【推荐2】

Growing up, we’ve heard a lot of views of how sex (性别) influences interests and jobs. For example, boys do math better than girls, while girls are better at learning languages. We usually think this is because of differences in how boys’ and girls’ brains work. But is it true?

According to past studies, some parts of our brains can be different in size. Scientists used to think these differences might affect how well men and women think and do things. They found this by scanning people’s brains. However, in most of the studies, researchers only scanned less than 100 people. As said in a 2022 study, for such research to be believable, you would need to scan the brains of thousands of people at least.

In 2023, the UK Biobank, a big database (数据库) used for research, scanned the brains of 40,000 people in the UK, providing new finding. It showed differences between men and women in the size of certain brain parts. About one-third of these parts were found to be larger in men, while another third were larger in women.

Also, our brains might change in structure (结构) and size according to our life experiences. For example, a man’s brain area use for math might be larger than a woman’s, simply because he works in a job requiring math skills. So, any brain differences between men and women could be a result, not a cause, of different roles in life and society, noted New Scientist.

1. In Paragraph 1, the writer explains views of how sex influences interests and jobs by ________.

A．telling a story

B．making a survey

C．giving an example

D．asking a question

2. According to Paragraph 2, the result of the past studies was unbelievable may because ________.

A．the researchers scanned the people in an improper way

B．all the people researchers scanned are not from the UK

C．the researchers used wrong information to draw a conclusion

D．the number of the people researchers scanned was too small

3. According to the passage, the writer may agree that ________.

A．a boy is born better at math than a girl

B．life experience can influence a person’s brain

C．the sex of a person leads to differences in the brain

D．there are no differences in the brain between sexes

4. The following paragraph can best go after ________.
However, these differences were tiny, often just a size difference in percentage. They are not big enough to draw a conclusion from them, Camille Williams from the University of Texas at Austin, US, told New Scientist.

A．Paragraph 1

B．Paragraph 2

C．Paragraph 3

D．Paragraph 4

5. In which part of the website can you probably find this passage?

A．Science

B．Fashion

C．Education

D．Technology

【推荐3】从A-E五个句子中选择正确选项还原到文中，使短文内容完整、正确。

Do you have a sleep problem?     1     You may need to see more sunlight, especially in the morning, according to a study.

A team of researchers from New York, US did the study, reported Yahoo News. The team did a study on 109 office workers across the US. Some of the workers saw lots of light during the morning hours, between 8 a.m. and lunchtime.     2     They also fell asleep more quickly at night.

    3     Researchers say it helps us set our “body clock”. When there is less and less sunlight at the end of the day, our body starts to make melatonin (褪黑素). It makes us feel sleepy so that we know it’s time to go to bed.     4     But during the day, sunlight tells our body to make less melatonin so that we can stay awake and do our work.

Researchers suggest that we should see 15 minutes of sunlight in the morning.     5    

A．Why is sunlight so important to our sleep?

B．The researchers found that these workers had a better sleep than other workers.

C．If you do, here is a simple way to help you improve your sleep.

D．It can help balance the melatonin in our bodies.

E．Our body makes the most melatonin at night.

【推荐1】Some students have fun with their school life. But most students are unhappy. They have lots of pressure from their family. Most of them must study hard at school to please their parents. So it’s tiring and boring for most students.

Most students try their best at school, but sometimes they may fail the exams and make their parents and teachers unhappy. The students may have more pressure from both their family and the school. So they finally get weary of their schoolwork. Day by day, they find it hard to get good grades and lose interest and confidence in their studies gradually.

It is surprising that many parents feel that they are not able to help their children and it is the teachers’ work to help their children. To make the matter worse, a lot of parents send their children to those schools opening in the evenings or on weekends. But it helps only a little with children’s grades, because the children are too tired to keep everything in mind. These parents never care about their children’s development. For example, many school students say they don’t know how to get on well with and how to take care of others. That’s bad for kids’ mind and body.

In China, many schools usually own their strict rules for students’ hair cuttings and clothes. Students in China live under great pressure both at school and at home.

1. Students are unhappy because ________.

A．their parents give them too much pressure

B．they have to work hard on weekend schools

C．schools teach them too much knowledge

D．many students live a meaningless life

2. Most students have to work hard at school for __________.

A．themselves

B．parents

C．fun

D．money

3. The underlined word “weary” probably means __________ in English.

A．angry

B．tired

C．interested

D．crazy

4. According to the passage, parents and schools should care more about students’ _________.

A．school grades	B．hair cuttings and clothes
C．evening classes	D．development in mind and body

5. Which is NOT true?

A．Students like strict school rules.	B．Most parents care about only grades.
C．Students have greater pressure at school.	D．Some students even hate their schoolwork.

【推荐2】Many of you may want to study abroad after high school. But at the same time, more and more international students from other countries are coming to study in China.

397,635 international students came to China in 2015. According to a report from the Student. com website. China is now the third most popular country for international students behind the United States and the United Kingdom.

Last summer, 55 students and teachers from Germany came to China and joined a summer camp they got close to traditional Chinese culture. They visited several schools in Hefei, Anhui. At No. 32 middle school in Hefei, they tried to make dumplings, play t’ai chi do paper cuts and learn calligraphy. To help them know more about China, Chinese students paired with them and partners（伙伴）, they led these foreign guests to places of interest.

In recent years, there are more cultural exchanges between Germany and China. About 400 German schools have Chinese classes. Over 8000 students study in China.

The number of international students in China has doubled since 2005. It has been growing by 10% each year. If the growth goes on, China will replace（替代）the UK for second place in 2020.

1. It’s reported that            is the second most popular country for international students.

A．China

B．Germany

C．the United Kingdom

D．the United States

2. Which of the following did the German guests try to do at No. 32 middle school in Hefei?
a. To make dumplings.                                     b. To play t’ai chi.
c. To visit places of interest                                d. To learn calligraphy.
e. To do paper cuts.                                        f. To learn Chinese painting.

A．a,b,c,d and e

B．a,b,d and e

C．b,c,d,e and f

D．b,c,d and e

3. How many German schools have Chinese classes in recent years?

A．32.

B．55.

C．About 400.

D．More than 8,000.

4. Which of the following is TRUE according to the text?

A．More and more foreign students come to study in China now.

B．The German students and teachers came to China to get close to nature.

C．The number of international students in China has doubled since 2015.

D．Recently there are fewer cultural exchanges between China and Germany.

【推荐3】Do you know what your friends watched on TV last night? Do your friends know what you had for breakfast today? Do you think you are using social media too much?

    1     It is reported that around 2,800 million people often use social media. That’s almost 40 percent of the world’s population. But how much time do we really spend on social media? And what exactly do we spend that time doing?

Research shows that, worldwide, the average person spends two hours and 19 minutes on social media each day.    2     An average person there spends four hours and 17 minutes a day on social media. Research also shows that women use social media more than men. In the United States, for example, women spend around two hours more a week than men on social media.

    3     In general, it seems we spend more time looking at other people’s pages than adding to our own. According to one survey, the most common social media activities are visiting friends’ pages, reading their news, and commenting on their posts.

The most popular social media site is Facebook.     4     In second place, however, is the Chinese site Qzone. In 2017, Qzone was China’s most popular social media site, with around 600 million users worldwide. That’s more than Twitter and Instagram.

Social media continues to grow. It has over 2,000 million users.     5    

A．What do most people do on social media?

B．Social media is now a part of many people’s everyday lives.

C．People in Philippines are: the most active users.

D．And as more and more people around the world, this growth won’t stop anytime soon.

E．Right now, there are new Facebook users every second.

【推荐1】We know music is very important in our daily life. Today most stores，stations，restaurants and other places play music. Do you notice music playing at any of these places when you go somewhere?You might even hear music in an office or on a farm.

Scientists believe that music influences the way people behave. They think that the sound of Western classical（古典的）music makes people feel richer. When a restaurant plays classical music，people spend more money on food and drinks. When the restaurant plays modern music，people spend less money. Without music，people spend even less.

Scientists also believe that loud，fast music makes people eat faster. Some restaurants play fast music at mealtimes. This makes people eat faster and leave quickly. Restaurants can make more money in this way.

Some scientists think that music makes you think and learn better. They say that music helps students to be more active. It is true that people learn better when they are relaxed. And listening to music can help you relax.

Next time you hear music somewhere, be careful. It might influence the way you do things.

1. According to the text, scientists believe that music _______.

A．create different feelings for us

B．help us to develop good habits

C．develop our interest in money

D．influence natural environments

2. Western classical music is often considered to be _______.

A．a sign of being slower

B．something about manners

C．a sign of being richer

D．something with new style

3. Which type of music below can make people work faster?

A．Light music.	B．Rock music.
C．Sweet music.	D．Soft music.

4. The habit of listening to music can make a student _______.

A．slow in action	B．care about manners
C．fresh in mind	D．worry about studies

5. Which of the following can be the best title of the passage?

A．Music in Restaurants

B．Good and Bad Music

C．Types of Music

D．Music and Behavior

【推荐2】We think the tomato is a vegetable, but it is actually a fruit. Because it is not sweet and is used for providing flavor (滋味) to food, we think of it as a vegetable.

The tomato is from Mexico. Spanish explorers (探险者) who went to South America about 500 years ago brought back the tomato to Europe. The French called tomatoes “love apples”, while the British called them “apples of gold”. Young men made rings of tomato seeds and gave them to their loved ones.

The first people in Europe to eat tomatoes were Italians. As far back as 500 years ago, the joys of eating fried tomatoes with salt were known to them. They also discovered that the tomato made pasta (意大利面) taste better.

In other countries like England, tomatoes were thought to have poison (毒) in them. But people grew them in their gardens because of their beautiful colors and looks. They even thought that tomatoes caused diseases. But they soon got over their fear and began to eat tomatoes.

It is believed that the British brought the tomato to India. This was about 300 years ago. Gradually, the people of Bengal started discovering that the tomato gave a good flavor to their dishes. Today, the whole world is crazy about the tomato.

1. Spanish explorers brought the tomato to Europe probably in the ________.

A．1800s

B．1700s

C．1600s

D．1500s

2. People called tomatoes “apples of gold” in ________.

A．Mexico

B．Spain

C．Britain

D．France

3. From the passage we know people in Italy like to eat ________ with the tomato.

A．

B．

C．

D．

4. Why did people in England plant tomatoes in their gardens?

A．Because they had poison.	B．Because they caused diseases.
C．Because they looked nice.	D．Because they were delicious.

5. What’s the best title of the passage?

A．The Story of Tomatoes	B．The Place of Planting a Fruit
C．The Flavor of Tomatoes	D．The Way of Planting a Vegetable

【推荐3】Did you walk along the Silk Road? Do you know the famous Silk Road? The Silk Road was an ancient network of trade routes that connected the East and the West.

People used to do business with people from different countries along these routes. Scientists and archaeologists believe people began to travel along the Silk Road many centuries ago. By the time the Chinese silk trade became important in the world, the Silk Road had covered almost 6,500 kilometers. It started from China and finally got to Rome.

Merchants traveled along the Silk Road. Of course, they carried and traded in tea, cloth, gold, jewels and other things. During its busiest time, the Silk Road attracted people from many different countries, such as China, Iraq, Turkey and Greece. All those people traveled along the Silk Road to share goods, stories, ideas, languages and cultures.

In modern times, the old Silk Road is still useful, but now people use trains instead of camels and horses to travel. They have realized the Silk Road is becoming more and more important among countries. So they, especially Chinese people, are trying to make better use of it. There is even a Silk Route Museum in Jiuquan, Gansu Province. It has over 35,000 objects about the Silk Road. In this way, China can protect the history of many countries.

1. How did the writer start the passage?

A．By giving an example.

B．By listing reasons.

C．By asking questions.

2. What does the word “attracted” in Chinese?

A．喜爱

B．吸引

C．感谢

3. People could share through the Silk Road except ________.

A．tea

B．robots

C．cultures

4. After reading, we can infer that ________.

A．People still use camels and horses to travel today.

B．The Silk Road is less important than many centuries ago.

C．The Silk Route plays an important role in communicating between China and other countries.

5. The best title for this passage is ________.

A．The Silk Road

B．An educational museum

C．Communication among countries