【推荐1】We each have a memory（记忆力）．That’s why we can still remember things after a long time．Some people have very good memories and they can easily learn many things in a short time, but some people can only remember things when they say or do them again and again．Many of the great men of the world have got surprising memories．
A good memory is a great help in learning a language．Everybody learns his mother language when he is a small child．He hears the sounds, remembers them and then he learns to speak．Some children are living with their parents in foreign countries．They can learn two languages as easily as one because they hear, remember and speak two languages every day．In school it is not so easy to learn a foreign language because the students have so little time for it, and they are busy with other subjects, too．
But your memory will become better and better when you do more and more exercises．
1. Some people can easily learn many things in a short time because ．

A．they always sleep very well

B．they often eat good food

C．they read a lot of books

D．they have very good memories

2. Everybody learns his mother language ．

A．at the age of six

B．when he is a small child

C．after he goes to school

D．when he can read and write

3. In school the students can’t learn a foreign language well because            ．

A．they have no good memories

B．they have no recorders

C．they have too much time for it

D．they are busy with other subjects

【推荐2】Critical thinking(批判性思维) is the ability to think clearly and rationally(理性地) about what to believe or what to do. It helps people decide wisely.

A good critical thinker usually takes the following steps before he decides what to do. Whenever he needs to do something, he would first of all, reason. He checks why he needs to do it and whether he really needs to do it. Then, analyze. He tries to find out what it really is and the best way to do it. After that, evaluate. He makes sure whether he is able to do it and how to do it well. Finally, he makes the decision and takes action. Take the “Double 11” (a popular online shopping day in China) as an example. A few days before it, he checks carefully what he needs and whether he really needs them, and makes a shopping list. He goes to the online shops to compare the quality and the prices of the things that he is going to buy. He compares the shops that sell these things. Then he checks whether he can afford them and in which shops he is going to buy them. Although it takes him some time to make the decisions, he would not regret after the shopping.

Then what would happen if he didn’t think critically before he made the decisions? After the crazy “Double 11”, there were usually a lot of complaints on the Internet. There were regrets about buying more things than they needed. There were complaints about the poor quality and the prices of the things they bought. There were also complaints because they received wrong things or simply received nothing. There were all kinds of regrets and complaints. Why so? They had not thought critically before they made the decision.

Critical thinking helps you make wiser decisions. It helps you avoid wasting time, money and so on. Therefore, do look before you leap.

1. According to the passage, critical thinking is a thinking skill that ________.

A．helps make better choices	B．will appear in the future
C．helps make quick decisions	D．makes us spend more money

2. In Paragraph 2, how does the critical thinker analyze the things he may buy?

A．He checks what he needs to buy.	B．He checks how much money he has.
C．He makes a proper shopping list.	D．He studies the quality and the prices.

3. The underlined word “complaints” means that the people ________.

A．are not satisfied

B．are not interested

C．are not responsible

D．are not confident

4. Which of the following examples is the use of “critical thinking”?

A．David did a new science experiment before reading instructions.

B．Lucy’s parents became very angry when they knew he had bad marks.

C．After looking at the other teams’ weak points, the coach made a new plan.

D．After hearing the stranger’s words, the girl followed him into a supermarket.

5. How many steps are mentioned before critical thinkers decide what to do?

A．3

B．4

C．5

D．6

【推荐3】China is a very great country and it has a large population(人口). People from different places have different living habits. Recently, another difference between northerners(北方人) and southerners(南方人) has become a hot one: the way they shop at markets.

The people from south China say they always buy what they need for just one or two meals. It’s normal (正常的) for them to buy half of the Chinese cabbage(白菜), two potatoes, and 1/4 kilo of beef at a time.

However, people may laugh at him or her if a person does this in the north. Instead, buying vegetables and meat enough for a month is usual, reported China Daily.

Also, in the south, people can buy a very small amount (数量) of fruit, such as only one apple or a banana. Shop owners even help you peel (削皮) and cut them.

But in the north, shop owners hardly ever offer (提供) such service(服务). And they sell much fruit in baskets and boxes.

The difference may be because of the different climate (气候). People can keep food for a long time in the north, as it is usually cold and dry there. Many northerners have the habit of buying much food at a time, especially for the long winter. But the hot and wet weather in the south China makes southern Chinese buy just enough food for one meal or one day, or the food can go bad easily.

1. Southerners and northerners buy things so differently because ________.

A．people in the south are poor	B．people in the north are rich
C．the climate is so different	D．the way to keep food is different

2. ________ people like buying a lot of things each time.

A．Northern

B．Southern

C．All the Chinese

D．English

3. The passage is mainly about ________.

A．the differences between southerners and northerners

B．the differences between northerners’ clothes and southerners’ clothes

C．the different shopping habits of southerners and northerners

D．the different eating habits at southern and northern markets

4. What can we infer(推断) from the passage?

A．We can often buy only an apple in the north.

B．We can usually buy only 1/4 kilo of meat in the north and the shop owners welcome us.

C．Southerners like buying 50 kilos of cabbage each time.

D．We can ask the shop owner to peel an apple and cut it in the south.

【推荐2】In our life, many people love to eat peanuts (花生), and Steve Casino is among them. We call him a unique artist from the US. He is very fond of peanuts. And eating peanuts is not enough for him. He likes to make strange things out of peanuts.

Steve has already changed peanut shells into about one hundred little statues (雕像). Among these statues, there are famous people such as Elvis Presley, Albert Einstein, Bruce Lee and Johnny Depp. He also makes statues of characters from movies, like Batman, Robin, Superman and Captain America. When we look through his website, we can find his steps to make his artworks. First, he takes away the nuts from the shells. Then, he glues the shells back together. After that, he gives his statues arms and legs, and paints them carefully. It usually takes him twenty hours to paint a statue. At last, he puts the statue in a glass dome (圆顶状物) and people can keep it for a long time.

Steve Casino calls himself a “Painter of Nuts”. “I eat peanuts every day and they’re always around. I feel happy to use peanuts to make things,” he said. Steve has even turned this art into big money. He makes statues of anyone such as people’s friends, family and favourite stars. However, his artworks are expensive because it takes him a lot of time to make them. But we must remember these statues are special arts and they look very beautiful. What do you think of his art? Let’s buy one to have a look.

1. The underlined word “unique” in Paragraph 1 means “________”.

A．untalented

B．similar

C．unusual

D．common

2. There are ________ step(s) of making a statue according to Steve Casino.

A．one

B．two

C．three

D．four

3. We can see a statue of ________ among Steve Casino’s artworks.
①a movie character       ②a cute dog       ③a famous singer       ④a beautiful woman

A．①③④

B．②③④

C．①②④

D．①②③

4. What can we know from the passage?

A．It’s easy for Steve to make the statues by hand.

B．People can keep the statues for a long time.

C．Steve lived by making statues out of peanuts.

D．Anyone may have a chance to get his statues for free.

【推荐1】

Artificial intelligence (AI) is a double-edged sword. It can help us, but also cause us harm. Who is using AI? Is AI replacing humans? What should we do to avoid the risks and dangers that AI might bring?

AI is set to help people in many ways. It will make everyday tasks easier and bring efficiency to lots of industries. It might be one of man’s greatest inventions.

However, like any other technology, AI will also bring risks. In February 2018, a group of AI experts got together to discuss the possible misuse of AI. What they found was that “Every AI advance (前进) by the good guys is an advance for the bad guys, too,” according to Quartz.

What they were most worried about was that criminals (罪犯) could use AI for wrongful purposes. One of the areas they looked at was the use of AI to create websites that could be used to steal people’s personal information. Another possibility is that AI programs could be taught to break into computer secure systems.

There are some other concerns as well. It is possible that AI could be used to create fake news and videos. In fact, Chinese tech giant Baidu, has developed a program called Deep Voice that can “clone” (克隆) anyone’s voice by studying a 3. 7-second audio sample.

Many famous people in the tech world have expressed concern about AI. People like Bill Gates and Elon Musk have called for the industry to be more strictly regulated (管理), as there are few laws right now on the use of AI.

However, this is set to change. In March 2018, the European Union plans to set up a group that will discuss the dangers of AI, and hopefully, make some rules that will help us keep it safe for humans.

1. The underlined word “misuse” in Paragraph 3 probably means ________.

A．wide use

B．proper use

C．incorrect use

D．full use

2. Some experts have concerns about AI because ________.

A．it makes people lazier	B．it is developing too fast
C．it will replace workers in the future	D．some people may use it to do bad things

3. Deep Voice is mentioned to show ________.

A．how AI is developed	B．what AI can do in the future
C．why Baidu is a tech giant	D．how AI can copy voices

4. We can infer from the passage that ________.

A．there may be new laws to regulate the use of AI.

B．AI will bring more harm than benefit to people.

C．many AI programmers will become criminals.

D．there will only be fake news and videos online.

5. This passage is written mainly to ________.

A．tell readers that AI is a new invention	B．introduce what AI is really about
C．show that AI also has disadvantages	D．suggest some rules for AI

【推荐2】Clarkson is a big town. It is near a large river, the Clark Fork River. Every day, people take the boat from North Clarkson to South Clarkson to go to work.

Most people live in North Clarkson. There are many trees along the streets. When it is sunny, children run and play in the safe (安全的) streets. North Clarkson is really a wonderful place to live.

South Clarkson has some shops and factories. People don’t live there, but they come there to work in the morning. There is also a big stadium. On Sundays, many people go to watch their favorite sports games.

At the weekend, people in Clarkson enjoy walking along the bank (岸) of the Clark Fork River. They also take small boats on the water and if there is a little wind, they fly kites in a large park.

1. People usually go from North Clarkson to South Clarkson ________.

A．on foot

B．by bus

C．by car

D．by boat

2. The underlined word “stadium” means “ ________”.

A．a place to live	B．a place to study
C．a place to play games and sports	D．a place to have meals or sleep

3. Which of the following(下面的) is TRUE?

A．North Clarkson is a good place to live.	B．People usually live in South Clarkson.
C．There is a big stadium in North Clarkson.	D．There are many factories in North Clarkson.

4. We can learn from the last paragraph (段落) that ________.

A．people in Clarkson are busy with their work	B．people in Clarkson take the boat to work
C．people in Clarkson don’t enjoy their work	D．people in Clarkson have a good time on weekends

【推荐3】Many students ask for advice about improving their English. There are three basic questions.

The first question is about real English. Li Hao from Hubei wrote, “I enjoy watching English films and listening to real English songs. But it takes a long time. What do you think?”

This is a great way to learn English! Talk about the film or the song with your friends, and guess the meanings of the new words. Just enjoy yourself!

The second question is about speaking. Sam, from Suzhou wrote, “Our school has a foreign teacher. But I’m shy and can’t speak to her. What should I do?”

When I visit China, lots of people in the street say, “Hello! How are you? Where are you from? Do you like China?” These are good questions to start a conversation. Many people are shy when they speak English, so before you begin, take a deep breath and smile! Smiling always helps.

The third question is about vocabulary. Oliver, from Anhui wrote, “I want to remember all the new words. I write them down, but I forget them quickly. What should I do?”

Try to remember eight or ten words a day. Write them on pieces of paper and place them in your bedroom. Say the words when you see them, and change them every day. And when you’re shopping, how about counting the English words, or saying the English names for everything you see?

1. How many basic questions do the students often ask?

A．Two.

B．Three.

C．Four.

D．Five.

2. What should you do if you are shy to speak English?

A．Watch English films.	B．Write down the words first.
C．Listen to real English songs.	D．Take a deep breath and smile before you begin.

3. What is Oliver’s problem?

A．He’s too shy to talk with others.	B．He’s not able to count English words.
C．He can’t remember new words.	D．He doesn’t know what real English is.

4. How does Li Hao improve his English?

A．By starting a conversation with foreigners.

B．By writing the new words on pieces of paper and reading them whenever he sees them.

C．By listening to real English songs and watching English films.

D．By making flash cards.

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

A．How to learn English	B．Talking about English films
C．Advice about English writing	D．The way of beginning an English conversation