【推荐1】Dear David,
I’m glad you would like to share your feelings with me. It’s hardly surprising that your feelings of not being “grown up” have come on strongly at this point in your life, just before you’re about to become a father. You are asking: will I make a good father? How will I cope? Should I have brought another little person into the world? Can I provide for it? Heeelp! I think nearly every sensitive about-to-be-parent must have these occasional feelings of self-doubt and inadequacy (不适) before the birth and it would be most unusual if you didn’t share them.
It’s difficult, honestly, to feel grown-up unless you have something less grown-up to relate to. A hen-pecked (惧内的) boss may feel like a seven-year-old when he’s at home. But as he walks through the office door, and knows he’s going to be surrounded by staff looking to him for advice, he grows into a fully mature (成熟的) man. And I think it’s a mistake to imagine that we all feel, as we age, a kind of progression of states, from the baby to the adult. Most people feel, on Tuesday, about three years old, and on a Wednesday, around 80. I remember feeling very grown-up at eight, a time when I was weighed down with responsibility. These days, much older, I can, in the company of people I feel at ease with, feel like a young girl.
There’s a common remark that “all men are little boys”, but it’s not true. It’s more true that men often behave like little boys. But nearly all people, at some moments in their lives, are capable of great maturity.
Once your baby arrives, you’ll soon feel less childlike, or rather, less often. When your child tries to put its fingers into the electric plug, the adult in you will rise up to prevent it. You’ll see you have very little in common with a needy child, particularly if it’s looking to you for comfort and support.
Comfort yourself, David, with two truths. One is that your friends laugh when they talk about this subject because they, like you, feel frightened. And remember that people who haven’t grown up don’t go around talking about the fact that they don’t feel grown-up.
Hope my advice will be helpful and good luck to you and your little one.

Sincerely Yours,

Miss Advice

1. According to the passage, Miss Advice thinks David’s self-doubt ______.

A．valuable	B．natural
C．unusual	D．bearable

2. From Paragraph 2, we can learn that people’s sense of maturity ______.

A．will increase with age

B．is obviously seen at home

C．changes with different situations

D．becomes stronger with familiar people

3. Miss Advice holds that ______.

A．all men behave like little boys

B．people tend to laugh at the subject

C．men with a baby feel more grown-up

D．people enjoy talking about their immaturity

4. Miss Advice wrote the letter to ______.

A．teach people how to grow up

B．offer suggestions to a future father

C．encourage people to be responsible

D．solve problems of the less grown-up

【推荐3】As more work can be done online, more and more people have chance to work at home. On the surface, working from home sounds like a dream come true.     1     After all, there are countless distractions (分心的事物) at home. To help you plan for the real-life challenges, we’ve collected some tips for avoiding distractions.

    2    

Every job has a uniform. Uniforms serve two purposes: First, they communicate to the outside world a person’s position, stature and function. And second, they reinforce those same messages to the person wearing the uniform. When you work from home, dressing in your normal work uniform reinforces the idea that you are actually working.

Keep a Consistent Schedule

Many of us are more productive when we are working within a certain framework.     3     If your job requires a lot of interaction with colleagues in a time zone, you should try your best to make your schedule consistent with their normal business hours. If your work is largely independent, you have the freedom to work earlier or later than the regular workday.

Be Flexible with Your Family Time

    4     Instead of working a straight daytime schedule of 9 to 5, divide the workday into two sections, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., then from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. With this schedule, you can be with the kids for a few hours when they get home from school, make dinner and eat together, then go back to the office for a few more hours in the evening.

Have a Backup Plan

When you work from home, you need a plan B for the unavoidable interruptions to your well-planned workflow. There are any number of mini-crises that can erupt at home: loss of power or Internet service, unscheduled playdates or a neighbor cutting down a tree a few feet from your office window.     5     It should be someplace close to your home with a reliable Internet connection where you can work in peace.

A．Get up and get dressed.

B．Be casual about your dress.

C．You need an alternative workspace.

D．But the reality is far more complex.

E．It can be a friend’s apartment or a library.

F．That’s why it’s so important to set and keep a schedule.

G．This is a good tip for folks trying to work from home with school-age kids.

【推荐1】A few years ago, I wanted to do something special for my birthday.   I remembered how my parents gave me a very special treat when I was a child. I never enjoyed big parties, so they decided to celebrate my birthday by organizing a party for the local orphans(孤儿).                 1    

With those memories in mind, ten days before my birthday I placed an order for a huge cake with lovely decorations. I also asked for a day's leave from the office where I worked.       2       There it was! A huge cake with beautiful decorations! I felt like a kid myself! I bought some other food to go with the special cake. Then smiling broadly, I drove to an orphanage(孤儿院).

There were two different buildings:   an orphanage and a nursing home run by the same management. I went in.         3       There were only six young boys in the home that day. They loved the feast! We sang, told stories, painted, and played in the garden. I felt like the oldest kid there!

When the children's rest time came we realized there was still a lot of food left. The nurse had a bright idea.              4    

So, I visited the nursing home（养老院） as well! We spent a few hours together, enjoying the food, singing songs, telling stories.       5       What a contrast（对比）!

I finally arrived home, meeting my family who had come to celebrate my birthday. What an unforgettable birthday I had!

A．At that time I was the youngest person.

B．They need love and care from all of us badly.

C．And that was the most beautiful gift I ever had!

D．She suggested the elders should enjoy a treat as well.

E．It was such fun that I couldn't tear myself away from it.

F．On the morning of my birthday I dashed to the cake shop.

G．It was the most unexpected surprise for the nurse and the kids!

【推荐2】In England, we look forward to our birthdays for 364 days a year! We invite special people to celebrate it with us.

The Presents

Presents are opened as soon as the children are awake. They can’t wait for the birthday cake later in the day!

The Cards

Friends and family send birthday cards. Sending birthday cards is a custom that began in England about 100 years ago.

The Party

The birthday child will have a party to which friends and family are invited. Visitors to the party bring presents for the birthday child. The children play games such as Musical Chairs and Pass the Parcel.

The Cake

The birthday cake is decorated on a theme(主题). A candle for each year is lit and placed on top and the child blows out the candles making a wish. We don’t put objects inside the cake as shown on many websites.

The Bumps

It used to be traditional for the birthday child to have the bumps. Friends would hold the child by the child by the legs and under the arms and lift the child up and down bumping them gently on the ground. The number of bumps given is the age of the child plus one for extra good luck. As this can be dangerous, clapping is often done instead.

The Sweets

Some children do take sweets into school to share with their classmates on their birthdays.

1. 1n England, the birthday present is opened         .

A．before the child goes to sleep	B．immediately after the child wakes up
C．as soon as the child gets up	D．when the birthday party is going on

2. What is mentioned on many websites?

A．Making a wish.	B．Lighting a candle.
C．Putting objects inside the cake.	D．Placing the candle on top.

3. What can be done to avoid the danger of bumps?

A．Bumping less.	B．Decorating cakes.
C．Clapping instead.	D．Taking sweets.

【推荐3】You are entering a world far different from the one my generation entered.My generation grew up with no MTV, no college loan,no $175 sneakers,no underwear worn in public and very little jewelry worn on the tongue.Yet somehow we broke through and,achieved all these things,and more.I believe that your generation is far more elegant and caring than my own.You ask questions: "What is the meaning of life?" "How can I make a fortune with almost no money down?" "Why do we have to sit round in the hot sun listening to an opening speech? "

I do not recall who it was that spoke at my own graduation.Whoever it was,I know I looked to him for wisdom and guidance,just as you now look to me.I suppose if there is one single suggestion I'd like to leave with you,it is like this: concentrate on what you are doing.If you have decided to do it well,you will be successful,no matter how hard your situation is.

Act bravely.Do not fear making mistakes; if you make one,look out.

Make a contribution to our society.Even though 70 percent of you will be lawyers,still I say to you: Try to do something useful with your life,if only in your spare time.

In a very real sense,your graduation here today is not an ending but a commencement.If I may say so,this is,in fact,the first day of the rest of your lives.I realize it is a bit shocking to look at graduation this way,but I believe we must.Thank you,and lots of luck.You'll need it.

1. The underlined word "commencement"in the last paragraph might mean       .

A．beginning	B．ending
C．contribution	D．graduation

2. Where and how are the students listening to the speaker?

A．They are standing in the open air.

B．They are sitting in the open air.

C．They are sitting in a classroom.

D．They are sitting in an auditorium.

3. The speech is given to       .

A．praise the graduates for what they have done

B．tell the graduates how to make a fortune

C．offer the graduates some useful advice

D．guide the graduates how to become good lawyers

4. The speaker encourages the graduates to do the following EXCEPT       .

A．concentrate on what they are doing

B．face and avoid their possible mistakes

C．do something useful for the society

D．try their best to seek a good fortune