【推荐1】（2016·新课标卷III））On one of her trips to New York several years ago, Eudora Welty decided to take a couple of New York friends out to dinner. They settled in at a comfortable East Slide cafe and within minutes, another customer was approaching their table.

＂Hey, aren’t you from Mississippi?＂ the elegant, white-haired writer remembered being asked by the stranger. ＂I’m from Mississippi too.＂
Without a second thought, the woman joined the Welty party. When her dinner partner showed up, she also pulled up a chair.
＂They began telling me all the news of Mississippi,＂ Welty said. ＂I didn’t know what my New York friends were thinking.＂
Taxis on a rainy New York night are rarer than sunshine. By the time the group got up to leave, it was pouring outside. Welty’s new friends immediately sent a waiter to find a cab. Heading back downtown toward her hotel, her big-city friends were amazed at the turn of events that had changed their Big Apple dinner into a Mississippi state reunion(团聚).
＂My friends said: ‘Now we believe your stories,’＂ Welty added. ＂And I said: ‘Now you know. These are the people that make me write them.’＂

Sitting on a sofa in her room, Welty, a slim figure in a simple gray dress, looked pleased with this explanation.

＂I don’t make them up,＂ she said of the characters in her fiction these last 50 or so years. ＂I don’t have to.＂

Beauticians, bartenders, piano players and people with purple hats, Welty’s people come from afternoons spent visiting with old friends, from walks through the streets of her native Jackson, Miss., from conversations overheard on a bus. It annoys Welty that, at 78, her left ear has now given out. Sometimes, sitting on a bus or a train, she hears only a fragment(片段) of a particularly interesting story.

The underlined word ＂them＂ in Paragraph 6 refers to Welty’s ______

A．readers	B．parties
C．friends	D．stories

【推荐2】A 1930s-ancient restaurant in my town has done little to update itself over the past 80 years. This is part of its charm, as is the wooden phone booth(亭)sitting neglected in the age of the cellphone. And we need it now more than ever.

For me it symbolizes that phone calls were once private affairs, even if the information being shared was not sensitive. In public places this meant resorting to the phone booth—a private space where one could converse in peace without being overheard.

When I grew up in the 1960s, phone calls used to be regarded as something private, even at home. However, within the space of very few years, private conversations have become public broadcasts, and being overheard seems to be the point. The problem, of course, is that we now carry our phones with us and answer the device as soon as it rings, but at the price of our privacy being disclosed!

Not long ago I was sitting in Boston’s South Station, waiting for my train while a man was on his cellphone. I silently recited every detail of his phone conversation including his card number and its password. I stared at the fellow. He glanced at me, asking, “What?” My immediate respons: Reciting all I had overheard to him, which left him opening his eyes wide.

There is no more privacy, no longer a sense of personal borders or limits. The cellphone has become a megaphone, making our privacy known so easily to others.

To return to phone booths: Why did they disappear? They used to be everywhere in my childhood and can readily serve as cellphone shelters today. A Mr. Riley had one in his small, struggling candy store where I grew up. Even at the age of 9, before I had acquired any life experiences, I would have labeled “private”, I would sometimes separate myself from my friends, close its door, and call home in peace and quiet.

Should you think a phone booth has no value today, I saw one on eBay going for $ 4,750.

And Mr. Riley would have flipped.

1. How does the author support the theme of the passage?

A．By listing various reasons.

B．By comparing differences.

C．By sharing his own experiences.

D．By proving study results.

2. What is the underlined word “megaphone” in Para 5?

A．An earphone.	B．A loudspeaker.
C．A mobile phone.	D．A calculator.

3. What does the author really indicate when referring to the old phone booth?

A．The place the old phone booth holds.

B．The good interpersonal relationships.

C．The money value of the old-fashioned booth.

D．The privacy boundaries people should keep.

4. What can be the best title of the passage?

A．My Story of Old Phone Booths

B．Does Privacy Still Matter Now?

C．The Return of the Old Phone Booth

D．Old Phone Booths, Still Valuable?

【推荐3】When I was in primary school, sometimes I would meet a girl of the same age as me. Lisa was never active, but she was always very sweet and nice. In the 5th grade she came to my class. She was absent a lot. and one day I had the courage to ask why. She told me she was sick, and she explained she wore a wig because her medicine made her lose her hair. We left it at that.

Anytime Lisa came to class seldom   would hang with her on the playground. I received much ridicule from my friends for this because they thought I was ignoring them for Lisa. My family education taught me to be nice, and I felt Lisa's needs were much more important than others I knew.

It had been months since Lisa was in our class, and one day our teacher was crying. She explained Lisa died the day before and would no longer be our classmate. She told us Lisa had fought a battle (斗争) with cancer for years.

I was shocked. Lisa never spoke of her illness as if it could kill her. Well, all these years I have kept Lisa in my mind and heart. When I go through the important events in my life, I think of

Lisa.

I've had a strong wish recently to find her mother and father. I'd like to tell them that though they never met me, their daughter had a sweet effect on my life. I have no idea what her parents' first names are. I write to your column and hope you can point me in the right direction.

Lisa was such a lovely girl. Maybe her parents would be comforted by the fact that after all these years they are not the only ones who remember her.

1. The underlined sentence in Para.1 probably means___________.

A．we kept on talking about her illness later

B．we discussed the topic and then left together

C．we just stopped talking about her illness

D．we went away after talking about her illness

2. Why was the author being laughed at?

A．Because she wore a wig to school.

B．Because she always played with Lisa.

C．Because she cried in the classroom.

D．Because she lost her friends because of Lisa.

3. What did the author learn from Lisa?

A．To keep your illness a secret.

B．To be nice to everyone everywhere.

C．To face challenges in life bravely.

D．To put others' needs above yours.

4. The author wrote this passage mainly to__________.

A．remember a true friend

B．ask for help to find a friend's parents

C．show her concern for a friend

D．tell her experience of fighting cancer

【推荐1】People Are People

Globalization has brought different cultures together in away unimaginable one hundred years ago. Today, Chinese, Indians, Arabs, Africans, Anglos, and Hispanics may all work in the same offices, attend the same schools or live in the same neighborhoods.     1     And our society has lately emphasized（强调）the importance of diversity.

    2    Take the following old proverbs for example.  

“Honesty is the first chapter in the book of wisdom.” Thomas Jefferson, American President

“One falsehood spoils a thousand truths.” African proverb

“Be honest to those who are honest, and be also to those who are not honest.” Lao Tzu, Chinese philosopher

“A sacrifice is written off by a lie and the merit of devotion by an act of cheat.” Hindu saying

    3     These seems to be a sort of cultural unity.

We don’t wish to imply all cultures are the same. Cultural diversity is real, and people from different cultures view many situations in different ways. However, historically, different cultures seem to share many common values. They are justice, courage, patience, generosity, equality, mercy and kindness, respect for the elders, and many more. Lying and stealing appear to be wrong no matter where you go. Perhaps some cultures make room for extenuating（情有可原）circumstances more than others; perhaps cultures apply these virtues in different ways; and when values disagree, different cultures may place different levels of importance on them.     4     But both cultures may still value both.

To us, it seems as if there is some sort of code of right and wrong that everyone everywhere seems to understand, regardless of culture. It is almost as if, behind all of the diversity, one finds a common understanding – a human culture, if you will – that goes beyond racial, social, and political boundaries.     5    .

A．All people seem to agree that we should tell the truth.

B．As cultures meet with each other, many differences stand out.

C．Each value supports many more sayings from different cultures.

D．We want to show, however, that there is more to these cultures than diversity.

E．These sayings from four separate cultures all support the same value – honesty.

F．It is almost as if, despite all our differences, we are all still the same – we are just people.

G．In other words, one culture may lean more toward justice and another culture more toward mercy.

【推荐2】As is known to all, many things can be measured in terms of data. Sometimes data（数据） can indeed tell the truth. With the help of data we can easily know the price of a can of Coke in the supermarket or the result of a football match. Data can make our life easier and more comfortable. What is more important, data seem to be fairer than words or statements.     1       Nowadays, as lies exist in the world, data are expected to tell the truth. Therefore, many of us would rather believe data.

On the other hand, if we judge things only by data from the so-called specific research, aren’t we a little too narrow-minded? Many people often treat the so-called specific data unwisely just to make sure that they are making the right decisions.         2         For example, how can you tell that somebody isn’t a good student just because he or she doesn’t get high marks in the final examination?

    3       For example, the degree of your feeling happy in your life, the depth of love between you and your friends, and the faith you have in your country. We can only feel them in our hearts but can never express them in data.

There is no doubt that analyzing the exact data is important to assessment of an actual event. But data should be dealt with wisely. We often get wrong data which mislead us.       4         Remember, data have no feeling but we humans have. Data do not mean much to people if we do not have the abilities to analyze the data with the knowledge and confidence to judge whether they are true or false.       5    

Data are data after all. Life is much more colourful than the pale data. So give the cold data a warm heart and we’ll find that the world is far more wonderful than the pale data can describe.

A．We should try our best to be wise thinkers.

B．If the data are true, we don’t have to worry about being cheated.

C．But sometimes we may find that data aren’t everything.

D．Sometimes our hearts and mind are more sensitive than data.

E．Now and then the so-called specific data puzzle us very much.

F．The exact data should come from assessment of an actual event.

G．There are many things in our life which cannot be measured by data.

【推荐3】阅读文章回答问题。

A couple of weeks ago, my grandfather explained his favorite expression, “Nothing is ever easy.” Then the following day, as I tried to complete my day’s work, I happened to notice a bumblebee(大黄蜂) on the skylight(天窗). The skylight was particularly high up, but I thought removing the bee would take no more than five minutes. An hour later, the bee still remained. All that had changed was that the living room was a mess and that I was dizzy from looking up into the sunlight. I did not expect to waste an hour on an insect so tiny, but by doing so, I understood what my grandfather meant.

It is not only time that we tend to underestimate — we don’t account for unexpected costs. We often imagine what can work in our favor, but we seldom think of all the negative things that could affect us. However, it is important to remember that your day or week or year might not go as planned, and that is completely normal. It is perfectly acceptable to feel challenged — even at a task you thought was simple — because that is part of life.

If you can accept that nothing will ever be easy, then life might seem slightly more manageable. In middle school, I thought high school might be easier because I could choose the classes I wanted to take. In high school, I thought college might be easier because I could have a schedule best suited for myself. Yet each time, I was both wrong and disappointed. After accepting that school wouldn’t (and shouldn’t) be easy, I found myself with a more positive attitude and improved results.

Of course, there should be preparations made to account for expenses or time. Doing so can only help you accomplish your goals in a better way. However, there is no need to beat ourselves up(过分自责) when something stands in our path. Maybe we cannot see a bee coming our way, but we can always give ourselves the extra time to catch it.

1. What was out of the author’s expectation when he removed the bumblebee on the skylight?(no more than 15 words)
2. What does the underlined phrase “account for” in Paragraph 2 mean? (no more than 3 words)
3. What does Paragraph 3 mainly tell us? (no more than 15 words)
4. According to the passage, how will you deal with what stands on your path? (no more than 15 words)
5. What do you understand the sentence—“Nothing is ever easy.”? (no more than 25 words)

【推荐1】Scientists are attempting to extract (提取) cells from a 40,000-year-old horse in hope of using the sample to clone the extinct (灭绝的) species back into existence. The male baby horse was discovered in 2018 in permafrost (永冻土) in northeastern Siberia of Russia.

A team of scientists from South Korea and Russia believes the young horse, called the Lenskaya or Lena horse, was about 20 days old when it died. The species of horse, now extinct, is between 30,000 and 40,000 years old. Thanks to the terrible coldness, the animal’s tissue was preserved enough for the scientists to obtain samples.

Semyon Grigoriev, head of the lab at the Mammoth (猛犸象) Museum of the North-Eastern Federal University in Yakutsk, said the horse was “well - preserved” and a “great find”. There is no damage to the horse’s body and even its hair is undamaged. The unfortunate animal, according to Gngo-riev, “could have drowned after falling into some kind of a natural trap.”

Hwang Woo-suk, a researcher from South Korea working on the project, said, “If researchers find a cell, they will do their best to clone the animal. If we get live cells from this ancient baby horse, it would be wonderful in terms of cloning.”

After that, they will make a cloned embryo (胚胎) and a female horse carry it as its mother. Hwang said modern-day horses are “very similar to the ancient one,” so there would be no problem getting help from a modern-day female horse.

The scientists are hoping the experiment on the baby horse will give them experience in progressing toward their ambitious goal-bringing back the extinct woolly mammoth.

“If we manage to clone the horse-it will be the first step to cloning the mammoth.” Hwang said.

1. Why was the Lenskaya horse kept in good condition?

A．The temperatures were extremely low.	B．It was buried under the ground.
C．Alocal museum had preserved it.	D．It died quite young.

2. What do we know about the baby horse?

A．It was a female horse.	B．It might have died by accident.
C．Its hair was partly destroyed.	D．Its tissue can hardly be found.

3. What must the researchers do before cloning the extinct horse?

A．Know more about extinct ancient horses.	B．Make an embryo i a female horse.
C．Find an ideal modern - day female horse.	D．Get live cells from the baby horse.

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

A．A new horse species found in Siberia	B．How to preserve ancient animals’ tissue
C．Scientists attempt to clone extinct horse	D．How to extract cells from extinct species

【推荐2】Bats are mammals which give birth to live young and produce milk to feed them. Over sixty different kinds occur in Australia. Most eat insects, but eight feed only on flowers and fruit, and are known as fruit-bats or flying-foxes. Four of these are among the world's largest bats. They may weigh up to one kilogram and their wings may span（跨越）more than a meter.

The favorite food of flying-foxes is the blossom of eucalypts（桉树）and some other native trees, and various bush fruits. The bats are beneficial to the trees because they act as pollinators（传粉者）and dispersers（扩散器）of their seeds. The great distances they can fly means they carry pollen and seeds far from the parent tree.

Camps are places where the large flying-foxes gather during the day, sometimes in many thousands. Along the coast they may be in mangroves（红树林），further inland they are often in deep rainforests, and west of the Dividing Range they are usually along water-courses. Their location may be known only to a few local people. The same campsites tend to be used year after year, although not necessarily every year, or all year round.

Damage to cultivated fruit varies greatly from one year to the next and between different areas. The factors controlling it are not well understood. Some areas rarely experience attacks, others do so most years, Widespread shortages of natural food, such as those occur during droughts, may cause large numbers of animals to move well beyond their usual range in search of food. This applies particularly to Little Red Flying-foxes, which occur further inland than the other species.

1. What is the first paragraph mainly about?

A．The weight of bats.	B．The usual size of bats.
C．The main food of bats.	D．The species of bats.

2. What do we know about flying-foxes?

A．They eat nothing but fruits.	B．They prefer fruit to flowers.
C．They are also known as fruit-bats.	D．They are known as the largest bats.

3. The bats are environmentally friendly because________.

A．they eat harmful insects

B．they help trees to grow abundantly

C．they keep many native trees free of disease

D．they act as cleaners for trees and flowers

4. We can learn from Paragraph 3 that flying-foxes________.

A．live in groups in the daytime	B．camp in places where there are no water
C．prefer mangroves to rainforests	D．camp in different places year after year

【推荐3】It’s common knowledge that some countries have higher life expectancies(预期寿命) than others, but the city you live in can also affect your health.

Some cities are hard on their residents. In places with poor city planning, for example Lagos, which was called out recently by the Economist Intelligence Unit, public spaces are few, making outdoor activities hard. Lack of infrastructure(基础建设) blocks the streets with cars and the air with pollutants, and residents work long hours for little money.

These are just some of the factors added up by Spotahome, a rental agency. They’ve analyzed data from a range of sources, including the World Health Organization and TripAdvisor to score each city on health, life expectancies, obesity, green space and other elements to make a list to work out which are the world’s healthiest cities.

The list is certainly Eurocentric and sunshine is seen as a positive factor. It does go some way toward suggesting which cities are getting it right in providing a good life for their residents. It may not be surprising to learn that most of the healthiest cities are in northern Europe, known for its people-first approach to city planning. The cities of Australia and Canada also do well. However, the first American city is only in 34th place. The U.K. doesn’t fare too well either—its only city in the top 50 list is London, in 40th.

Whether you’re planning a pleasant holiday, or simply wondering what your city can do better in its pursuit for happy citizens, the list of the 50 healthiest cities will give you pause for thought about the future of city planning. Here are the slender, healthy-eating, clean-aired cities that are getting it right.

1. What plays the key role in building a healthy city according to the text?

A．Local culture.

B．City planning.

C．Economic condition.

D．Geographical position.

2. What does paragraph 3 mainly talk about?

A．How the list of the healthiest cities came into being.

B．What Spotahome discovered in the recent study.

C．The reasons why Spotahome carried out the study.

D．The places where the data of the study came from.

3. What can we learn from the text?

A．Cities in America lack enough sunshine.

B．The U. K. ranked higher than America in the list.

C．Australia and Canada have the best city planning.

D．Some people in Lagos may live a poor life.