【推荐2】“Use up all leftovers.” “Buy second — hand things instead of new ones.” “Learn DIY to fix things yourself.” “Invite friends over instead of going out.” “Grow your own food.” “Save rainwater for your garden.” Nowadays, more and more people take practices of saving for life. Let’s see what these people do in saving and how they enjoy doing so.

“To save money in college, I decided to do the no new clothes challenge last year. This meant I didn’t buy any new clothes for an entire year. It was a little embarrassing to rewear the same clothes to different parties and events, but it was worth it. After all, I saved all the money! ” — Eden from Mint Notion

“I copied a whole textbook. I didn’t feel like buying a new one, so instead, I borrowed one from a classmate and copied the entire thing using the copy machine. It may or may not have taken a few hours but I saved $20. And for a college students who was broke, that was a lot! ” — Athena from Money Smart Latina

“Cat litter is something that can set me back a couple hundred dollars every year. However, by toilet — training my cat with a $20 toilet trainer, I’m able to save on the costs and avoid the trouble to change it. Plus it’s always funny to see the cat on the toilet. ” — Dustyn from Dime Will Tell

1. What do Eden and Athena have in common?

A．They’re in financial difficulties.	B．They have no taste for shopping.
C．They received higher education.	D．They take pleasure in reusing things.

2. How does Dustyn save for life?

A．By cleaning his cat with water.	B．By switching to cheap cat litter.
C．By changing cat litter infrequently.	D．By teaching his cat to use the toilet.

3. What’s the purpose of the text?

A．To give practical tips on saving.	B．To offer useful ways of enjoying life.
C．To promote the concept of green life.	D．To introduce some economical lifestyles.

【推荐3】It was a comfortable sunny Sunday. I was going to meet an old university friend I hadn't seen for years, and was really excited.

My train was running a little late, but that was no big problem - I could text him to say I would be delayed. He would understand. But… where was my mobile phone? I had that familiar sinking feeling. Yes, I'd left it at home.

No mobile phone. I'm sure I'm not alone in feeling anxious, on edge and worried when I don't have my phone with me. In fact, I know I'm not alone: two-thirds of us experience ‘nomophobia’ (无手机恐惧症), the fear of being out of mobile phone contact.

That's according to a study from 2012 which surveyed 1,000 people in the UK about their relationship with mobile phones.

It says we check our mobile phones 34 times a day, and that 18-24 year-olds, especially girls, are the most likely to suffer fear of being without their mobiles: 77% of them say they are unable to be apart from their phones for more than a few minutes.

Do you have nomophobia ?

• You never turn your phone off

• You frequently(频繁地) check for texts, missed calls and emails

• You always take your phone to the bathroom with you

• You never let the battery run out

It's funny to think that around 20 years ago the only people with mobile phones would be businessmen carrying their large, plastic ‘bricks’. Of course, these days, mobile phones are everywhere. A UN study from this year said there would be more mobile phones than people across the world by the end of 2020.

And when there are more phones than people in the world, maybe it's time to ask who really is in charge(主管)? Are you in control of your phone, or does your phone control you?

So, what happened with my university friend? When I arrived a few minutes late he just laughed and said: "You haven't changed at all – still always late!" And we had a great afternoon catching up, full of jokes and stories, with no desire(欲望) to check my phone.

Not having it with me felt strangely free. Maybe I'll leave it at home on purpose next time.

1. What does the passage talk about?

A．The history of mobile phones.

B．The story of meeting an old university friend.

C．The attraction of playing mobile phone.

D．The terrible feeling of being without their mobiles.

2. The underlined phrase “on edge” the third paragraph probably means __________.

A．energetic	B．nervous
C．brilliant	D．amazed

3. What’s the author’s attitude towards the using mobiles?

A．Worried	B．Positive
C．Neutral	D．Negative

4. According to the passage, who is most likely to be addicted(上瘾的) to mobiles?

A．a successful manager	B．a 21-year-old girl
C．a 21-year-old boy	D．a lonely middle-aged person

【推荐1】As the saying goes,’ time waits for no man’. Time is always against us, and we just can’t stop it. Maybe that’s why some of us are always running late for appointments, But if timekeeping is not what you’re good at, don’t stress. There might be a good reason for your lack of punctuality.

People’s attitudes to being on time vary. Some clock-watch and make sure they’re exactly on time for a meeting. It is, after all, rude to be late, and if you can make it on time, why can’t everyone else? But if, like me，you want to make every second count, you might try to squeeze as much as you can into the time you have available. However, when your schedule doesn’t run to plan, your punctuality inevitably slips.

People who lack promptness have been described as ‘time benders’. Author Grace Pacie told the BBC that “they’re the people who don’t want to be late, but they have a strange resistance to being early, and they don’t allow enough time.” They assume their journey to an appointment will always go smoothly, and the train will always be on time!

Perceptions of unpunctual people are almost always negative — even if sometimes wrong. Writing for the BBC, Laura Clarke says: Being consistently late might not be your fault. It could be your type. The punctually-challenged often share personality characteristics, such as optimism, low levels of self-control, anxiety, or a preference for thrill-seeking, experts say. It is also possible that people are late so as not to be noticeable and to avoid the anxious wait for others to turn up.

Maybe we latecomers should make more of an effort and follow the advice I heard to no ‘try’ to be on time but ‘decide’ to be on time. But I know if a meeting or a deadline really matters, then I’ll be there. Otherwise relax, even if others are blaming you!

1. The text is meant to _____.

A．tell us to avoid being late	B．tell us why we are late
C．tell us the importance of punctuality	D．tell us to try to be early rather than late

2. “Time benders” refer to those _____.

A．who don’t want to he late

B．who don’t allow enough time

C．who have a strange resistance to being early

D．who lack punctuality

3. According to experts, it is typical of time benders to _____.

A．be pessimistic	B．be negative
C．make every second count	D．have low levels of self-control

4. It is quite possible that the writer is one of those _____.

A．punctual people	B．unpunctual people
C．trying to be on time	D．deciding to be on time

【推荐2】In the earliest stages of man’s development he had no more need of money than animals have. He was content with very simple forms of shelter, made his own rough tools and weapons and could provide food and clothing for himself and his family from natural materials around him. As he became more civilized, however, he began to want better shelter, more efficient tools and weapons, and more comfortable and more lasting clothing than could be provided by his own neighborhood or by the work of his own unskilled hands. For these things he had to turn to the skilled people such as smiths, leather workers or carpenters. It was then that the question of payment arose.

At first he got what he wanted by a simple process of exchange. The smith who had not the time to look after land or cattle was glad to take meat or grain from the farmer in exchange for an axe or a plough (犁). But as more and more goods which had no fixed exchange value came on the market, exchange became too complicated to be satisfactory. Another problem arose when those who made things wanted to get stocks of wood or leather, or iron, but had nothing to offer in exchange until their finished goods were ready.

Thus the difficulties of exchange led by degree to the invention of money. In some countries easily handled things like seeds or shells were given a certain value and farmer, instead of paying the smith for a new axe by giving him some meat or grain, gave him so many shells. If the smith had any shells left when he had bought his food, he could get stocks of the raw materials of his trade. In some countries quite large things such as cows or camels or even big flat stones were used for trade. Later, pieces of metal, bearing values according to the rarity (稀有) of the metal and the size of the pieces, or coins were used. Money as we know it had arrived.

1. What does the first paragraph mainly tell us?

A．Man needed little in the earliest stages.	B．Man preferred to make tools by himself.
C．How the simple process of exchange arose.	D．What the early man needed from others.

2. As men became more civilized they____.

A．all learnt to make by themselves the things needed

B．wanted better things than those they themselves could provide

C．had to travel a lot to look for what they wanted

D．no longer provided food and clothing for themselves

3. Exchange of goods became difficult because______.

A．man became more civilized

B．there was not a marketplace for farmers and smiths to exchange their goods

C．farmers hadn’t enough grain or meat to provide for skilled workers

D．more and more goods which had no fixed exchange values appeared on the market.

4. Money was not used until_________.

A．the exchange of one for another became too complicated

B．paper was invented

C．people practiced a simple process of exchange

D．nothing could be offered in exchange

【推荐3】Can you imagine having flexible computer screens and mobile phones which change shape to tell you when you have a new message? It sounds like a crazy idea, but in fact it’s already been invented!

A model called MorePhone has been created by scientists at the Human Media Lab in Canada. It’s based on flexible plastic technology developed in Cambridge in the UK by an organization called Plastic Logic.

The flexible screens can be any size, and are easy to read in direct sunlight. They can be black and white or colorful and are very thin and light. Rachel Lichten, who works at Plastic Logic, says you can even jump on them. Besides, it wastes very little electric energy, so there is no need for large batteries, and this makes them easier to carry around. Lichten says this technology could be used for heart monitoring, smart-watches, second screens for mobile phones, but there are many tests to be done before it is used for medical devices planted in human body.

Plastic Logic has spent 13 years developing this new technology. Their challenge now is to think of new ways to use it. Lichten, says it is always the same with new technologies. She says “bringing new technology to the market is a challenge, especially because it is revolutionary. However, for the next generation of products, you have to know what the next generation of products will be. Working with mobile phones or laptops that can roll up like a piece of paper could turn hardware into flexible one.”

1. How will the phone inform you of a new message in the future?

A．By ringing you.	B．By playing music.
C．By changing shape.	D．By displaying picture.

2. What is the advantage of the flexible screen?

A．It’s portable.	B．It’s fragile.
C．It has a single color.	D．It has no battery.

3. Which device may probably use the flexible screen?

A．Electric toys.	B．Smart-watches.
C．Plastic buttons.	D．Mobile phones’ first screens.

4. What is the challenge for the Plastic Logic now?

A．The revolutionary concept.

B．Spending many years on the technology.

C．Uncertainty of what the products will be like.

D．Promoting the new technology in the market.

【推荐1】Research shows that some orchestral(管弦乐的)instruments are in a danger of dying out .YouGov research, asked by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (RPO) to find the most popular instruments among schoolchildren, has revealed the increasing popularity of the ukulele(克里里)， with one in eight expressing a desire to learn， making it the highest ranked instrument behind the typical rock band grouping of the guitar, piano, keyboards, drums and bass guitar.

But younger generations interest in "more complex instruments “is decreasing, with the three least popular being the French horn. the double bass and the trombone.

James Williams, managing director of the RPO, believed the changes reflect the increasing pressure schools are under to provide music education, and went on to say that more needs to be done to interest secondary school students in the wider range of instruments. His concern was for the composition(构成)of future orchestras if the trend towards instruments like rock- band grouping were allowed to continue. But there may be yet another death, one that few would be quick to sorrow over: the recorder(竖笛)

Cheap, convenient, easy to learn, and suitable for individual and group performances, the recorder was once the go-to instrument for children’s early musical education. But in many schools it has been replaced by the ukulele, which, for teachers, offers many of the same benefits with none of the lasting damage to bearing. Plus, from a student’s viewpoint you can play Metallica on one.

Not all hope is lost for the cream-colored,10-pound Yatnaha recorder with a long history, however. About 13% of girls and 4% boys surveyed by YouGov said they wanted to learn the reorder. Surprisingly high! Unlikely as it may be. these children’s interest in the   recorder must be encouraged.
1. What does YouGov research suggest?

A．Schoolchildren determine the popularity of music

B．The ukulele is the least popular with students in

C．Students generally prefer rock-band instruments.

D．Orchestral instruments will disappear in the future.

2. What can we do to save orchestral instruments according to Williams?

A．Encourage children to play rock and roll.

B．Find means to inspire students' interest in them.

C．Spend much more school on music education

D．Offer high-quality orchestral instruments to the public

3. Why has the ukulele replaced the recorder widely?

A．Because users can enjoy more advantages from it

B．Because the music played on it is more appealing.

C．Because it is much cheaper and easier to learn

D．Because it stands for the world's music tendency

4. What does the author stress in the Last paragraph?

A．Many children choose recorders as expected

B．It's time for younger learners to save music

C．We should respect children’s choices for instruments

D．Recorders still have the potential for a bright future.

【推荐2】Your True Stories

A PURR-FECT ANSWER

As a kindergarten teacher, I work with students of different reading abilities. One day, I was helping a student who was struggling to learn the letter sounds. I used flash cards with letters and pictures to help. I showed him the letters and a picture of a snake to call attention to the sound. Sss, snake. Next came the letter c. He couldn’t remember the sound, so I showed him a picture of a cat. When I asked him to tell me the sound of c, he looked puzzled and said, “Meow?”

PIANO WOMAN

When I saved a piano from an old house, I had not considered that I would need assistance moving it from the back of my pickup truck into my home. Finally, I had to drive around with it for several days. One day, a police officer pulled me over. He had seen me before and asked why I was driving around with a piano in my truck bed. I told him that my car radio had broken and I couldn’t afford a new one. He laughed—and he let me go without a ticket.

SEE DAD RUN

Like most dads, I imagine, I’d always assumed that my three-year-old son looked up to me as a superhero. Until one day, that is, when, having picked him up from school, I saw that we were about to miss our bus and decided to make a run for it. Once we were safely aboard, I noticed that my son was staring at me with his big blue eyes. “What’s the matter?” I asked him, still out of breath. He whispered, “Daddy, I didn’t know you could run.”

SNACK EMERGENCY

After moving to the country, my three-year-old daughter and I were often alone in our house. Because we lived in a rural area with no close neighbors, I wanted to make sure she would be able to call 911 in the event that something happened to me. After instructing her, I decided to test her: “OK, what would you do if you found me on the floor and you couldn’t wake me up?” I could see her little brain working. To my surprise, she said, “I would go into the kitchen and eat anything I want.”

1. Why did the police officer laugh and let the woman go without a ticket?

A．Because the woman didn’t break any traffic rules on purpose that day.

B．Because the police officer had seen the woman for several times before.

C．Because the woman was wise enough to give him appropriate explanations.

D．Because the police officer was so kind and friendly that he wanted to help her.

2. What do you think of the stories?

A．Fun	B．Caring
C．Confusing	D．Amazing

【推荐3】We all have a favorite little spot to eat. Maybe it's a noodles cart or a sandwich shop. Well, it seems that you don't have to make that difficult choice now. A new Netflix documentary（纪录片）series, Street Food, aims to tell the world about all of our favorite little spots.

Released on April 26,2019, the series takes viewers through nine Asian countries and regions in search of local communities and their cuisines, from Tom Yum in Bangkok, Thailand, to snails in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Despite the series' title, Street Food is actually about people.

“At its heart, the show explores how and why some people end up selling noodles, sweets or rice on the street, and the answers aren't always easy,” wrote Zach Johnston of news website UPROXX.

Take Toyo from Osaka, Japan, as an example. He's locally famous for serving food and jokes. “He seems like the happiest man alive,” writes Calum Henderson in the New Zealand Herald, “until he talks about his father and starts crying.” Toyo learned how to cook as a child, out of necessity. His father didn't care about feeding him. Without any money, Toyo would cook weeds and leaves he found in the fields near his school. Today, Toyo has a job that he loves. What about the people who love to eat street food?

“In India, there's this Nihari stew（炖菜）,” recalled the series' creator Brian McGinn in an interview with the website Mashable. “Every morning, hundreds of people line up for this stew in this alleyway（小巷）…as everyone tries to be one of the people who are going to get some of this stew before they run out.” Moments like these can be found throughout the series, showing that street food is important to local cultures and communities. McGinn says food is a way to look at and understand people's lives. "It's not just nice food shots," Gelb told Mashable. “It's the story, the context and the character that make the food more delicious, more meaningful and more powerful.”

1. What does the documentary mainly talk about?

A．Spots.

B．People.

C．Viewers.

D．Countries.

2. The author takes Toyo as an example to show that__________.

A．Toyo is locally famous for serving food and jokes

B．Toyo began to cook street food when he was a child

C．people who sell street food have their own stories

D．people who was poor can have jobs that they love

3. Scenes where people rush to buy street food appear in the series because______________.

A．street food is important to local cultures and communities

B．food is a way to look at and understand people's lives

C．street food is more delicious，more meaningful and more powerful

D．people have no time to cook breakfast at home or eat at restaurants

4. What's the suitable title for the text?

A．Favorite Little Spot to Eat

B．A New Netflix Documentary

C．Taste Life from Street Food

D．Local Cultures and Communities