【推荐1】When I think of meditation（冥想）, my mind automatically pictures someone sitting by the beach, cross-legged and humming. “Boring,” I used to say, dismissing the ancient art and its promises of inner peace.     1     Or perhaps I should say I don’t believe in my ability to find peace of mind by sitting quietly. I’d rather sleep, to be honest.

Still, a friend persuaded me to give meditation a shot. Unwilling but curious, I tried a session offered by a meditation app, right in the middle of my workday.     2    

For starters, the app didn’t ask me to sit cross-legged－that’s one thing to be thankful for. It only asked me to sit in my chair in whatever position I found most comfortable.     3     You are with your body every second of every day, but you rarely feel it.     4     The woman’s comforting voice was directing my attention to each part of my body. It was like all of my senses were suddenly activated and strengthened.

When I opened my eyes after the 10-minute session, I wouldn’t go so far as to say that the world seemed brand new, but my body felt more awake, like it had been in hibernation（冬眠）all long.     5    

A．I mean really “feel” it.

B．Then came the magic part.

C．Still, I had no interest at all.

D．I don’t have faith in meditation.

E．Surprisingly, I saw the difference.

F．I can’t wait to change my attitude to meditation.

G．1 did find “peace” before 1 went back to my regular working mindset.

【推荐2】My color television has given me nothing but a headache. I was able to buy it a little over a year ago because I had my relatives give me money for my birthday instead of clothes that wouldn’t fit. I let a salesclerk fool me into buying a discontinued model. I realized this a day later, when I saw newspaper advertisements for the set at seventy-five dollars less than I had paid. The set worked so beautiful when I first got it home that I would keep it on until stations signed off for the night. Fortunately, I didn’t get any channels showing all-night movies or I would never have gotten to bed.

Then I started developing a problem with the set that involved static(静电) noise. For some reason, when certain shows switched into a commercial, a loud noise would sound for a few seconds. Gradually, this noise began to appear during a show, and to get rid of it, I had to change to another channel and then change it back. Sometimes this technique would not work, and I had to pick up the set and shake it to remove the sound. I actually began to build up my arm muscles(肌肉) shaking my set.

When neither of these methods removed the static noise, I would sit helplessly and wait for the noise to go away. At last I ended up hitting the set with my fist, and it stopped working altogether. My trip to the repair shop cost me $62, and the set is working well now, but I keep expecting more trouble.

1. Why did the author say he was fooled into buying the TV set?

A．He got an older model than he had expected.

B．He couldn’t return it when it was broken.

C．He could have bought it at a lower price.

D．He failed to find any movie shows on it.

2. Which of the following can best replace the phrase “signed off” in paragraph 1?

A．ended all their programs	B．provided fewer channels
C．changed to commercials	D．showed all-night movies

3. How does the author sound when telling the story?

A．Curious	B．Anxious
C．Cautious	D．Humorous

【推荐3】I used to believe courtesy(礼貌) was a thing of the past. Very seldom have I encountered a courteous human being in this modern era of the so called Generation X.

Recently, I had to change my thinking, when I came face to face with just such a human being. I had gone to a happening coffee place, with two of my grown up daughters. The place was crowded with the usual loud crowd and we had to climb a sleep flight of stairs in order to find an empty table. After enjoying coffee and snacks, we were at the steep descent down the stairs, where the narrow space made climbing down only possible in a single file, with hardly any space for another person to either climb up or come down.

Just as I was in the middle of my descent, a gentleman entered the main entrance of the restaurant which right in front of the staircase. I was sure I would be pushed roughly by this man who will want to go up in a hurry. I kept coming down as fast as I could, holding on to the banister (栏杆), instead of my advanced years. My agile daughters were already down, looking up at me worriedly, hoping I would reach them before the stranger strange started up the stairs, knowing I was a nervous sort.

Nearly reaching them, I noticed the man still standing near the door. I reached my daughters and passed the stranger at the entrance door which he kept holding open. I looked back thinking he was still at the door, deciding whether to go in or find another less crowded place. I saw him going up the stairs, two at a time. I told my daughters about it and all three of us felt had that we did not even thank the courteous gentleman who was actually holding the door open for us ladies to pass through before going up.

1. What happened after the writer saw the young man?

A．The young man pushed the writer roughly and went upstairs.

B．The writer’s daughters helped her down the stairs as fast possible.

C．The young man stood at the door deciding whether to go in or not.

D．The writer caught hold of the bannister to walk as fast as she can.

2. What do you think caused the writer’s nervousness?

A．The stairs were too narrow and sleep.

B．Her two daughters had been down already.

C．She was afraid of being pushed roughly.

D．She could not walk fast because of old age.

3. What can be the best title?

A．A polite young man	B．Generation X
C．The coffee place	D．A family get-together

【推荐2】Ways to Stop Worrying

A little worrying now and then can be self-protective.    1     But too much worrying can lead to many problems, such as reduced concentration, poor sleeping habits and the inability to handle everyday difficulties. What’s more, it may also cause physical health problems, such as high blood pressure.

Here are some tips to help you lighten up and enjoy life more.

1. Note down your worries

Writing in a worry journal helps create some distance between you and your concerns. Write down your thoughts briefly every day, perhaps the first thing in the morning, before you start your regular routine.    2    

2. Pack away your worries

    3     Imagine tucking (塞) away your anxieties in a small box and closing the lid (盖子). Set aside some time each day to open the box and examine your worries, but otherwise, keep it closed.

3. Share your worries with a friend

Don’t be embarrassed.    4     Then, he or she may give you some practical suggestions. Telling someone your fears helps lift the burden of worry and gives your friends a chance to offer comforting thoughts.

4.    5    

Select a quiet spot in your home where you can focus on your worries without being interrupted (打扰). Stay there every day for 10 to 20 minutes. Make sure you maintain a strict time limit and try to avoid worrying except when you’re in your designated (指定的) “worry space”.

A．Create a personal worry space.

B．See worries from a different perspective.

C．Talk to your friend about your worries.

D．If journal writing isn’t for you, create a “worry box” in your mind.

E．Spend about 15 minutes just writing and reflecting on what is bothering you.

F．Check with your local health centre about programs to stop worrying in your area.

G．Without anxiety you probably wouldn’t lock your door at night or schedule your regular check-up.

【推荐1】阅读短文回答问题。

When I went off to college in the fall of 1991, I was an 18-year-old man whose favorite letters were the ones on the sports sweater. Four years later, I was crazy about the letters of the poet Keats, but one author’s penned letters stood out above the rest. You see, my father wrote me one letter per week from the time I left home.

In an age before email, these letters seemed too ordinary. But they arrived. Each week. One after another. Again and again. In snowstorms. On holidays. From foreign countries. They detailed what Dad referred to as “the week that was”—a day-by-day description of my father’s life.

In 1995, I graduated from college, like many 22-year olds, with plenty of uncertainty. Some of my questions were pretty typical: What was I going to do? Where was I going to live? When was I going to apply for graduate school? But one question was more vital than any other thing. What would happen to the weekly letters? Would they continue? To my surprise, the letters kept coming, more heartfelt and emotional than before and always on time. I mean the guy never missed.

As much as I enjoyed my father’s weekly letters, I didn’t fully appreciate them all those years when they arrived like clockwork. And I never fully understood why my dad would always ask if I’d received the letter when we spoke.

But now, as I pen my first official letters to my own sons Jackson and Cassius, it all seems clear. Although our boys have yet to leave for college, I have to accept that day will soon come. Just the idea of their leaving from our home makes me ache with sadness only a parent can know.

I am writing about “the week that was” with my daily details. With a box of over 500 of Dad’s letters nearby and his pen in hand, I write a letter, fighting back the tears I make it to the end and sign it just as he did. All my love, Dad.

1. What did the author’s father keep doing for years?
2. What does the sentence “the guy never missed” tell us about the author’s father?
3. When did the author come to realize the importance of his father’s letters?
4. Why would the author’s dad always ask if the author had received his letters?

【推荐2】My dearest daughter, as I looked across at you sitting on the sofa watching The X Factor, I noticed that you are no longer a child, and that having just celebrated your 14th birthday, you are now a young woman starting a journey into becoming an adult woman. As I looked at you, I remembered myself at 14, and the vastly different places we are beginning this journey from.

Your identity as a mixed-race young woman, with an English father and a Pakistani mother, has already influenced how you place yourself in this world. As yet, you are unaware of the personal struggles that I took at the age of 25 to marry. How it felt when my mother refused to come to my wedding. The sharp criticisms of the Asian community that such marriages do not work out and always end in divorce. The confidence I had to grow, as we chose to live in a multicultural community, as I refused to be shamed into living in the leafier white suburbs.

Then, at the age of 30, I became your mum with all the joys and struggles this brought, as I refused the Asian traditions for a new baby’s arrival. From your birth, your life could not have been more different from mine. I was brought up on a council estate, within a tight-knit extended Muslim family, through which poverty, racism and neglect were woven. I was never given the freedoms or the opportunity to experience new things. Now, as I hear you play your piano. I am grateful that you have these opportunities.

So many doors were closed to me as a young person, and as I fought for small steps of freedom. I soon learned that it was better to do what I wanted without the knowledge of my parents, and so deceit and deception (欺骗) became woven into my life too. The pressures to obey, to be a “good Muslim” girl and keep the family honour, were choking. Behind closed doors at home, the neglect and abuse took place. It was hidden, I felt the shame, lived with the fear and suffered alongside my sister and two younger brothers. Oh, the power we thought our parents had over us! I was convinced that one day my father would indeed beat us so hard that leaving us for dead, he would, as his threats said he would, bury us in the large back garden, and tell the school he had taken us back to Pakistan for good. My sister and I longed for a different blue sky to live under.

As a daughter of immigrant parents, I carried their hopes of a better education for their children—my own veins (血管) pulsing with the hard-work ethic (道德) and need to be grateful for the opportunity of a free education. And it was education that provided me with the strength to find my own blue sky. I fought to leave home to go to university at the age of 18, and never returned to live with my parents again.

Now as you explore your mixed-race heritage, which I hope we have supported you to do with visits to Pakistan and ensuring you go to multi-cultural schools, I want you to take the very best of all that is Asian with you as you become a woman.

I want you to know that although your journey has been vastly different. I am excited as I watch you standing on the threshold of becoming a woman for all the adventures and possibilities the future holds for you.

May you fly your blue sky with grace, confidence and hope as you find your place in this beautiful and crazy world.

Loving you now and always.                                                                      Mommy

1. Mommy’s mother refused to attend her wedding party because _________.

A．she struggled to break away from the family before it

B．her marriage was against the tradition of the community

C．she would leave the family to settle in the white suburbs

D．she refused the Asian tradition for a new baby’s arrival

2. What can be inferred from mommy’s Muslim family life?

A．She was forced to drop out of school.

B．She behaved like a good Muslim girl.

C．She fought against her Muslim identity.

D．She suffered much abuse in the family.

3. From the fourth paragraph, we can see that Mommy was very _________.

A．determined	B．realistic
C．ambitious	D．tolerant

4. Mommy sends her daughter to multicultural schools to _________.

A．prepare the daughter for different adventures in future

B．ensure the daughter more opportunities to visit Pakistan

C．increase the daughter’s exposure to different cultures

D．encourage the daughter to grow up to be a better woman

5. We can learn from the passage that Mommy _________.

A．is regretful for giving her daughter the mixed-race identity

B．encourages her daughter to explore her origin and pursue her dream

C．won’t forgive her parents for the sufferings she had during childhood

D．criticizes the social traditions and prejudice in her community

【推荐3】Last winter, when I was heavily pregnant, I was visiting my sister and brother-in-law’s house and had to park in a nearby parking lot because they didn’t have accessible parking. The snow was extremely heavy and there was lots of ice on the ground—not many people had ventured out that evening!

When I returned to my car around 11 pm, I noticed that I was the only car left. Nervously, I hopped into the car and let it warm up a bit. When I finally tried to drive away, my wheels began to spin. I was stuck! I spun and spun and wondered what to do.

All of a sudden, in my rear view mirror, I saw four teen-aged boys approaching my car. They were walking side by side in a line and dressed a bit like gang members—at least I thought that’s what they looked like. My car was in a very isolated area and I began to panic. I was certain they were coming to my car to harm me. Terrified, I just froze. One of the young men tapped on my window and said “Excuse me, Ma’am, can we help you? You seem stuck.” Still afraid and fearing the worst, I said “I am stuck.” And the young man said “It’s okay, stay in your car and we’ll push you out of the snow.” And they did!

When they finally got me out of the snow, they smiled and waved. I rolled down my window and thanked them, embarrassed to have judged them so poorly.

1. Why did the author just freeze when the four young men were walking toward her car?

A．Because she was cold indeed in that freezing evening

B．Because she sat in her car for too long a time.

C．Because she was afraid of being harmed.

D．Because she knew they would rob her of the car.

2. Which of the following is true according to the text?

A．One of the four teenagers was a gang member.

B．The young men enjoyed pushing cars out of the snow.

C．The author would have a baby in her car.

D．The kids wanted to help the author out of trouble.

3. The best title for the text would be________ .

A．Every man has his faults

B．Don’t judge a book by its cover

C．Fortune favors those who use their judgment

D．Think twice before you do

【推荐1】While success is surely sweeter than failure, it seems failure is a far better teacher, and organizations that fail miserably often flourish (繁荣) more in the long run, according to a new study by Vinit Desai, assistant professor of management at the University of Colorado Denver Business School. Researchers have found that people missing their goals perform much better in the long run. That is because they gain more knowledge from their failures than their successes and the lessons are more likely to stay longer in their minds.
“We found that the knowledge gained from success was often fleeting while knowledge from failure stuck around for years,” said professor Desai, who led the study. “But companies often ignore failure. Managers may fire people or turn over the whole workforce while they should treat the failure as a learning opportunity.”
Prof Desai compared the flights of the space shuttle Atlantis and the Challenger. During the Atlantis flight last year, a piece of insulation (绝缘体) broke off and damaged the left solid rocket booster (助推火箭) but didn’t influence the program. There was little investigation. The Challenger was launched next and another piece of insulation broke off. This time the shuttle and its seven–person crew were destroyed. The disaster led to a major investigation resulting in 29 changes to prevent future disasters.
The difference in response in the two cases came down to this: Atlantis was considered a success and the Challenger a failure.
“Despite crowded skies, airlines are extremely reliable,” he said. “The number of failures is extremely small. And past researches have shown that older airlines, those with more experience in failure, have a lower number of accidents.”
Prof Desai doesn’t recommend finding out failure in order to learn. Instead, he advises organizations to analyze small failures to collect useful information rather than wait for major failures.
1. Why did experts pay little attention to the problem of Atlantis?

A．Because it worked perfectly.

B．Because the right booster was still OK.

C．Because nothing serious happened then.

D．Because fewer people died in the flight.

2. Fewer accidents happen to older airlines in that ________.

A．their planes couldn’t fly high in the sky

B．they gained much from experience in failure

C．their planes were often checked by the experts

D．they were unpopular among passengers

3. The passage is written mainly to ________.

A．show failure is a better teacher than success

B．explain why Challenger failed

C．introduce something about Prof Desai

D．tell managers how to achieve success

4. Which writing strategy is NOT used in developing the passage?

A．Giving definitions.

B．Making comparisons.

C．Analyzing causes.

D．Providing different examples.

【推荐2】We were told for years that positive thinking was the key to achieving our goals. Now more and more evidence suggests exactly the opposite: that spending a lot of time thinking about your hopes and dreams may make you less likely to put in the work required to actually achieve those dreams. So if positivity is out, what should we replace it with?

New York University psychologist Gabriele Oettingen talked about a four-step plan she’s come up with from her years of research. Oettigen explained the plan as WOOP.

Wish: First, define your goal. “Think about a wish that is dear to you,” Oettingen said. “What is it you really want? This could be running a marathon or losing a certain amount of weight.” Your wish doesn’t have to be huge; it just has to be real, something you truly want.

Outcome: Keeping your goal in mind, ask yourself: If this wish of mine is realized, what is the best possible outcome? “Very often, it is a feeling,” Oettingen said, “You define that outcome, and you imagine that outcome.”

Obstacles (障碍): After you’re let yourself daydream for a little while about what it will feel like when your goal is accomplished, bring your mind back down to reality. “Then you sat, ‘What is it in me that holds me back from experiencing that wish, that outcome?’” Oettinger said. “Very often it’s an emotion, it’s those same old habits. And you imagine that obstacle.”

Plan: “Once you’re imagined that obstacle,” Oettingen said, “you’ll understand what you need to do to overcome it.” If this obstacle pops up, then you’ll do something to get over it and keep going after your goal.

Oettingen’s research has shown that this method has helped people eat more fruits and vegetables; it’s also helped students achieve better grades in school, and it has even helped people act less insecure in their romantic relationships.

1. In the traditional opinion, what is the key to achieving our goals?

A．Positive thinking.	B．Enough evidence.
C．Opposite suggestions.	D．Replacement of positivity.

2. The word “reality” in Paragraph 5 probably refers to the fact that ________.

A．you have imagined more than you can do

B．you are held back by some obstacles to achieve

C．you have never experienced such a wish or outcome

D．your emotion contributes to forming your same old habits

3. The examples in the last paragraph are used to ________.

A．prove WOOP’s effectiveness

B．encourage readers to be positive

C．offer more possible practical outcomes

D．attract more people to apply this method

4. The method WOOP works mainly because you ________.

A．have a strong wish	B．keep a goal in mind
C．come up with a plan	D．overcome an obstacle

【推荐3】“Confidence” is probably one of the most noticeable traits (品质) in the Americans. They show confidence in the way they talk, the way they smile, the way they dress and the way they walk. Living and competing with all these confident American students, I find it extremely important to be confident as an international student and instructor. As a student, being confident means you should never hesitate to raise your hand whenever a question or a point comes to your mind. Don't mind if it sounds simple or silly. Otherwise you will never get a chance to speak in class at all. What's worse, the professors may think you are not prepared for the discussion or you do not have your own opinion on the issue—this is the last comment any graduate would like to receive.
Being confident for me as a foreign instructor means calmly asking the student to repeat what he or she has said if I did not get it. Pretending to understand what you actually did not may just bring yourself embarrassment or even disgrace. But the time I most need to be confident is when my students come to my office and bargain about the grades I have given for their speeches. (The course I'm teaching here is Public speaking). Modesty is a trait highly valued in China, but it won't be of much help here if you want to survive and succeed in a good American graduate program.
1. To compete with American students it's very important to     .

A．be quite confident

B．be polite and friendly

C．have more discussions with them

D．understand what they think about

2. A professor will have the worst opinion of a student who     .

A．gives a silly or simple answer

B．tries to seize any chance to speak in class

C．shows no interest in the course

D．is considered to have no opinion of his own

3. The author is most likely to feel embarrassed if       .

A．he asks a student to repeat what he has said

B．the students bargain with him

C．he pretends to know what he doesn't

D．he has to give a speech

4. We learn from the second paragraph that       .

A．we should also remain modest in America

B．modesty doesn't help you much in America

C．Americans also like modest people

D．modesty can help you through an American graduate program

5. What can we infer from the passage?

A．American students are ready to accept the grades from the teacher.

B．The writer teaches in Europe for a living.

C．Students are encouraged to present simple questions.

D．One’s ignorance will give away in time.