Olympic Movement and can provide guidance to universities wishing to launch initiatives on Olympic studies.

Join our academic mailing list

University professors and researchers are invited to join our academic mailing list to be informed about our future activities and other updates concerning Olympic studies initiatives. To join, email us with a brief description of your academic status and your full contact details.

VISIT US

You’ll find us next door to the Olympic Museum in Lausanne, Switzerland. We’re open Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm, except on public holidays and on Christmas. You don’t need an appointment to use the library and the study rooms. If you would like to see the historical archives or need personal guidance to find your way around our collections, please fill out our visitor request form.

1. The Olympic Studies Center mainly aims to ________.

A．give personalized guidance

B．provide resources on the Olympics

C．receive Olympic fans across the world

D．update information on Olympism for officials

2. What can be learned about the academic community?

A．It is organized by Olympic officials.

B．It launches projects at universities.

C．It promotes academic exchanges.

D．It provides electronic documents.

3. If you want to visit the center, you have to ________.

A．fill out a visitor request form	B．enter the Olympic Museum
C．make an appointment	D．arrive on workdays

【推荐3】Instead of using a credit card or smartphone to pay for your goods, Amazon wants you to use your hands. In a blog post. Dilip Kumar, vice president of Amazon Physical Retail introduced the company's' palm recognition(掌纹识别) technology, known as Amazon One. The technology, first rolling out in Amazon's home market of Seattle: will use people's palms to identify(确认身份) them and combine that with details of the palm, such as lines and ridges, to build “palm signature.”

In addition to the trial in the company's stores in Seattle, starting today, Kumar added that Amazon One will come to other Amazon stores and will be used for more than just paying with your palm. "We believe Amazon one has broad applicability beyond our retail stores, so we also plan to offer the service to third parties like retailers(零售店), stadiums, and office buildings so that more people can benefit from this ease and convenience in more places, "Kumar added.

Though Amazon has introduced other ways to pay for goods at its physical stores. including the use of Cameras and an app linked to your Amazon account. Kumar explained palm recognition offers another level of privacy.

"We selected palm recognition for a few important reasons, Kumar wrote. "One reason was that palm recognition is considered more private than other biometric (生物统计的) identifiers because you can't determine a person's identity by looking at a picture of their palm. It also requires users to make an intentional gesture by holding their palm over the device to use. This puts customers in control of                                 when and where they use the service. What's more, it's contactless, which we think customers will appreciate, especially in current times.

To use Amazon One, people don't need an Amazon account, but simply phone number and a credit card. For those concerned about privacy, Kumar wrote, users can delete their biometric data if they decide they no longer want to use it.

1. Which of the following best describes Amazon One?

A．Convenient and safe.	B．Private and inexpensive.
C．Widespread and user-friendly	D．Healthy and popular.

2. From the first three paragraphs we can infer that_______.

A．Amazon One is designed for Amazon online stores.

B．Amazons' palm recognition technology is the best in the world.

C．Amazon One has not yet been used in places beyond Amazon stores.

D．Amazon provides various services for society.

3. What makes palm recognition a better way to pay than using a camera and an app.

A．Palm recognition makes fewer mistakes.

B．Customers don't need to make intentional gestures.

C．Customers can use their palm to open an Amazon account.

D．Customers can control when and where to use it.

4. Which section of a website is the passage most possibly from?

A．Online shopping.	B．Business news.
C．Education.	D．Advertisement.