【推荐1】People with pets at home often think they know a lot about their pets. But that is not the fact.

Most of them often can’t notice it when their pets are nervous.

There is a new study from scientists at the University of California. It finds that dogs are nervous when they hear home noises like the sound from a vacuum. But many pet owners don’t know this.

“Ginny was a very friendly dog. But one day she began to act very strangely. She looked nervous and even stopped eating for a few days,” says Emma Grigg, one of the scientists. “Later, I found it was because of the noises from a smoke detector in another part of the house. When the sound stopped, Ginny became normal soon. Then I thought this was interesting and began to study it.”

The scientists asked 368 dog owners about their pets’ reactions to daily home sounds. They also watched many videos online. They found that high-frequency noises like the noises from a smoke detector can make dogs nervous more easily than low-frequency noises like the noises from a vacuum. “Dogs are different in their sensitivity to noises, so not every dog is afraid of these noises,” says Emma Grigg.

Scientists think that cats may also be afraid of some home noises. But that’s another future study. Now they only hope the study on dogs will help owners know more about what home noises would do to their dogs. So they can do something to help with the problem.

1. What can we learn from Paragraph 1?

A．Keeping pets at home is good.	B．Pet owners often get nervous.
C．More and more people keep pets.	D．People don’t know everything about their pets.

2. What does “normal” in the Paragraph 3 mean?

A．Friendly.

B．Usual.

C．Afraid.

D．Careful.

3. How did the scientists do the study?
①By putting pets in different places.
②By watching videos.
③By asking pet owners.
④By studying pets’ sensitivity to smoke.

A．①③

B．②④

C．②③

D．①④

4. What is the purpose of the study on dogs?

A．To reduce the influence that home noises have on people.

B．To help pet owners get along well with their pets.

C．To make dogs not be afraid of home noises.

D．To solve the problem with keeping cats.

【推荐2】根据短文内容，选择适当的选项补全短文。

Can dolphins(海豚) talk? Maybe they can’t talk with words, but they can talk with sounds (声音).     1     They are mammals (哺乳动物), but they swim together in a group.

Dolphins talk to the other dolphins in a group. They give information.     2     They say “Welcome” when a dolphin comes back to the group. They talk when they play.

They make a few sounds above water.     3     People cannot hear these sounds because their pitch(音调) is very high. Scientists make tapes of the sounds and study them.

Sometimes people catch a dolphin for a big aquarium. (An aquarium is a zoo for fish.). People can watch the dolphins in a show. Dolphins don’t like to be away from their group to be in an aquarium. They are sad and they miss their group.

There are many stories about dolphins. They help people.     4     Dolphin meat is good, but people don’t like to kill them. They say that dolphins can bring good luck to them. Many people believe this.

A．They tell when they feel happy or sad or afraid.

B．Sometimes they save somebody’s life.

C．They make many sounds under water.

D．They also show their feelings with sounds.

【推荐3】In China, writing brushes, ink sticks, paper and ink tones are called the Four Treasures of Study. Among the high-quality treasures, the writing brush produced in Huizhou, the ink stick produced in Huizhou, the xuan paper made in Xuancheng and the ink stone made in Duanxi are the best-known.

The writing brushes can be used to draw the pictures on painted potteries(陶器). They are mainly made of the hair of animals. Those made of wool are called yanghao and those made of the weasel’s(鼬) tail hair are called langhao. Their artistic effects in writing and painting cannot be copied by any other pens.

The ink stick is the pigment used in writing and painting. The ink stick produced in Huizhou is of high quality. A story goes like this: Two famous skilled men Xi Chao and his son produced a kind of high-quality ink stick. As a result, the Emperor Li Yu in the Southern Tang Dynasty agreed to give them the family name “Li”. From then on, the fame of the Li Ink Stick was widespread. In the Song Dynasty, its producing area was changed into Huizhou, and it was then called the Hui Ink Stick.

Paper is among the four great inventions in ancient China. The famous xuan paper appeared in the Sui and Tang dynasties. In Xuanzhou, Anhui Province where the xuan paper is produced, it’s said that Cai Lun’s pupil Kong Dan took the job of producing paper but failed to make perfect white paper. Later he happened to see the ebony(黑檀) in the rivers. It was wet with the water and turned white. Then he used the bark to produce the world-famous xuan paper.

The ink stone was already very popular in the Han Dynasty. The Ming and Qing dynasties saw the appearance of the Four Famous Ink Stones-Duan Ink Stone. She Ink Stone, Tao Ink Stone and Chengni Ink Stone. They can not only be used in writing and painting but also for admiration.

1. What are the writing brushes mainly made of?

A．The pigment.

B．The animals’ tails.

C．The bark.

D．The hair of animals.

2. Why did Xi Chao and his son get the family name from the Emperor Li Yu?

A．Because they produced a kind of high-quality ink stick.

B．Because the fame of the ink stick was widespread.

C．Because its producing area was changed into Huizhou.

D．Because Xi Chao was the relative of the Emperor Li Yu.

3. How did Kong Dan find the way to make the famous xuan paper by accident?

A．He took the job of producing paper.

B．He appeared in Xuanzhou, Anhui Province.

C．He happened to see the ebony in the rivers and used the bark to produce the famous ruan paper.

D．He was Cai Lun’s pupil at that time.

4. When did the Four Famous Ink Stones appear?

A．The Ming and Qing dynasties.	B．The Han Dynasty.
C．The Sui and Tang dynasties.	D．The Song Dynasty.

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

A．The History of Potteries	B．The History of the Four Treasures of Study
C．The History of the Four Famous Ink Stones	D．The History of Xuan Paper

【推荐1】If you really want to see that number on weight loss, what you put in your mouth matters most. People who simply cut calories to lose weight lose about 2 pounds a week, says a study in the International Journal of Obesity and Related Metabolic Disorders. At the same time, people who exercise but don't cut calories drop less than half a pound each week

Why doesn't the physical activity produce the same pound-dropping results as calories cut? One thought is that though exercise burns calories, it doesn't increase your metabolism (新陈代谢), says a study in Obesity Reviews. It doesn't prevent your metabolism from slowing as you lose pounds. As you slim down - through any method - your metabolism slows with your weight loss and exercising doesn't keep that from happening. As you lose weight, you burn fewer calories through exercise. For example, a 150-pound person who exercises for 30 minutes burns about 306 calories. After losing 10 pounds, that person will burn about 286 calories doing the same exercise. So to burn 306 calories, you need to extend (扩大) your exercise.

A research shows people who diet and exercise for weight loss drop the same amount of weight as people who have a balanced diet. They are, however, more successful keeping the weight off than their counterparts (相当的人) who simply eat less.

1. What does the underlined sentence mean?

A．If you want to put on weight, you should eat more.

B．If you want to lose weight, you should eat more.

C．If you want to lose weight, you should have a balance diet.

D．If you want to lose weight, you should exercise more.

2. Why can't the physical activity help people lose the same weight as calories cut?

A．Because it doesn't increase metabolism.	B．Because it doesn't burn calories.
C．Because it burns less calories than calories cut.	D．Because calories cut slows metabolism.

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

A．The physical activity is the most useful to lose weight.

B．As you lose weight, you burn more calories through exercise.

C．Doing exercises has the same effect with diet.

D．People who exercise but don't cut calories will lose less weight.

4. What's the main idea of this passage?

A．How to lose weight.

B．How to diet.

C．People who like sports can easily lose weight.

D．People who have a balanced diet can lose weight easily.

【推荐2】Many Americans go to work five days a week. American students go to school five days a week, too, so they usually have a two-day weekend. The weekend is Saturday and Sunday. At the weekend people spend their time in many different ways. Sometimes they go shopping. Sometimes they go for a drive. Sometimes they visit friends. Many families enjoy weekends together.
Many American families do some sports at the weekend. For example (例如), in summer, they enjoy swimming and biking. In autumn, they prefer (更喜欢) playing volleyball and tennis. In winter, they go skating and skiing(滑雪). In spring, they like sightseeing(观光)and hiking(徒步旅行). How happy they are! Do you have an enjoyable weekend?
1. How many days do many Americans go to work a week?

A．Five days.	B．Six days.
C．Seven days.	D．Four days.

2. How do Americans spend their weekends?

A．In the same way.	B．In two ways.
C．In three ways.	D．In many different ways.

3. What sports do many Americans do in summer?

A．Swimming and biking.

B．Playing volleyball and tennis.

C．Skating and skiing.

D．Sightseeing and hiking.

4. Which sentence is NOT right?

A．American schools are open five days a week.

B．People often play volleyball and tennis in autumn.

C．In America, the weekend is Sunday.

D．Many American families enjoy weekends together.

【推荐3】

Australian Great Barrier Reef -- a great collection of thousands of smaller coral(珊瑚) reefs, is the world’s largest reef system. It is over 2,600 kilometers long. It goes from the northern tip of Queensland to the state’s southern city of Bundaberg -- was given World Heritage(世界遗产) status in 1981. The UN says it is the “most biodiverse” (物种最为多样性)of all the World Heritage sites, and of “great scientific importance”.

The reef is home to many animals: fish, birds, turtles, sharks and even whales. Unfortunately, the reef that all these animals call home is in danger.

Climate (气候) change, overfishing, Epical storms and water pollution are damaging (损害)the reef every year. Coral reef experts at Australian universities say that if we do nothing to stop it, the coral reef could be destroyed(摧毁)before the year 2030.

Everyday things like driving cars, using electricity and running a factory give out greenhouse gases into the air. These gases make Earth warmer and warmer. This is a problem for the Great Barrier Reef and other reefs around the world.

Coral is very fragile, and even a 2-degree increase in water temperature is enough to kill it, according to Ove Hoegh-Guldberg reef researcher at the University of Queensland, Australia. Therefore, if the water temperature doesn’t go down, the coral dies. But it’s not only the coral that’s in danger. One quarter of all sea life lives on coral reefs.

If air pollution is not slowed down or stopped, then the water will warm by at least 3 degrees in the next 20 years, according to reef experts in a report from University of Queensland. This would spell the end for the Great Barrier Reef and all its sea life.

1. Which of the following can destroy the Great Barrier Reef?
a. sea animals            b. global warming        c. overfishing       d. water pollution

A．abc

B．acd

C．bcd

2. In the article, Ove Hoegh-Guldberg told us that ________.

A．the coral reef will be destroyed before 2030

B．rising water temperatures could kill the coral

C．other sea animals living in coral reefs are also in danger

3. The underlined word “fragile” probably means ________.

A．珍贵的

B．脆弱的

C．纤细的

4. Which of the following statements is NOT TRUE?

A．The world’s largest reef system is nearly 2,600 kilometers long.

B．There are fish, birds, turtles, sharks and even whales living on coral reefs.

C．According to the reef researcher’s opinion, coral may have been in danger now.

5. The passage mainly tells us that ________.

A．coral can easily get used to changes

B．Australia’s Great Barrier Reef is in great danger

C．all sea animals will die along with the Great Barrier