【推荐1】Having worked at a 7-Eleven store for two years, I thought I had become successful at what our manager calls “customer relations”. I firmly believed that a friendly smile and an automatic “sir”, “ma’am”, and “thank you” would see me through any situation that might arise, from comforting impatient or unpleasant people to apologizing for giving out the wrong change. But the other night an old woman shattered (粉碎)my belief that a simple and plain response could smooth over the rough spots of dealing with all kinds of customers.

The moment she entered, the woman presented a sharp contrast to our shiny store with its bright lighting and neatly arranged shelves. Walking as if each step were painful, she slowly pushed open the glass door and hobbled(蹒跚) down the nearest aisle. She coughed dryly, wheezing(气喘吁吁)with each breath. On a forty-degree night, she was wearing only a faded dress, a thin sweater too small to button, and black slippers with the backs cut out to expose calloused(满是老茧的)heels. There were no stockings or socks on her blue-veined legs.

After wandering around the store for several minutes, the old woman stopped in front of the rows of canned vegetables. She picked up a can of corn and stared with a strange intensity at the label. At that point, I decided to be a good, polite employee and asked her if she needed help. As I stood close to her, my smile became harder to maintain; her red-rimmed(边缘红的)eyes were partially closed by yellowish crusts(痂);her hands were covered with layer upon layer of dirt, and the stale (陈腐的)smell of sweat rose from clothes.

“I need some food,” she muttered(喃喃低语)in reply to my bright “Can I help you? ”

“Are you looking for corn, ma’am?”

“I need some food,” she repeated, “Any kind.”

“Well, the corn is ninety-five cents,” I said in my most helpful voice.

“I can’t pay,” she said.

For a second, I was tempted to say, “Take the corn.” But the employee rules flooded into my mind: Remain polite, but do not let customers get the best of you. Let them know that you are in control. For a moment, I even entertained the idea that this was some sort of test, and that this woman was someone from the head office, testing my loyalty. I responded dutifully, “I’m sorry, but I can’t give away anything for free.”

The old woman’s face collapsed a bit more, and her hands trembled as she put the can back on the shelf. She shuffled(拖着脚走)past me toward the door, her torn and dirty clothing barely covering her bent back.

Moments after she left, I rushed out of the door with the can of corn, but she was nowhere in sight. For the rest of my shift, the image of the woman haunted (萦绕)me. I had been young, healthy and proud. She had been old, sick and desperate. Wishing with all my heart that I had acted like a human being rather than a robot, I was saddened to realize how weak a hold we have on our better instincts.

1. How did the writer feel about his job at 7-Eleven before the old woman came?

A．He was quite satisfied with the way he served customers.

B．He found room for improvement in developing customer relations.

C．He was patient enough to deal with different situations.

D．He considered himself successful in dealing with all interpersonal relations.

2. The detailed account of the old woman is intended to show ________.

A．she presented a sharp contrast to the other customers

B．the writer felt sorry to deal with a customer like her

C．the writer didn’t expect to see such an unusual person.

D．she lived a miserable life and truly deserved help

3. Why didn’t the author manage to help the old woman at last? Because ________.

A．the old woman lacked appropriate manners

B．the stale smell of sweat really annoyed the author

C．the author stood firm with the employee regulations

D．the old woman was testing his loyalty to his company

4. What does the phrase “get the best of” mean according to the passage?

A．To feel sympathy for.	B．To keep company with.
C．To bring out the best of.	D．To win an advantage over. . .

5. Which of the following can be the best title of the passage?

A．What For

B．If Only

C．How Come

D．Never Ever

【推荐2】As we approach Father’s Day, Let’s be real about it.

Everyone needs a father to be born, but not everyone can have a father while growing up.

Some fathers are too busy; others get divorced, disappear or die.

But almost everyone should have a father image—someone who lives up to what a father should be.

A father image is a role model—someone you want to be like. He fills you with the memories that never leaves you when you grow up.

My father image was Harold, who was in his twenties when I was10 years old. I was a foster child (收养的孩子) and lived in his home with his mother.

He had dark, curly hair and always wore a beautiful suit, a shirt and a tie. What made him my role model was that he knew my darkest secrets—even stuff my real father didn't know—and he told me things no other person would tell a little boy.

Harold dressed the store windows at Gertz Department Store in Jamaiva, N. Y., and every time I went to visit him he gave me a quarter.

I wanted to be exactly like him. I even walked like him. He always called me “Kiddo”, a name I call people I like to this day.

My friends had role models like Joe DiMaggio, Lou Gehring, Joe Lewis and other sports figures. I chose Harold, because he was a real person and he chose to be my mentor (指导者).

Harold, as you may have guessed, is now in Heaven ( Where else would he be?), but I think about him a lot. And whenever I have a problem, I ask myself, “What would Harold do?”

That is the reason a father role model is so important to a boy or a girl, It's a learning experience for everyone.

I guess the reason why I am writing all this is that I think there should be a Father's Day when everyone honors the person who has a lifelong impact(影响) on him. I believe every child needs just one to change his life－Happy Father's Day

1. In the author's opinion, what should the image of a father be except______?

A．a father should be patient	B．a father should tell me what is right and what is wrong
C．a father should be like sports figures	D．a father should have a lifelong influence on his kid

2. Joe DiMaggio is________?

A．his friend’s father

B．a sports star

C．the author’s father

D．a mentor

3. How is Harold now?

A．He is working in a department store.	B．He is in Heaven now.
C．He is dead now.	D．The author doesn't know where is he now.

4. Which is not the author’s attitude towards Harold?

A．Love.

B．Respect.

C．Miss.

D．Hate.

【推荐3】Everyone has heard the phrase, “giving up is not an option”. Many disregard it and do not believe in it. But this small yet effective phrase gives a strong message. There will always be something that interrupts or causes inconvenience in the journey to achieve the dreams. But that should not drive one away from the path that they are on. Fitting the context perfectly is the story of Ian William.

Popularly known as the “Social Golfer”, Ian William is an accountant, lecturer, author, and a former golf player. He dreamed of playing golf at childhood. He would often observe players playing from a distance. He worked hard and changed his financial(财政的) difficulties. Then he began practicing various golf matches. Due to his devotion and love for the sport, he picked up the techniques quickly and soon began playing as a professional. He also dreamed of participating in the Senior Golf Tour in the coming year.

However, in 1996, Ian was diagnosed with a tumor (肿瘤) in the left part of his brain, which affected his hearing from the right side and damaged his balance nerve. He experienced two surgeries in 1997 with a smile and a hope to be cured. Although the surgeries were successful, Ian caught meningitis (脑膜炎) while recovering from it. Apart from being hopeful and optimistic, there was no other way Ian could cope with the situation.

Just as things had begun to normalize, in 2006, Ian’s body was affected by a major stroke. This stroke numbed (使麻木) the left side of his body. His life-long dream of participating a golf tournament could not be realized anymore.

Ian took his time to recover and came back even stronger. He wanted to encourage millions with his journey and decided to share his experiences through a book. Ian has now published his 3rd book Still Crazy After All These Years, in 2020.

1. What does the underlined word “that” in Paragraph 1 refer to?

A．The option.

B．The message.

C．The challenge.

D．The dream.

2. What can we infer from Paragraph 2?

A．William showed talent in golf as a child.

B．The lack of money prevented him practicing golf at an early age.

C．William’s road to becoming a professional golfer was smooth.

D．Talent and effort made William learn quickly.

3. Which of the following helps William face the illnesses according to the passage?

A．Doctors’ comfort.

B．Family’s support.

C．Advice from the books.

D．Hope and optimism.

4. What can we learn from William’s story?

A．Move forward whatever happens.	B．Love wins over illness.
C．Seize every opportunity to learn.	D．Luck favors ready minds.

【推荐1】Frank Smithson woke up and leaned over to turn off the alarm clock. "Oh no!" he thought to himself. " Another day at that office; a boss who shouts at me all the time."
As Frank went downstairs his eyes fell on a large brown envelope by the door. He was overjoyed when he opened it and read the letter inside. "Bigwoods Football Pools(足球赌博公司)would like to congratulate you. You have won half a million pounds."
Frank suddenly came to life. The cigarette fell from his lips as he let out a shout that could be heard halfway down the street.
At 11:30 Frank arrived at work. "Please explain why you're so late," his boss said. "Go and jump in the lake," replied Frank. "I've just come into a little money so this is good-bye. Find yourself someone else to shout at."
That evening Frank was smoking a very expensive Havana cigar(雪茄) when a knock was heard on the door. He rushed to the door. Outside were two men, neatly(整洁) dressed in grey suits. "Mr. Smithson," one of them said, "we're from Bigwoods Football Pools. I'm afraid there's been a terrible mistake…"
1. What do we know about Frank?

A．He was a lazy man.

B．He made a lot of money.

C．He didn't get on well with his boss.

D．He was a lucky person.

2. When he heard the knock at the door, Frank probably thought_______.

A．someone had come to make an apology

B．someone had come to give him the money

C．his friends had come to ask about the football pools

D．his friends had come to congratulate him on his luck

3. On hearing "…there's been a terrible mistake…" Frank was most likely to be ______.

A．disappointed	B．worried
C．nervous	D．curious

【推荐1】With production overrunning (泛滥) on Martin Scorsese’s new film, the famous Hollywood director admitted this month he was worried about the “youthi-fication” technology he was employing to smooth out his actors. The leading actor Robert De Niro and Al Pacino played young versions of their characters in the first half of the film, with their wrinkles and jowls (下巴) removed by the technology.

Speaking to the British director Joanna Hogg, the film-maker Martin Scorsese said that good actors should meet some necessary requirements: excellent acting skills, rich imagination, good understanding and so on. However, there was something important that was missing while the technique was used. He added, “I don’t know how to instruct my actors to make their performance more impressive, especially rich eye expressions. Apparently, the technique makes their eyes dull, which disappoints me the most.”

In this case, he isn’t alone. While the technology is doubtless impressive, there have been complaints about the “unnatural valley” effect of digitally de-ageing actors. Film critics (评论家), such as Manohla Dargis of the New York Times, and The Ringer’s Andrew Gruttadaro, observed that “as an audience member watching these films, you get the horrible feeling that you’re not watching a person, but an entity (实体) imitating a person”. Similar reservations have been heard about Anthony Hopkins being de-aged in TV’s Westworld. Later this year, Ang Lee’s Gemini Man will appear, starring Will Smith as a killer who meets his younger self, which is also played by Smith. The problem is that everybody who grew up with The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air knows what Will Smith looked like as a younger man, and it wasn’t this one.

To quote Dr Ian Malcolm from Jurassic Park, “Scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, and they didn’t stop to think if they should.” De-ageing technology gives us the dazzling impression rather than the effect of youth, as a younger actor would. More goes into the ageing process than mere looks; it betrays a thin understanding of psychology to expect otherwise.

1. What was Martin Scorsese’s concern about his new film?

A．The high cost of the film.

B．The age of his leading actors.

C．The effect of the new technology.

D．The plot in the first part of the film.

2. What quality of an actor did Martin Scorsese probably pay more attention to?

A．Expressive performance.	B．Vivid imagination.
C．Deep understanding of acting.	D．Good language ability.

3. What can we infer from the examples about the new technology in Paragraph 3?

A．It is popular among directors.

B．It is unacceptable to the audience.

C．It is welcomed by some film critics.

D．It benefits actors like Will Smith.

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

A．The improvement of Hollywood movies

B．“De-ageing” technology benefits old actors

C．The breakthrough of Martin Scorsese’s new film

D．Hollywood’s “de-ageing” technology has gone too far

【推荐2】Most of us marry creativity to our concept of self either we're "creative" or we aren't, without much of a middle ground. "I'm just not a creative person!" a frustrated student might say in art class, while another might blame her talent at painting for her difficulties in math, giving a comment such as, "I'm very right-brained."

Dr. Pillay, a tech entrepreneur and an assistant professor at Harvard University, has been challenging these ideas. He believes that the key to unlocking your creative potential is to ignore the traditional advice that urges you to "believe in yourself." In fact, you should do the opposite: Believe you are someone else.

Dr. Pillay points to a 2016 study demonstrating the impact of stereotypes on one's behavior; The authors.   educational psychologists Denis Dumas and Kevin Dunbar, divided their college student subjects into three groups, instructing the members of one to think of themselves as "romantic poets" and the members of another to imagine they were "serious librarians" (the third group was the control). The researchers then presented all the participants with ten ordinary objects, including a fork, a carrot, and a pair of pants, and asked them to come up with as many different uses as possible for each one. Those who were asked to imagine themselves as romantic poets came up with the widest range of ideas, whereas those in the serious-librarian group had the fewest. Meanwhile, the researchers found only small differences in students' creativity levels across academic majors.

These results suggest that creativity is not a fixed individual characteristic but a "malleable product of context and perspective, as long as he or she feels like a creative person. Dr. Pillay argues that, besides identifying yourself as creative, taking the bold, creative step of imagining you are somebody else is even more powerful. So, wish you were more creative? Just pretend!

1. According to the passage， who is more likely to unlock his creative potential?

A．An art major who always believes in himself.

B．A math major who has excellent academic performance

C．A physics major who likes to imagine himself as a poet.

D．A history major who works as a librarian on weekends.

2. What does the Study conducted by Denis Dumas and Kevin Dunbar focus on?

A．The creativity of the college students.

B．The stereotypes of the college students.

C．The impact of stereotypes on one's behavior

D．The influence of creativity on one's behavior.

3. The underlined word in the last paragraph probably means__________?

A．stable

B．sustainable

C．predicable

D．changeable

4. Dr Pillay may agree with the statement that__________.

A．there is no doubt that we are either creative or not

B．a student who doesn't do well in art class is not creative

C．right brain determines whether a person is creative or not

D．if we pretend to be creative， then we might be really creative

【推荐3】Skeptics are a strange lot. Some of them refuse to admit the serious threat of human activities to the environment, and they are tired of people who disagree with them. Those people, say skeptics, spread nothing but bad news about the environment. The “eco-guilt” brought on by the discouraging news about our planet gives rise to the popularity of skeptics as people search for more comforting worldviews.

Perhaps that explains why a new book by Bjorn Lomborg was so popular. That book, The Skeptical Environmentalist, declares that it measures the “real state of the world” as fine. Of course, another explanation is the deep pockets of some big businesses with special interests. Indeed, Mr Lomborg’s views are similar to those of some industry-funded organizations, which start huge activities through the media to confuse the public about issues like global warming.

So it was strange to see Mr. Lomborg’s book go largely unchallenged in the media though his beliefs were contrary to most scientific opinions. One national newspaper in Canada ran a number of articles and reviews full of words of praise, even with the conclusion that “After Lomborg, the environmental movement will begin to die down.”

Such one-sided views should have immediately been challenged. But only a different review appeared in Nature, a respected science magazine with specific readership. The review remarked that Mr. Lomborg’s “preference for unexamined materials is incredible”.

A critical eye is valuable, and the media should present information in such a way that could allow people to make informed decisions. Unfortunately, that is often inaccessible as blocked by the desire to be shocking or to defend some special interests. People might become half-blind before a world partially exhibited by the media. That’s a shame, because matters concerning the health of the planet are far too important to be treated lightly.

1. According to the passage, which of the following may be regarded as “skeptics” ?

A．People who agree on the popularity of “eco-guilt”.

B．People who disbelieve the serious situation of our planet.

C．People who dislike the harmful effect of human activities.

D．People who spread comforting news to protect our environment.

2. Which of the following can be a reason for the popularity of Lomborg’s books?

A．The book challenges views about the fine state of the world.

B．Some big businesses intend to protect their own interests.

C．The author convinces people to seek comforting worldviews.

D．Industry-funded media present confusing information.

3. The author mentioned the review in Nature in order to ________.

A．find fault with Lomborg’s book	B．voice a different opinion
C．challenge the authority of the media	D．point out the value of scientific views

4. What is the author's main purpose in writing the passage?

A．To show the importance of presenting overall information by the media.

B．To warn the public of the danger of half-blindness with reviews.

C．To show special interests of some big business.

D．To encourage the skeptics to have a critical eye.

【推荐1】If humans were truly at home under the light of the moon and stars, we would go in darkness happily, the midnight world as visible to us as it is to the vast number of nocturnal(夜间活动的) species on this planet. Instead, we are diurnal(白天活动的) creatures, which explains what we’ve done to the night: We've engineered it to receive us by filling it with light.

The benefits of this kind of engineering come with consequences—light pollution. Light pollution is largely the result of bad lighting design, which washes out the darkness of night and completely changes the light levels and rhythms to which many forms of life, including, ourselves, have adapted. Wherever human light spills into the natural world, some aspect of life is affected.

In most cities the sky looks as though it has been emptied of stars, leaving behind a vacant haze(霾) that mirrors our fear of the dark. We've grown so used to this orange haze that the original glory of an unlit night—dark enough for the planet Venus to throw shadow on Earth—is wholly beyond our experience.

We've lit up the night as if it were an unoccupied country, when nothing could be further from the truth. Among mammals alone, the number of nocturnal species is astonishing. Light is a powerful biological force, and on many species it acts as a magnet(磁铁). The effect is so powerful that scientists speak of songbirds and seabirds being ''captured'' by searchlights on land or by the light from gas flares on marine oil platforms.

Frogs living near brightly lit highways suffer nocturnal light levels that are as much as a million times brighter than normal, throwing nearly every aspect of their behavior out of joint, including their nighttime breeding choruses. Humans are no less trapped by light pollution than the frogs. Like most other creatures, we do need darkness. Darkness is as essential to our biological welfare, to our internal clockwork, as light itself.

Living in a glare of our making, we have cut ourselves off from our evolutionary and cultural heritage—the light of the stars and the rhythms of day and night. In a very real sense, light pollution causes us to lose sight of our true place in the universe, to forget the scale of our being, which is best measured against the dimensions of a deep night with the Milky Way—the edge of our galaxy—arching overhead.

1. What is probably the best title of the article?

A．Powerful light.	B．Orange Haze.
C．Calls of Nature.	D．Disappearing Night.

2. What does ''it'' (Paragraph 1) most probably refer to?

A．The sky.

B．The planet.

C．The world.

D．The night.

3. The author speaks of frogs and birds to _________________.

A．show how light pollution influences animals

B．compare the living habits of both species

C．explain why certain species has died out

D．provide examples of animal protection

4. We can infer from the last paragraph that ________________.

A．human beings mustn't explore the night

B．light pollution harms the world’s eyesight

C．man should rethink its position in the universe

D．light pollution has destroyed some world heritages

【推荐2】Getting old might not be something that's yet to cross your mind.But ageing is inevitably going to get the better of us one day, so it's something I'm sure we'd all like control.It would be great to have a long, healthy and happy life, and that's why scientists are constantly seeking out evidence that will show us what we need to do to achieve longevity.

We all know that regular exercise is good for us.In recent years we're been told to aim to walk 10,000 steps a day to remain healthy, although other advice to do three brief 10-minute walks a day is thought to be even more effective.But the latest piece of research might put a spring in your step if you're someone who walks at a fast pace.That's because, according to scientists, the speed at which people walk in their 40s is a sign of how much their brains, as well as their bodies, are ageing.

The BBC's Philippa Roxby writes that tests on 1,000 people from New Zealand born in the 1970s found that slower walkers tended to show signs of "accelerated ageing： Their lungs, teeth and immune systems were in worse shape than those who walked faster.And to add insult to injury, the study found not only did slower walkers' bodies age more quickly, their faces looked older and they hand smaller brains.Professor Terrie E Moffitt, lead author of the study, told the BBC: "It found that a slow walk is problem sign decades before old age：

This might be seen as a wake - up call for people with a slower pace who might feel it's time to work out and get fitter.But it might be too late; researchers writing in JAMA Network Open say they were able to predict the walking speed of 45 - year- olds using the results of intelligence, language and motor skills tests from when they were aged three.They also suggest that even in early life, there are signs showing which people will go on to have a healthier life.

So, what's the point of knowing that a slower walking pace might mean a smaller brain? Well, researchers say measuring walking speed at a younger age, and understanding what this might mean, could be a way of testing treatments to slow human ageing.This might help us make lifestyle changes while we're still young and healthy.Taking steps to prolong a good mental and physical state is a no brainer!

1. The underlined part in paragraph 2 is closest in meaning to______.

A．withdraw your footsteps	B．accelerate your pace
C．decrease your walking speed	D．highlight your fast movement

2. What can be learned from the study by Philippa Roxby and Terrie E Moffitt?

A．Due to increased ageing problem, people become less physically healthy which leads to their slower walking.

B．When people choose to walk fast, they tend to look younger than when they choose to walk slowly.

C．Slow walking can be probably used to predict aging problem decades before one grows old.

D．People with small brains walk more slowly than those with big brains.

3. What can we infer from the passage?

A．We will definitely try to find ways to make us healthier.

B．By checking one's walking speed at a young age, we can prevent fast aging from happening.

C．If one walks slowly, there's no chance that he will live a long life.

D．The outcomes of people's IQ tests can provide information for us to foresee one's walking speed.

4. What is the best title of the passage?

A．Researches on Slow Walking	B．Slow Walking VS Fast Walking
C．Slow Walking and Ageing	D．Why Slow Walking ages us

【推荐3】In Britain, business leaders are becoming increasingly concerned that growing numbers of new employees are unable to divide a real pie into eight equal slices.

There are so many examples of the shortage of basic literacy and numeration (读写和计算) skills among many school and university leavers.

A report from the Confederation of British Industry says the problem is so bad that one in three employers has to send staff for training to learn the English and maths they did not learn at school.

“Employers’ views on numeration and literacy are clear — people must read and write fluently and must be able to carry out basic mental arithmetic (算术).” Richard Lambert, director general of the CBI, said.

The CBI report, Working on the Three R’s, which was sponsored by the Department for Education, found that poor literacy was a problem in all fields, while poor numeration was of particular concern in the manufacturing and construction field.

One company manager complained of a “total lack of knowledge of timetables” among staff, which meant many were unable to carry out simple calculations.

A personnel manager for a construction firm said that many applicants were unable to construct a sentence and that grammar, and their handwriting and spelling were often “awful”. He also mentioned the case of an employee who became very expert at hiding his lack of literacy by getting his wife to write his reports for him. The problems are not limited to school leavers, but extend to higher levels of the education system, the CBI said.

1. What would be the best title for the text?

A．How to Divide a Pie into Eight Parts

B．How to Grasp Basic Literacy and Numeration Skills

C．British School Leavers Lack Basic Literacy and Numeration Skills

D．Train School Leavers to Learn English and Maths

2. According to the last paragraph, we can know that ________.

A．literacy problems go beyond the education system.

B．an employee asked his mother to write reports for him

C．the schools were to blame for the lack of literacy skills

D．the applicants were poor students in school

3. The purpose of writing this passage is to _________.

A．offer ways to improve the school leavers’ basic skill

B．criticize the existing education system

C．present some information about school leavers

D．make comments on employment