【推荐2】Sleep is important to teenagers because it plays an important role in their physical and mental development. So how many hours of sleep does a teenager need?

Age group	Age range	Recommended hours of sleep every 24 hours
School age	6—12 years	9—12 hours
Teen	13—18 years	8—10 hours
Adult	over 18 years old	7 hours or more

A recent report shows that many teenagers in America are not getting the recommended amount of sleep. Here are the results.

Why is it hard for teens to get good sleep? There is no single reason. Instead, several factors (因素) relate to this problem. One of them is late bedtime and early school start times. Now, more and more teenagers are developing a habit of being “a night owl”, staying up later at night and sleeping longer into the morning. If allowed to sleep as they wish, many teens would get eight hours or more a night, but most school start times require them to wake up much earlier in the morning.

The use of electronic devices (设备) like the smartphone and computer is another factor. Research has found that 89% or more of teens keep at least one device in their bedroom at night. Screen time late into the evening can cause sleep problems. Using these devices can keep teens excited and unable to fall asleep. And being in the light from smartphones also makes people feel less sleepy.

So teens should improve their sleep environment and habits to get better sleep. Here are some tips.

◆ Get eight hours of sleep a night on weekdays and weekends.

◆Put away electronic devices at least half an hour before bed. ★

◆Keep the bedroom cool, dark and quiet.

1. How many hours should 11-year-old Lucy sleep each night?

A．7 hours or more.

B．8—10 hours.

C．9—12 hours.

D．13—18 hours.

2. What can we learn from the results of that report?

A．70% of high school boys can get enough sleep.

B．40% of middle school students don’t sleep well.

C．3 out of 10 high schoolers cannot get enough sleep.

D．6 out of 10 middle schoolers do not get enough sleep.

3. What does the underlined part “a night owl” probably mean?

A．A person who stays up late.	B．A person who likes studying animals.
C．A person who enjoys night views.	D．A person who lives in the wild.

4. Which of the following can be put in ________?

A．Reply quickly to unread messages.

B．Keep them on silent mode during the night.

C．Do some activities before bed to relax your body.

D．Avoid coffee, especially in the afternoon and evening.

5. The main purpose of this passage is to ________.

A．call on people to pay attention to teenagers’ sleep

B．tell something about American teenagers’ sleep

C．show how smartphones influence the teenagers’ sleep

D．give the reason why teenagers go to bed late

【推荐3】Maybe you should sit down before you read this. You might feel afraid that your sitting may be killing you.

Health researchers say in the US, adults (成年人) now sit about 6.5 hours a day. That is up about an hour a day compared to 2007. The news is even worse for middle school students. The National Center for Health Statistics collected the numbers for the past 16 years and found that students sit 8 hours each day. The researchers are worried about this finding.

Too much sitting has bad effect (影响) on people. Study shows that people who do not often do outdoor sports can get ill more easily. People burn (燃烧) fewer calories (卡路里) so that they put on too much fat. They might even get serious illness such as heart problems. They are also at risk for high blood pressure (血压).

What do people do in the free time? About 60% of people in the US watch at least two hours of TV each day. That number doesn’t change much these years.

Computers are the biggest reason for more hours spent sitting. Computer use outside of work or school is going up for all age groups. Now, 50% of adults spend at least an hour of their free time on a computer each day. That is up from 29% in 2020. About 53% of middle school students now spend at least an hour of free time on computers. So do 56% of little children.

Standing up and doing sports help in lots of ways. It can burn more calories, make you happier and give you more energy (能量). It can also help you sleep better. So get up, take some breaks and go outside. You might save your life by doing outdoor activities. There are many choices for you.

1. The writer tells us that ________ is the biggest reason for more hours spent sitting.

A．the computer

B．the TV

C．the mobile phone

D．the paper book

2. What do you know about middle school students from the passage?

A．Middle school students sit about 6.5 hours a day.

B．Middle school students spend 8 hours sitting each day.

C．About 53% of the students do outdoor activities each day.

D．50% of the students spend at least an hour on a computer a day.

3. What is the passage mainly about?

A．What to do to burn more calories.	B．The disadvantages of using computers.
C．The cause and effect of too much sitting.	D．How to solve the problem of too much sitting.

4. What will the writer probably write next?

A．Some health problems.	B．Some outdoor activities.
C．Several examples of sleeping well.	D．The importance of getting more energy.

【推荐1】Last month I took part in(参加) an underwater research project in an area of the Gulf of Mexico (墨西哥湾) called the Flower Gardens. A team of researchers (研究者) were trying to learn more about the fish living in this part of the sea.

The team used a piece of underwater equipment (设备) called ROV to collect information. This underwater equipment is called a Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV). The ROV could tell people the water temperature and how deep it is. It also had a camera that sent videos back to the boat. It was controlled by a computer on the boat, and I was allowed to use it a few times.

However, the thing I enjoyed most was diving (潜水) into the water. At first, I was quite frightened —mainly because I couldn’t see any land. But as soon as I jumped into the water, I wasn’t afraid anymore. It was amazing to see the colorful fish swimming around and I could see all the ways to the Flower Gardens.

I will never forget the Flower Gardens. The trip was like a holiday, but I also learnt new things about science and research projects. The team was very friendly and everyone was happy to explain what they knew about the sea. It made me think about my job in the future. The experience will help me work harder to become a scientist.

1. What can we know about the ROV?

A．It is expensive.

B．It is not easy to control.

C．It can’t tell us the temperature of the water.

D．It can record what is happening under the water.

2. The underlined word “frightened” in Paragraph 3 means_______.

A．严肃的

B．神秘的

C．害怕的

D．骄傲的

3. What does the writer want to be in the future?

A．A pilot.

B．A scientist.

C．A teacher.

D．A doctor.

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

A．The researchers taught the writer a lot.

B．Only a few people know the Flower Gardens.

C．The writer doesn’t want to try diving anymore.

D．The writer didn’t see fish around the Flower Gardens.

5. The writer writes the passage to ________.

A．give advice on understanding difficult science problems

B．explain how to choose a meaningful science project

C．ask others to do scientific research themselves

D．describe the experience he had in a science project

【推荐3】Miguel finally sees Dad. He’s just back from a working trip. “How’s your chess game, Miguel?”

“Mrs. Lambert says I’m the best chess player in the school! She says you teach me well.”

“We’ll play after dinner,” Dad says.

At night, Miguel wants to help Dad clean out his suitcase (手提箱). “Wait, Miguel. I’ll take my next trip next morning.” “Oh, Dad!” Miguel cries. “But you just got here!” Miguel eyes the suitcase. When he was little, he got into the suitcase, thinking Dad could take him to work as well. Sometimes Dad traveled really far and it was day there when it was night for Miguel. They couldn’t even talk by phone.

“I’ll miss you,” Dad says. He then pets a box from his suitcase and hands it to Miguel.

Miguel opens it. A beautiful chess set!

“Thank you, Dad!” Miguel cries. “It’s so nice!”

It’s an exciting game of chess. When Miguel’s bedtime comes, it’s still not over. “Keep it. We’ll continue the game when we meet again, OK?” says Dad.

Miguel carefully takes the chessboard to his bedroom. He looks at it, wishing the game could continue.

“Oh, that’ll be a great idea!”

The next morning, when Miguel wakes up, Dad’s gone. After studying the chess board for a minute, Miguel calls Dad and leaves a message: “Dad, it’s me…”

1. Why did Miguel get into Dad’s suitcase when he was little?

A．To stay with Dad.	B．To clean out the suitcase.
C．To stop Dad working.	D．To get a box from the suitcase.

2. What gift did Miguel get from his father?

A．

B．

C．

D．

3. What might Miguel talk about in his message?

A．Why he likes playing chess.	B．Where he will meet Dad again.
C．What he plans to do at school today.	D．How he will play the chess game next.

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

A．A Special Chess Game	B．Miguel’s Little Suitcase
C．Dad’s Important Message	D．An Exciting Working Trip

【推荐1】I’m my mother’s third girl. When I was born, the doctor gently explained to my mother that my left arm was missing, below the elbow (肘). Then she gave her some advice, “Don’t treat her any differently from others.” And she did.

There are five girls in my family, and we all had to help out. Once when I was about seven, I came out of the kitchen, “Mum, I can’t peel potatoes. I only have one hand.” “Get back to peel these potatoes, and don’t ever use that as an excuse for anything again!”

Of course I could peel potatoes—with my good hand and my other arm. “Jenny, if you try hard,” she said, “you can do anything.”

Once in the second grade, our teacher had each of us race across the monkey bar (攀爬架).

When it was my turn, I said no. Some kids laughed. I went home crying.

The next afternoon Mum took me back to the school playground. “Now, pull up with your right arm.” She advised. She praised me when I made progress. I’ll never forget when I was crossing the bar, the kids were standing there with their mouths open.

It was the way with everything. Mum had the courage to face anything. And she taught me I could, too.

Judge the following sentences true (T) or false (F) according to the passage.
1. The writer has four other sisters in her family.
2. The doctor’s advice means that the mum should treat the writer differently because her right arm is missing.
3. The writer’s mum peeled the potatoes at last.
4. Mum took the writer back to the school playground the next morning and asked her to try one more time.
5. From the passage, we know that Mum encourage her daughter to face anything bravely just like her.

【推荐2】China’s New Voice
Three months ago,Liang Bo was just a student who was studying music in the college. Now he becomes “ The Voice of China”. The lucky young man is the winner of The Voice of China, the most popular TV show this summer. People think Liang’s voice is natural, clear and touching.
The 21-year-old boy was born in Changchun, Jilin. Like many other young Chinese, he fell in love with music by playing the guitar. Liang got his first guitar as a birthday gift when he was in middle school. He spent days and nights practicing. “ I can’t live without my guitar.”He said.
Many people think Liang Bo is just like famous Chinese rock singers such as Xu Wei, Wang Feng and Zheng Jun. But the young man doesn’t want to stand in others’ shadow(影子).“ I like them, but I’m not going to copy(复制) them. I will be who I am.” he said.
1. ________ becomes “ The Voice China”.

A．Wu Mochou	B．Zhu Zhiwen
C．Liang Bo	D．Liu Huan

2. People think his voice is        .

A．natural	B．clear
C．touching	D．A,B and C

3. Liang Bo was born       .

A．in Chongqing

B．in Changchun

C．in 1983

D．in 2012

4. He likes        very much.

A．playing basketball

B．playing chess

C．playing the guitar

D．playing the piano

5. Liang Bo is going to       .

A．stand in others’ shadow

B．live in the USA

C．be himself

D．learn to swim

【推荐3】阅读并选择最佳选项。（共5小题；
请阅读下面的短文，并从下列各题所给的A、B、C、D三个选项中，选择最佳选项。
U.S. billionaire Bill Gates went to watch a game of his friend, U.S. teen player Ariel Hsing, at the ExCel Centre while the girl was playing against Chinese Li Xiaoxia.
Gates wore an orange jacket and dark blue baseball cap. He sat in the front row of the spectators’ stand (观众看台) and applauded (鼓掌) for every point Hsing scored.
“I’m wishing her the best of luck, but the opposite player is really great,” Gates said.
Hsing was in her third match at London 2012. She had already beaten Mexico’s Yadira Silva and Luxembourg’s Ni Xia Lian.
Hsing is known in the U.S. as a close friend with billionaires Warren Buffett and Gates. She is close enough to call them “Uncle Warren” and “Uncle Bill”.
Buffett met Hsing when she was only 9. Two years later, he invited her to play against his friends. She has returned several times after that. Earlier this year after winning a position on the U.S. team, she took a few points off Buffett and Gates.
When asked whether he has won a point off Hsing, Gates said, “She beat me when she was nine. She has been nice to me.”
1. Bill Gates went to the ExCel Centre to watch a game between Ariel Hsing and 　　　.

A．Li Xiaoxia

B．Warren Buffett

C．Ni Xia Lian

D．Yadira Silva

2. Bill Gates applauded when 　　　.

A．others applauded	B．Hsing won a point
C．the Chinese player played well	D．Hsing won the game

3. What did Bill Gates think of Li Xiaoxia?

A．Exciting.

B．Just so-so.

C．Great.

D．Funny.

4. Buffett invited Hsing to play against his friends when she was 　　　.

A．seven

B．nine

C．ten

D．eleven

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

A．Bill Gates cheered for Li Xiaoxia in London

B．How Ariel Hsing made friends with Buffett and Gates

C．An excellent teen player — Ariel Hsing

D．An interesting visit in London

【推荐1】In his book Why Do I Love These People? , author Po Bronson tells a true story about a great elm tree（榆树）.

The tree was planted in the first half of the 20th century on a farm in Michigan, US. In the 1950s, the family that owned the farm kept a bull chained to it. The bull walked around the tree, pulling a heavy iron chain, which made a groove（刻沟）in the tree about a meter off the ground. The groove deepened over the years, though for whatever reason, it didn't kill the tree.

After some years, the family sold the farm and took their bull with them. They cut the chain, leaving most of it hanging down from the tree. Eventually, bark（树皮）slowly covered the old chain.

Then one year, disaster struck Michigan in the form of Dutch elm disease. It left a path of death across vast areas. All of the elms lining the road leading to the farm were infected and died. Everyone figured that the old elm tree would be next. There was no way the tree could last, with its age and the chain hanging off its trunk（树干）. The farm's new owners considered pulling the chain out and chopping the tree up into firewood before it died. But they simply couldn't bring themselves to do it. It was as if the old tree had become a family friend, so they decided to let nature take its course. Amazingly, the tree didn't die. Year after year, it thrived（茁壮成长）. Nobody could understand why it was the only elm still standing in the whole area.

Tree experts from Michigan State University came out to study the tree later, examining the scar left by the iron chain. The experts decided that it was actually the chain that saved the elm's life. They reasoned that the tree must have absorbed so much iron from the chain that it became immune to Dutch elm disease.

It's said that what doesn't kill you will make you stronger. So if you're ever in Michigan, look for that beautiful elm tree. Look for the wound made by the chain—it serves as a reminder that even with wounds, we can still have hope. Our wounds can give us the resources we need to cope（应付）and survive. They can truly make us strong.

1. The underlined word “it” in the second Paragraph refers to______________.

A．the bull

B．the chain

C．the groove

D．the disease

2. What is the main idea of the fourth paragraph?

A．All the elms were infected with a disease.

B．The old elm tree survived the disaster.

C．The farm's new owners saved the old elm tree.

D．Disaster struck Michigan in the form of Dutch elm disease.

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

A．The family made a groove in the elm tree as a mark.

B．The family left the farm, taking their bull and chain with them.

C．The experts discovered that it was the chain that made the elm tree stronger.

D．The experts discovered that the wounds made the old elm more beautiful.

4. What can be the best title for the text?

A．Why do I love these people?

B．Grow strong from weakness.

C．A true story of an old tree.

D．Look for a beautiful elm tree.

【推荐2】

6-Day Beijing Culture Group Tour
Do you want to see more of China? If the answer is yes, how about going to Beijing for the holiday? Visit the Great Wall and other places of interest, and enjoy Beijing Roast Duck.
Tour price: $590
Call us! 800-820-6222
8-Day Colorful Yunnan Group Tour
If you like a spring climate and clean air…then Yunnan is the place for you! Another true highlight of the area is experiencing the cultures of minorities（少数民族）that live in this area.
Places to visit: Kunming, Dali, Lijiang
Tour price: $1,299
Call us! 800-820-8188
4-Day Beautiful Guilin Private Tour
Are you tired of city life? Do you want some fresh air? Then come to Guilin and Yangshuo for a few relaxing days to enjoy the river life, or just take it easy in one of the many cafes and bars.
Tour price:
1 person	2-5 persons	6-9 persons
$630/person	$565/person	$527/person
Call us! 800-810-6562
7-Day Sanya Private Tour
Sanya is famous for its wonderful sunshine, white sand beaches and clear water. Instead of a busy trip, you can relax here by walking along the beaches and enjoying the fresh air!
Tour price:
1 person	2-5 persons	6-9 persons
$569/person	$548/person	$535/person
Call us! 800-810-5222

1. How long will the Sanya Private Tour last?

A．Four days.

B．Five days.

C．A week.

D．Eight days.

2. If you want to experience the cultures of minorities, which tour will you choose?

A．6-Day Beijing Culture Group Tour	B．8-Day Colorful Yunnan Group Tour
C．4-Day Beautiful Guilin Private Tour	D．7-Day Sanya Private Tour

3. Mrs. Li plans to take the "4-Day Beautiful Guilin Private Tour" with her two daughters. How much do they need to pay?

A．$1,890.

B．$1,581.

C．$1,770.

D．$1,695.