【推荐1】I’m a procrastinator (有拖延症的人). In university, I should spend a year on my 90-page senior thesis (论文). I didn’t write a word until three days before the deadline. Finally, I wrote 90 pages over 72 hours, pulling not one but two all-nighters to finish just before the deadline. Of course, it was a very bad thesis.

I think that the brain of procrastinators and non-procrastinators are actually different. Both brains have a Rational (理性的) Decision-Maker in them who makes us take action right now. But the procrastinator’s brain also has an Instant Gratification (及时行乐) Monkey who doesn’t like that plan and only cares about two things: easy and fun.

For the procrastinators, it is the Monkey that actually takes the wheel. But how can they start working when really important things happen? It turns out the procrastinator also has a Panic (恐慌的) Monster. He is not active most of the time, but he suddenly wakes up anytime a deadline gets too close. He’s the only thing the Instant Gratification Monkey is afraid of.

Seeing the Panic Monster, the Instant Gratification Monkey goes up a tree and hides! The Rational Decision-Maker can then take the wheel and the procrastinator can start working.

This explains how the procrastinator’s system works. But if it works, why bother?

Well, it’s because there are situations in our lives that don’t have deadlines, like seeing your family or exercising. In all of these non-deadline situations, the Panic Monster doesn’t show up. So the procrastinator’s system actually doesn’t start work.

So what should we do? Maybe we can make something called a Life Calendar. We need to take a long, hard look at that calendar and think about what we’re really procrastinating on.

1. Why does the writer mention his university experience in the first paragraph?

A．To show that we all have limitless talent.

B．To give an example of procrastination.

C．To explain that procrastination is quite common.

D．To prove that procrastinators are able to finish their tasks.

2. What’s the meaning of the underlined phrase “take the wheel” in Paragraph 3?

A．Drive a car.

B．Be hot active.

C．Make a decision.

D．Hide quietly.

3. In the writer’s opinion, which of the following goes with the procrastinator’s system?

A．The Rational Decision-Maker doesn’t work.

B．The Instant Gratification Monkey hides for a long time.

C．The Panic Monster never appears before the deadline.

D．The Instant Gratification Monkey is on the right side.

4. The procrastinator’s system sometimes doesn’t start work because ________.

A．there is no Panic Monster in reality	B．not everything in life has a deadline
C．the Panic Monster is too lazy to work	D．situations in real life are hard to control

5. What is the writer’s suggestion for procrastination?

A．Buy a calendar and use it often.	B．Live a long enough life to put things off.
C．Think about what we need.	D．Make a plan and work out what’s really important.

【推荐2】

① Type in “Can a cat go to space? ” and ask ChatGPT to write a bedtime story. Just one second later, you’ll get the story of Max, who made his way past many difficulties to sing among the stars.

② Developed by US company OpenAI, ChatGPT has won 100 million users since it came out in November 2022. People can ask the robot to write stories and emails, translate languages and answer all kinds of questions. Compared with Siri or other chat robots, ChatGPT uses a much bigger database (数据库) for training. It also uses stronger software and hardware to learn things by itself. “It’s a totally different product,” computer scientist Liu Xiaoguang from Nankai University told Tianjin Daily. “The knowledge level ChatGPT shows is similar to that of a university graduate. That’s why it shocked the world.”

③ According to a US survey of more than 1,000 students, over 89 percent of them have used ChatGPT to help with a homework task. Some schools in the US, Australia and France have stopped the use of ChatGPT. The move comes out of worries that the tool could make it easier for students to cheat on schoolwork. Some also worry that ChatGPT could be used to spread incorrect information. “It does not build critical-thinking (批判性思维) and problem-solving skills, which are necessary for academic (学术的) and lifelong success,” said Jenna Lyle from New York City Department of Education.

④ However, not all educators say “no” to ChatGPT. Some Canadian universities are making rules on its use, for both students and teachers. They have no plans to completely stop the tool so far. Bhaskar Vira, from the University of Cambridge in the UK, thinks that it is not wise to stop AI software like ChatGPT. “We have to know that AI is a tool people will use,” he added.

1. In Paragraph 1, the writer leads into the topic by ________.

A．comparing facts

B．telling stories

C．giving examples

D．asking questions

2. What makes ChatGPT an excellent chat robot?
a. It can learn things by itself.
b. It has a big database for training.
c. It won’t give people wrong answers.
d. It is smarter than any college student.

A．ab

B．ac

C．bc

D．bd

3. Jenna Lyle thinks that ChatGPT ________.

A．might offer the wrong information	B．helps people become successful easily
C．is so far the smartest AI chat robot tool	D．is not good for the students’ development

4. What’s the structure of the passage?

A．

B．

C．

D．

【推荐3】Artificial intelligence (人工智能), or AI in short, is the science of giving computers and machines ability to think and work like humans. AI scientists and engineers have made a lot of cool technologies.

AI is rapidly catching up with the human ability to read faces. As a result, facial recognition (识别) is used a lot in the world. Chinese police use this technology to identify criminals (罪犯). Once they caught a criminal when he attended a concert. It also checks the ID of ride-hailing (网约车) drivers and lets people pay for things with a smile.

AI is also used in self-driving cars, which are believed to be the future of driving. Most drivers may wave or nod at passers-by to let them cross the street, but self-driving cars don’t have this ability. Car makers are testing a light signal system to help them “speak” to humans. The system can show what self-driving cars will do. For example, if a driverless car is yielding (让路), it will flash two white lights side to side. A rapidly flashing light tells passers-by that the car is about to speed up.

Service Robots also show you how powerful AI is. Imagine this—you come back home from school and your robot housekeeper is waiting for you at the door. After dinner, he teaches you to play the piano, just like a real music teacher. Such thoughts will soon happen in the real world. In the future, more and more service robots will become good home helpers.

AI is so powerful that it can help human beings and even replace us in many jobs.

1. According to the passage, facial recognition is used for ________.

A．driving cars	B．making people smile
C．calling the police	D．checking people’s information

2. The underlined word “identify” probably means ________ in Chinese.

A．减少

B．鉴定

C．消灭

D．帮助

3. In the future, a self-driving car may communicate with humans by ________.

A．waving to them

B．speaking to them

C．nodding at them

D．flashing lights

4. Which technology is used in real life according to the passage?

A．Service Robots at school.	B．Robots as ride-hailing drivers.
C．Facial recognition for payment.	D．Light signals for self-driving cars.

5. What can we learn from the passage?

A．People use AI in many different ways.

B．AI will take the place of human beings in all jobs.

C．Self-driving cars will be able to talk like humans.

D．A criminal was caught for inventing facial recognition.

【推荐2】Writing to a pen pal is interesting and can be a great way to help you develop your writing skills. But you may have trouble knowing how to write to your pen pal.     1       

Share your information. Break the ice by telling your pen pal a little information about yourself. Start with your name and age.     2     Sharing your information will encourage your pen pal to share his information with you.     3    

Ask questions.     4     This will help you get to know him and probably deepen (加深) the friendship. You can tell him something you like, and ask if he’s ever tried it.

Ask for advice. You can share a situation with your pen pal and ask him what he may do if he is in such a situation.     5     Also, discussing questions about the real world will develop your friendship.

A．Tell your pen pal what you like to do or what you want to do.

B．Write questions for your pen pal to answer in the next email.

C．You don’t have to take all his advice, but it will let you know something about his opinions.

D．Luckily, here are some tips (建议) to help you build the friendship with your pen pal.

E．And this means the beginning of your friendship.

【推荐3】Happiness is important for everyone. Most people want to be happy but few know how to find happiness. Money and success don't bring lasting happiness. Happiness depends on ourselves. In other words, we make our own happiness.

Some people believe that if they are wealthy, with the money they will be able to do anything they want, which means happiness. On the other hand, some people believe that holding a high position in the government is happiness. In this way, you have not only money, but also many other things which can't be bought by money. However, other people believe that having lots of money is not happiness, nor is holding a high position in the government. These people value(重视) their beliefs, or their intelligence, or their health. They think these can make them happy.

Here are a few ways to help you be happier.

The first secret of happiness is to enjoy the simple things in life. Too often, we spend so much time thinking about the future, for example, getting into college or getting a good job, that we don't enjoy the present. You should enjoy life's simple pleasures, such as reading a good book, listening to your favorite music, or spending time with close friends. People who have close friends usually enjoy happier and healthier lives.

The second secret of happiness is to be active. Many people go dancing or play sports. People can forget about their problems and only think about the activities.

Finally, many people find happiness in helping others. According to studies, people feel good when they volunteer their time to do many meaningful things for other people. If you want to feel happier, do something nice for someone. You can help a friend with his or her studies, go shopping to get food for an old neighbor, or simply help around the house.

Now maybe you know how to find happiness!

1. Some people who hold a high position in the government think they can ________.

A．get money and something they can’t buy with money	B．do what they want to at any time
C．enjoy health which makes them work hard	D．take an active part in all kinds of activities every day

2. The writer thinks the secret of happiness is that people________.

A．think about getting a good job	B．think of presents they don’t like
C．often spend time with close friends	D．often spend time on entering the college

3. The passage mainly tells us ________.

A．how to find happiness	B．how to save happiness
C．to do something good for others	D．to value our beliefs or health