【推荐1】

Since May 8, Boston Dynamics^’ dog-like robot, Spot, has been in use at Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park in Singapore to help encourage social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic (新冠肺炎疫情) according to a report in the South China Morning Post.

Singapore^’s government is funding the experiment of the robotic dog, which will last for two weeks at the park during off-peak(非高峰的) hours.

“The robot isn^’t enforcing (强制 ). It^’s just giving people information and encouraging them, ”Boston Dynamics founder Marc Raibert told CNBC. “When Spot is patrolling(巡逻)the area, there^’s a parks officer nearby who can do whatever enforcement he decides is suitable. ”

Cameras fixed on Spot will scan the surroundings and help officers work out the number of visitors in the park, but they cannot read faces and won^’t collect any personal information. It also carries a loudspeaker to broadcast a pre-recorded message to remind visitors of the importance of social distancing.

Without enough manpower, Singapore is turning to robotics to reduce the manpower required for park patrols and remind people about the risks they may be putting themselves and others in.

The question, however, is whether their use of Spot will be a good tool or will or only attract more people to it instead.

If the two-week experiment proves successful, the government will consider using Spot at the park during peak hours. Singapore will also do studies to see if it^’s worth using other Spots in other parks. Already, Singapore engineers are trying to improve Spot, making it tell if people are together in a group or strangers passing on the grass.

No one knows if Spot will stay after the pandemic is gone, but one thing is for sure: the robot is the hardest working dog in the world.

1. Why is Spot used at Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park?

A．To draw visitors’ attention to it.	B．To help encourage social distancing.
C．To read and record visitors’ faces.	D．To help collect private information.

2. The underlined word “they” in Paragraph 4 refers to(指的是)________ .

A．visitors

B．strangers

C．cameras

D．officers

3. What can we learn from the last 3 paragraphs?

A．The experiment is still in progress.	B．The use of Spot proves to be a good tool.
C．Spot will stay after the pandemic is over.	D．Singapore will no longer need other Spot robots.

4. According to the passage, which of the following is TRUE?

A．Spot scares people into keeping a distance in public.

B．Spot patrols the park for two weeks during peak hours.

C．Spot can tell people together in a group from strangers passing by.

D．The parks officer nearby decides on the enforcement instead of Spot.

【推荐3】
1. Delegates from nearly 200 countries have spent the past two weeks in Warsaw, Poland. More than 9,000 representatives gathered for a United Nations conference on climate change. Organizers called the meeting to work toward a treaty to fight rising temperatures on our planet. The treaty would be signed in 2015 and take effect after 2020.
2. It doesn’t matter whether you play a guitar, a piano, a horn, or a drum. And what kind of music you play is not important. Just play it! It will do good things for your body. The research at Northwestern University shows that playing a musical instrument is good for your brain. And although our ears may not work well as we age, the brain remembers how to "Iock onto" the important sounds. And that helps us to hear better.
3. Powerful, intense fires have been burning out of control in parts of the western United States. In a new report, scientists are predicting more and bigger wildfires over bigger areas and for longer periods in the western United States. Scientists at Harvard University in Massachusetts looked at past weather conditions and wildfires to find out why. Atmospheric chemist Loretta Mickley is a researcher and helped to organize a new study. She says high temperatures and rainfall in other years can create the conditions for large fires.
4. The western state of California is known for wildfires. This year the fire season has been extremely active. California has some of the most experienced firefighters in the country because of its high risk of fire. Prisoners who have no history of violent crime and are in good physical condition may train and work as firefighters. They may get their prison sentences reduced in exchange for their help fighting fires. But that is not the only appeal of the work program, says Louie Orozco, who was sentenced to prison for robbery.
5. Americans have been volunteering to make a difference around the world through the Peace Corps for more than 50 years. A community development program for the United States began 20 years ago. Its name is AmeriCorps. And now, another volunteer effort is making a difference in people’s lives with music.
阅读以上5段材料，然后与下面各标题相匹配，并将其标号填入题前括号内。

A．Working to fight climate change

B．Rising temperatures could mean more wildfires

C．Prisoners in California help fight wildfires

D．Music and the human brain

E．Volunteers bring music to those in need

【推荐1】①Did you hear of China’s Tiangong space station? How much do you know about the lives of astronauts working in the space station? Come along and find out!

②For astronauts in space, exercise is important. The environment is very different in space. Doing sports helps astronauts stay healthy. How do they exercise? There is a spin bike (健身车), a treadmill (跑步机), and other fitness equipment (设备) in the space station. The equipment makes it easy for astronauts to work out.

③Astronauts live in a weightless environment, so they can’t take showers like we do on the earth. Is there a bathroom in the space station? How do they keep themselves clean? Don’t worry! Tiangong has a special bathroom. Astronauts can wipe themselves clean with a wet towel (毛巾) .

④What do astronauts eat in the space station? There is bread and porridge for breakfast. There are also traditional Chinese dishes, like Kung Pao Chicken, fried rice and fried noodles with sliced pork. There is a special “fridge” to store the food. It’s made of “aerogel (气凝胶) ”. The food stays cool in it.

⑤What if astronauts miss their families? There is special communication equipment in the space station. Astronauts can have personal “sky-to-earth” calls with their families. Usually, the astronauts wear earphones. It not only helps them talk with each other, but also allows them to talk to the ground from any position (位置) .

⑥What do you think of the lives of the astronauts?

1. In Paragraph 1, the writer leads into the topic by ________.

A．using sayings	B．listing numbers
C．asking questions	D．giving examples

2. Which of the following is TRUE from the text?

A．Astronauts hardly exercise in the space station.

B．Astronauts use dry towels to clean their bodies.

C．Nothing delicious is available in the space station.

D．It’s easy for astronauts to talk with their families.

3. What’s the main purpose of the text?

A．To tell the lives of the astronauts in space.

B．To describe the difficulties of living in space.

C．To invite people to travel to the space station.

D．To introduce China’s Tiangong space station.

4. Which of the following best shows the structure of the text?

A．	B．
C．	D．

【推荐2】The second live class from China’s space station was held on the afternoon of Mar. 23, delivered by Shenzhou-13 crew (机组) members Zhai Zhigang, Wang Yaping and Ye Guangfu to students on Earth. Wang performed several scientific experiments. In one experiment, Wang used a toy of Bing Dwen Dwen, the popular mascot of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, to show how objects fly in a weightless (失重的) environment. They also showed students two pieces of cutting-edge scientific equipment inside the space station. Hundreds of students in Beijing, Lhasa and Urumqi watched the event.

Before ending the class, the astronauts answered questions taken from members of the public and raised by students. The questions covered different facets of life and work in space, such as how to take care of their skin, whether hot water is available, if the moon looks different from the Tiangong station, and how tears move in a microgravitational (微重力) environment.

Pang Zhihao, a retired spaceflight researcher from the China Academy of Space Technology and writer of several space-themed books, said the class will be an “eye-opener” for youngsters, especially students, by implanting (植入) the love of science and creativity in them. “Many well-known scientists were created by their interest and curiosity about ‘strange things’. The experiments done by the astronauts will put ‘question marks’ in our students’ mind, and the youngsters will then move to find answers and explore (探索) more places unknown to humankind,” he said.

1. What questions did the students not ask in the event?

A．Whether cold water is available.

B．How to take care of crew members’ skin.

C．If the moon looks different from the Tiangong station.

D．How tears move in a microgravitational environment.

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

A．faces.

B．parts.

C．problems.

D．questions.

3. Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

A．Pang Zhihao is one of Shenzhou-13 crew members.

B．Thousands of students in Beijing, Lhasa and Urumqi watched the event.

C．Students raised questions for crew members about how to take care of their eyes.

D．Shenzhou-13 crew members showed students two pieces of cutting edge scientific equipment.

4. What does Pang Zhihao think of the class from China’s space station?

A．It will encourage students to be astronauts.

B．It was held for students in Beijing, Lhasa and Wuhan.

C．It can implant the love of science and creativity in students.

D．It will be an “eye-opener” for youngsters, especially teenagers.

5. What is the theme of the passage?

A．Space.

B．Culture.

C．Sports.

D．Nature.

【推荐3】At around 3:40 pm on December 9, astronauts of the Shenzhou XIII spaceship, Zhai Zhigang, Wang Yaping and Ye Guangfu, appeared on screens with the space and ground signals (信号) connected. “Welcome to Tiangkong class!”, millions of students heard the voices from the Chinese space station. The first lecture of “Tiangong class” started.

The ground main classroom was in China Science and Technology Museum, and there were other ground classrooms in Nanning, Wenchuan, Hong Kong and Macao. The lecture was made through video calls. The three teachers left no stone unturned for this lecture. They made many preparations, and it was very successful.

The three astronauts showed viewers how they live and work inside the space station. Wang Yaping showed students what astronauts need for their daily life in space. They also did some interesting experiments. “Water ball” drew students’ attention, and they felt it was unbelievable. Before the end of the lecture, they answered questions from the young viewers.

Millions of primary and middle school students across China watched the 60-minute lecture on television or the Internet. Many students said they couldn’t wait to have their next space lecture. It was the first lecture of the Tiangong Class, and more lectures will be given by Chinese astronauts in the future. It will surely encourage young people to dream about space, study science and find out the unknown.

1. Where did the three astronauts give the lecture?

A．In a middle school in Nanning.	B．In the Shenzhou XIII spaceship.
C．In the Chinese space station.	D．In China Science and Technology Museum.

2. What does the underlined part “left no stone unturned” mean in Chinese?

A．想尽办法

B．无计可施

C．寻根究底

D．无动于衷

3. What can we learn about the lecture?

A．It ended at around 17:40.	B．It showed the beauty of space.
C．It was welcomed by many students.	D．It invited more teachers to give lectures.

4. What does the writer think about the Tiangong Class?

A．Interesting.

B．Traditional.

C．Famous.

D．Meaningful.

5. What’s the best title for the text?

A．Life in the Chinese space station	B．Chinese astronauts’ lecture from space
C．Experiments by the Chinese astronauts	D．Astronauts of the Shenzhou XIII spaceship