【推荐1】Most people are afraid of sharks, but they usually do not know very much about them. For example, there are 350 types of sharks, and all of them are meat eaters. Some sharks are very big.

The whale shark is 50 to 60 feet long. But some sharks are very small. The dwarf (侏儒) shark is only 6 inches (英寸) long. Sharks are 100 million years old. In fact, they lived at the same time as dinosaurs. Today, sharks live in every ocean on the earth, but most sharks live in warm water. They keep the oceans clean because they eat sick fish and animals. Most sharks have four to six rows of teeth. When a shark’s tooth falls out, another tooth moves in from behind. Sharks do not have ears.

However, they “hear” sounds and movements in the water. Any sound or movement makes the water vibrate. This helps sharks find food. Sharks use their large eyes to find food, too. Most sharks see best in low light. They often hunt for food at dawn (黄昏), in the evening, or in the middle of the night. Scientists want to learn more about sharks for several reasons. For example, cancer (癌症) is common in many animals, including people. However, it is rare (罕见的) in sharks. Scientists want to find out why sharks almost never get cancer. Maybe this information can help people prevent cancer, too.

1. According to the text, most sharks live ________.

A．in very deep water

B．in warm water

C．in cold water

2. Sharks keep the oceans clean because they ________.

A．do well in cleaning water

B．eat sick fish and animals

C．can get cancer like human

3. What does the underlined（划线的）word “vibrate” mean in Chinese?

A．振动

B．停止

C．变清澈

4. Sharks often hunt for food ________.

A．in the morning

B．at noon

C．at night

5. According to the text, we know ________.

A．the whale shark is 50 to 60 feet long

B．sharks and dinosaurs lived in different times

C．sharks only use large eyes to find food

【推荐2】The toucan is a colorful bird. Take a look at these facts about toucans and you may learn something you didn’t knows before!

where do they live? Toucans can be found in the tropical forests of South America. Their home is still in danger. It is advised to avoid buying rainforest wood and protect the habitat of toucans.

What do they look like? Toucans have a black body and a while neck. The colorful beak is about 8 inches long. It makes up 1/3 of the bird’s total length. It may look pretty big, but thankfully for the toucan their beaks are not too heavy. It is made of keratin, which makes it much lighter than you would think just by looking.

What do they eat and drink? Toucans use their beaks to peel and eat different kinds of fruit, which happens to be the kind of food they eat most often. Sometimes toucans will choose to snack on insects, frogs, or the eggs of other birds. Toucans get most of their water from the fruit they eat, so they don't need to drink too much.

Believe it or not!

Toucans can be rather lazy birds and they like to stay in one place generally. They don’t fly high up in the sky or very far away from home, and enjoy staying in trees with their delicious fruit to eat.

Wild cats are a predator of toucans in the rainforest. Other predators include larger birds. Some snakes may attack smaller toucans but typically are more interested in the toucans’ eggs instead.

Word Bank Toucan 巨嘴鸟；       tropical 热带的；       habitat栖息地； Break 鸟喙；             keratin 角蛋白

根据材料内容，选择最佳答案。
1. How long is a toucan?

A．About 2.5 inches long	B．About 8 inches long
C．About 11 inches long	D．About 24 inches long

2. What do toucans mainly feed on?

A．Wild cats, snakes and other larger birds.

B．Tree leaves, keratin of the hair and fruit.

C．Fruit, insects, frogs, or the eggs of other birds.

D．Insects, fish and water from the river or the sea.

3. What can we infer（推断）from the text?

A．Toucans are born with large beaks.

B．Toucans heavy beaks make them become lazy

C．Toucans often fly here and there to look for food.

D．Toucans aren't the best fliers in the tropical forests.

4. What does the underlined word “predator” probably mean?

A．An-animal that is similar to toucans.	B．An animal that is friendly to toucans.
C．An animal that kills and eats toucans.	D．An animal that is the food for toucans.

5. What is the best title for the text?

A．The habitat of toucans.	B．The appearance of toucans.
C．The ways to protect toucans.	D．The surprising facts about toucans.

【推荐3】The United States is one of the greatest fruit-growing countries in the world. Fine red apples come from Washington and New York. Golden oranges come from Southern California and Florida. Fruit grows in all parts of America. The kind of fruit that is grown depends on the weather in each place.
Orange trees cannot be grown where temperatures drop below freezing. Southern California and Florida are far from each other, but their weather is much the same. They do not often have freezing temperatures.
In Washington, apple trees are planted near the Atlantic Ocean. In New York, they grow near the Great Lakes. Apple trees are often planted near water. Water temperature changes more slowly than land temperature. Near water, temperature does not drop so fast. There is less chance of frost（霜冻）in late spring or early autumn. Frost can kill apples.
America has many kinds of weather. It has many kinds of soil. Because of this, they grow and eat more fruit than any other country in the world.
1. From the passage, we know that __________.

A．most fruits grow anywhere in the United States

B．freezing temperature are good for fruit

C．the same fruit can be grown in different places

D．fruits can only be grown near water

2. The main idea of the whole passage is that___________.

A．orange trees usually grow where it is cold

B．different fruits grow in different weather

C．the cold cannot kill oranges and apples

D．apple trees cannot live through cold winter

3. Which of the following does this passage make you believe?

A．The fruit we eat comes from many places in the country.

B．Orange trees are often planted near water.

C．The soil is about the same in all the states of the country.

D．The Americans like eating oranges and apples better than any other fruit.

【推荐1】The iPhone, the iPad:each of Apple’s products sounds cool and has become a fashion. Apple has cleverly taken advantage of the power of the letter “i”—and many other brands are following suit (跟者做). The BBC’s i-Player—which allows Web users to watch TV programs on the Internet-used the title in 2008. A lovely bear—popular in the US and UK—that plays music and video is called “i-Teddy”. A slimmed-down version (简装本) of London’s Independent newspaper was started last week under the name “I”.

In general, single-letter prefixes (前缀) have been popular since the 1990s, when terms such as e-mail and e-commerce first came into use.

Most “i” products are targeted at(针对) young people and considering the major readers of Independent’s “i”. It’s no surprise that they’ve selected this fashionable name.

But it’s hard to see what’s so special about the letter “i”. Why not use “a” “b” or “C” instead？According to Tony Thorne, head of the Language Center at King’s College, London, “i” works because its meaning has become ambiguous. When Apple uses “I”, no one knows whether it means Internet, information, individual or internative, Thorne told BBC Magazines. “Even when Apple created the iPad, it seems, it didn’t have one clear definition,” he says.

“However, thanks to Apple, he term is now connected with portability (轻便),” adds Thorne.

Clearly the letter “i” also agrees with the idea that the Western World is centered on the individual. Each person believes they have their own needs, and we love personalized products for this reason.

Along with “Google” and “blog”, renders of BBC Magazines voted “I” as one of the top 20 words that have come to define the last decade (十年).

But as history shows, people grow tired of fads. From the 1900s to 1990s, products with “2000” in their names became fashionable as the year was connected with all things advanced and modern. However, as we entered the new century, the fashion disappeared.

1. People use i-Player to ________.

A．listen to music

B．make a call

C．watch TV programs online

D．read newspapers

2. We can infer that the Independent’s “i” is designed for ________.

A．young readers

B．old readers

C．fashionable women

D．engineers

3. The underlined word “ambiguous” means “________”.

A．popular

B．uncertain

C．clear

D．unique

4. Paragraph 6 connects the power of “i” with ________.

A．apple’s products

B．information technology

C．the western culture

D．the Internet

5. The last paragraph suggests that ________.

A．“i” products are often of high quality

B．the letter “b” replaces letter “I” to name the products

C．fashion doesn’t necessarily change with time

D．the popularity of “i” products may not last long

【推荐2】Guyu is the last solar term (节气) in spring. When it is coming, it means the cold weather has basically ended, and the temperature rises faster. Besides, the amount of rainfall increases much than the day of “Rain Water”, which is very important for the growth of the crops. After this day, the cuckoo starts to sing, trees and grass turn green.

Picking tea is a custom in Guyu in the south of China. It’s said that drinking tea in Guyu will help people clear away heat, drive away evil spirits and improve eyesight. In the north of China, people eat Chinese toon (香椿) as a custom in Guyu. Guyu is also a perfect time or fishing. Fishermen often hold sacrifice ceremony (祭祀活动) for the sea to bless for safety and success on the sea. In some of the northwest areas, people take a shower in the water to be far away from the bad luck during Guyu period.

While we are busy with our outdoor activities in spring, more care is needed to deal with health. The clearest weather feature around Guyu is the big differences between morning temperatures and night temperatures. People should also pay attention to some health problems like catching a cold and so on.

1. From the first paragraph, what can we know about Guyu?

A．Guyu is the last solar term in a year.	B．When Guyu is coming, the weather becomes warmer.
C．There is less rain after Guyu.	D．After Guyu, the trees turn yellow.

2. What do people in the south of China often do in Guyu?

A．Take a shower.

B．Plant tea.

C．Eat Chinese toon.

D．Pick tea.

3. Why do fishermen often hold sacrifice ceremony in Guyu?

A．Because they hope to drive away evil spirits.

B．Because sacrifice ceremony can make the fishermen healthy.

C．Because they want to be safe and successful on the sea.

D．Because sacrifice ceremony is important for the growth of crops.

4. We should ________ around Guyu.

A．do more outdoor activities	B．pay attention to health
C．plant trees	D．care about weather feature

5. In which part of the newspaper can you read the passage?

A．Culture.

B．Environment.

C．Entertainment.

D．Health.

【推荐3】We each have a memory（记忆力）.That's why we can still remember things after a long time . Some people have very good memories and they can easily learn many things in a short time, but some people can only remember things when they say or do them again and again. Many of the great men of the world have surprising memories.

A good memory is a great help in learning a language. Everybody learns his mother language when he is a small child. He learns the sounds , remembers them and then he learns to speak. Some children are living with their parents in foreign countries. They can learn two languages easily because they hear, remember and speak two languages every day. In school, it is not so easy to learn a foreign language because the students have so little time for it ,and they are busy with other subjects , too.     

But your memory will become better and better when you do more and more exercises.

1. Why can some people easily learn many things in a short time?

A．They always sleep very well.	B．They often eat good food and fish.
C．They often a lot of books.	D．They have very good memories.

2. When does everyone learn his mother language ?

A．At the age of six.	B．When he is a small child.
C．After he goes to school.	D．When he can read and write.

3. What does a child need to do before he can speak ?

A．He must read and write.

B．He must chat with others.

C．He must hear and remember the sound.

D．He must think hard and listen to much music.

4. What can you do if you want your memory to become better?

A．You must eat a lot of food, especially lots of fish.

B．You must keep practicing it.

C．You must say or do things only once.

D．You must become a great man.

5. Why can a Chinese learn English easily if he is in England ?

A．Because he must speak English every day.

B．Because he will have a good memory in England , not in China.

C．Because his father is an Englishman.

D．Because his English teacher is better in England.

【推荐2】Three students are choosing a course at The West Midlands College of Technology:

Clara At first I thought about the Sports Studies Course because I really enjoy swimming and football, but in the end I decided that the Leisure (休闲) and Tourism Course is better for me. You see, I like meeting people and I’d really like to work abroad for a few years, maybe as a tour guide or in a hotel, maybe in Spain.

Taka I’d really like to do a course in art because I’m very interested in art, but I have to think about my job. I work as a fashion designer and when I go back to Japan I want to use a computer to design clothes, so I’m going to the Information Technology Course. I can study art and photography in my free time!

Ben Yeah, well, I want to have a good time at college, you know, and meet lots of people. I don’t want to work too much! I like computers a lot and I might do a job with computers one day in the future, but at the moment I’m really interested in music, you know. I’m in a rock band, so I’ve decided to do the Performing Arts Course. Then in the first year I can do music and in the second year I’ll probably do a course in singing. Then my friends in the band and I can be rich and famous!

1. We can learn from the passage that Clara is a(n) ________ person.

A．patient

B．outgoing

C．gentle

D．traditional

2. Taka wants to learn   ________ with computers from the Information Technology Course.

A．how to design clothes	B．how to make photos better
C．how to draw well	D．how to design indoor decoration

3. Ben would like to   ________ during his study at college.

A．study more on computers	B．set up a new rock band
C．do more part-time jobs	D．focus on music and singing

【推荐3】In order to know a foreign language thoroughly(完全地), four things are necessary. First, we must understand the language when we hear it spoken. Secondly, we must be able to speak it ourselves, correctly with confidence(自信) and without hesitation(犹豫). Thirdly, we must be able to write it. Finally, we must be able to make sentences that are correct in grammar.
There is no short way to succeed in language learning. A good memory(记忆) is a great help, but it is not enough only to memorize the rules from a grammar book. It is no much use learning by heart long lists(一览表) of words and their meanings, studying the dictionary and so on. We must learn by using the language. If we are pleased with a few rules we have memorized, we are not really learning the language. We must "Learn through use". Practice is important. We must practice speaking and writing the language whenever(无论何时) we can.
1. The most important things to learn a foreign language are________.

A．understanding and speaking

B．hearing, speaking, reading and writing

C．writing and understanding

D．memorizing and listening

2. Someone hears and writes English very well, but he speaks it very badly. This is because ______.

A．he doesn't understand the language when he hears it spoken

B．he doesn't have a good memory

C．he always remember lists of words and their meanings

D．he often hesitates to practise speaking it

3. One can never learn a foreign language well only by________.

A．much practice	B．studying the dictionary
C．learning through use	D．using the language

4. Which of the following is the most important in learning a foreign language?

A．A good memory.

B．Speaking.

C．Practice.

D．Writing.

5. "Learn through use" means________.

A．we use a language in order to learn it

B．we learn a foreign language in order to use it

C．we can learn a language well while we are using it

D．both B and C