【推荐1】Astronauts may soon be going to the moon again. NASA plans to build bases (基地) there. The astronauts will not be able to take all the food they will need. So they may have to grow some of it on lunar farms.

But can plants grow on the moon? Maybe. That is according to a new study. Scientists used soil brought back from past moon missions(任务). They used it to grow plants here on Earth. It turns out, success could depend on where on the moon you do your planting.

In the 1960s and 1970s, NASA ran the Apollo program. It sent astronauts to the moon. In the new study, scientists used soil that astronauts collected there.

Scientists put this soil in little cups. Each cup got about a teaspoon of lunar soil. Other cups got Earth soil. The scientists planted seeds. They watered the soil. They put the cups under growth lights.

In the Earth soil, plants sprouted healthy leaves. Moon soil sprouted leaves too. But those plants were smaller. And they were less healthy. The older the moon soil, the worse the plants grew.

Stephen Elardo is one of the scientists. He says it still might be possible to grow plants on the moon. The key(关键) could be finding the right spot. One example may be where volcanoes(火山) once broken. The soil is newer there. Scientists still have much to learn. But this study brings humans one step closer to calling the moon home.

1. What do we know about NASA? ________

A．NASA ran the Apollo program.

B．NASA can take all the food.

C．NASA is planting trees now.

D．NASA plans to go to the Mars.

2. Which is the right order? ________
a.The plants are smaller and less healthy.
b.Astronauts collected soil on the Moon.
c.Scientists used the soil to grow plants.
d.Scientists watered the soil regularly.

A．a,b,c,d.	B．b,c,d,a.
C．c,d,a,b.	D．d,b,c,a.

3. .What does the underlined word “sprouted” mean? ________

A．Ate up.	B．Grew out.
C．Put away.	D．Wrote down.

4. In which part of the newspaper can we see the text? ________

A．Family life.	B．Job fair.
C．Kids’ behaviour.	D．Science &technology.

【推荐2】

People can travel without much money by staying in other people’s house. Sometimes the travelers may sleep for a few nights on other people’s couch (沙发) for free. This way of travelling is called couch surfing.

Couch Surfing. org is an organization that connects travelers all around the world. Members of it can find a place to stay when they travel or share their homes and hometowns with travelers from other places. In this way strangers can help strangers in order to make the world a better place.

The organization has millions of members in 238 different countries and it has changed the way of travel forever. Jamie from Australia has traveled in this way all over the world. “When I traveled before, I used to find a cheap hotel to save money, now I stay in really nice houses and apartments. But the best thing isn’t the free living condition, it’s the people you meet. A couch surfing host will usually cook you a meal which helps break the ice. Then they’ll often introduce you to their friends and take you to the places they enjoy. Couch surfing allows you to experience a country and its culture.”

Why do people agree to let a stranger sleep on their couch? Delphine, an experienced host from Paris, has an answer. “They say that money makes the world go round but I try to help people go round the world without much money!” She says with a smile. So far, she has received more than 100 travelers. “I enjoy meeting people from different cultures and I’ve made friends from all over the world,” says Delphine, who is also a professional cook. “And of course, I like sharing French food with them. Usually, my guests love trying it but I’ve had problems sometimes. Once I cooked roast lamb (烤羊肉) for a guest but unfortunately, when she got here, she told me she was only used to eating vegetables!”

The idea of travelling the world for free has even been made into a TV series. Alex and Zsolt from the US set out with no money at all. They relied on social networking websites like Facebook and Twitter to ask for help. They say, “wherever we went we were always provided with food. All over the world, food is a common bond (纽带).” They travelled sixteen different countries and the results were turned into the TV show Around the World for free.

1. What can you know about couch surfing?

A．It’s an organization that provides cheap hotels.

B．It’s a way for people to make money with their couches.

C．Travelers may travel with less money with strangers’ help.

D．Travelers consider it the most important way to travel today.

2. Why does Delphine like being a couch surfing host?

A．She is a professional French cook.

B．She enjoys traveling.

C．She expects to be famous.

D．She wants to help people go round the world.

3. Alex discovered that all over the world ________.

A．food brings people together

B．it’s not easy to travel without money

C．people enjoy their free-living condition

D．a host usually cooks a meal to break the ice

【推荐3】根据短文内容，从短文后的选项中选出能填入空白处的最佳选项。选项中有一项为多余的选项。

Do you have difficulty falling asleep at night? If so, here is a piece of advice for you: Listen to some soft music.

Scientists have found that soft music can help to improve sleep quality and quantity. It works for people of all ages.     1     Soft music can help us fall asleep faster, wake up less during the night and feel more rested in the morning. You may not notice the effects overnight, though. It could take as many as three weeks to see any improvements.    2     The reasons aren’t clear yet. It may have something to do with the relaxing effect of a good song. Music can have real physical effects, too. Soft music can lower our heart rate and slow down our breathing.     3    .

Scientists say that for most people, music that has 70 beats per minute (bpm) works best. Classical, jazz and folk music are usually more effective than other musical styles.     4    You may need to experiment (尝试) to make your own playlists. Remember to get the volume right. Make sure that the final piece is one that slowly fades out (渐弱).     5    

It is very important to get enough high-quality sleep. Before you go to bed tonight, play some soft music. Then, just prepare to be rocked off to dreamland!

A．This prepares us for sleep.

B．Familiar songs work well, too.

C．Scientists like different kinds of music.

D．Why can soft music help us sleep better?

E．If not, you may be woken up by the sudden silence.

F．And it works much better for people with sleeping problems.

【推荐1】At the age of 35, Johnson Barnes injured(损伤) himself when skating during a winter vacation. His doctors said he could never walk again. But a new technology(科技), the robotic exoskeleton(外骨骼机械装置), brought Johnson and other people like him a surprise —— it can work like our arms, legs or hands out side our body. Now Johnson can ask the machine to take him to the places he wants to go to and help him reach the things he wants to get.

Although the disable(残疾的) people still can’t do everything like a healthy man, the exoskeleton makes them believe they can do things by themselves and they will be better and better in the future. So they won’t see themselves as useless people and they don’t give up themselves. Most importantly, they will see the world with a loving heart and still play a part in making a difference to the world.

There are still some problems with exoskeleton, though. For example, they are not easy to use, and sometimes people with them fall down easily. What’s more, they are very expensive, costing about $100,000. It’s too much to a common family. But computers were also seemed impossible for a common family to use 40 years ago. We never know what will happen in the future.

1. When Johnson was 35, he injured his ________.

A．hand

B．leg

C．arm

2. According to the passage, we know that________.

A．the robotic exoskeleton can work like our arms in our body

B．there are already robotic exoskeleton working for humans

C．users can ask the robotic exoskeleton questions and the machine can answer

3. What’s Paragraph 2 mainly about?

A．The disabled can’t do everything like a healthy man.

B．Disabled people are always useful and full of hope.

C．The exoskeleton may help bring out the best of disabled people.

4. What problem may the exoskeleton bring?

A．The exoskeleton may improve the life of disabled people.

B．Computers will be impossible for a common family to use.

C．Users may not use the machine easily and sometimes fall down.

5. We may read this article in a________.

A．story book

B．sports show

C．medicine magazine

【推荐2】Will you be worried if you see any of these animals on your way to school?

Walking sharks (鲨鱼)

In 2006, scientists found a new kind of shark off the coast of Indonesia. It can “walk” with its fins along the coral reefs. These walking sharks are about 1 to 1.2 metres long. If they are surprised by something, they can swim away using their fins.

The platypus (鸭嘴兽)

The platypus is found along the rivers and lakes of eastern Australia. It lays eggs like a bird, has webbed feet like a frog, a bill like a duck and is as poisonous as a snake! We are pleased to hear that it spends much of its life underground.

An unusual dolphin

In 2006, a Japanese fisherman caught an unusual dolphin. It has an extra set of fins (额外的一套鱼鳍) near its tail, about the size of human hands. Scientists say that its extra fins could be the remains of back legs. This tells us that dolphins were once four-footed land animals. Scientists believe that as they spent more and more time in the water, their back legs slowly disappeared (消失).

根据语篇内容，判断下列句子正误。正确的在答题卡上将“T”涂黑，错误的在答题卡上将“F”涂黑。
1. Scientists found a new kind of shark in the country of Indonesia in 2000.
2. These walking sharks can “walk” and swim with their fins.
3. The platypus is found along the rivers and lakes of western Australia.
4. The dolphins were once four-footed animals living on land.
5. Dolphins’ back legs slowly disappeared as they grew older and older.

【推荐3】The website www. Yahoo. Com connects people to helpful resources. Here is the webpage on “The best places to …”

Keep a wireless router(路由器) On a bookshelf Situate it on a desk or a tall shelf in a central location in your house. A router works best when put high, since it sends signals(信号) in all directions. The worst place to have a router is the kitchen. Metal things can also weaken or stop its signal	Solve a problem In the shower Simple tasks, like lathering up(抹肥皂), may allow the mind run free and have creative thinking. In a science study, those who completed a simple task between solving creative problems performed better on the problems than those who completed difficult tasks or no task at all.
Hide valuable items(物品) In the kid’s room Find a place in a young child’s room, where you can put away valuable items. Put emergency cash(应急现金) in an envelope inside something that is no longer played with, like a Winnie-the-Pooh bear on a high bookshelf.	Add a houseplant To the bathroom Plants are important in your living space, but you probably haven’t thought to put one next to your shower. They can make indoor air clean, and they’re helpful for small spaces like bathrooms. Ferns(蕨类)are a good and cheap choice in a bathroom.

1. According to the passage, you’d better hide your jewellery ________.

A．in the kid’s room

B．in the living room

C．in the kitchen

D．in the bathroom

2. The best place to ________ is in the shower.

A．keep a wireless router

B．solve a problem

C．hide valuable items

D．add a houseplant

3. Which of the following sentences is TRUE?

A．You’d better put a wireless router in a lower place.

B．You’d better not have a router in the kitchen.

C．Difficult tasks make the mind work fast.

D．Ferns are expensive but a good choice in a bathroom.

4. What is a Winnie-the-Pooh   bear ?

A．a valuable item

B．a kind of animal

C．a kind of toy

D．a book

5. The webpage is mainly about _______.

A．room decoration(装饰)

B．social problems

C．gardening tips

D．daily life tips