【推荐1】In modern society there is a great deal of argument about competition. Some value it highly, believing that it is responsible for social progress and prosperity（繁荣）. Others say that competition is bad, that it sets one person against another and that it leads to unfriendly relationship between people.
I have taught many children who held the belief that their self-worth relied on how well they performed at tennis and other skills. For them, playing well and winning are often life-and-death affairs. In their single-minded pursuit（追求） of success, the development of many other human qualities is sadly forgotten.
However, while some seem to be lost in the desire to succeed, others take an opposite attitude. In a culture which only values the winner and pays no attention to the ordinary player, they strongly blame competition. Among________are youngsters who have suffered under competitive pressures from their parents or society. Teaching these young people, I often observe in them a desire to fail. They seem to seek failure by not trying to win or achieve success. By not trying, they always have an excuse: “ I may have lost, but it doesn’t matter because I really didn’t try.” What is not usually admitted by them is the belief that if they had really tried and lost, that would mean a lot.
Such a loss would be a measure of their worth. Clearly, this belief is the same as that of true competitors who try to prove themselves. Both are based on the mistaken belief that one’s self-respect relies on how well one performs in comparison with others. Both are afraid of not being valued．Only as this basic and often troublesome fear begins to disappear can we discover a new meaning in competition.
1. Why do some people favor competition according to the passage?

A．It pushes society forward．

B．It builds up a sense of duty.

C．It improves personal abilities.

D．It encourages individual efforts.

2. The underlined phrase “ the most vocal” in Paragraph 3 means _____.

A．those who try their best to win

B．those who are against competition most strongly

C．those who value competition most highly

D．those who rely on others most for success

3. Which point of view may the author agree to?

A．Every effort should be paid back.

B．Competition should be encouraged.

C．Winning should be a life-and-death matter.

D．Fear of failure should be removed in competition.

【推荐2】“It is one of the few bright spots in the Chinese economy，” says Zeng Ming. He is talking about e­commerce. Mr. Zeng, the chief strategy officer for Alibaba, a giant Chinese Internet firm, predicts that digital transactions on his firm's platforms will top 1 trillion yuan($159 billion) this year—more than Amazon's and eBay's combined. That is a bold claim, but consider what happened on Singles Day.
Invented a few years ago by students and seized upon by digital marketers, this festival for lonely hearts falls annually on the 11th day of the 11th month(since 1 is the loneliest number). It is like St Valentine's Day, only worse. Singletons show each other with tender gifts: a barrage of pearls; a storm of sweets.
This November 11th they spent a surprising 19 billion yuan on Alibaba's online platforms—a fourfold increase on a year ago, and more than double what Americans spent online last Cyber Monday(the Monday after Thanksgiving, when retailers urge Americans to shop online). About 100 million purchases were logged, accounting for 80% of the packages shipped that day. Couriers(快递员) were buried in parcels.
So life is good for China's e­tailers. Then? Not exactly. The number of digital marketers is increasing and online sales are booming. Consumers are enjoying lower prices, better service and more variety. The problem? The pressure on profits in Chinese e­commerce is worse than in America, reckons Elinor Leung of CLSA, a broker. “Almost no one makes money，” she says.
The fiercest battles are being fought between online retailers and their bricks­and­mortar(实体的) rivals. Dangdang, a firm that resembles Amazon, and 360buy, another online retailer, have cut prices fiercely. Tencent, a cash­rich online giant known for its instant­messaging software, is splashing out to win market share. 360buy has also just raised $400 millon from investors to do the same. But it is unclear how much longer such firms can burn through capital.
1. What's the best title of this passage?

A．The Ambition of Alibaba

B．Fierce Competition between Retailers

C．A New Festival for the Singles

D．Chinese Booming E­commerce

2. According to Zeng Ming, this year Alibaba will ________.

A．outweigh Amazon and eBay in worldwide influence

B．rank top among all the Internet firms

C．have more than 159 billion dollars' sale

D．create another sales miracle just like the one on Singles Day

3. How many packages were shipped on November 11th from Alibaba's online platforms?

A．About 80 million.	B．About 100 million.
C．About 125 million.	D．About 180 million.

4. What's the author's attitude towards online retailers in China?

A．Optimistic.	B．Concerned.
C．Sympathetic.	D．Indifferent.

【推荐3】Many businesses today use conferences as a means of discussing new plans of the company. As people are paying more attention to the environment and green problems, more businesses are looking for ways to reduce their negative effect on the environment. Many businesses do this by using Web conferencing.
Web conferencing is a technology that allows people to communicate more effectively over the Internet. It’s an easy way of hosting and attending conferences without having to leave the office. Each of the people involved in a Web conference will be posted an invitation to the conference with the time and date of the Web conference on it. When the conference is ready to begin, all participants (参与者) must sit at their computers and they will be connected over the Internet.
With Web conferencing all participants attend conference from the comfort of their own desks. Obviously, in doing this no fuel is used in traveling to and from a conference, and less work is taken up in attending a conference.
Any material to be used during Web conference is simply e-mailed to all the participants before the conference. Participants can then either choose to print material or read it on screen. This not only saves paper but also greatly reduces mailing costs for the business.
As a conference hall or business center isn’t being used, it means that the only power that is used is the power that is used by the participants’ personal computers. Similarly, conference organizers don’t have to arrange for food or overnight accommodation. All this means that less energy is used.
Often in business some companies actively choose to do business with other companies that do many things to reduce their negative impact on the environment. And Web conferencing helps you show other businesses that you are willing to work hard for the green cause.
1. What is the passage mainly about?

A．Ways of protecting the environment

B．Green benefits of Web conferencing

C．Ways of hosting a Web conference

D．Impact of Web conferencing on costs

2. According to paragraph 1, many companies use Web conferencing because they ______.

A．are interested in using any new technology.

B．believe that Web conferencing is more convenient.

C．want to do something to protect the environment .

D．haven’t enough money to hold a traditional conference.

3. The participants of a Web conference _____.

A．will be e-mailed an invitation before the conference.

B．are required to sit in an office together.

C．will receive many paper materials.

D．must have access to the Internet.

4. Which of the following words best describes the author’s opinion about a Web conference?

A．Useless	B．Environmentally friendly
C．Inconvenient	D．Money-consuming

【推荐1】Michele Gentile, an Italian bookseller, is offering free books to children in exchange for plastic bottles to recycle.

Michele owns Ex Libris Cafe in Polla，a small town in southern Italy. He said he thought of the recycling program, because he wanted to inspire children in the small town to read and pay attention to the environment.

''My goal is to spread the passion and love for books among those people in Italy who do not usually read while at the time helping the environment," Gentile explained.

The idea for the initiative (倡议) came after Gentile collaborated with a nearby middle school on an aluminum recycling project. Working together, the schoolchildren and Gentile collected enough cans to purchase books for an entire classroom. His new program too off from there and has already spread into northern Italy: Gentile's hopes his work will continue to make headlines and become a worldwide initiative.

The free books come from customers in Gentile's shop who have donated money to purchase a ''suspended" book. The idea comes from a World War II practice in which customers would buy two Coffees: one for themselves and another for the next person in line. Gentile has been using the extra books as part of his recycling initiative,

While Gentile's program is a great way to recycle and get kids to read, it also brings awareness to the growing problem of plastic waste. Single-use plastics make up around 26 percent of all the plastics in the world, only 14 percent of which are recycled. Plastics that end up in landfills take around 500 years to decompose (分解),is a major concern for environmentalists.

Cutting down on plastic waste is important if we want to better the environment for future generations, and recycling programs like Gentile's book giveaway are a great way to meet that goal.

1. What is the purpose of Gentile's book giveaway?

A．To sell more coffee and books.	B．To attract more customers.
C．To collect money for a new project.	D．To inspire reading and recycling.

2. How did Gentile come up with the idea?

A．Working with a school to recycle cans.	B．Seeing school kids don't like reading.
C．Donating books for a local school.	D．Buying a “suspended” book for a child.

3. Who pay for the books of the project?

A．The local government.	B．Gentile himself.
C．Some publishers.	D．His customers.

4. Which of the following is the best title for the text?

A．An Italian's Reading Initiative	B．Recycling Can Get Kids Free Books
C．Michele's Way of Doing Business	D．A New Way to Deal with Plastic Waste

【推荐2】I was raised on a farm in the Fraser Valley along with five sisters and one brother. When I was 15, I got addicted to drinking at weekends and then dropped out of school. By the time I was 17, I continued to drink heavily. I couldn't find a job to support myself. So, I had no other choice but to join the army. I retired and went back home three years later, still a heavy drinker. When I was 22, I met Sue whose father was also a heavy drinker, so my behavior didn't surprise her. We were soon married and later had two daughters.
I started my first business when I was in my mid-twenties. A few years later, I bought a large chicken farm. Even with this success, though, my drinking was always a problem. It affected my marriage and family so much that I knew I had to make up my mind to stop drinking. So I tried great efforts. But two years later, I began drinking again.
When I was in my mid-thirties, I sold both of my businesses, and bought the big house on the hill. I was not at all happy, although I had everything that was supposed to make me happy. I sold our big house on the hill and bought a large land, where I built a new house. Our marriage was in big trouble, and my finances would _________ For the first time in many years, I had to go to work for someone as an employee. I took a job as a heavy equipment operator in a road building camp.
My marriage still came apart when I was 38, and my kids had to go through our divorce. I spent 6 months in giving up drinking on a school camp. Nearly a year later, I met my childhood neighbor girl, June. We were married not long afterwards. My kids learned to trust me again and I have two stepchildren that also love me.
Happy life continued about ten years. Everything was going so well when I felt there was something wrong with my body. I went to see a doctor, and the medical examination came out that I had ALS(肌肉萎缩症). Record shows that people with ALS generally survive between two to five years after symptoms appear. I've probably had the symptoms for one-and-a-half years already, so I don't know how much time I have left.…God knows…
1. Which of the following is the right order for the author’s experience?
a. He married June.
b. He married Sue
c. He bought the big house on the hill.
d. He bought a large chicken farm.
e. He succeeded in giving up drinking.
f. He tried but failed to get rid of drinking.

A．a, d, c, b, f, e	B．b, d, f, c, e, a
C．b, c, d, a, f, e	D．f, b, d, c, e , a

2. The underlined phrase “go down the drain”(in Paragraph 3) is closest in meaning to “__”.

A．be out of expectation	B．be totally successful
C．become worse and worse	D．be safe in one’s pocket

3. What can we know about the author?

A．He began drinking at the age of 17.

B．He ended his army life at the age of 19.

C．He was not happy, although he lived in the big house at the age of 35.

D．He bought the big house on the hill when he was 25.

4. What can we infer about the author’s marriage?

A．His two kids didn’t trust him before he remarried.

B．His finance was the first thing that led to the failure of his first marriage.

C．His first wife didn’t know about his drinking before marriage.

D．He gave birth to two children in his 40s.

5. What is true according to the last paragraph?

A．The author is hopeless because he will be dead in a few years because of ALS.

B．The author has hope because the doctor concluded that he had 2-5 years left.

C．The author is uncertain whether the symptoms of ALS have appeared or not.

D．The author will ask God whether the disease is curable or not.

【推荐3】Would you believe that the first outstanding deaf teacher in America was a Frenchman? His name was Laurent Cleric. He became a friend of Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet and together they founded America’s first school for the deaf.

Laurent Cleric was born in a small village near Lyons, France, on December 26, 1785. When he was one year old, he fell into a fire, losing both his hearing and his sense of smell. At 12, Laurent entered the Royal Institution for the Deaf in Paris where he excelled in his studies. After he graduated, the school asked him to stay on as an assistant teacher.

Meanwhile, in America, Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet was studying to be a minister. He was very concerned about the lack of educational opportunities for the deaf. Therefore, in 1815, Gallaudet sailed to London, England to seek ideas on how to teach deaf people. While he was there, he met a French educator of the deaf who invited him to go to Paris to spend three months learning at the Royal Institution for the Deaf, the school where Laurent Cleric was teaching. Gallaudet accepted the offer. The two worked and studied well together. When the time came for Gallaudet to return, he asked Cleric to come with him. Cleric accepted on one condition: that he would stay in America only a short time.

The two men set sail on June 18, 1816. The voyage across the Atlantic Ocean took 52 days; however, Cleric and Gallaudet put the time to good use. Cleric studied English, and Gallaudet studied sign language. They discussed the school for the deaf which they planned to open. On the long trip, they had many conversations about education and deafness. The year after they arrived, they founded a school for the deaf in Harford, Connecticut.

At the school, Cleric led a busy life. He taught signs to Principal Gallaudet; he taught the pupils; and he taught hearing men who came to the school to study deaf education.

In 1819, Cleric married Eliza Crocker Boardman, one of his pupils. They had six children. He retired from teaching in 1858. Although he had intended to return to France, he never did. He died on July 18, 1869 in the United States.

1. Why did Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet sail to London?

A．He needed to finish his studies to become a minister.

B．It was the easiest way to get to France.

C．He wanted to study their system of deaf education.

D．He wanted to marry Alice Cogswell.

2. From the information in this passage we can infer that ________.

A．Laurent Cleric was an intelligent man

B．Cleric had difficulties learning language

C．Cleric married Eliza in order to get his Green Card

D．Cleric was paid well because he made such important contributions to society

3. On their trip from Paris to America, Cleric and Gallaudet ________.

A．played cards and socialized

B．studied and discussed their plans for a deaf school

C．founded a school for the deaf

D．Gallaudet studied English and Cleric studied Sign Language

4. The main idea of this passage could best be stated as __________.

A．Cleric managed his time well, and was able to teach a lot of information in a short period of time

B．Thomas Gallaudet was indebted to Cleric for all that he taught him

C．Cleric preferred teaching deaf students to hearing students

D．Cleric, an educated Frenchman, had a great influence on American Deaf Education

【推荐1】Farah was sitting in the kitchen going over the party list with her mother. The exams were over and Farah wanted to invite her friends for a party.

“Farah, aren't you going to invite Hafsa?” her mother asked. Hafsa had been her best friend since childhood.

“Mother, you know I am now a part of Purple Girls Club and we have some rules about people we can be friends with,” Farah answered.

“Really? And what are the rules?” her mother asked.

“Well, only very pretty girls can be part of our group. And Hafsa is so ... you know ... dark.”

“I cannot believe it,” her mother said angrily.

As Farah left the kitchen, her father called her from the living room. Farah went to her father and paled when she saw the exam report in his hands. “Farah, what has happened to your grades? You have failed in Mathematics,” her father said. Farah had no answer. The truth was that the activities of Purple Girls Club left her with very little time for studies. “Farah, it says that you can take part in supplementary exams. If your grades don't improve then, I'll cancel your trip to Spain.” Farah went to her room and called Gina, the leader of Purple Girls Club, “Gina, can you help me to complete my notes before the exams?” Gina laughed. “Exams? Who cares about exams?”

One by one, she called her friends in the club but no one seemed to care or wanted to help. Farah knew Hafsa would help her. Farah also knew Hafsa had been hurt by her, but Hafsa said, “If you need any help, just let me know. We can study together till your exams.” Next Monday, as two friends entered the school together, Gina called out. “Farah, you know our rules. You cannot be friends with those who do not belong to our club.”

“Gina, I have a new rule about friendship,” Farah replied.

1. After Farah became a member of Purple Girls Club, she chose a friend according to a person's ____.

A．looks

B．usual activities

C．grades

D．favorite colors

2. Farah became pale after going to her father because ________.

A．he didn't allow her to go to Spain	B．she didn't do well in her exams
C．she had to leave Purple Girls Club	D．he asked her to improve her grades

3. What lesson can we learn from the passage?

A．A friend in need is a friend indeed.	B．A perfect friend will never be found.
C．Be slow in choosing a friend.	D．Friendship can be developed easily.

【推荐2】Kind-hearted parents have unknowingly left their children defenseless against failure. The generation born between 1980 and 2001 grew up playing sports where scores and performance were not very valued because “everyone’s a winner”. And their report cards sounded more positive than ever before. As a result, Stanford University professor Carol Dweck, PhD, calls them “the overpraised generation”.

Dweck has been studying how people deal with failure for 40 years. Her research has led her to find out two clearly different mindsets that have a great effect on how we react to it. Here’s how they work.

A fixed mindset is supported by the belief that talent(才能) is genetic -you’re a born artist or mathematician. The fixed mindset believes it’s sure to succeed without much effort and regards failure as personal shame(羞耻). When things get difficult, it’s quick to blame others, lie, and even stay away from future difficulties.

On the other hand, a growth mindset believes that no talent is entirely born and that effort and learning make everything possible. Because the ego(自尊) isn’t the most important thing, the growth mindset sees failure as a chance rather than shame. When faced with a difficulty, they are quick to rethink, change and try again. In fact, they enjoy this experience.

We are all born with growth mindsets. Otherwise, we wouldn’t be able to live in the world. But parents, teachers, and instructors often push us into fixed mindsets by encouraging certain actions and misdirected praise. Dweck’s book, Mindset: The New Psychology of Success, and online instructional program explain this in depth. But she says there are many little things you can start doing today to make sure that your children, grandchildren and even you are never defeated by failure.

1. What does the author think about the generation born between 1980 and 2001?

A．They don’t do well at school.

B．They are often misunderstood.

C．They are eager to win in sports.

D．They are given too much praise.

2. A fixed mindset person is probably the one who __________.

A．doesn’t want to work hard

B．cares a lot about personal safety

C．cannot share his ideas with others

D．can succeed with the help of teachers

3. What does the growth mindset believe?

A．Admitting failure is shameful.

B．Talent comes with one’s birth.

C．Scores should be highly valued.

D．Getting over difficulties is enjoyable.

4. What should parents do for their children based on Dweck’s study?

A．Encourage them to learn from failure.

B．Prevent them from making mistakes.

C．Guide them through the difficulty.

D．Help them grow with praise.

【推荐3】A Japanese company has ordered all of its 2,700 employees to get identical (一模一样的) hairstyles. For men, the preferred cut is short on the sides and back but longer on top. For women, the company prefers a bob with a longer fringe (刘海) that can be swept to one side. This unusual request is its effort to help the country save energy.

The spokeswoman for the Tokyo-based construction firm Maeda Corporation Chizuru Inoue explained, “Our company is eager to protect the environment and we encourage our staff to carry out many environment-friendly actions.”

She added, “We are not sure of the data yet, but we believe if people have short hair, they do not need to use their hair driers for so long and they will use less water. If all our employees do this, then we may save a lot of power.” Some staff are confused about which style they must have and have been asking which salons (美容院) give the best cut.

The energy-saving move is part of a national campaign to reduce energy consumption (消耗) following the Fukushima nuclear disaster. Japan has been struggling to produce enough electricity since the tsunami（海啸） ended production at the Fukushima plants. The disaster resulted in a review of the country’s energy policy that now means less than a quarter of its remaining nuclear plants are in use. The government has talked about a move away from nuclear energy towards more sustainable (能持续的) technologies. Many government departments have taken measures to save power, including a reduced use of air conditioning in offices and schools. Many employees cannot turn down the air conditioner below 27 degrees in the hottest summer months.

1. The company gave the order of hairstyles to       .

A．keep the company offices clean	B．show a good image of the business
C．make the staff look tidy and pretty	D．help reduce energy consumption

2. After the Fukushima nuclear disaster, Japan       .

A．is building more nuclear plants	B．has to rethink its energy policy
C．limits people’s daily energy use	D．decides to close old nuclear plants

3. It can be inferred from the text that       .

A．nuclear power forms 1/4 of Japan’s energy	B．nuclear plants will soon disappear in Japan
C．the company is not alone in saving energy	D．other companies have copied the “hairstyle order”

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

A．Sustainable power is welcome in Japan	B．Nuclear disaster brings bad results
C．Short hairstyles may help save energy	D．Japan is lacking in energy

【推荐2】Throughout history, humanity has existed side-by-side with viruses and bacteria. From the bubonic plague to smallpox, humanity has evolved to resist these bacteria and viruses. However, there are now new ways for them to infect us.

Climate change is melting permafrost(冻土) areas that have been frozen for thousands of years. As the permafrost melts, so too the ancient bacteria and viruses that have been frozen. These ancient bacteria and viruses, which previously lay inactive in the ice, may spring back to life as the earth’s climate warms.

In August 2016, a 12-year-old boy in the Arctic Circle died and at least twenty people there were hospitalized after having been infected by anthrax(炭疽).

Experts studied and concluded that over 75 years ago, a reindeer infected with anthrax died and its body was frozen and trapped under a layer of permafrost. It stayed there, with the disease inactive, until a heatwave in the summer of 2016. The heatwave melted the permafrost and exposed the reindeer body, which then released the infectious pathogen(病原体) into the nearby water and soil, and then into the food supply. More than 2,000 reindeer feeding near the body became infected, which then led to a small number of human cases.

While you may think the incident is isolated to that area, the fact that long-inactive viruses and bacteria might wake up soon due to climate change will affect us all. Pathogenic viruses might be preserved in old permafrost layers, including some that have caused global epidemics in the past.

With climate change, who knows what deadly viruses and bacteria hidden beneath permafrost areas are threatening us. Perhaps it is time for everyone to do their part to stop global warming.

1. What does the underlined “new ways” refer to?

A．Ancient bacteria and viruses came back to life.

B．Bacteria and viruses have evolved into new types.

C．Bacteria and viruses become more resistant to medicine.

D．Ancient bacteria and viruses remain active in frozen permafrost.

2. Which is the right order of the case of anthrax in 2016?
① A 12-year-old boy died and many others were infected.
② Over 2,000 reindeer feeding near the body became infected.
③ The bacteria went into the nearby water, soil, and then food supply.
④ The permafrost melted and the bacteria in the dead reindeer woke up.

A．④ ③ ② ①

B．④ ② ③ ①

C．① ② ④ ③

D．① ③ ④ ②

3. Why does the writer write this text?

A．To introduce an ancient virus, anthrax.

B．To call on people to stop global warming.

C．To encourage people to study ancient viruses.

D．To warn of the danger of melting permafrost.

4. In which section can we most possibly read this text on a website?

A．Geography.

B．Environment.

C．Education.

D．Medicine.

【推荐3】Dangerous as they are, extreme sports remain appealing among many Australian young people! Camp Xtreme is the perfect test of your heart.
Kite Surfing
It’s the exciting mixture of kite, board and waves. The idea of using a kite to accelerate speed seems like a new challenge, yet the art of kite flying dates back to the 13th-century Chinese when it was used as a simple means of transport.
Catch a wind and you’re moving — up, down and across the surf. “It’s always exciting. You’d jump 5 feet or 35 feet. You never know if you’re going to go up in the air, and your heart is just going boom, boom, boom.”
Coasteering
It is by far the best activity and the event that everyone is still talking about. This is exploring the coastline without worrying about a coastal path or finding a rocky bay blocking your route. You climb, dive and swim from one place to another. With Coasteering, you don’t have to be able to swim as the wet suit and buoyancy(浮力) aid will keep you floating when you are in the water.
Sky Diving
Traditional parachuting(跳伞) doesn’t sound risky enough. So now sky diving is the name for jumping from a plane and listening to your heart beating heavily as you move fast towards earth before you open your parachute at the last moment.
Mountain Biking
It’s been around so long that bikers are no longer satisfied with just going up and down a mountain. Mountain biking is a sport which consists of riding bicycles off-road, often over rough land, using specially adapted mountain bikes. Mountain bikes share similarities with other bikes, but include features designed to improve strength and performance in rough areas.
For details, please call us on 1300-792-668 or click here: www.xtremecamp.com.au.
1. All the four extreme sports are mainly intended to test one’s _____.

A．heart beat	B．physical health
C．potential strength	D．courage

2. The underlined word in the second paragraph “it” refers to _____.

A．the kite	B．kite surfing
C．kite flying	D．the art of kites

3. Which of the following sports can be the most risky?

A．Kite surfing.	B．Coasteering.
C．Sky diving.	D．Mountain biking.

4. We can infer from the passage that _______.

A．kites were the main means of transport in China

B．swimming skills play a key role in Coasteering

C．parachuting is the least popular sports at present

D．mountain biking requires more than riding common bikes