【推荐2】We use energy to do everything. Energy lights our cities and powers our cars, trains, planes and rockets. It warms our homes, cooks our food, plays our music and makes the pictures or our televisions.    1    

And energy comes from many places. For example, energy from the sun's light dries our clothes. That energy also helps plants to grow.    2    When a deer eats a plant, it gets that energy. It uses that energy to live. If a tiger eats that deer, the tiger will get some of that same energy.

Many different kinds of energy come from different places, but there are two main groups we can put energy into: renewable（可再生的）and nonrenewable.    3    It comes from things like sunlight, wind, plants, moving water and the Earth's heat. We can use these things to make electricity.    4    There will always be sunlight, there will always be wind, and the Earth will always be hot inside. If we use these sources for energy, we'll never run out.

    5    We are getting most of our energy from nonrenewable sources. We say they are non-renewable because we are using them more quickly than they can be made. Most of these are fossil fuels（化石燃料）like oil, natural gas and coal. It had taken the Earth millions of years to make fossil fuels from dead plants and animals as old as dinosaurs. There is no fast way to make fossil fuels, but we are using them very quickly.

A．But we have many energy problems now.

B．Plants keep some of that energy inside of them.

C．Renewable energy can be used over and over again.

D．And we don't have to worry about running out of them.

E．Practice ways of saying no, giving excuses if necessary.

F．It powers the machines in factories and the tractors on the farms.

G．We have to learn something about renewable and nonrenewable.

【推荐3】Are you shy? If you are, you are not alone. In fact, close to 50 percent of people are shy. These days, shyness is becoming more and more common. Now, scientists are trying to understand shyness. They have some interesting ideas about why people are shy.

Is it possible to be born（出生）shy? Many scientists say yes. They say 15 to 20 percent of babies behave（表现）shyly and quietly. Interestingly, these shy babies usually have shy parents. As a result, scientists think that some shyness is genetic.

Family size might cause people to be shy as well. Scientists found that 66 percent of them had older brothers and sisters. As a result, they became shy. At the same time, children with no brothers and sisters may be shy as well. Growing up alone, they often play by themselves.

You may also be shy because of where you were born. When scientists studied shyness indifferent countries, they found surprising differences. In Japan, most people said they were shy. But in Israel, only one of three people said so. What explains（解释）the difference? One scientist says the Japanese and Israelis have different opinions of failure. In Japan, when people do not succeed, they feel bad about themselves. They blame（责备）themselves for their failure. In Israel, the opposite（相反的）is true. Israelis often blame failure on outside reasons. They worry less about failure and are less shy. For shy people, it can be difficult to make friends, speak in class, and even get a good job. But scientists say you can get over（克服）your shyness. They suggest trying new things and practicing conversations. And don’t forget—if you are shy, you are not the only one.

1. What is the passage mainly about?

A．Happiness.

B．Shyness.

C．Kindness.

D．loneliness.

2. What does the underlined word “genetic” in paragraph 2 probably mean?

A．Passed down（遗传）from parents	B．Learned from friends.
C．Taught by teachers.	D．Made up by brothers.

3. What can be learned from the passage?

A．Most little babies are born shy and quiet.

B．If you are shy now, you will be shy forever.

C．Many shy children have older brothers and sisters.

D．Most Israeli people are shy of expressing opinions.

4. We can learn from the passage that _________ may cause shyness.

A．genetics, grown-ups and birthplace	B．genetics, family size and birthplace
C．family size, grown-ups and failure	D．genetics, family size and freedom

5. Scientists suggest that shy people can get over their shyness by _________.

A．blaming their failure on outside reasons

B．trying to understand reasons for their shyness

C．getting themselves away from their shy parents

D．trying new things and practicing conversations

【推荐1】

The world itself is becoming much smaller by using modern traffic and modern communication means (工具). Life today is much easier than it was hundreds of years ago, but it has brought new problems. One of the biggest problems is pollution. To pollute means to make things dirty. Pollution comes in many ways. We see it, smell it, drink it and even hear it.

Many years ago, the problem was not so serious because there were not so many people. When the land was used up (用完) or the river was dirty in one place, man moved to another place. But this is no longer true. Man is now slowly polluting the whole world.

Air pollution is still the most serious. It’s bad for all living things in the world, but it is not the only one kind of pollution. Water pollution kills fish and pollutes our drinking water. Noise pollution makes us angry more easily.

Many countries are making rules to fight pollution. They stop people from burning coal in houses and factories in the city, and from putting dirty smoke into the air. The air pollution with sulfur dioxide (SO₂) in it is now the most dangerous kind of pollution. It is caused by heavy traffic. We are sure that if there are fewer people driving, there will be less air pollution.

The earth is our home. We must take care of it. That means keeping the land, water and air clean. And we must pay attention to the rise in pollution at the same time.

根据材料内容选择最佳答案。
1. ________, our world is becoming much smaller.

A．Because the earth is being polluted day and night

B．Thanks to the science development

C．Because of the rise in pollution

D．Because the earth is blown away by the wind every year

2. Hundreds of years ago, life was ________ it is today.

A．as hard as	B．as easy as
C．much easier than	D．much harder than

3. The underlined (加下划线的) word “it” refers to ________.

A．air pollution	B．rubbish
C．water pollution	D．noise pollution

4. Air pollution is the most serious kind of pollution because ________.

A．it makes much noise	B．it does harm to all living things in the world
C．it makes our rivers and lakes dirty	D．it makes us angry more easily

5. Which of the following is NOT true?

A．Many countries are making rules to fight pollution.

B．The problem of the pollution is not so serious because there are not so many people living on the earth now.

C．The air pollution with SO2 in it is the most dangerous nowadays.

D．If people could go to work by bus or by bike instead of car or motorbike, it would be helpful in fighting against the problem of SO2.

【推荐2】China has recently published its first artificial intelligence(AI，人工智能) textbook for high school students, following a plan by central government to include AI lessons in primary and junior high schools.

The textbook, named Fundamentals of Artificial Intelligence, was written by famous experts from well-known schools across the country, Xinhua reported on Sunday.

“It includes the history of AI and how the technology can be used in daily life.” said Chen Yukun, a professor at East China Normal University, who is also a writer of the book.

At present, about 40 high schools across the country have introduced the text book in the curriculum(课程).

The AI is being used more and more widely in daily life nowadays. But there aren’t enough talents for the area. As early as 2016, the governments had estimated that more than 5 million AI workers and engineers may be needed in the coming years.

“The book is a breakthrough because it takes AI technology out of universities and makes it part of high school learning,” said Lin Dahua, a professor at the Chinese University of Hong Kong.

1. The textbook, named Fundamentals of Artificial Intelligence was written by ________.

A．famous experts from well-known schools	B．well-known schools across the country
C．a famous company	D．some high school students

2. The AI textbook is for the following students except ________.

A．university students	B．high school students
C．junior high school students	D．primary school students

3. What does the underlined word mean?

A．基石

B．突破

C．变化

D．解放

4. How many high schools have decided to use this textbook across the country?

A．About 30.

B．About 50.

C．About 20.

D．About 40.

5. What is the article mainly about ?

A．The first artificial intelligence textbook for high school students.

B．The importance of learning artificial intelligence.

C．How artificial intelligence will be used in many fields.

D．How many AI professionals may be need.

【推荐3】We usually believe what our brain tells us, but there are some amazing facts which show that the brain tricks us. As a result, we think we can see something that is not actually there or we ignore（忽视）things that actually are there.
Scientists Daniel Simons and Christopher Chabris have researched this phenomenon（现象）, which they call “change blindness”. Their experiments show how we sometimes just do not see what is in front of our eyes because __________
Here is one of their most famous experiments. In this experiment, the participants（参与者）were shown a video of two groups of people (one group in white T-shirts and one group in black T-shirts) who passed basketballs around in a hallway. Each group had three members. Simons and Chabris asked the participants to count how many times the white team passed the ball. While the two teams were passing their balls around, a person dressed up as a big bear walked through the group and stopped to look at the camera. Simons and Chabris found that about half of the research participants did not notice the big bear.
1. What do Daniel Simons and Christopher Chabris do?

A．Scientists.

B．Astronauts.

C．Engineers.

D．Directors.

2. How many people did the experiment need in the video?

A．Three.

B．Four.

C．Six.

D．Seven.

3. What percentage of the participants noticed the big bear?

A．Less than 25%.

B．About 50%.

C．About 75%.

D．Almost 100%.

4. Which is the most suitable to complete the last sentence in the second paragraph?

A．we are not interested in it

B．we are too confident to see it

C．we are depending on other people

D．we are paying attention to watching something else