【推荐3】A total of 17 paintings worth between 10 and 15 million euros were stolen at a museum in northern Italy.

Three armed men with masked faces broke into the Castelvecchio Museum in Verona. Located inside a castle which was built in 1354, the Castelvecchio Museum is one of the most important museums in the northern city.

The stolen paintings included masterworks from Andrea Mantegna, Jacopo Tintoretto, Peter Paul Rubens, Jacopo Bellini, Hans de Jode and other world-famous artists. The group controlled the only private security guard who was there and the cashier, and then forced the guard to accompany them to the rooms where they stole the paintings.

Verona Mayor Flavio Tosi, who stayed at the scene until late in the night, said that surely someone sent them,because they acted professionally, and knew what they were looking for. “ The paintings stolen, ” he added, “ basically were the most valuable works on display. ” An investigation was opened into the theft.

The museum displays a very important collection of Italian and European art in 29 rooms on various levels exhibiting early Christian finds, Lombard goldwork, sculptures from the 10th to the 14th century, medieval arms and armor, and paintings from the 14th to the 18th century.

The museum’s director, Paola Marini, called herself shocked by the theft. The experienced art historian,who is about to leave her post after over 20 years, was receiving an award in a nearby restaurant when she was informed of what had happened.

The theft came just a day after two stolen paintings recently recovered by Italian heritage police were displayed in Rome during a ceremony attended by President Sergio Mattarella and Culture Minister Dario Franceschini.

1. What do we know about the Castelvecchio Museum?

A．It is used as a castle.

B．It was built in 1354.

C．It is in the north of Italy.

D．It was the most important museum in Italy.

2. What do we know from the passage?

A．The stolen paintings are never on display.

B．The cashier asked the burglar to do it.

C．The security guard was killed.

D．The burglars were sent to do it.

3. From the passage, we can know that Paola Marini .

A．was charged with the theft

B．was about to leave the museum when the theft happened

C．was having dinner outside when the theft took place

D．has been in charge of the museum for many years

【推荐3】You might easily gain access to fresh fruit and vegetables, but this isn’t the case in some parts of America. The U. S. has many areas that are considered as food deserts, which are defined as parts of the country short of fresh fruit, vegetables and other healthy food, usually found in poor areas.

Food deserts are urban areas where the nearest grocery store is more than 1 mile away, and rural areas where the nearest grocery store is more than 10 miles away. According to the USDA, 19 million Americans or 6.2% of the population-live in places that can be considered as food deserts.

The issue isn’t necessarily about the difference in cost between healthy and unhealthy foods in these areas but it’s about a lack of access to healthy choices at all. And, with the lack of healthy food choices, these areas typically have a large supply of unhealthy foods sold at fast-food companies and convenience stores.

Eating unhealthy foods can lead to overweight, which puts people at risk for all kinds of major health issues, including high blood pressure, heart disease, and some cancers.

But some people, especially those who cannot afford a car, are stuck with eating what’s readily available. In the case of food deserts, it’s usually the type of food that can lead to over-weight. Studies have shown that this is likely to be a problem in low-income areas. When money is not enough, people tend to buy foods that last longer and remove food waste, which is a waste of their limited income.

Lack of access is only one part of the problem, however. A study published in 2018 found that food inequality wasn’t removed. The bigger issue was likely the lack of education and nutritional knowledge in these communities, which prevents people with lower incomes from understanding the benefits of healthy eating.

While overweight is a significant issue in these communities, the cost of unhealthy eating isn’t just physical. A study found that 71 billion dollars in healthcare costs due to chronic diseases could be saved through healthier eating.

1. What can we infer from the first two paragraphs?

A．6.2% of the Americans live in poor areas.

B．Some parts of the USA lack fresh vegetables.

C．Some people in America don’t need fresh fruit.

D．People in the food deserts buy fresh vegetables easily.

2. Why can fast-food companies sell large amounts of unhealthy food in the food deserts?

A．These areas are rich in unhealthy food materials.

B．Fast-food companies want to make a larger profit.

C．Healthy food choices are unavailable in these areas.

D．People in these areas prefer unhealthy food to healthy food.

3. What do studies say about people in low-income areas?

A．They are less likely to have overweight problems.

B．They are delighted to prepare food for themselves.

C．They have to buy food that can be preserved longer.

D．They are used to eating food donated by food companies.

4. What stops people from understanding healthy eating benefits in the food deserts?

A．Lack of government financial support.

B．Lack of knowledge of disease prevention.

C．Lack of social promotion of healthy eating.

D．Lack of education and knowledge in nutrition.

【推荐1】The doorbell rang, and a few minutes later, to her complete astonishment, Elizabeth saw Mr. Darcy walk into the room. He hurriedly began to ask how she was, and she answered with cold politeness. He sat down for a few minutes, and then getting up, walked around the room. Elizabeth was surprised but said nothing.

After a silence of several minutes, he came towards her and said. “I have struggled with my feelings, but without success. You must allow me to tell you how much I admire and love you.”

Elizabeth, who was unable to believe what she heard, stared, blushed, and was silent. Her silence encouraged him to speak and tell her about his strong feelings for her. He spoke well, but unfortunately, he did not speak only of his love for her, he also made it very clear that he did not consider that her family was good enough for him. He explained that it was only because she herself was so unusual that he had decided to ask her to marry him.

In spite of her powerful dislike for him, Elizabeth at first felt sorry that she was going to cause Darcy pain. Then, as he continued to insult her family, she began to feel angry. When he at last finished speaking, she said, “I believe that in a situation like this, the lady is supposed to thank the gentleman. Unfortunately, I have no desire to thank you, as I have never wanted your good opinion. I am sorry to have to cause you pain. However, I never meant to do so, and I am sure you will soon forget me.”

1. Why did Mr. Darcy come to her house?

A．He came to ask how she was.

B．He wanted to walk around the room

C．He wanted to find her family was good

D．He came to tell Elizabeth he loved her.

2. Why was Elizabeth silent?

A．She really didn’t like Darcy .

B．She was shy.

C．She couldn’t believe what she heard.

D．She wanted to cause Darcy pain.

3. What did her words suggest?

A．She expected Darcy to forget her.

B．She didn’t want to thank Darcy for his visit.

C．She felt sorry to cause Darcy pain.

D．She rejected his feeling.

【推荐2】Teenage summer camps

We helped on a nature reserve (保护区) for a week. We did different things every day, including cutting the reeds (芦苇) by the lake. Every day, we took turns to cook, in teams of five. When it was our team’s turn, we made a simple dinner of pasta and salad for everyone. Judging by the fact that there was none left, we didn’t do too badly!

—Adam

We stayed with families who had kids of our own age, and because they were on a mid - term break, they came with us on all the trips. So except when we were actually in a language class, we were spending time with our new friends. It was a great way to practice English we had been working on in the classroom.

—Oliver

Every morning we had the same breakfast, and then cleaned up the camp. When it was all completely tidy, we could head off for the day. The first time we went into the city, we were put into teams and given lists of things to spot, like statues, squares and other landmarks. With some help from the locals, my team found almost all of the things on our list and came second. We went to different museums and galleries in and around the city every day. It was a great chance to learn about another country and its history.

—Sarah

1. What do we know about the food Adam’s team made?

A．It didn’t taste good.	B．It was very popular.
C．It was healthy.	D．No one liked it.

2. What did Oliver find great?

A．Staying with the local families.	B．Helping the kids learn English.
C．Making friends with the locals.	D．Practising English with the native.

3. What did Sarah’s team do?

A．They helped protect wild animals.	B．They took a language course.
C．They made a cultural tour.	D．They enjoyed the natural scenery.

【推荐3】Rented Boyfriends
Taobao. com, China's largest online marketplace, is never short of bizarre offers.
And here is the latest one: boyfriends for rent.
A rented boyfriend can do the following: accompanying the girl to visit friends and families, go shopping, having meals and even getting a kiss out of courtesy. The charge is by the hour.
The services become hot with the approach of the Spring Festival, the most important festival for family reunions.
In China, parents especially worry about unmarried daughters.
Single women will have to face the same old question at the family dinner table: have you got a boyfriend?
And for those who haven't found their Mr. Rights, renting a boyfriend emerges as a solution.
So, which men are willing to offer that service?
“I offer such a service only because I'm bored and know fewer female friends at work," said Ding Hui, 27, a salesman in the plastic industry in Shanghai, with a monthly salary of more than 10,000 yuan.
He rented himself twice last year: during the Spring Festival and National Day. His customers were two 28-year-old women.
He charged 3,000 yuan each, and the customer had to cover his round-trip tickets, accommodations and bought him clothes to make him look smart.
More than 260 rent-a-boyfriend services can be found on the taobao.com, with the number climbing.
An anonymous female netizen, who claimed to have rented a boyfriend, said on the website, "My parents are very satisfied, so my pressure is greatly reduced."
Another comment read, "It's good that I've achieved the wish of my parents."
1. On which site can women rent boyfriends? (within 4 words )
___________________________________________________________________________________
2. How does a rented boyfriend get paid? (within 3 words)
__________________________________________________________________________________
3. What question may single women have to face at the family dinner table? (within 5 words)
___________________________________________________________________________________
4. What did Ding Hui’s customer have to pay besides his service?(within 18 words )
___________________________________________________________________________________
5. For what reasons do single women rent boyfriends? ( within 15 words)
___________________________________________________________________________________

【推荐1】This is what HBO’s Veep has been trying to do—by making US presidential election into a comedy.

Presented for the first time in 2012, Veep follows the daily life of Selina Meyer, the fictional vice-president (or “Veep” for short) of the US. We see that as much as Meyer wants to have an influence, she—despite being the second-in-command of the country—is constantly ignored by the president and kept away from important meetings. Meyer herself isn’t exactly competent: she has to put out political fires every once in a while but usually ends up making things worse.

The show also finds humor in a much darker side of politics: the unreal smiles and wrongdoings of politicians. When a mass shooting happens in the show, for example, instead of feeling shocked, Meyer is actually glad, because she feels it may help draw people’s attention from her. “It feels like peeking (窥视) behind a curtain and seeing the truth of who these politicians really are,” wrote reporter Kathryn VanArendonk.

But Veep is refreshing not just for the way it handles politics, but also because its leading role is a woman politician, especially in a comedy, considering the fact that comedies used to be an all-male kingdom. “There’s more opportunity (机会) for women in comedic roles than 20 or 30 years ago,” Julia Louis-Dreyfus, 58 this year, who plays Meyer, said. “There’s more opportunity for roles that are not just the angry wife or the cute girlfriend.”

In the 7th and final season of Veep, which came out on March 31, 2019, Meyer is finally running for president. No matter where the show—and Meyer—is heading, and whether you appreciate its way to deal with politics, the bottom line here is that Veep is funny.

1. Which of the following best describes Meyer?

A．Hardworking and demanding.	B．Humorous and influential.
C．Ambitious but untalented.	D．Educated but lazy.

2. How old was Julia Louis Dreyfus when Veep’s first season came out？

A．49.	B．51.
C．53.	D．58.

3. What can know about women according to Julia Louis ---Dreyfus?

A．They are fit for politics.

B．They don’t like comedies.

C．They were left out of some fields.

D．They seldom used to be successful.

4. What is the best title for the text?

A．Meyer runs for president	B．Politics can be funny
C．Women like power	D．A comedian realizes her dream

【推荐2】Claude Monet was born in Paris, France, on November 14,1840. By the time he was fifteen, Monet had become popular as a caricaturist. Through an exhibition of his drawings at a local frame shop in 1858, Monet met Eugene Boudin, a landscape painter. Boudin introduced Monet to outdoor painting, an activity that soon became his life’s work.

Monet was interested in natural light, atmosphere, and color, and recorded them in his paintings as accurately as possible. A striking example of his early style was the Terrace at St. Adresse, which contained a shining mixture of bright, natural colors.

Monet exhibited regularly in the group shows. His painting Impression: Sunrise inspired a newspaper critic Louis Leroy to call all of the artists in the group “impressionists,” and the name stuck.

Monet gradually gained critical and financial success during the late 1880s and the 1890s. This was due to the efforts of Durand-Ruel, who sponsored one-man exhibitions of Monet’s work.

During the 1890s he devoted his energy to paintings of haystacks. In these works Monet painted his subjects from the same physical position, allowing only the light and weather conditions to vary from picture to picture. By 1899 he began to work on his famous paintings of the water lilies in his garden at Giverny, France.

Monet’s late years were very difficult. His health declined rapidly, and he was almost blind. Besides, he struggled with the problems of his art. In 1920 he began to work on twelve large canvases of water lilies, which he planned to give to his country. To complete them, he fought against his own failing eyesight and the fact that he had no experience in creating large-scale mural art. In fact, the task required him to learn a new kind of painting at the age of eighty. The painting was characterized by a broad, sweeping style and depended almost entirely on color.

Monet died on December 5,1926,at his home. He once wrote, “My only merit lies in having painted directly in front of nature, seeking to express my impressions of the fleeting effects.” Most art historians believe that Monet accomplished much more than this. He helped change the world of painting by shaking off the convention of the past. By dissolving forms in his works, Monet opened the door for further abstraction in art and influenced such later artists as Jackson Pollack, Mark Rothko and Willem de Kooning.

1. Who helped Monet find his life’s work?

A．Eugene Boudin.

B．Durand-Ruel.

C．Louis Leroy.

D．Mark Rothko.

2. What can we infer from the passage?

A．Monet tended to paint haystacks from different positions.

B．The painting Terrace at St. Adresse reflects Monet’ s late style.

C．The name “impressionist” originated from Impression: Sunrise.

D．Durand-Ruel was so interested in Monet’ s paintings that he bought a lot.

3. What do we know about Monet’ s late years?

A．He failed to learn a new painting skill due to old age.

B．Monet made a fortune by selling canvases to his country.

C．Monet came across difficulties in creating large-scale mural art.

D．Monet committed himself to maintaining traditional painting style.

4. What might be the best title of this passage?

A．A great artist-Claude Monet	B．Claude Monet and Impressionism
C．Brilliant achievements of Monet	D．The greatest painter in the world

【推荐3】Backpacks are convenient. They can hold your books, your lunch, and a change of clothes, leaving your hands free to do other things. Someday, if you don't mind carrying a heavy load, your backpack might also power your MP3 player, keep your cell phone running, and maybe even light your way home.

Scientists from the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia and the. Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole, Mass. , have invented a backpack that makes electricity from energy produced while its wearer walks.

The backpack's electricity-creating powers depend on springs used to hang a cloth pack from its metal frame. The frame sits against the wearer's back, and the whole pack moves up and down as the person walks. A mechanism with gears(传动装置)collects energy from this motion and transfers it to an electrical generator.

Surprisingly, the researchers found, people walk differently when they wear the springy packs. As a result, wearers use less energy than when carrying regular backpacks. Also, the way the new packs ride on wearers' backs makes them more comfortable than standard packs.

The backpack could be especially useful for soldiers, scientists, mountaineers, and emergency workers who typically carry heavy backpacks. These people often rely on global positioning system(GPS)receivers, night-vision goggles(夜视镜), and other battery-powered devices to get around and do their work. Because the pack can make its own electricity, users don't need to give up space in their packs to lots of extra batteries.

For the rest of us, power-generating backpacks could make it possible to walk, play video games, watch TV, and listen to music, all at the same time. Electricity-generating packs aren't on the market yet, but if you do get one eventually, just make sure to look both ways before crossing the street!

1. The passage introduces a new kind of ____ backpack.

A．electronic

B．night-vision

C．electricity-generating

D．electricity-controlling

2. The new backpack makes use of ____ to produce power.

A．batteries placed at the bottom of the frame

B．the motion of the pack while the wearer walks

C．energy the wearer consumes for carrying the pack

D．the collective motion of a mechanism and some gears

3. We learn from the passage that ____ .

A．the backpacks of mountaineers may become lighter in the future

B．the new backpack can hardly be produced due to its potential danger

C．the backpack can be used as a GPS receiver in the military actions

D．the backpack will also provide electricity for lighting our houses

4. An enormous disadvantage of the new backpacks might be that ____ .

A．they may stop working at any time

B．it takes quite a while to have the energy transferred

C．they may distract the wearer's attention from road safety

D．they will be extremely heavy with the mechanism