【推荐1】Life lessons from death

Living gratefully has a huge transforming power, not just when something wonderful or special happens, but every day no matter what is happening. I've recently been involved with two people whose lives were challenged by bad luck. I have seen how grateful living had the power to keep one of them going and how it's beginning to lift the other. One was a friend and the other is my sister.

My friend seemed to be in good health when she received a deadly diagnosis（诊断）: a disease with no effective treatment. She had all the emotions that a tragedy（悲剧）brings, but she also had a powerful response to despair（绝望）that gave her " the happiness that doesn't depend on what happens." She wrote online daily, honestly sharing the details of her situations.

She wrote that even though it was difficult to move, this gave her more time to notice small things. She was grateful not only for the love and help of family and friends, but also for time to see the sun rise and watch the birds in her yard. No opportunity for gratefulness was wasted.

She taught that gratefulness is not a false cheerfulness. It's taking every opportunity to celebrate the blessings of small things. We can be grateful for the challenge that helps us develop compassion（同情）for each other. Life is a precious gift.

She repeatedly blogged（写博客）that she was happier than she had ever been. When she wrote about "the worst day", she ended with "Life is still a lovely gift." She died later that day.

Her message, however, changed my sister's life. My sister's health was getting worse and worse, though nothing life-threatening（威胁生命的）. She did have a very painful knee. Her life was in danger form her defeated spirit She was bed-bound（卧床不起）, getting weaker and weaker. Fearful, angry and depressed, she felt out of options for recovery.

I read my sister a few of my friend's messages. I was careful not to say, "Why can't you be more like her? " Instead, I let the words do their work. I'm grateful to say that an attitude of gratitude began to replace her anger and fear. I believe this helped her to heal.

We can't be grateful for all that happens, but we can practise gratefulness for life itself, for all we can learn to deal with, for all the ways we can help each other grow and heal.

1. How did the author's sister feel when she was ill?

A．Calm

B．Lonely

C．Sad

D．Confused

2. What happened when the author's friend found she had an incurable disease?

A．She complained that life was unfair to her.

B．She started to appreciate and enjoy the small things in life.

C．She tried her best to look for the best doctors.

D．She repeatedly blogged how painful it was.

3. What does the underlined word "this" refer to in the passage?

A．Writing a blog	B．Eating healthy food
C．Talking with family	D．Being grateful for life

4. What message does the passage mainly convey?

A．A friend in need is a friend indeed.

B．Gratitude has the power of lifting people's spirits.

C．Health is the most important thing for people.

D．Families will always be there no matter what happens.

【推荐2】The Importance of Failure

When the world-famous author J.K. Rowling gave a speech at a Harvard University graduation ceremony, some may have a little surprised by the topic she chose: “The Benefits of Failure”.

Rowling’s first novel was rejected by 12 publishers before it was finally published, yet paradoxically, it was this experience that helped her to succeed: “Failure taught me things about myself that I could have learnt no other way. I discovered that I had a strong will, and more discipline than I had expected.”

The late Apple CEO Steve Jobs experienced failure early in his career, when he was fired form the company he had co-founded. He felt despair and rejection. However, it was, in his view, “the best thing that could have ever happened to me. The heaviness of being successful was replaced by the lightness of being a beginner again, less sure about everything. It freed me to enter one of the most creative periods in my life.”

Even Bill Gates has experienced failure. His first company was called Traf-O-Data, but unfortunately, its product didn’t work. It was a total disaster. But what Gates learnt from this experience helped lay the groundwork for the global success that is now Microsoft. He didn’t make the same mistake twice.

Talented fashion designer Vera Wang has built a global fashion empire, yet life wasn’t always so straightforward. A dedicated ice skater as a young woman, Wang was bitterly disappointed when she did not make the 1968 US Olympic team. She gave up sport and joined Vogue as an assistant editor, but was crushed. After 15 years at the magazine, she was passed over for promotion to editor-in-chief. However, this setback prompted her to set up her own bridal fashion label. The rest is history.

Ang Lee, a worldwide-famous director, wasn’t successful either as a student or as an actor. Twice failing the college entrance examination at home, Lee turned to study drama in the US, but his poor English prevented his form becoming an actor. After being accepted for a directing major, Lee spent six years looking for opportunities to direct a film, but was only asked to look after filming equipment. He then spent most of his time writing plays which were rejected by more than 3- companies within two weeks. During six years with no income, he had to depend on his wife. In the end, whit his wife’s encouragement and his determination, all his efforts finally paid off.

All these individuals share something in common: At tough moments in their lives, they showed grit. But what is “grit” exactly? Put simply, it’s a passion for something and the determination to work hard and to stick with it. It’s very easy to give up when we his setbacks, but people who have grit keep going.

So. how can we become “grittier”? This is where the importance of failure comes in” If we can learn how to manage failure, we’ll learn how to succeed. By working through a series of failures, we’re better prepared for the bigger challenges we’ll face int the adult world: We’ll have the resilience we need to keep going. We’ll have true grit.

1. What did J.K. Rowling learn from her failures?
______________________________________________________________________
2. Please paraphrase the underlined sentence.
______________________________________________________________________
3. According to the passage, please decide which part of the following statement is false, then underline it and explain why.
The people in the text have in common in that they all had great talent in what they had done.
______________________________________________________________________
4. What can we learn from failure? / How can we learn from failure?
______________________________________________________________________

【推荐3】Those who find themselves easily distracted(分散注意力)at work may be intellectually(智力上地)superior to their colleagues, according to research. Intelligent workers may have difficulty concentrating due to the vast number of clever ideas popping into their gifted brains.

Bostjan Ljubic, vice president of Steelcase, a workplace solutions company that analyzed the findings of neuroscientists(神经学家) and cognitive((认知的) researchers, said: “Employers are always on the lookout for the brightest people available, however the difficulty to withstand multiple tasks and distractions in the office affects smart people in the same way as everyone else, if not more.” The smartest individuals may find it more difficult to decide which ideas to prioritize(区分优先次序) with distraction leading to feeling of inability to deal with the work as a whole. The smartest brains can finally fall short of their own expected potential, as well as failing to live up to their employer's hopes.”

Nearly half of more than 10,000 workers surveyed in 17 countries, said they struggled to concentrate in the office, according to a health study by Steelcase. Increased access to technology has been considered as a possible reason for this lack of focus. Research from GlobalWebIndex says the average time spent on mobile devices has increased by 200 percent since 2012, while the average smartphone user in the UK checks their phone 221 times every day and the average office worker checks their email around 30 times an hour. The University of California suggests that the average office worker is interrupted or distracted every three minutes.

Mr Ljubic said, “The ways in which we work are changing more rapidly than ever before and the brain is being subjected to stressed and distractions which can lead to overload and statistics show that distractions in the workplace are on the rise.”

1. The purpose of the text is to tell readers ___________.

A．many employers are looking for clever workers

B．office workers spend more time on cell phones

C．intelligent workers are more easily distracted

D．distractions in the workplace are on the rise

2. Intelligent workers cannot concentrate easily probably because _________.

A．they should be careful about their work

B．they are coming up with lots of great ideas

C．they must keep an eye on their colleagues

D．they are afraid they can’t do their work well

3. According to Bostjan Ljubic, the brightest people ___________.

A．can’t gain satisfaction in their job

B．always fail to find a well-paid job

C．can’t necessarily work better than others

D．can more easily their employers’ needs

4. Which of the following is true according to the last paragraph?

A．Distractions can damage office workers’ brain

B．Office workers are trying to get rid of distractions

C．Distractions lead to worker’s stress and dissatisfaction

D．Distractions in workplaces will become more serious

【推荐1】Coming of age is that time in each of our lives when we begin to see the possibilities. The world opens up in ways that matures our vision, gives us a sense of responsibility and gratitude. Connor Thomson had just started college and loved being at that phase in his life where he could eat all the pizza he wanted, yet engage in adult conversations with his parents about the responsibility to make life better for others. Connor’s optimism was striking. There was so much he could do, so much he could become. But it all ended one night when Connor was distracted(分心的) while driving in a Colorado canyon.

Connor’s father, David, took it particularly hard. A father sees more than his own traits in his son; he sees greater possibilities than he achieved. Taking that hope away left David feeling aimless. But Connor’s optimism was one of those traits passed on to him by his father. So David got to work. First, he established the Honor Connor Scholarship Fund to reward students who served in the community. Next, he went to work creating a research-based curriculum that educates University of Colorado Boulder students and their families about the dangers of texting and driving.

David now works with lecturers at various colleges and high schools, ensuring young minds understand how statically at risk they are when they text and drive. He’s become a passionate advocate for preparing young people to drive safely and not subconsciously reach for their phones while they’re at the wheel. It includes a very simple three-part commitment: to not text or use social media while driving, speak out if riding with a driver who is distracted and encourage friends and family to drive phone-free.

While every constructive effort reminds David of the loss he suffered, he is encouraged knowing that more young people with so much to of r the word will be around to do good. “I get to be a part of what Connor would have done,” says David.

1. Why does the author mention Coming of age?

A．To display Connor’s optimism.	B．To convey his regret for Connor.
C．To offer the family background.	D．To show Connor’s academic talent.

2. Which of the following can best describe David?

A．Optimistic and helpful.	B．Self-centered but determined.
C．Thoughtful and daring.	D．Cool-minded but reasonable.

3. What does David now focus on?

A．Managing his own company.	B．Keeping the three-part promise.
C．Saving people from distracted driving.	D．Keeping students focused on school.

4. What does the text mainly talk about?

A．How a death could affect a whole family.

B．What lesson we can get from an accident.

C．A young man’s life claimed by careless driving.

D．One father turning his loss into helping others.

【推荐1】More than 20 years ago, a skeleton called Little Foot turned up in a South African cave. The nearly complete skeleton was a member of the human family. Now researchers have freed most of the skeleton from its stony shell and analyzed the fossils (化石) and they say 3.67-million-years-old Little Foot belonged to a unique species.

Researcher Ronald Clarke and his colleagues think Little Foot belonged to A. Prometheus (普罗米修斯南猿). Clarke works at the university of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg South Africa. He studies fossilized humans and our relatives. Their foundings, published in four papers, have suggested the species A.Prometheus might have existed. Clarke has believed in that species for more than a decade, he found the first Little Foot’s remains in a storage box of fossils in 1994. People began digging out the rest of the skeleton in 1997.

Many other researchers instead argue that Little Foot likely belonged to a different species, which is known as A.africanus (南方古猿非洲种). Researcher Raymond Dart first identified A.africanus in 1924. He was studying the skull (头颅骨) of an ancient youngster called the Taung Child. Since then, people have turned up hundreds more A. africanus fossils in South African caves. Those include Sterkfontein, where Little Foot was found.

The braincase is the part of the skull that holds the brain. And researchers found a partial braincase that Dart thought belonged to a different species in Makapansgat, one of those other caves. In 1948, Dart called this other species A. Prometheus, but he changed his mind after 1955. Instead, he said that braincase and another fossil at Makapansgat belonged to A.africanus. There was no A. Prometheus after all, he concluded.

Clarke and his colleagues want to bring back the rejected species. They say Little Foot’s distinctive skeleton, an adult female that is at least 90 percent complete, is solid evidence for it.

1. Which of the following beliefs did Ronald Clarke hold?

A．A. Prometheus wasn’t a human species.

B．Little Foot didn’t belonged to the human family.

C．Little Foot was one member of A. Prometheus.

D．A. Prometheus lived over four million years ago.

2. What can we learn about A. Prometheus?

A．There wasn’t much evidence of it.

B．Its fossil were first discovered in 1948.

C．It’s a species that’s believed to have existed.

D．The Taung Child wasn’t its first known member.

3. What’s Dart’s most probable attitude toward the existence of A. Prometheus now?

A．Uncertain	B．Supportive
C．Uninterested	D．Disapproving

4. What is the best title for the text?

A．The Skeleton Little Foot Causing a Big Debate.

B．Two New Human Species Accidentally Discovered.

C．More Human Fossils Being Dug Up In Sterkfontein.

D．Little Foot From Makapansgat Drawing New Attention.

【推荐2】Education officials and industry experts are debating the future of online learning. The discussion is important because hundreds of universities in the United States have recently moved classes online because of the spread of the novel coronavirus(冠状病毒).

For Asha Choksi, the rise of Internet-based or online study programs has led to major improvements in higher education. "It's actually given a lot more power to students in terms of how, when and where they learn," the head of research for Pearson Education said.

Classes meet online through video conferencing. In this way, students are able to communicate with each other and their professors even when they are far away from school. However, recent research suggests the majority of college students and professors prefer in-person instruction, because they are concerned that companies supervising(监管)online learning programs are not clear about the policies they have with the schools they serve.

"Students see in-class lectures as opportunities to engage with instructors, peers, and content." the researchers wrote. In-person learning is especially important in fields like healthcare and teaching. Online education can never really take its place, said Stephanie Hall, a fellow with the independent policy research group The Century Foundation." Students need to experience...what they're learning about, reading about or hearing about in the classroom. And I don't know yet the degree to which technology can facilitate that.”

"When schools make agreements with online program managers to run their online programs, they often do not make important information available to students," Hall said. This includes how much control the company has over the design of the program or whether the faculty leading the classes was involved in their design. In addition, many colleges and universities advertise online programs as a low cost opportunity for students. But in some cases, students attending in-person classes get financial aid and online students do not.

1. What does Choksi think of the online study programs?

A．They offer students more choices in study.

B．They reform the country's education system.

C．They provide advanced scientific knowledge.

D．They promote the development of technology.

2. According to most college students and professors, what's the advantage of in-person learning?

A．It is convenient.

B．It costs less to study.

C．It can better meet school policies.

D．It can improve students' communication skills.

3. What is Hall's attitude towards online education?

A．Hopeful.

B．Critical.

C．Uncaring.

D．Neutral.

【推荐1】Zoos have traditionally been built in a certain way: Animals on the inside, humans on the outside, peering in. This separation is good in theory—humans and animals need to be protected from one another—but terrible in practice, as animals end up living in an environment far from a natural habitat. A new plan for a Zoo in Denmark wants to reverse those roles, giving animals more freedom in captivity while effectively placing humans inside protective barriers.

Called Zootopia, the conceptual design has the goal of turning the safari(野外观兽旅行)style zoo into a place where animals determine interaction—not humans. “Try to imagine if you asked the animals what they would like. What would they decide?” says the director of the project. “They want their nature back, so to speak, and we are going to try to create that”.

In Zootopia, animals will wander free around the perimeter while humans observe, hidden away from view in underground passageways and naturalistic architecture structures. Visitors can watch lions through an underground enclosure disguised as a hill. They'll peek out at giraffes through windowed houses built into the side of a hilly plains. Outside of the main circular entrance, there will be no traditional buildings. “We want to take away human influence,” said Zootopia's designers.

The main challenge, of course, is to design the zoo in a way that the enclosure is still there but it's not visible. The two-phase plan, which will cost around $200 million, is still in the improving and approval phase; it'll be at least five years until we see any work finished on the park, and it's likely to take upwards of 10 years before it opens. Can the animals wait that long?

1. Why does a zoo in Denmark plan to create Zootopia?

A．to protect animals from humans.

B．to provide animals with a natural habitat.

C．to provide humans with more freedom in the zoo.

D．to protect humans and give animals enough freedom.

2. Different from traditional zoos, in Zootopia         .

A．animals enjoy full freedom.	B．there will be no conventional buildings.
C．humans watch animals without being noticed.	D．humans can interact with animals at their will.

3. What can we infer from the last paragraph?

A．It’s tricky to design the enclosure.

B．Zootopia is now under construction.

C．There is a long way to go before Zootopia operates.

D．Zootopia arouses people’s concern about animals.

4. What is the passage mainly about?

A．the future of Zootopia	B．the development of Zootopia
C．the fall of traditional zoos	D．the concept of a cage-free zoo

【推荐2】People believe that climbing can do good to health Where can you learn the skill of climbing then？ If you think that you have to go to the mountains to learn how to climb, you're wrong. Many Americans are learning to climb in city gyms. Here, people are learning on special climbing walls. The climbing wall goes straight up and has small holding places for hands and feet.

How do people climb the wall? To climb need special shoes and a harness（保护带） around your chest to hold you. There are ropes tied to your harness. The ropes hold you in place so that you don't fall. A beginner's wall is usually about 15 feet high, and you climb straight up. There are small pieces of metal that stick out for you to stand on and hold on to. Sometimes it's easy to see the new piece of metal. Sometimes, it's not. The most difficult is to control your fear. It's normal for humans to be afraid of falling, so it's difficult not to feel fear. But when you move away from the wall, the harness and the ropes hold you, and you begin to feel safe. You move slowly until you reach the top.

Climbing attracts people because it's good exercise for almost everyone. You use your whole body, especially your arms and legs. This sport gives your body a complete workout. When you climb, both your mind and your body can become stronger.

1. What can we infer from the passage?

A．People are fairly interested in climbing nowadays

B．It is impossible to build up one's body by climbing

C．People can only learn the skill of climbing outdoors

D．It is always easy to see holding places in climbing.

2. The most difficult thing to do in wall climbing is        .

A．to tie ropes to your harness

B．to control your fear

C．to move away from the wall

D．to climb straight up

3. What does the underlined word “workout” in the last paragraph most probably mean?

A．Settlement	B．Exercise.
C．Excitement	D．Tiredness

4. Why does the author write this passage?

A．To tell people where to find gyms

B．To prove the basic need for climbing

C．To encourage people to climb mountains

D．To introduce the sport of wall climbing

5. Where do you suppose this text comes from?

A．A science book.

B．A research report.

C．A sports magazine.

D．A sports history book.

【推荐3】The following is a Want ad for a 21^st -century father.

Wanted: A 21st -Century Father Who Can Wear Many Hats THE LOVING HAT
Responsibilities Include:	Benefits:
Raising children, not yelling, taking mom out to romantic dinners, listening, “being there.”	You’ll be loved right back.
THE MONEY HAT
Responsibilities Include:	Benefits:
Holding down a good job, making enough money to support family and pay for vacations.	Who doesn’t want a good job? Plus, vacations with the family.
THE FUN HAT
Responsibilities Include:	Benefits:
Taking family to baseball games in summer, going sleigh riding in winter, being goofy, dancing.	What good is life if you don’t have any fun? Family outings become memories that last a lifetime.
THE HANDYMAN HAT
Responsibilities Include:	Benefits:
Taking care of the house and yard. Must know basic carpentry, landscaping, plumbing, and electrical work.	You’ll get to have a really cool set of tools, including power tools.

1. The Hats in the ad actually refer to the ______ of a father.

A．life goals	B．life experiences
C．desired qualities in personality	D．personal interests and in parenting

2. According to the ad, a 21^st-century father is expected to do all of the following things EXCEPT ______.

A．keep a good work-life balance.	B．be able to work with power tools.
C．help his children with all of their schoolwork.	D．pay attention to his children’s and partner’s needs.

3. Which hat suits a 21^st-century father who often involves his family in different sports?

A．THE LOVING HAT	B．THE FUN HAT
C．THE MONEY HAT	D．THE HANDYMAN HAT