【推荐1】Nobody says high school and college are easy. Studying is difficult, as is memorizing information for a test. Fortunately, there are books that can help to make dealing with school easier.

Unlimited Memory by Kevin Horsley

Do you have trouble remembering everything you are studying? Feel like you have too much on your plate? Unlimited Memory by Kevin Horsley may be for you. It is a bestseller on memory improvement. This book has strategies to help you learn faster while also teaching you to become more productive. Of course, having a good memory comes in handy outside of the classroom as well. Really, this is a great book for life in general.

On Course by Skip Downing

It is another book you will want to check out. In its eighth edition, the book provides you with self-assessment tools to help you identify what you need to change for academic success. It contains guided journal entries to help you with learning, responsibility, self-management, self-awareness and self-esteem.

Students Guide to Writing College Papers by Kate L. Turabian

Many students reach college and find that essay writing in college is very different from that in high school. Whether this is the case for you or you just want to improve your writing skills, you’ll want to check out Students Guide to Writing College Papers. It’s available on Kindle or in hardback or paperback forms. Right now, this one is in its fourth edition. The book covers writing your actual paper, citing sources and style. Even English majors can find a lot of helpful tips in this book.

How to Become a Straight-A Student by Carl Newport

The book will teach you different approaches and strategies to help you score better, but spend less time on studying, with a focus on studying smarter, not harder. It is available on Kindle and in audiobook (有声读物) and paperback forms.

1. What’s special about On Course?

A．It is of great help even to English majors.

B．It is the most popular one and sells the best.

C．It mainly focuses on memory improvement.

D．It helps you develop other qualities besides academic abilities.

2. What do Unlimited Memory and How to Become a Straight-A Student have in common?

A．They have various forms.	B．They are best-sellers.
C．They focus on effective learning.	D．They have been published many times.

3. What is the purpose of the text?

A．To introduce some books to students.	B．To encourage students to study harder.
C．To make students interested in learning.	D．To offer suggestions on writing skills.

【推荐2】In any survey of self-made millionaires, you're likely to notice the key to their success is that they never stop learning. So how does one build a lifelong learning mindset?

Challenge traditional thinking. Seek out information that may be contrary to what you believe. Expand your horizons. Challenge yourself to find a better way.     1    

Turn mistakes into opportunities. The practice of learning from mistakes is one of the best lifelong learning skills anyone can master. There is much to learn from making mistakes.     2     They also provide insights into hidden knowledge and awareness.

    3     A mindset that is in line with how our brains really work really helps. Individuals with a fixed mindset believe their intelligence and talents are fixed. They don't think they can improve with efforts. People with a growth mindset believe they can improve themselves through practice.

Establish goals.     4     When do you want to learn it? Every year, set goals for yourself on skills and knowledge you want to acquire. I usually set three big learning goals each year. Besides, I always have the daily goal of learning something new whether through reading or by talking to other people.

Avoid stress. As stress increases, the body releases chemicals to cause a fear response. This creates an environment in which a person simply can't focus or work, let alone learn.     5     This way, success will happen much more naturally.

There are many other tips for successfully creating a learning plan, but those don't have a fighting chance if your mindset is passive.

A．Adopt growth mindset.

B．What do you want to learn?

C．You will find way around barriers（障碍）!

D．Keep life relaxed and learning will follow.

E．It provides us with flexibility to learn more.

F．They show us better ways to think and work.

G．A poor environment is to blame for inadequate learning.

【推荐3】How to Improve Your Study Habits

Perhaps you are an average student with average intelligence. You do well enough in school, but you probably think you will never be a top student.     1    . You can receive better grades if you want to. Yes, even students of average intelligence can be top students without additional work. Here come some tips on how to make it.

1.     2    . Make a list of your weekly tasks. Then make a schedule or chart of your time. Fill in committed time such as eating, sleeping, meetings, classes, etc. Then decide on good, regular times for studying.     3    . Of course, studying shouldn't occupy all of the free time on the schedule. It's important to set aside time for relaxation, hobbies, and entertainment as well. This weekly schedule may not solve all of your problems, but it will make you more aware of how you spend your time.

2. Seek a good place to study. A good learning environment is vital for your efficiency.     4    , but it should be comfortable, and it should not have distractions. When you begin to work, you should be able to concentrate on the subject.

3. Skim before you read. This means looking over a passage quickly before you begin to read it more carefully.    5    . Later when you begin to read you will recognize less important material and you may skip some of these portions. Skimming helps double your reading speed and improves your comprehension as well.

A．Plan your time carefully

B．Save as much time as possible

C．It may be a desk or a chair at home or in the school library

D．You can choose a fixed place for your study area

E．As you preview the material, you get some idea of the content and how it is organized

F．Be sure to set aside enough time to complete your normal reading and work assignments

G．This is not necessarily the case, however

【推荐2】Scientists say only enlarging the world’s nature reserve to help protect plants and animals may be useless. The main reason is that levels of human activity are rising in and around the nature reserves. In fact, recognizing spaces as protected areas is not reducing human activity there.

The researchers found that a lack of money to pay for land conservation (保护) is affecting conservation efforts. And it is a lack of communication between people who live in protected natural areas and outsiders. About 17 percent of the world is within protected areas, including the national parks, nature reserves and wilderness areas. Protected areas are important for supporting environments with many different kinds of plants and animals.

The researchers again found increasing human activity in most protected areas in every country. However, they said that human activity appeared to be more of a problem in nations with fewer roads and lower life standards on the Human Development Index (指数). The index uses information about life length, education and earnings to grade countries on human development.

Across the northern Australia, protected areas often proved effective at slowing human activity when compared with unprotected areas. But in South America, Southeast Asia and African countries, pressure from human activity inside protected areas was higher.

Experts say governments need to provide fund support to help protected areas. Simply recognizing a place as a protected area can’t be the beginning and the end of a conservation effort. Working with local people to take efforts is also important. If they’re not partners in the protected areas, then wildlife conservation is much more difficult.

1. What are protected areas mainly affected by according to the text?

A．Human activity.	B．Climate change.
C．Population growth.	D．Environmental pollution.

2. What’s the Human Development Index used to do?

A．Record more roads in the world.

B．Improve education in all countries.

C．Grade countries on human development.

D．Lead more people to make money.

3. What do experts advise governments to do for protected areas?

A．Enlarge protected areas.

B．Offer extra money and work with locals.

C．Attract more people to travel there.

D．Allow local people to farm there.

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

A．People May Cause Harm to Plants and Animals

B．Local People Should Focus on the Natural Environment

C．Nature Reserves in the World Should Be Increased

D．Nature Reserves May Not Protect Wildlife Safely

【推荐3】In the animal kingdom, weakness can bring about aggression（侵略）in other animals. This sometimes happens with humans as well. But I have found that my weakness brings out the kindness in people. I see it every day when people hold doors for me, pour cream into my coffee, or help me to put on my coat. And I have discovered that it makes them happy.
From my wheelchair experience, I see the best in people, bur sometimes I feel sad because those who appear independent miss the kindness I see daily. They don’t get to see this soft side of others often and we try every way possible to avoid showing our weakness, which includes a lot of pretending. But only when we stop pretending we’re brave or strong do we allow people to show the kindness that’s in them.
Last month, when I was driving home on a busy highway, I began to feel unwell and drove more slowly than usual. People behind me began to get impatient and angry, with some speeding up alongside me, horning (按喇叭) or even shouting at me. At the moment I decided to do something I had never done in twenty years of driving. I put on the car flashlights and drove on at a really low speed.
No more angry shouts and no more horns!
When I put on my flashlights, I was saying to other drivers, “I have a problem here. I am weak and doing the best I can.” And everyone understood. Several times, I saw drivers who wanted to pass. They couldn’t get around me because of the stream of passing traffic. But instead of getting impatient and angry, they waited, knowing the driver in front of them was in some way weak.
Sometimes situations call for us to act strong and brave even when we don’t feel that way. But more often, it would be better if we don’t pretend we feel strong when we feel weak or pretend that we are brave when we are scared.
1. The author has discovered that people will feel happy when ______.

A．they offer their help

B．they receive others’ help

C．they feel others’ kindness

D．they show their weakness

2. The author feels sad sometimes because ______.

A．he has a soft heart

B．he relies much on others

C．some people pretend to be kind

D．some people fail to see the kindness in others

3. In this passage, the author advises us to ______.

A．handle problems by ourselves

B．accept help from others

C．admit our weakness

D．show our bravery

4. Which of the following is the best title for the passage?

A．A Wheel Chair Experience.

B．Weakness and Kindness.

C．Weakness and Strength

D．A Driving Experience

【推荐1】With their pipes and lids to avoid spills, coffee cups have long been the substitute for adults. Now Starbucks is going all in on the concept by swearing to get rid of straws by 2020—and it’s all for a very good reason. This move is an answer to our own partners about what we can do to reduce the need for straws. Not using a straw is the best thing we can do for the environment.

In place of plastic straws, Starbucks plans to offer recyclable lids for all iced drinks and paper straws for coffee. The transition is already taking place in Starbucks’ hometown of Seattle, where a ban on plastic straws went into place on July 1. By rolling his in 28,00 of her ors by 2020, e comp says they are annually removing more than one billion straws from going into circulation—and potentially the ocean.

Starbucks’decision to gradually stop using single-use plastic straws is a shining example of the important role that companies can play in stopping the tide of ocean plastic. With eight million metric tons of plastic entering the ocean every year, we cannot afford to let industry sit on the sidelines. Marine life has a 50% death rate when it swallows plastic yet researchers believe there will be more plastic in the ocean than fish by the year 2050 if this rate of litter continues. That means there can be an immediate positive impact if we swap plastic straws for environmentally friendly alternatives.

The smart design on the cup for cold drinks comes from Starbucks’ in-house team of designers and has been in development for two years. However, the announcement comes as outcry （倒彩） increases over the dangers that plastic straws can cause to marine life. Other companies making the eco-friendly swap also announced plans last month to test alternatives to plastic straws.

1. Why does Starbucks decide to get rid of plastic straws?

A．To reduce its cost.	B．To meet the customers’ needs.
C．To create a greener planet.	D．To expand its business worldwide.

2. What does the word “transition” in paragraph 2 refer to __________ .

A．course	B．change
C．circulation	D．conflict

3. What’s the text mainly about?

A．Starbucks is throwing away plastic straws for a worthy cause.

B．A sales promotion of a new brand by Starbucks is being done.

C．Scientists are making efforts to solve ocean plastic pollution.

D．Environmentally friendly material will replace plastic straws.

【推荐2】For most kids, back-to-school time is usually bitter-sweet. The bitter part is saying goodbye to carefree, unscheduled summer days. The sweet part is saying hello to a new school year and school friends.

This exciting time is filled with smells of new books, paper and pencils. Children might wear a new set of clothes. And, of course, there are the first-day-of-school pictures that parents share with family and friends.

However, going back to school can also be a stressful time for children and families. Every kid must make the transition from easy summer life to routines, schedules and homework. Families will have financial concerns. Parents often need to pay school fees or to buy new school clothes, sports equipment, musical instruments and school supplies.

Back-to-school stress is different for different ages. Younger children may feel scared to leave their families. Making new friends and dealing with bullying can also cause stress for them. Older students may be stressed about their appearances, grades and getting into a good college.

However, parents, teachers and children can all help to make the transition back to school easier. Mary Anne Aidala, an award-winning teacher, advises parents to focus on the basics — let kids get enough sleep, eat healthy foods, and turn off electronics before bedtime.

Lori Bambina has been a teacher for 22 years. She teaches first grade in NY now. According to her, routines and knowing what a teacher wants in the classroom help to reduce stress in kids. So, she focuses on the class routine during the start of the new school year. “Well, for the students, I have my classroom set up with a very clear system. So, I will introduce the system. Then I will revisit the system because at this young age they enjoy routines. And that routine is very comforting and will not cause them stress if they know exactly where things are located and what type of behavior is expected of them.”

1. Back-to-school time can be stressful for parents because ________.

A．teachers will set many challenging tasks for them

B．they don’t know how to reduce stress in their children

C．they need to organize everything well for their children

D．they have to spend a lot of money for the new school year

2. When older students go back to school, they may ________.

A．be unwilling to go to college	B．be worried about their studies
C．be afraid to leave their parents	D．have difficulty making friends

3. Lori Bambina believes students will feel less stressed ________.

A．the classroom is decorated beautifully	B．teachers have low expectations of them
C．they know what they are expected to do	D．they have a good relationship with teachers

4. Which of the following can be the best title for the passage?

A．Causes of back-to-school stress	B．Mixed feelings about going back to school
C．Getting school life back to normal	D．Dealing with back-to-school stress

【推荐3】While a man was passing by an elephant, he suddenly stopped. The elephant was held by only a small rope. The farmer ties the rope to the elephant's front leg. No chains, no cages. The man was very confused. He wanted to know why the elephant didn't run away.

He visited the farmer and asked why the elephant just stood there and didn't run away. "Well," the farmer said, "when it was very young and much smaller, we used the same size rope to tie it. At that age, the rope was strong enough to hold it. Of course it couldn't run away. When it grew up, it still believed the rope could hold it. So it never tried to run away."

The man was very amazed. In fact, the grown-up elephant could run away at any time. But it didn't run away just because it believed it couldn't. As a result, it was stuck right there.

We have such problems in our life. Sometimes we don't think we can deal with the problems. Sometimes we fail to deal with them. It's not wise to stop struggling. See? Failure is part of learning. We should never give up the struggle.

1. The farmer held the elephant by ________.

A．making a chain to tie the elephant	B．making a cage for the elephant
C．tying a rope to the elephant's front leg	D．tying a rope around the elephant's body

2. When the elephant grew up, the farmer used ________ to hold it.

A．a stronger rope	B．a smaller rope
C．the same size rope	D．a longer rope

3. The grown-up elephant couldn't run away because ________.

A．no one came to save it	B．the elephant couldn't run fast
C．it was not strong enough	D．it believed it couldn't

4. The writer wants to tell us ________.

A．not to stop struggling	B．to give up the struggle in life
C．to learn from the farmer	D．to learn from the elephant

【推荐1】Life can be so wonderful, full of adventure and joy. It can also be full of challenges, setbacks and heartbreaks. Whatever our circumstances, we generally still have dreams, hopes and desires—that little something more we want for ourselves and our loved ones. Yet knowing we can have more can also create a problem, because when we go to change the way we do things, up come the old patterns and pitfalls that stopped us from seeking what we wanted in the first place.
This tension between what we feel we can have and "what were seemingly able to have is the niggling   suffering, the anxiety we feel. This is where we usually think it's easier to just give up. But we're never meant to let go of the part of us that knows we can have more. The intelligence behind that knowing is us—the real us. It's the part that believes in life and its possibilities. If you drop that, you begin to feel a little "dead" inside because you're dropping "you".
So, if we have this capability but somehow life seems to keep us stuck, how do we break these patterns?
Decide on a new course and make one decision at a time. This is good advice for a new adventure or just getting through today's challenges.
While, deep down, we know we can do it, our mind—or the minds of those close to us—usually says we can't.
That isn't a reason to stop, it's just the mind, that little man or woman on your shoulder, trying to talk you out of something again. It has done it many times before. It's all about starting simple and doing it now.
Decide and act before overthinking. When you do this you may feel a little, or large, release from the jail of your mind and you'll be on your way.
1. It can be inferred from the first two paragraphs that we should     .

A．slow down and live a simple life

B．be careful when we choose to change

C．stick to our dreams under any circumstances

D．be content with what we already have

2. What is the key to breaking the old patterns?

A．To focus on every detail.

B．To decide and take immediate action.

C．To listen to those close to us.

D．To think twice before we act.

3. Which of the following best explains the underlined part in the last paragraph?

A．Escape from your punishment

B．Realization of your dreams.

C．Freedom from your tension.

D．Reduction of your expectations.

4. What does the author intend to tell us?

A．It's easier than we think to get what we want.

B．It's important to learn to accept sufferings in life.

C．It's impractical to change our way of thinking.

D．It's harder than we expect to follow a new course.

【推荐2】Sometimes, the simplest ideas are the best. For example, to absorb heat from the sun to heat water,you need large, flat, black surfaces. One way to do that is to build those surfaces specially, on the roofs of buildings. But why go to all that trouble when cities are full of black surfaces already, in the form of asphalt (柏油) roads?
Ten years ago, this thought came into the mind of Arian de Bondt, a Dutch engineer. He finally persuaded his boss to follow it up. The result is that their building is now heated in winter and cooled in summer by a system that relies on the surface of the road outside.
The heat-collector is a system of connected water pipes. Most of them run from one side of the street to the other, just under the asphalt road. Some, however, dive deep into the ground.
When the street surface gets hot in summer, water pumped through the pipes picks up this heat and takes it underground through one of the diving pipes. At a depth of 100 metres lies a natural aquifer(蓄水层) into which heat several heat exchangers (交换器) have been built. The hot water from the street runs through these exchangers, warming the ground-water, before returning to the surface through another pipe. The aquifer is thus used as a heat store.
In winter, the working system is changed slightly. Water is pumped through the heat exchangers to pick up the heat stored during summer. This water goes into the building and is used to warm the place up. After performing that task, it is pumped under the asphalt and its remaining heat keeps the road free of snow and ice.
1. Which of the following is true according to the first two paragraphs?

A．Arian de Bondt got his idea from his boss.

B．Large, flat, black surfaces need to be built in cities.

C．The Dutch engineer's system has been widely used.

D．Heat can also be collected from asphalt roads.

2. For what purpose are the diving pipes used?

A．To absorb heat from the sun.

B．To store heat for future use.

C．To turn solar energy into heat energy.

D．To carry heat down below the surface.

3. From the last paragraph we can learn that __

A．some pipes have to be re-arranged in winter

B．the system can do more than warming up the building

C．the exchangers will pick up heat from the street surface

D．less heat may be collected in winter than in summer

4. What is most likely to be discussed in the paragraph that follows?

A．What we shall do if the system goes wrong .

B．What shall we do if there are no asphalt roads

C．How the system cools the building in summer .

D．How the system collects heat in spring and autumn.

【推荐3】A group of blue-faced birds step through the grass shoulder to shoulder, red eyes looking around. They look like middle schoolers seeking a cafeteria table at lunchtime. Perhaps they’re not so different.

A new study, led by Damien Farine, an ornithologist who studies collective behaviour, shows that the vulturine guineafowl of eastern Africa, like humans, have multilevel societies. In the past, scientists assumed such social structures required a lot of brainpower. But the pea-brained guineafowl are revealing the faults in that assumption.

These large birds wander across the landscape in packs, often walking so closely that their bodies touch. They may fight each other to maintain their strict hierarchies (等级制度), but at other times they engage in friendly behaviours like sharing food.

Suspecting the guineafowl might have a social structure, Dr. Farine and his colleagues began a thorough study of their society. For a whole year, they made daily observations of 441 birds. Coloured leg bands in unique combinations let researchers tell the black-and-blue birds apart. They also attached GPS devices to the backs of 58 birds, which let them see exactly where every group went, 24 hours a day.

The findings of the research suggest that the vulturine guineafowl have a multilevel society. There are groups within groups within the population as a whole. There even seem to be groups of friends within the small groups. This is the first time anyone has observed such a society in a bird.

And Dr. Farine emphasizes this particular bird’s tiny brain size: “They don’t only have small brains relative to mammals (哺乳动物), they also have quite small brains relative to other birds,” he said.

According to him, living in this kind of society might actually make it easier to keep track of the social order. For example, if groups are stable and a bird can identify just one or two individuals within a group, it knows which group it’s looking at — no need for a brain that can recognize every single animal. Multilevel societies also let animals adjust their group sizes based on whatever challenges they’re facing. Depending on what enemies or resources are around, it might make sense to travel in a combined group rather than a smaller one.

“Having a multilevel structure may not require having a large brain,” Dr. Farine said. There may be more birds and other animals out there that, although small-brained, have societies as many-leveled as our own.

1. According to the passage, what inspired Dr. Farine to carry out the study?

A．The guineafowl’s social behaviour.

B．Previous assumptions about birds.

C．His interest in animal brainpower.

D．The faults in earlier research.

2. What is Paragraph 4 mainly about?

A．The research subjects.	B．The research methods.
C．The research findings.	D．The research equipment.

3. What can be learned from the passage?

A．Complex social systems can be a disadvantage to the guineafowl.

B．The guineafowl are good at recognizing individuals in a group.

C．Birds maintain social order by travelling in combined groups.

D．Small-brained animals can form multilevel societies.

4. What is the main purpose of the passage?

A．To present the findings of a study of the guineafowl.

B．To explain the interaction patterns in multilevel societies.

C．To introduce a new approach to observing the guineafowl.

D．To uncover clues about how complex societies are formed.