【推荐1】Some people think that they have an answer to the problems of automobile crowding and pollution in large cities. Their answer is the bicycle, or bike.

In a great many cities, hundreds of people ride bicycles to work every day. In New York City, some bike riders have even formed a group called "Bike for a Better City". They claim that if more people rode bicycles to work there would be fewer automobiles in the downtown section of the city and therefore less dirty air from car engines.

For several years this group has been trying to get city government to help bicycle riders. For example, they want the city to paint special lanes—for bicycles only—on some of the main streets, because when bicycle riders must use the same lanes as cars, there may be accidents. "Bike for a Better City" feels that if there were special lanes, more people would use bikes.

But no bicycle lanes have been painted yet. Not everyone thinks it is a good idea. Taxi drivers don't like the idea—they say it will slow traffic. Some store owners on the main streets don't like the idea—they say that if there is less traffic, they will have less business. And most people live too far from downtown to travel by bike.

The city government has not yet decided what to do. It wants to keep everyone happy. On weekends, Central Park—the largest open place in New York—is closed to cars, and the roads may be used by bicycles only. But "Bike for a Better City" says that this is not enough and keeps fighting to get bicycle lanes downtown. Until that happens, the safest place to bicycle may be in the park.

1. The underlined word "automobiles" in the second paragraph means ________.

A．trains

B．cars

C．planes

D．ships

2. Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

A．Special lanes are needed on every street.

B．The Central Park is closed to cars on weekdays.

C．"Bike for a Better City" members ride bicycles to work.

D．Accidents won't happen if cars and bikes are on different lanes.

3. This passage is mainly about ________.

A．city problems and "Bike for a Better City"

B．"Bike for a Better City" and the city government

C．the government's idea on traffic and city pollution

D．advice on the city problems of traffic and pollution

【推荐2】We have found plastic in the ocean and in animals like birds, fish and whales. But for the first time, scientists have found plastic in human poop (大便) , USA Today reported. The findings came from a study led by scientists from Environment Agency Austria     1     The volunteers wrote down what they ate for a week and then provided a stool sample (大便样本) for testing.

    2    About 20 small plastic particles (IM) were found in every 10 grams (克) of stool. "The smallest plastic particles can enter the blood, the lymphatic system, and may even reach the liver (肝脏)," said Philipp Schwabl, who took part in the research.     3    They’re not sure how the plastic got in the volunteers' bodies, either. But most of the volunteers said they drank from plastic bottles and also ate seafood that could include plastic from ocean pollution.

In fact, plastic is everywhere around us. Every year, lots of plastic waste goes into the ocean.     4     Most of the particles stay in the ocean. Others can spread into the soil. and air. Could plastic in the air fall onto food and get into the human body?

Some past studies may also give us a clue.     5    And even some drinking water has been found to have tiny plastic particles in it.

根据短文内容从方框中选出五个句子填入文中空缺处使短文内容通顺完整。

A. There, sunlight and waves (海浪) break the plastic waste down to very small pieces. B. The scientists are sure that the plastic must be harmful to humans. C. According to USA Today, 90% of sea salt which is sold in the world includes plastic. D. The scientists followed eight healthy volunteers from different parts of the world. E. However, the scientists aren't sure if the plastic is harmful to humans. F. Scientists found nine different kinds of plastic in the stool samples, according to the study.

【推荐3】There are reports that some developed countries have shipped broken parts of computer to China. Such a thing can be found every day though it’s against international laws. Last month Hong Kong officers found 131,000 kilograms of broken computers, TVs and phones sent from Japan. Things like this are called e-waste. Dealing with them isn’t an easy job because dangerous poisons like mercury(汞) and lead(铅) can be found in them. Every time an old computer breaks down, it needs dealing with safely. But at present, broken computer parts are usually buried. It may be hundreds years before they are really gone in the soil.
Many places in China are polluted by e-waste. Guiyu in Guangdong Province is one of them. This town is named as “the e-waste capital of the world”. It has to deal with 1.5 million kilograms of e-waste each year, from which it makes 75 million yuan, But many of the poisons find their way into the environment. Greenpeace, an environmental group, has found the air, the earth and rivers in Guiyu badly polluted. This year, China presents a new environmental protection law. Computer companies like Lenovo and Dell will be asked to take back their old computers. This is because the companies that make computers know best how to deal with them safely. Hopefully, the problem with e–waste will be solved in the near future.
1. The town of Guiyu in Guangdong Province_____________.

A．is the e-capital of the world	B．has serious e-waste pollution
C．deals with the e-waste safely	D．spends much money on e-waste

2. The underlined word buried probably means ____________ in the passage.

A．焚烧

B．回收

C．循环再用

D．掩埋

3. This year, the Chinese government__________________.

A．tries to change people’s life	B．closes some computer companies
C．makes a new environmental protection law	D．ask people to hand in their old computer

4. The passage is mainly about_______________.

A．the ways to deal with e-waste	B．the cost of burning e-waste
C．the e-waste problem in China	D．the causes of e-waste

【推荐1】On a hot summer day, ice-cold watermelons serve up a delicious treat. Sure, the rosy flesh (果肉) quenches your thirst (解渴). But now there are more reasons than ever for people to reach for a slice of watermelon.
Meet Dr Alison Edwards. She is a scientist at the Agricultural Research Service. Scientists are people who come up with new ideas called theories (理论). They usually do scientific research to test their new theories. That’s how they find out if a new idea is a good one, or if the new idea will bring an even better idea.
At her lab, Dr Edwards recently learned more about the secrets of why watermelons are good for you!
Dr Edwards has known for a long time that watermelons have vitamin C. But recently she learned that watermelons also have lycopene (番茄红素). It is something that gives tomatoes and watermelons their rosy red colour.
What’s so special about the lycopene in watermelons?
Dr Edwards says that watermelons and tomatoes both have lots of lycopene. It seems that your body can use the lycopene from watermelons more easily than the lycopene from raw (生的) tomatoes. In fact, the lycopene from tomatoes is more easily absorbed (吸收) inside your body once they have been cooked.
1. The watermelon is a kind of ________.

A．drink

B．fruit

C．medicine

D．vitamin

2. How does a scientist usually test a theory?

A．By practising it in daily life.

B．By doing scientific research.

C．By discussing it with other scientists.

D．By looking into many scientific reports.

3. Lycopene is something that gives tomatoes and watermelons their ________ colour.

A．red

B．green

C．black

D．yellow

4. To make full use of tomatoes, we’d better________.

A．eat them raw	B．not peel the
C．cook them first	D．make them into juice

5. Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

A．Our bodies cannot absorb lycopene.

B．Watermelons are good for us in hot summer.

C．Tomatoes have more lycopene than watermelons do.

D．Lycopene in watermelons is hard for our bodies to absorb.

【推荐3】Speaking English freely might be difficult for you now. But all you need are the right ways and   confidence(自信) . I have some advice for you.

Stop Being a Student
          Stop thinking of yourself as someone who is learning English and think of yourself as someone who speaks English. It’s a small change, but it will make you feel more confident and help you use the English you already know better.
Try to Learn Phrases
          Speaking English freely means being able to express your thoughts and feelings. Your aim is to speak English in full sentences, so why not learn it in full sentences? You’ll find that English is more useful in your life if you study whole phrases, rather than just simple words.
   ▲__________
          Studying English for an hour once a week isn’t usually enough to make any real progress. The best way to quickly improve your English is to spend at least a few minutes practicing every day.
Don’t Be Afraid to Make Mistakes
          Sometimes it can be difficult to put all those rules and words together into a simple sentence. Don’t let the fear of saying something wrong stop you from speaking. Even if you think you’re making a mistake, keep speaking anyway. Most of the time, people will understand what you’re trying to say. The more you speak, the easier it will be.
1. Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?

A．Practicing English every day helps you make greater progress.

B．Studying whole phrases makes you express your thoughts and feelings worse.

C．Thinking of yourself as an English speaker can make you more confident and use English better.

2. What should you do if you make a grammar mistake when you are talking to a native English speaker?

A．Just keep speaking

B．Stop speaking right away.

C．Think of yourself as an English speaker.

3. Which of the following titles can be put into“▲"?

A．Hard Work Pays Off

B．Practice Makes Perfect

C．Failure Is the Mother of Success

4. Where do we most probably see the above passage ?

A．In a student’s diary.

B．In a travel magazine.

C．In a study newspaper.

5. Who will be most interested in this material?

A．A writer who writes novels.

B．A teacher who teaches history.

C．A student who wants to improve English.