【推荐1】Playing video games and getting money for it seems like a dream job for many of today’s teenagers. But is it all fun and games?

Big business

Pro (professional) gaming is certainly big business, In 2017, there were more than 3,000 gaming competitions and over 10, 000 professional players worldwide. A large number of people watch their competitions online, and successful gamers can get more than 1, 000,00 dollars from prize money and ads. The industry is clearly thriving.

What it takes

Becoming a professional is not just about being good at playing games—it also takes a lot of hard work. Some pro gamers practice for fourteen hours aday. “You need to spend much time and put all your efforts to it,” says ex—gamer George.

Not all fun and games

It can be a difficult job as well. Stress is a big problem for gamers. Tiredness is another, and injuries（受伤）are common. Top player Hai Lam had wrist problems after years of pro gaming. Careers are short, and many gamers retire（退休）before they are 30 and try to find another job.

However, the bad points probably won’t change the dreams of many teenager gamers. And angry parents are still likely to hear the excuse, “But I’m just practicing for my future job!”

1. What does the underlined word “thriving” in Paragraph 2 mean?

A．Getting worse.

B．Doing well.

C．Developing slowly.

D．Changing quickly.

2. What can we infer from the last sentence of the passage?

A．Children are angry with their parents.

B．Teenagers practice games for their future jobs.

C．Some teenagers are crazy about playing games.

D．Parents stop their children playing games successfully.

3. What’s the main idea of the passage?

A．Pro gaming isn’t all fun and games.

B．The career as a pro gamer doesn’t last long.

C．Being a pro gamer is a good choice for teenagers.

D．Being a pro gamer is an easy way to make money.

【推荐2】Can plants talk? Modern research has found something amazing: they do communicate with each other.

It has been known for some time that plants use chemicals to communicate with each a other. This happens when a plant gets attacked by insects（被昆虫袭击）. The plant gives out to chemicals from the leaves that are being eaten. This is like warning, or a call for help: “I’m being attacked!” When another plant gets the chemicals, it starts to give out its own; different chemicals. Some of these chemicals drive insects away. Others attract（吸引）the wasps（黄蜂）! Scientists hope to learn more about this plant warning system,so that we can use it to grow more crops.

More surprisingly, plants also use sound to communicate. People can’t hear these sounds; but plants are making them. Some plants make noises with their roots（根）. Corn and chili plants do this. Some trees make clicking noises when there is not enough water.

Most surprisingly of all, plants have an amazing system of communication that can link（联系）nearly every plant in a forest. Scientists call this system the “wood wide web”. The wood wide web is linked underground by fungi（真菌）. It links the roots of different plants to each other. It is in some ways similar to the Internet we use. Using the wood wide web, plants can share information and even food with each other. However, it may lead to bad effects. Plants may use it to steal food from each other, or spread chemicals to attack other plants. Perhaps one day scientist will learn how to create a “firewall” to help prevent these attacks within the wood wide web.

Scientists are learning more every day about the secret ways in which plants talk to each other. Maybe one day we will know enough about plant communicate to be able to “talk” with them ourselves.

1. What will plants do when they are attacked by insects?

A．They will kill the insects by themselves.

B．They will control the wasps to kill the insects.

C．They will send out sounds to ask from help.

D．They will produce chemicals to communicate.

2. How is the wood wide web linked by fungi?

A．By making noises with their roots.

B．By connecting the roots of different plants to each other.

C．By sharing food and information with each other.

D．By spreading chemicals to each other.

3. What is the writer’s purpose of the last paragraph?

A．To give people hope of further studies.

B．To praise scientists for their great achievement.

C．To call on people to protect the plants on Earth.

D．To encourage people to communicate with plants.

4. What is the structure of the passage?

A．

B．

C．

D．

5. Which is the best title for the passage?

A．The Secret Language of Plants	B．The Study on the Plant Warning System
C．The Plants That Give Warnings	D．Why Scientists Do Research on Plants

【推荐1】Now, in the 21st century, there are lots of great inventions.     1     However, while we are enjoying that, we should never forget those who devoted themselves to (献身于) making people's life better in the 20th century.

    2     Like many other famous inventors, they had failed many times. However, they never gave up—even though almost no one was interested in what they were doing. For many times, they risked their lives to test their airplane. Finally, after lots of calculations and improvements, they succeeded.

    3     The invention led to a quanturn leap (飞跃) in human history. From then on, better and safer airplanes have been invented and long flights have become increasingly convenient and comfortable. Round-the-world trips have become a reality. Without the Wright brothers, we might still have to spend days, weeks or even months travelling to distant places today.

The Wright brothers have also inspired generations of people to make great achievements in their own chosen fields. China, for example, had to depend on the West for its large passenger aircraft.     4     With the same adventurous spirit as that of the Wright brothers, Chinese people kept trying and made great progress. Today, China has its own large passenger aircraft. That's an important step forward.

Thanks to the Wright brothers, humans realized the dream of flying. Till today, their experiences still have a great influence on young people.     5     I think they are among the greatest people of the 20^th century.

A．The result of their work shocked the world.

B．In 1903, the Wright brothers invented the airplane.

C．We enjoy a lot of convenience, thanks to the latest technology.

D．Of course, our country didn't want to continue that way forever.

E．They inspired young people to realize their own dreams.

F．Thanks to the Wright brothers, people can go on business by plane.

G．There have been 80 many inventors like the Wright brothers in history.

【推荐2】

Stephen Hawking, the best known physicist(物理学家) of his time, passed away on March 14, 2018.

Hawking was born in Britain in 1942. He was a student at Oxford University. He studied math and science. Then, at the age of twenty, he became sick. He was so young, but the doctors said to his family, “He has only two more years to live.” As a matter of fact, the doctors were wrong—he didn’t die.

Because of his bad health, he was confined(限制) to a wheelchair(轮椅). He couldn’t feed himself and got in or out of bed himself. Even worse, he lost his voice in 1985. He could only talk with the help of a computer.

But he didn’t give in(屈服). He used every new day that life offered(提供) to continue his study. After Oxford, Hawking went to Cambridge University. Three years later, in 1965, he became a doctor of philosophy(哲学博士).

Because it was difficult for Hawking to draw diagrams(图表) or to write, he started to think in pictures. With this new way of thinking, he became one of the most famous scientists in the world.

In 1981, he met the Pope(教皇) in Rome. They talked about his ideas. Then in 1988, he wrote his first important book, A Brief History of Time. It sold more than 5.5 million copies in 33 different languages(语言).

Hawking was a great scientist. His work and story will live on for many years. We will remember him forever!

1. Stephen Hawking died at the age of ________.

A．76

B．78

C．22

D．43

2. The illness stops Hawking from doing many things except ________.

A．walking

B．drawing

C．thinking

D．talking

3. What do you know about the book A Brief History of Time according to the passage?

A．It is about Rome’s history.	B．It is about Stephen’s talk with the Pope in Rome.
C．It is not popular.	D．It is well-known all over the world.

4. The right order of Hawking’s main experience is ________.
a. He became very ill.                                 
b. He wrote his first important book.
c. He met the Pope in Rome.                         
d. He became a doctor of philosophy.

A．c-a-b-d

B．a-d-c-b

C．c-b-a-d

D．a-c-b-d

5. Which of the following is NOT true about Stephen Hawking according to the passage?

A．He once studied in Oxford University.	B．He couldn’t eat by himself after he got sick.
C．He had to stop his study after he got sick.	D．He couldn’t speak as usual later.

【推荐3】Many Chinese know Zhong Nanshan as the hero who beat SARS in 2003. People share his pictures and words online, saying they believe every word Zhong says. He has given Chinese people confidence in winning this fight.

A great doctor

Zhong grew up in a family of doctors. His goal has always been to save as many lives as possible. In 2003, when SARS hit China, he volunteered to treat patients. After months of hard work, his treatment plan for SARS was used by China and then the whole world. It saved thousands of lives. As Zhong once said, “The hospitals are our battlefield (战场). When we’re needed, we should charge forward.”

Back to the front line

17 years later, the 84-year old Zhong is once again leading an expert team to deal with the COVID-19. Although this new virus is more dangerous to old people, Zhong worries little about his own safety.

On Jan. 18, he took a high speed train from Guangzhou to Wuhan. Two days later, he became the first expert to tell the public that the virus could go from person to person. On Jan 29, he and his team spent over four hours online checking five patients. The next day, he chose a treatment plan. Under his lead, his team developed a rapid test kit (试剂盒) for the disease that can show results within 15 minutes.

As People’s Daily wrote, “Zhong Nanshan shows his professionalism (专业性) as a doctor, courage as a soldier, and sense of duty as the backbone (脊梁) of our nation.”

1. The underlined part “charge forward” means “________” in Chinese in the passage.

A．退缩不前

B．甘愿牺牲

C．自我保护

D．冲锋向前

2. What is Zhong's goal?

A．To study serious cases.

B．To save more people.

C．To let the world know more about China.

D．To learn from his parents.

3. What did Zhong say about the COVID-19?

A．He said that the virus could go among humans.

B．He said that it was not serious.

C．He said that it was only dangerous to old people.

D．He said that it could go from animals to humans.

4. How did People’s Daily describe Zhong?
① A professional doctor.
② A clever traveler.
③ The backbone of our nation.
④ A brave soldier.

A．①②③

B．②③④

C．①③④

D．①②④