【推荐1】Eleven-year-old Ruby Kate Chitsey has long been close to older folks. Her mother, Amanda Chitsey, is a nurse who works at nursing homes in Harrison, and Kate often follows her around in the summer.

Last May, Ruby Kate learned a resident( 居民) named Pearl felt so sad for she had to send her dog away. The reason was that the nursing home didn’t allow residents to have dogs and Pearl couldn’t afford to pay anyone to look after hers. She also learned that many nursing home residents were unable to afford even the smallest luxuries (奢侈品). So Kate decided to do something about it.

She started by asking residents what three things they wanted most in the world. Amanda worried that people would ask for cars and other things an 11-year-old wouldn’t be able to provide. Instead, they asked for chocolate bars, McDonald’s fries, pants that fit properly, and even just a prayer.

“It broke me as a human, “Amanda says. “We left the nursing home that day and went straight to a store and bought as many items as we could.”

Using their own money, the Chitseys satisfied the wishes of about 100 people in three months. Then they started asking for donations. The good people of Harrison responded enthusiastically, so much so that Amanda set up a GoFundMe page, Three Wishes for Ruby’s Residents, hoping to collect $5,000. They hit their goal in only a few days. After GoFundMe promoted Kate’s story internationally this January, Three Wishes raised $20,000 in 24 hours and more than $250,000 in five months.

Earlier this year, Three Wishes became a nonprofit and started its first nationwide chapters.

1. Why was Pearl unhappy?

A．Because she became terribly ill.

B．Because she couldn’t afford luxuries.

C．Because keeping dogs was forbidden.

D．Because no one looked after her dog.

2. What do we learn about Three Wishes for Ruby’s Residents?

A．It started raising money in nursing homes.

B．It got great support from the people of Harrison.

C．It has developed branches in each state of America.

D．It only received donations of money on the Internet.

3. What’s the author’s purpose of writing the text?

A．To popularize the Chitseys’ Three Wishes.

B．To advertise the nursing homes in Harrison.

C．To introduce how the Chitseys helped the residents.

D．To encourage people to donate for Harrison’s residents.

【推荐2】Books have tremendous power. Between their pages, readers can be transported to anywhere imaginable and become just about anyone or anything. Unfortunately, many children all over the world don’t have access to books. For several years now, Maria Keller, a 14-year-old girl from Minneapolis, Minnesota, has been changing that fact.

When she was 8 years old, Maria already loved reading. She also noticed that some of her classmates didn’t read as much as she did. When she asked her mother why that could be, her mother said that they might not be able to afford books. Maria had never thought of this. She could not believe that some children might not have bedtime stories read to them. She became determined to change this.

With her mother’s help, Maria created Read Indeed. Read Indeed is a non-profit organization aiming to collect and distribute(分发) books to children in need. During the early stages of Read Indeed, Maria set the goal to collect and distribute 1 million books by the time she was 18. It didn’t take long to reach that goal.

Today, at age 14, she has collected over 1.8 million books and has shipped them to many states and countries around the world. She says, “I cannot live without books. As I continue my mission, I have learned that the number of kids who have no books are in the hundreds of millions. So I just can’t give up, even after reaching my original goal of 1 million books distributed.”

She recently set a new goal: to distribute donations to kids in need in every state in the United States, and every country in the world. She keeps track of her progress on a large map at the warehouse(仓库) where they store and sort books. Maria believes that she can get support from even more people and help kids around the world to become better readers!

1. We can know from Paragraph 2 that ________.

A．some of Maria’s classmates had no textbooks

B．some of Maria’s classmates didn’t have money to buy books

C．some of Maria’s classmates didn’t like reading at all

D．some of Maria’s classmates couldn’t afford to go to school

2. According to the passage, which statement about Read Indeed is true?

A．It collects and gives out books to poor children.

B．It is an organization which sells books to children around the world.

C．It raises money to buy books for children.

D．It is a campaign which encourages children to read.

3. What can we infer from what Maria says in Paragraph 4?

A．She lives on selling books.

B．Her original dream has been achieved.

C．She will give up her mission of distributing books.

D．The number of children who have no books has greatly dropped.

4. Which word can best describe Maria?

A．Optimistic.

B．Smart.

C．Brave.

D．Strong-willed.

【推荐3】Being a volunteer

What can you do to help people? The answer is-to be a volunteer!     1    .

● Help yourself by helping others

When you volunteer to help others, you can helping yourself.     2    . Lots of people really enjoy volunteering. Doing volunteer work means one important thing: You make a difference in the world. So where do you start?     3    .

● Things to do with family members

Volunteering is a great way to have fun with your family. Talk to your parents, brothers, or sisters and see what they might be interested in. Find something you all agree on. You can do the things as a family like cleaning up a park and planting trees or flowers in your local community（社区）

● Invent your own opportunity

    4    . You can make and sell products, and donate（捐赠）the money. Volunteering gives kids a taste of responsibility. Volunteering can also help kids learn important things about themselves-like what kind of things they’re best at. A volunteer job can even help some kids decide what they want to do when they grow up.     5    . Make a plan to start volunteering today!

A．Why not come?

B．School is a good place to start if you are looking for volunteer ideas

C．Volunteering means to spend time helping others

D．If you’re upset, doing something can be a great way to calm yourself down

E．Kids can come up with their own ways to raise money or provide needed services

F．So what are you waiting for?

G．Clean up a school or other public buildings

【推荐1】Want to be a success? The University of Utah is right for you. The university is internationally recognized for its excellence and achievements. It will help you develop brilliant research skills. As a university student, you can get first-class research facilities with trained teachers to help, support and advise you in your study. We pride ourselves on our high standards and research success. For further information: inf@utah.ac.nz.

Degree

We offer a wide choice of bachelor's degrees for international students, which includes: Arts, Communication Studies, Social Sciences, etc. Bachelor of Music and Bachelor of Education are only for New Zealand citizens. For further information: deg@utah.ac.nz.

Tuition Fees （学费）

Tuition fees are different from department to department, generally from $5,000 to $6,000 a year. For further information: tui@utah.ac.nz.

Accommodation （住宿）

It's a boarding school （寄宿制学校）and you can have a room in a 4-bcdroom flat, which will cost about $150 a month with other regular living costs of about $200 a month for one person. You need to pay for a whole year. For further information: acc@utah.ac.nz.

Health

The Student Health Service provides excellent medical services for students. The Medical Centre is open five days a week, including student holidays with four doctors and nurses to meet your medical needs. For further information: heal@utah.ac.nz.

Sports

The Centre is a great place to have sports activities. Trained exercise teachers can help you work out a training plan and keep you active. The sports hall has volleyball, basketball and indoor football courts and a swimming pool as well. There are also a large number of sports clubs at Utah. For further information: sport@ utah.ac.nz.

1. If you want to get more information about sports, you can write to______.

A．sport@utah.ac.nz	B．heal@utah.ac.nz
C．deg@utah.ac.nz	D．inf@utah.ac.nz

2. You have to pay at least______ a year if you study at the University of Utah.

A．$5,000

B．$7,400

C．$9,200

D．$10,200

3. Which of the following is Not True according to the text?

A．Tuition fees vary from department to department.

B．Bachelor of Music is for international students only.

C．Students can get medical help during student holidays.

D．There are plenty of sports clubs for students to choose from.

【推荐1】After a year at sea, 16-year-old Laura Dekker can finally say, “Mission accomplished!” Last month, she finished a daring trip around the world aboard her 38-foot boat, Guppy. Dekker, who is from the Netherlands, traveled more than 30,000 miles all by herself. She is the youngest person ever to sail around the globe alone.

Dekker had wanted to lake on this challenge when she was even younger. She first tried to set sail at the age of 13, but a court in the Netherlands stopped her. They said that she was too young to make such a risky trip by herself. But Dekker insisted she had the navigation skills and patience of an adult sailor.

She finally took off on January 20, 2011. During her trip, Dekker battled loneliness, storms, and worries about pirates. But she also got to surf, scuba dive, and started a new hobby: playing the flute. Although Dekker didn’t spend all of her time at sea—she stopped at ports along the way—she did spend her 16lh birthday on the open ocean. To celebrate, she ate doughnuts for breakfast.

But Dekker didn’t sail into the record books. Guinness World Records and the World Sailing Speed Record Council no longer recognize records for “youngest” sailors. They dropped the category in 2009 to discourage children from attempting such dangerous feats (壮举). But that didn’t stop Dekker，who was born on a yacht during a seven-year world voyage undertaken by her parents.

Dekker doesn’t mind that she won’t hold an official record. She says it was a personal goal, and she is happy she achieved it.

“I am not disappointed at all that Guinness World Record won’t recognize my attempt.” Dekker wrote on her website. “I did not start on my trip to achieve any record…I did it just for myself.”

1. Dekker wasn’t allowed to sail at the age of 13 because         .

A．people were concerned about her safety

B．she didn’t learn any sailing skills well

C．she had to continue her study at school

D．she didn’t have enough patience for long trips

2. What does the underlined word “accomplished” in Paragraph 1 mean?

A．Failed.	B．Completed.
C．Continued.	D．Started.

3. In 2009 records for youngest sailors were canceled in order to         .

A．set a higher sailing standard for teen sailors

B．stop children entering Guinness World Records

C．encourage parents to sail with their children

D．prevent children making dangerous attempts

4. What could be the best title for this passage?

A．A New Guinness World Record in Sailing

B．A New Sailing Standard for Teen Sailors

C．A Teen Girl Sailing Alone Around the World

D．The Youngest Sailor in Guinness World Records

【推荐2】Craziest Food Festivals sounds like a joke topic, but once you start looking into it, you’ll realize they’re everywhere — the crazier, the better.

1. Bibimbap Festival

In the South Korean town of Jeonjuloves, their “mixed rice” dish is a hearty serve of rice topped with raw beef, a rainbow of vegetables, a raw egg and gochujang sauce so much. They take four days out of October to celebrate it.

Like any festival there’s music, entertainment and magic, but making it that little bit different is the bibimbap that’s whipped (搅拌) up in a big bowl by dozens of chefs and served to over 400 people.

2. Waikiki Spam Jam

Who knew this canned meat had so much love? Well, it turns out that a can of Spam is the go-to item in Hawaii, along with a grass skirt and garland (花环). The people of Hawaii love Spam so much that they even spend a day in May giving out the best Spam, a type of cheap canned meat made mainly from pork.

3. Bessieres Easter Egg Festival

At Easter time, for those in the French town of Bessieres it’s all about an egg far less sweet.

Here they celebrate the holiday by getting dozens of chefs to make one large omelette (煎蛋卷) — 15,000 eggs strong — for the townsfolk (市民).

4. Potato Days Festival

This festival actually takes place in Barnesville, Minnesota, the US. Over the last Friday and Saturday in August the town celebrates its potato-growing skills by hosting potato picking and peeling contests, as well as a Miss Tater Tot pageant (盛典) for five- and six-year-old girls.

1. What makes Bibimbap festival special?

A．They take four days to celebrate it.

B．The mixed rice is rich in many vegetables.

C．There’s music, entertainment and magic during the festival.

D．The rice dish needs to be mixed in one big bowl by dozens of chefs together.

2. What do we know about Waikiki Spam Jam ?

A．The spam is the most favorite for Hawii people.

B．People spend one day to prepare the Jam.

C．The Jam isn’t affordable for the plain townsfolk.

D．The Jam is mainly made from raw beef.

3. If you have time in August, you can go to ______.

A．Bibimbap Festival	B．Waikiki Spam Jam
C．Bessieres Easter Egg Festival	D．Potato Days Festival

【推荐3】The mysterious science of reading gestures is explained using practical explanations and clear images. Gestures are products of both genetic (遗传的) and environmental influence. Understanding our gestures is not as difficult as some people would have you believe. All human beings use them and so actually have a “built-in” ability to recognize and read it.

Fingers crossed

Generally this means “wishing for good luck or fortune”. Another explanation could be seen as “here’s hoping”. The gesture probably has Christian origins where the gesture was believed to get away from evil. As such, people believe that crossing the fingers when telling a lie somehow gets away from the evil of the lie. Some historians believe that crossing your fingers is a hidden or secret way of making the Christian sign of cross—a piece way of defeating evils. As a gesture it has both good and bad meanings. Luck or lies.

Waving the first finger

Mothers and teachers are common users with this hand gesture. In general it is used to warn a single person. It is a change of the “you” gesture. If translated into language it would say “Stop whatever you are doing and pay attention to me. I am your superior and I am waring you!” Classified as a “silent” parent to child gesture, it is completely unacceptable in a professional environment where it will be interpreted (诠释) as both rude and domineering (盛气凌人的). Some psychologists believe that it has a meaning of the whip.

1. What can we infer from the first paragraph?

A．Reading gestures is a secret.

B．Gestures are formed in daily life.

C．Some people make reading gestures difficult on purpose.

D．It is hard to explain gestures by images.

2. What does a Christian crossing his fingers mean?

A．Showing he isn’t lucky.	B．Wishing to succeed.
C．Getting rid of the evil of the lie.	D．Crossing the street.

3. What is the purpose of your mum’s waving her first finger?

A．To wish for good luck.	B．To stop you.
C．To praise yon.	D．To help you.

4. Why isn’t waving the finger used in a formal occasion?

A．Because it is rude.	B．Because it is friendly.
C．Because it is surprising.	D．Because it is helpful.

【推荐1】The United States is one of the few countries in the world that has an official day on which fathers are honored by their children．On the third Sunday in June, fathers all across the United States are given presents, treated to dinner or otherwise made to feel special．
However, the idea for creating a day for children to honor their fathers began in Spokane, Washington．A woman by the name of Sonora Smart Dodd thought of the idea for Father’s Day while listening to a Mother’s Day sermon in 1909．Having been raised by her father, Henry Jackson Smart, after her mother died, Sonora wanted her father to know how special he was to her．It was her father that made all the parental sacrifices（牺牲） and was, in the eyes of his daughter, a selfless and loving man．Sonora’s father was born in June, so she chose to hold the first Father’s Day celebration in Spikane, Washington on the 19th of June, 1910．
In 1924 President Calvin Coolidge declared the third Sunday in June as Father’s Day．Roses are the Father’s Day flowers: red to be worn for a living father and white if the father has died．
When children can’t visit their fathers or take them out to dinner, they send a greeting card．Traditionally, fathers prefer greeting cards that are not too sentimental（伤感的）．Most greeting cards are too special so fathers laugh when they open them．Some give heartfelt thanks for being there whenever the child need Dad．
1. The United States is special in Father’s Day because ________．

A．many people celebrate the day	B．only America celebrates the day
C．America makes it an official day	D．all men are honored in America

2. At first, Father’s Day was fixed on June 19th because ________．

A．Sonora honored her father on her father’s birthday

B．Sonora’s birthday was June 19

C．it was decided by the president at that time

D．her mother died on June 19

3. How many years has passed before Father’s Day became an official day since the father’s day was celebrated?

A．4

B．10

C．14

D．24

4. According to the passage, on Father’s Day, ________．

A．people will wear the same flowers to honor their fathers

B．only daughters wear red flowers to honor their fathers

C．children must go home to honor their fathers

D．fathers are often honored in different ways

5. According to the passage, we can infer that Henry Jackson Smart ________．

A．was very kind to anyone	B．was the first father honored in 1924
C．did a lot for his daughter	D．always help others by giving money

【推荐2】The Palace Museum, known as the Forbidden City, was the imperial palace of the Ming and Qing dynasties. In the early 15^th century, large－size construction caused 100, 000 common people to lead a hard life. The construction took 14 years and was finished in 1420. In the following year, the capital of the Ming Dynasty was moved from Nanjing to Beijing. Twenty－four emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties ruled from the Forbidden City. The Last dynasty fell in 1911, but Emperor Puyi still lived in the inner court. It was not until 1925 that the complex buildings were changed into a museum. Since then, the Palace has been opened to the public.

The Palace Museum is rectangular in shape, about 960 meters long from north to south and 750 meters wide from west to east. There is a 10－meter－high wall, encircled by a 52－meter－wide moat. In the Ming Dynasty, the wood needed for the building was brought mostly from Sichuan and Hunan Provinces, while in the Qing Dynasty, it was cut from the northeast of China. Most of the stones were mined from the suburban district of Fangshan and other districts. Construction of the Forbidden City brought huge hardship to the laboring people.

The palace is the largest piece of ancient Chinese architecture still standing. Some of the buildings were damaged by lightning and rebuilt in the Ming and Qing dynasties. The palace has been expanded several times, but the original design was preserved. After liberation, some costly renovations were done and the Palace Museum is listed as one of the most important historical sites under special preservation by the Chinese government.

1. What is the main idea of Paragraph 1?

A．The origin of the name “the Forbidden City”.

B．The Forbidden City and emperors.

C．The open to the public of the Forbidden City.

D．The period of the construction of the Forbidden City.

2. The Forbidden City began to be constructed in       .

A．1911

B．1421

C．1406

D．1420

3. What can we learn from Paragraph 2?

A．The emperors’ cruelty brought the Forbidden City into the world.

B．The processing of constructing the Forbidden City needed wood and stones from all over the country.

C．The Forbidden City is the largest piece of ancient Chinese architecture still standing.

D．The Forbidden City is about 720, 000 square meters.

4. This passage most probably comes from a book on .

A．customs and habits

B．dynasties and emperors

C．history and emperors

D．architecture and history

【推荐3】Singles Day: Alibaba Says a Lot of People in China Bought Online

The planet’s biggest shopping day has come and gone, and Alibaba again showed the world how many mountains of stuff (物品) it could persuade people to buy in the 24 hours.

Monday was Nov. 11, known in China as Singles Day. This year, nearly $38.3 billion worth of stuff was sold on Alibaba’s platforms (平台) that day, beating last year’s $30.8 billion and making Black Friday look, yet again, like a yard sale.

China has grown richer and more digitally connected. Alibaba has become a technology powerhouse. Along the way, the company has made a few famous friends. This year the singer Taylor Swift performed in its live-streamed evening gala (庆典) in Shanghai on Sunday. In previous years the model Miranda Kerr and the actors Nicole Kidman and Daniel Craig also showed on the Singles Day stage.

Alibaba started taking the lead in China, simply enough, by connecting big Chinese manufacturers with big buyers across the world. Its business-to-business site, Alibaba.com allowed people to buy almost everything. Alibaba’s advantage wasn’t hard to see: size. Alibaba is just big, even by Chinese standards.

Alibaba now calls itself a data and technology company, one that provides digital tools to help the businesses on its platforms. That, in turn, leads consumers to look to those platforms for their every need, from shopping and services to entertainment and travel. Today, Alibaba is itself a gigantic company, and it wants to grow bigger still.

1. Where is this passage probably from?

A．A textbook.	B．A newspaper.
C．A science news report.	D．An advertisement.

2. How many famous people showed on the Singles Day stage?

A．2.	B．3.
C．4.	D．5.

3. What does Alibaba’s advantage mainly lie in?

A．Its platform.	B．Its service.
C．Its price.	D．Its size.

4. Which word can replace the underlined word “gigantic” in the last paragraph ?

A．Large.	B．Small.
C．Good.	D．Successful.