【推荐1】Can you take photos in the air? Is there a shoe that can help you run faster? Would you like to have a robot that talks to you like a human? These inventions（发明）are real.     1     They also make life easier and more interesting.

Want to learn more about these inventions? Let’s take a look.

Photo-taking drone（无人机）

Spark is a camera drone. It can fly above your head and take photos. A Chinese company called DJI made it. It is as small as a can of soda. Like other drones, you can control it with a remote control（遥控器）.     2     This is the coolest part. Put your hand close to your face. Spark is ready to take a photo of you. Then, put your hand down.     3     With hand gestures, taking photos is so easy.

Social robot

This little robot has a big, round head and a chubby（圆嘟嘟）body. Does it look like a cartoon character? It is Jibo, a “family robot”. US company Jibo Inc made it. Jibo almost seems alive. When you say, ”Hey, Jibo,” it dances and turns to face you. When it talks, it moves its head and body. There are no eyes or mouth on Jibo’s face. It can do simple things, such as taking photos and reading the news now.     4    

Perfect shoe

When you wear this pair of shoes, you can run faster and jump higher. The key is the sole（鞋底）of the shoe. It is 3D printed. Every millimeter（毫米）of the shoe’s sole can be checked during printing. If there is something wrong with the sole, it can be changed immediately.     5     Wearers can make their own soles. They can decide the size and shape of the sole.

根据材料内容, 从下面五个选项中选出能填入文中空缺处的最佳选项, 使文章意思通顺、内容完整。

A．It takes about two hours to print one sole.

B．They are super cool and fun.

C．But you can also control it with hand gestures.

D．But it might learn to do more in the future.

E．After a few seconds, the photo is taken.

【推荐2】What makes smartphones fun and useful? There are many apps that you can use for work and play. Check out some of them here.

Dawn Chorus—Android/IOS	There’s something beautiful about waking up to the sounds of nature. The app Dawn Chorus brings the sound of nature to your mornings. You can start your day with the sweet sounds of birds.
Vocabulary. com IOS	If you are looking to improve your English language skills, vocabulary has something to offer. Vocabulary. com is more than just a dictionary. It also has a word learning system, which helps you to learn words through a fun game.
Prisma Android/ IOS	Are you a fan of art? Here’s an app created just for you. Prisma is a photo-editing app unlike any other. The photo filters (滤镜) on the app can make your pictures look like works of art. Let your imagination go wild!
Productive IOS	There is some truth to the saying “old habits die hard”. But what about new habits? Sometimes new habits are just as difficult to start up and keep. If you’re having trouble trying to get into a new habit, then Productive might help you.

1. How many apps can you get on ios according to the passage?

A．One.

B．Two.

C．Three.

D．Four.

2. If you want to improve your English, which app will you choose?

A．Vocabulary.

B．Dawn Chorus.

C．Prisma.

D．Productive.

3. The text is probably from the column (栏目) of in a newspaper?

A．Travel.

B．Technology.

C．Advertisement.

D．School life.

【推荐3】

There are many useful inventions in the world.

Have you ever wished to have an umbrella that makes your hands free? Alan Kaufman has thought up the “Nubrella”, which means “new”＋“umbrella”. It is the first truly hands-free umbrella in the world. The inventor says that it stops rain, wind and snow and can keep your head, face and hair dry.

“I never planned to invent a product. I just noticed a problem and thought up a solution,” said the inventor. The idea for the invention began on one rainy day. Mr. Kaufman was standing in one of his stores. He began to look at people’s umbrellas. He found that they had to try very hard to keep their umbrellas in the right place. At that moment an idea came into his mind. He ran to his desk and drew a picture. In this way, the Nubrella was born.

One cool feature of the Nubrella is that you don’t hold it like a usual umbrella, you wear it. The shoulder straps(肩带) of the Nubrella allow people to be fully hands-free, so when walking in the rain with the Nubrella, you are able to use your cellphone or drink a hot cup of coffee. Also, the Nubrella will never be inverted(颠倒) in the wind. The new umbrella is far safer than traditional ones, because it has no sharp points.

1. “Nubrella” is a kind of ________ umbrella.

A．traditional

B．hands-free

C．paper

2. How can you use the “Nubrella”?

A．You can wear the shoulder straps of the Nubrella.

B．You can put the Nubrella on your head.

C．You can use your hands to control it.

3. Which of the following is NOT right?

A．“Nubrella” means “new” + “umbrella”.

B．The idea of the new umbrella came from the rainy day.

C．If you go out with the Nubrella in the rain, you’d better drink a hot cup of coffee.

4. In writing this passage, the writer mainly intends(意图) to ________.

A．introduce this new kind of umbrella to people who are selling umbrellas

B．tell the readers about a great inventor named Alan Kaufman

C．tell the readers about a new invention that is very useful

【推荐1】请阅读下面短文，从每小题所给的A、B、C三个选项中，选出一个最佳选项。

Every year, on the second Saturday in September, people celebrate World First Aid Day (世界急救日). It’s a day to remind us how important first aid is. This year’s theme is “First Aid in the Digital World”. Technology not only makes our lives more convenient, but also helps to save lives. Let’s look at some technological inventions that are helping save lives.

Smart app If someone needs first aid, even if you call a hospital straight away, you may need to wait a while. There is often traffic on the roads. Some people in the US made an app called PulsePoint. It invites common people trained in CPR (心肺复苏术) to use it. If someone needs first aid nearby, the users will get a message asking them to help.
Magic gel The gel (凝胶) called Vetigel is magic! It can stop someone from bleeding in just 10 seconds. The gel is made from plants. It was invented more than 10 years ago but was only allowed to be used on animals. Now in the US, it has been allowed to be used on humans, too. And the person from the US was only 17 years old when he invented it!
Flying aid If people get injured or need help in hard-to-reach areas, drones (无人机) can be of great use. Because they can fly, drones can often offer help faster than people. And they can also make people safer for those who work in dangerous conditions. They can also carry useful things to save us time.

1. “First Aid in the Digital World” was chosen as the theme because ________.

A．technology is everywhere these days

B．we can use technology to offer help faster

C．technology makes our lives more comfortable

2. If Mr. Green has a heart attack (心脏病发作) in a mall, ________ will be the best choice to save him.

A．the smart app

B．the magic gel

C．the flying aid

3. As for the magic gel, ________.

A．its inventor is only 17 years old now

B．it isn’t allowed to be used on humans now

C．it takes less than 10 seconds to help stop bleeding

4. The flying aid makes it easier for people to help those who are ________.

A．in hospital

B．in a crowded place

C．in hard-to-reach areas

5. The three inventions above ________.

A．remind us of the importance of first aid

B．need to be improved as soon as possible

C．help people who have sudden health problems

【推荐2】A scientist goes to a forest to study monkeys. He or she wants to study their habits and behavior. But the problem is: how to know who’s who?

In the past, scientists had to make marks or each of the animals to distinguish (分辨) them. But in the future, they may have a much easier way to tell them apart thanks to facial recognition technology.

A research team from China’s Northwest University is using facial recognition technology to identify (识别) thousands of snub-nosed monkeys (金丝猴) that live on Qinling Mountain in Shaanxi province.

To human facial recognition, the technology that is used to identify monkeys uses their facial features to create a database (数据库) that includes every monkey, Xinhua reported.

“When the system is fully developed, we can connect it with cameras set up in the mountains. The system will automatically (自动地) recognize the monkeys, name them and analyze (分析) their behavior,” said Zhang He, a member of the research team.

“For each snub nosed monkey, we have 700 to 800 image samples (样本), and the recognition success rate is 94 percent,” Zhang added.

Compared with facial recognition technology for humans, facial recognition technology for monkeys is more complicated (复杂的) because monkeys have hairier faces. The color of their hair causes them to blend (融入) into their environment. These factors make it harder for computers to do the job.

“Monkeys do not cooperate (合作) with researchers in the same way humans do. It is difficult to take high quality pictures and videos of them, which are needed to improve the system,” said Li Baoguo, leader of the research team.

Currently, there are about 4,000 snub nosed monkeys living on Qinling Mountain. The team’s goal is to successfully identify every monkey that lives there.

1. What does “these factors” in Paragraph 7 refer to?
a. image samples       b. hairy faces c. hair color d. the environment

A．ab

B．ac

C．bc

D．bd

2. Which of the following is TRUE about facial recognition technology for monkeys?

A．It needs to be connected to cameras to work.

B．It works better than human facial recognition.

C．It was developed by a research team in Shanxi province.

D．It requires a database of about 700 to 800 pictures monkeys.

3. According to Li Baoguo, the system ________.

A．has been fully developed

B．has a high recognition success rate

C．is similar to human facial recognition

D．needs high quality pictures to improve

4. What is the passage mainly about?

A．A scientific study of snub-nosed monkeys on Qinling Mountain.

B．The use of facial recognition technology for studying monkeys.

C．The difficulties of using facial recognition technology for monkeys.

D．Different ways to identify snub-nosed monkeys on Qinling Mountain.