【推荐1】It is amazing to note that the Internet is still such a new device, and yet it is one of the fastest and most powerful media tools. But think about it for a moment. On the Internet, a big online company can be run by two guys out of their garage. So it is only reasonable that people shopping on the Net would be a little leery of the security levels.

Internet giants such as Microsoft knew consumer confidence was the key to getting virtual(虚拟)shopping off the ground, and they work hard to make people feel safe to shop online.

Credit card companies, too, quickly saw the potential for Internet shopping, and have installed things like online shopping insurance for people. If you ever have a problem with your online credit purchases, many credit card companies will happily refund(返还) your money and then set their claws on the company that wronged you. Now that’s buying power!

There are other bonuses for online shoppers, of course. No line-ups, for one. No annoying mall shopping carts with broken wheels and kids crying because their parents won’t get them what they want.

When shopping online, consumers can sit down, have a coffee, and wear their slippers, not have to worry about their hair or parking and just click through sale after sale. Comparison shopping couldn’t be any easier. And thanks to courier companies（速递公司）getting in on the act, you never need wait longer than a day or two to get those all important purchases delivered right to your door.

No wonder so many companies are shaking their heads at traditional advertising and instead looking to the “virtual” world to attract online shoppers.

1. The underlined word “leery” means ________.

A．satisfied	B．distrustful
C．hopeful	D．sad

2. ________ leads to consumers’ trust in online shopping.

A．Shopping law	B．Shopping convenience
C．Internet access	D．Shopping security

3. Which group of words would the writer use to describe current Internet shopping?

A．Adventurous, enjoyable, fast, unreal.	B．Unsafe, cheap, slow, convenient.
C．Reliable, popular, convenient, slow.	D．Safe, convenient, fast, comfortable.

4. The following are thought to have made contributions to the popularity of online shopping EXCEPT_________.

A．Internet companies	B．courier companies
C．advertising companies	D．credit card companies

【推荐2】While walking through some remote forest in Indonesia’s West Sumatra, some biologists claim to have spotted the world’s largest flower ever recorded.

The flower is a giant Rafflesia tuan-mudae, a species that only comes out for about seven   days at the end of the plant’s lifespan. The record flower measured in at a diameter of 111 centimeters, which makes it larger than the previous record holder by 4 centimeters, also a Rafflesia tuan-mudae. “This is the largest Rafflesia tuan-mudae that has ever been documented,” said Ade Putra at the Agam Conservation Agency in Sumatra.

The flower is characterized by its flesh-colored petals (花瓣) that are covered in white spots. That might not sound like the most attractive description, but it’s proper considering the smell this species is known to give off. Rafflesia tuan-mudae is a type of special flower, which smells like a dying body. Don’t let this fact lessen the glory of a find like this, however. What the flower lacks in fragrance makes up for its appealing biology.

The pungent smell is meant to attract flies, which are this flower’s main pollinators (传粉者). Interestingly, it’s still a mystery as to what type of animal distributes the tuan-mudae seeds. These plants also grow inside the root of a host plant for around nine months until suddenly showing themselves to the world with their giant smelly flowers.

They were named “Rafflesia” after a British colonist (殖民者), Sir Stamford Raffles, who was the first to officially identify one in the early 19th century. Hopefully for Raffles’ sake, it was named after him to honor the discovery, not because of the good sir’s smell.

Luckily, it takes a special kind of scientists to run toward one of these flowers rather than away, but in this case the prize was worth the smell. Whatever its smell, it’s a special plant, and   it’s encouraging that such rare natural wonders can still find room to grow on our crowded planet.

1. What was the diameter of the previous record holder of the biggest flower?

A．111 centimeters.	B．104 centimeters.
C．107 centimeters.	D．115 centimeters.

2. What does the underlined word “pungent” mean in Paragraph 4?

A．Strong and unpleasant.	B．Relaxing and soft.
C．Fragrant and sharp.	D．Pleasant and attractive.

3. What is the main idea of the fifth paragraph?

A．When the flower was found.	B．Where the flower was found.
C．How the flower was named.	D．Why the flower was so special.

4. How does the author find the discovery?

A．Nervous.

B．Fortunate.

C．Annoyed.

D．Satisfied.

【推荐3】Narayana Peesapaty was sitting on a flight when he noticed a passenger trying to reach food with a biscuit after breaking his spoon. At that moment, the researcher’s mind gave birth to a simple yet revolutionary concept — edible spoons.

How do you like your spoon?

Peesapaty’s company, Bakeys, makes edible spoons mainly out of sorghum(高粱）though rice, wheat and water are also ingredients. They combine to form a dry eating tool that remains hard even when used in moist or hot foods. Bakeys also makes ginger and garlic flavored(风味) spoons to meet specific requests. All spoons are completely natural and acceptable for nearly all diets.

A rice replacement

An environmentally-minded water researcher, Peesapaty, designed his spoons to be eco-friendly in several ways. Sorghum was chosen as the main ingredient of the spoons instead of rice, which requires 60 times as much water. Sorghum was also chosen for the strength it would lend eating tool, and the grain requires little water, low energy and no chemicals to grow.

In place of plastic

The goal that Peesapaty hopes to attain through Bakeys is to prevent plastic from any contact with food. Plastic products can contain cancer-causing substances that come into food, and average plastic bottles take 450 years to break down. In contrast, a Bakeys’ spoon is nutritious and break down in 10 days or less if thrown away. Peesapaty admits that using plastic is cheaper, but he also says that his spoons will be equally inexpensive when mass-produced.

1. Why is “the edible spoon” called a revolutionary concept?

A．It is natural and eatable.	B．It remains hard in hot foods.
C．It offers various flavors.	D．It meets all customers’ requests.

2. What’s Peesapaty’s main concern when choosing sorghum as main ingredient?

A．Being delicious.	B．Being strong.
C．Being nutritious.	D．Being eco-friendly.

3. What’s the main advantage of edible spoons over plastic ones?

A．Cheaper.	B．Breaking down easily.
C．Tougher.	D．Contacting food directly.

【推荐1】A study of a million UK women, published today in The Lancet, has shown that happiness itself has no direct effect on mortality, and that the widespread but mistaken belief that unhappiness and stress directly cause ill health came from studies that had simply confused cause and effect. Life-threatening poor health can cause unhappiness, and for this reason unhappiness is associated with increased mortality. In addition, smokers tend to be unhappier than non-smokers. However, after taking account of previous ill health, smoking, and other lifestyle and socio-economic factors, the investigators found that unhappiness itself was no longer associated with increased mortality.
The lead author, Dr Bette Liu, now at the University of New South Wales, Australia said: "Illness makes you unhappy, but unhappiness itself doesn't make you ill. We found no direct effect of unhappiness or stress on mortality, even in a ten-year study of a million women."
As in other studies, unhappiness was associated with deprivation, smoking, lack of exercise, and not living with a partner. The strongest associations, however, were that the women who were already in poor health tended to say that they were unhappy, stressed, not in control, and not relaxed.
The main analyses included 700 000 women, average age 59 years, and over the next 10 years these women were followed by electronic record linkage for mortality, during which time 30 000 of the women died.
After allowing for any differences already present in health and lifestyle, the overall death rate among those who were unhappy was the same as the death rate among those who were generally happy. The study is so large that it rules out unhappiness being a direct cause of any material increase in overall mortality in women.
This was true for overall mortality, for cancer mortality, and for heart disease mortality, and it was true for stress as well as for unhappiness.
1. The word “mortality” in the passage means   .

A．richness	B．relaxation
C．death	D．morality

2. According to the passage, which of the following statements is true?

A．Unhappiness will definitely make a person ill.

B．Unhappiness doesn’t necessarily make you ill.

C．Unhappiness is not associated with lack of exercise.

D．The death rate among those unhappy people is greater.

3. It’s wrongly believed that ________.

A．unhappiness itself is not associated with increased mortality

B．there is no direct link between unhappiness and mortality

C．ill health directly causes unhappiness and stress

D．ill health directly results from unhappiness and stress

4. The writer’s attitude towards the result of the study is __________.

A．disappointing	B．indifferent
C．subjective	D．objective

【推荐3】While no one can avoid all stress, you can work to handle it in healthy ways that increase your potential to recover.

Eat and drink to improve your health. Some people try to reduce stress by drinking alcohol or eating too much.       1     But actually may add to stress in the long run. Caffeine also can worsen the effects of stress. Consuming a healthy, balanced diet can help to prevent stress.

Exercise regularly.     2     Consider non—competitive aerobic(有氧的) exercise, strengthening with weights, or movement activities like yoga or Tai Chi, and set reasonable goals for yourself. Aerobic exercise has been shown to release endorphins—natural substances that help you feel better and maintain a positive attitude.     3     People who use nicotine often refer to it as a stress reliever. However, nicotine actually places more stress on the body by increasing physical arousal and reducing blood flow and breathing.

Reduce triggers(触发) of stress. If you are like most people, your life may be filled with too many demands and too little time.     4     You can free up time by practicing time—management skills like asking for help when it’s appropriate, setting priorities, pacing yourself, and reserving time to take care of yourself.

Study and practice relaxation techniques. Taking the time to relax every day helps to manage stress and to protect the body from the effects of stress. You can choose from a variety of techniques. These includes deep breathing, imagery, progressive muscle relaxation, and mindfulness meditation. There are many online and smart phone apps that provide guidance on these techniques.     5    

A．Examine your values and live by them.

B．Stop using tobacco and nicotine products.

C．These actions may seem to help in the moment.

D．You should try your best to meet the expectations of others.

E．For the most part, these demands are ones we have chosen.

F．Although some need purchase costs, many are available free of charge.

G．Besides physical health benefits, it has been shown to be a powerful stress reliever.