【推荐1】Every man wants his son to be somewhat of a clone, not in features but in footsteps. As he grows you also age, and your ambitions become more unachievable. You begin to realize that your boy, in your footsteps, could probably accomplish what you hoped for. But footsteps can be muddied and they can go off in different directions.

My son Jody has hated school since day one in kindergarten. Science projects waited until the last moment. Book reports weren’t written until the final threat.

I’ve been a newspaperman all my adult life. My daughter is a university graduate working toward her master’s degree in English. But Jody? When he entered the tenth grade he became a “vo-tech” student. They’re called “motorheads” by the rest of the student body.

When a secretary in my office first called him “motorhead”, I was shocked. “Hey, he’s a good kid,” I wanted to say. “And smart, really.”

I learned later that motorheads are, indeed, different. They usually have dirty hands and wear dirty work clothes. And they don’t often make school honor rolls(光荣榜).

But being the parent of a motorhead is itself an experience in education. We who labor in clean shirts in offices don’t have the abilities that motorheads have. I began to learn this when I had my car crashed. The cost to repair it was estimated at $800. “Hey, I can fix it,” said Jody. I doubted it, but let him go ahead, for I had nothing to lose.

My son, with other motorheads, fixed the car. They got parts from a junkyard, and ability from vo-tech classes. The lost was $25 instead of $80.

Since that first repair job, a broken air-conditioner, a non-functioning washer and a non-toasting toaster have been fixed. Neighbors and co-workers trust their car repairs to him.

These kids are happiest when doing repairs. They joke and laugh and are living in their own relaxed world. And their minds are bright despite their dirty hands and clothes.

I have learned a lot from my motorhead: publishers need printers, engineers need mechanics, and architects need builders. Most important, I have learned that fathers don’t need clones in footsteps or anywhere else.

My son may never make the school honor roll. But he made mine.

1. What used to be the author’s hope for his son?

A．To avoid becoming his clone.	B．To resemble him in appearance.
C．To develop in a different direction.	D．To reach the author’s unachieved goals.

2. What can we learn about the author’s children?

A．His daughter does better in school.	B．His daughter has got a master’s degree.
C．His son tried hard to finish homework.	D．His son couldn’t write his book reports.

3. The author let his son repair the car because he believed that_______.

A．His son had the ability to fix it.	B．it would save him much time.
C．it wouldn’t cause him any more loss	D．other motorheads would come to help.

4. In the author’s eyes, motorheads are _______.

A．tidy and hardworking

B．cheerful and smart

C．lazy but bright

D．relaxed but rude

【推荐1】The star here is 70-year-old Chen Jifang, who used to be a saleswoman in a local food company before retirement, with 3 million likes on her Douyin videos.

“The main group that I wanted to encourage was people aged 30 to 50," says Chen, “They will be motivated to work out in the gym after seeing that a granny like me can. The message I want to convey is that it is never too late to pursue good health. In the past, whenever I felt uncomfortable, I would lie at home for an entire day.”

Chen had been in a poor physical condition since she was a child. She even had to give up her job after giving birth to her daughter because her health was severely affected by the pregnancy. Her husband shows his approval by doing most of the household chores.

An overweight Chen started with light jogging, but a fitness coach later advised her to rehabilitate her knee before running. Because of this, Chen entered a gym for the first time on Dec 29,2018.

“Everyone in the gym was young. They were giving me weird looks," recalls Chen, who made it a point to walk 3. 5 kilometers to the gym every day.

Her daily training started at 8 am with 50 pushups, mountain-climbing workouts, running and weightlifting. After a short break at 9 am, Chen continued working put until 3 pm. She hit the gym every day in 2019. For Chen, her passion for exercising was born out of a need instead of desire to become famous.

When her health and fitness improved, Chen embarked on high-intensity training sessions and dealt with the more challenging workouts like kettlebell swings, battle ropes and deadlifts. Three months later, she lost a whopping 28 kilograms. Her body mass index also returned to normal.

1. Which words best describe Chen Jifang?

A．Elegant and resistant	B．Ambitious and tough
C．Independent and considerate	D．Passionate and dutiful

2. What does the underlined word “rehabilitate" in paragraph 4 refer to?

A．survive	B．restore
C．revive	D．protect

3. What can we learn from the text?

A．Chen was poor when she was young.

B．Chen, as a saleswoman, gained 3 million fans.

C．Chen's decision largely comes from her husband.

D．Chen managed to sustain her workouts for about 6 hours per day.

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

A．A granny can lift	B．An idle youth, a needy age
C．A fall in a pit, a gain in your wit	D．Good health is the best wealth

【推荐2】If you and I met at a party, you would probably ask me what I do for a living, what town I live in — the kind of questions that would help you to build a picture of who I am. I might ask the same of you, but I probably wouldn't be listening. It's more likely I'd be looking at the label on your jeans, glancing at your shoes, and eyeing up your mobile phone. These are the things that really tell me who you are. In fact, I sincerely hope you would notice the same things about me. Well, that's the way it was a year ago.

I began to behave like this at a very early age. I remember the first day of junior school, standing alone in the playground, desperately wanting to make friends. I headed straight for what seemed to be the most promising group of boys. They were talking to girls, trading football cards, eating green sweets — all the things I wanted to do. As I attempted to talk with them, one boy asked me, “Do you support Manchester United Football Club?” Another asked, “Are you into Michael Jackson?” I answered yes to them all, even though the truthful answer was no.

Things seemed to be going well until one of the boys caught sight of my trainers. I'd never thought too much about them before. They were just plain blue sports shoes that Mum had bought, for playing in the back garden. At once, the group laughed very loudly, “Where did you get those from? A charitable organization?”

Looking at the boys in bewilderment (疑惑), I noticed for the first time that they all had similar shapes on the sides of their trainers, like the ones on footballers' boots on television. It wasn't just their shoes: crocodiles, eagles and tigers sat on the breasts of their T-shirts, and every single boy seemed to have the same school bag, a blue plastic bag with a leaping puma in silver on the side. I walked away quietly, depressed. From that day on, I was determined to be like them, if not more so.

1. What was the author like one year ago?

A．He was very interested in figure paintings.

B．He used to judge others by their appearances.

C．He was crazy about holding different parties.

D．He had some difficulty communicating with others.

2. How did the author react when asked about his favorite football team?

A．He replied proudly.	B．He kept silent.
C．He told a lie.	D．He refused to answer.

3. Why did the group suddenly burst out laughing?

A．Because they looked down upon the author.

B．Because they were attracted by the author.

C．Because they welcomed the author warmly.

D．Because they played a joke on the author.

4. After the first day of junior school, the author began to _____.

A．be addicted to television

B．concern himself with animals

C．follow famous football players

D．spend more money on branded goods

【推荐3】Grandma Pugh sized up the baby like a pig at the farmers’ market. There was a pause and then she pronounced. “He’s got nice long legs.” She clapped her hands once in approval. But then she frowned and leaned forward. Everyone waited anxiously. The baby had opened his eyes and was staring up. “But those cross eyes won’t do,” she declared firmly, shaking her head in disappointment.

That had been Freddie Pilcher’s first meeting with Grandma Pugh. Since then, ten years had passed. Much to his grandmother’s satisfaction, she’d been proven right about the boy’s legs. He was a regular beanpole. Grandma Pugh had also been correct about his eyes. Freddie had been wearing glasses to correct his vision since he was two years old. His current pair was thick, and cheap-looking, but at least he could see.

Freddie not only had poor eyesight, but he was also clumsy. He wasn’t good at schoolwork either. But there was one thing that the boy was good at and it was all on account of the length of his legs. He could jump.

Freddie was the best jumper in school. Not only could he leap the furthest but also the highest. At breaktimes, he entertained the little ones by leaping over the school wall into Mrs Hobson’s garden and then rapidly jumping back. She had been up to see the head teacher several times because somebody had been crushing her vegetables.

It was badgers (獾), Freddie suggested, when quizzed by Miss Harpy — definitely badgers; no doubt about it. His dad had terrible problems with badgers. Only last week he had lost two rows of carrots. Freddie had woken one night and heard them tearing through the garden, a whole herd of them. They rooted up the lawn and dug up the vegetables. Terrible things, badgers. All the other children nodded their heads wisely. There was a moment’s pause in Class Three as everyone thought about the dreadful damage that badgers could do.

1. What do we know about Grandma Pugh?

A．She was present at the birth of baby Freddie.

B．She was unwilling to listen to the ideas of others.

C．She was a figure of great importance in the family.

D．She valued physical appearance over all other things.

2. Why did Freddie jump over the school wall?

A．To annoy his teacher.

B．To escape from school.

C．To amuse his schoolmates.

D．To damage Mrs Hobson’s vegetables.

3. Which of the following best describes Freddie’s physical appearance?

A．	B．
C．	D．

4. Why does Freddie talk about badgers in the final paragraph?

A．To explain the cause of the damage.

B．To warn the class about their danger.

C．To describe what happened to his father’s garden.

D．To make up an excuse for the cause of the damage.

【推荐1】I regularly train at a local boxing gym and I’m lucky enough to meet an amazing man, Adrian Charter. Adrian comes to the gym to train, just like me. The difference is, I’m 31 years old, and Adrian is 72!

I watched Adrian as he was training, early on a Sunday morning, and he was hitting the punching bag harder and quicker than most men in their twenties would. Adrian was a former boxer whose last professional fight was in 1972. Even though he has stopped competing as a boxer, his discipline(纪律) still makes him stick to a training rule.

It simply amazed me as to how a 72-year-old man could train so hard. Believe me, boxing is one of the most difficult sports on the earth, needing much patience,skill, and effort.

What surprised me even more was that a few days earlier he did some running. He ran 9 kilometers. He does this on a regular basis. For me, I can run 5 kilometers at most.

When I questioned him about how he kept such discipline, he calmly replied, “It is all in my mind.”

I thought about it for a moment. If discipline can push a 72-year-old man to train so hard and enjoy it, could I imagine how discipline could serve every single human being on the earth? Right at this point, as you read this story, please pause and ask yourself, “What is my level of discipline?”

Adrian’s example told me that the power of discipline will get us to the finishing line!The bigger the challenge is, the more our discipline can serve us and the sweeter the taste of success will be!

1. The author noticed Adrian Charter mostly because Adrian Charter _______ .

A．was a famous former boxer

B．was the oldest in the boxing gym

C．acted faster even than young people

D．didn’t want to compete any longer

2. What does the author think of boxing?

A．It has high requirements.

B．It has strict training rules.

C．It has a limit to people’s age.

D．It makes people become quick and strong.

3. The underlined sentence in the last paragraph probably means “______ ”.

A．Rome was not built in a day

B．no pains, no gains

C．failure is the mother of success

D．early birds can catch worms

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

A．Grasp every chance to keep fit

B．An unforgotten experience

C．The power of discipline

D．An amazing boxer

【推荐1】I used to live in South Africa and recently went back to Botswana to visit the Central Kalahari Game Reserve with my friend Oscar. There is nothing quite like the vast African wilderness.

Our jeep broke down suddenly along the too-hot-to-touch sand. With such an engine, it was tough work. The dry heat was fierce and the only break came from using our precious water for brief bucket shower.

With no supplies available within the park—it was a sort of no man’s land with the occasional cow—it’s necessary to bring all your fuel, food and water with you.

We camped in a small open space of the bush. At the height of the dry season, shade was in very little supply, so we angled ourselves near a lonely leafless tree. As the sun was setting, we drove towards the watering hole a few miles away, and were reminded just why we’d chosen to spend weeks experiencing this difficult, unpleasant, and painful exercise on ourselves. Realizing our arrival, a lone lion stopped his drinking. He yawned (打哈欠), then carried on drinking.

That night, sleeping on the roof of the jeep, we felt his roar (吼叫) as much as we heard it. All movements and activities stopped, but when bright satellites flashed across the blackness, the vast African skies offered the only sign that the outside world hadn’t come to a standstill.

In the morning we saw that the lion had walked on the road overnight, his paw prints pressed into yesterday’s tyre tracks. We set off for another morning inching through the sand: another day of shifting landscapes and raw (原始的), wild beauty; another night lit by fireflies and shooting stars.

1. What can we learn from the passage?

A．The author and his friend toured the Reserve without difficulty.

B．There were many cows in the Central Kalahari Game Reserve.

C．The lion walked along the tyre tracks and attacked the jeep at night.

D．The author and his friend suffered much heat in the daytime.

2. What does the underlined word “precious” mean in the passage?

A．Clean.	B．Enjoyable.
C．Valuable.	D．Enough.

3. What can you infer from the last paragraph?

A．The jeep’s tyre was destroyed by the lion at night.

B．The lion didn’t get close to the author’s jeep at night.

C．The author didn’t think the reserve worth visiting.

D．The natural beauty appealed to them to go on bravely.

4. Which of the following is the best title?

A．A Roaring Lion	B．An African Wilderness Tour
C．Extremely Hot Weather	D．African Wild Beauty

【推荐2】Volunteering is one of the major wealth of any American city or town. People get together to help others less fortunate than themselves, or victims of a natural or man-made disaster. Since the start of our country this has been one of the noticeable features of our society.

Beginning in the Colonial Period and continuing down to today our country’s history is full of examples of people helping each other. Requiring high school students to take part in voluntary community service projects introduces them to this important part of our society. And while many students complain about this program at first, a large number of them find great individual(个人的) satisfaction when they look back at the things they achieved.

Our son, who graduated in 2005, found that he enjoyed the time he spent with primary school students helping them with their reading. In some ways he became a hero to the young boys and girls he was spending time with, simply because he was a high school student and took the time to get to know them. By the end of his first year in the program he was looking forward to the next school year and a new group of kids. It was particularly satisfying when a child he had helped saw him some place in the community and remembered him.

Having high school students take part in required community service activities helps give them an important sense of belonging to the adult world. It also gives them first-hand experience in activities and situations they might not otherwise experience. And it shows them that they can make a valuable contribution towards the society with just a little effort and a few hours of their time.

1. What kind of feeling is expressed in Paragraph 1?

A．Surprise

B．Doubt

C．Concern

D．Pride

2. The underlined “complain about” in Paragraph 2 has the same meaning as .

A．Think little of

B．Look forward to

C．Jump at

D．Think highly of

3. What do we know about the author’s son?

A．He has been a volunteer for about one year.

B．He won much respect for his voluntary work.

C．He hoped the children he helped would remember him.

D．He felt pleased when he was recognized by other volunteers.

4. In paragraph 4, the author mainly discusses__________.

A．The benefits of required volunteering

B．The importance of first-hand experience

C．The requirements for being a volunteer

D．The responsibility of contributing to society

【推荐3】Our culture is the system we use to build our identity. All living things are part of a culture. Even animals have a culture! So what is culture? It's the way we behave in a group. It begins with each individual (单个的) family. Within our families we do things to build relationships with each other. This can include routines like daily housework and weekly shopping. It also includes traditions. Traditions are activities that are repeated on a regular basis.

Culture is not limited to individual family groups. The real strength of culture is in larger community groups. These larger groups are called societies. Every society makes rules for itself. It decides how people should act in different situations. Some of these rules are written down. Some are just things that are naturally expected of all members of that society.

Often, cultures can be recognized by what the people believe. Cultures are also known by what they choose to include in their art. Sometimes cultures may be formed by people who speak the same language. Cultures may also be known for their customs, including the foods they make and the things they do.

Our cultures help us understand who we are and what we believe. There are very strong feelings connecting us to our own society. Two different cultures may disagree on something, especially if they both feel strongly about it. When that happens, war is a common result.

People are learning better ways to communicate with each other. The more we communicate, the more we appreciate the differences in cultures.

1. The underlined word routines in Paragraph 1 is closest in meaning to _______.

A．hobbies	B．behaviors
C．formal activities	D．daily activities

2. Where does the real strength of culture?

A．In arts.	B．In societies.
C．In families.	D．In languages.

3. Which of the following may the author disagree with according to the passage?

A．Culture doesn't exist in animals.

B．Culture is the way we behave.

C．Cultures may not agree with each other.

D．Cultures help us understand ourselves.

4. How can people appreciate cultural differences?

A．By building a wall.	B．By preparing to fight.
C．By communicating.	D．By making friends.

5. What is the best title for the passage?

A．What Is Culture?	B．What Is Society?
C．What Is Tradition?	D．What Is System?