【推荐1】Shay asked, “Do you think they’ll let me play?” Shay’s father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their team, but the father also understood that if his son, mentally and physically disabled, were allowed to play, it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence.

Shay’s father approached one of the boys on the field and asked if Shay could play, not expecting much. The boy looked around and said, “We’re losing by six runs (分) and the game is in the eighth inning (局). I guess he can be on our team and we’ll try to put him in to bat in the final inning.

Shay struggled over to the team’s bench and put on a team shirt with a broad smile and his father had a small tear in his eye and warmth in heart. The boys saw the father’s joy at his son being accepted.

In the bottom of the eighth inning, Shay’s team scored a few runs but was still behind by three. In the top of the final inning, Shay put on a glove and played in the field. Even though no hits came his way, he was obviously joyful just to be in the game and on the field. In the bottom of the final inning, Shay’s team scored again. Now, Shay was scheduled to be next at bat. Would they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the game?

Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat. Everyone knew that a hit was almost impossible. The first pitch (投) came and Shay missed. The pitcher again took a few steps forward to throw the ball softly towards Shay. As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball right back to the pitcher.

The pitcher could have easily thrown he ball to the first baseman and Shay would have been out and that would have been the end of the game .Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the head of the first baseman, beyond the reach of all teammates, The audience and the players from both teams started screaming, “Shay, run to first!” Never in his life had Shay ever run that far but made it to first base, wide-eyed and shocked.

Everyone should, “Run to second!” Catching his breath, Shay awkwardly ran towards second. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the smallest guy on their team, who had a chance to be the hero for his team for the first time, could have thrown the ball to the second baseman, but he understood the pitcher’s intentions and he too intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third baseman’s head.

All were screaming, “Shay, Shay, Shay, all the way Shay.” Shay reached third base when one opposing player ran to help him and shouted, “Shay, run to third.” As Shay rounded third, all were on their feet, crying, “Shay, run home!” Shay ran to home, stepped on the home base and was cheered as the hero who won the game for his team.

That day, the boys from both teams helped bring a piece true love and humanity into this world. Shay didn’t make it to another summer and died that winter, having never forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy and coming home and seeing his mother tearfully hug her little hero of the day!

1. Not expecting much, Shay’s father still asked the boy if Shay could play, mainly because the father _________.

A．noticed some of the boys on the field were heisting

B．guessed his presence would affect the boy’s decision

C．learned some of the boys on the field knew Shay well

D．understood Shay did need a feeling of being accepted

2. In the bottom of the final inning Shay was given the bat because the boys _________.

A．believed they were sure to win the game

B．would like to help Shay enjoy the game

C．found Shay was so eager to be a winner

D．fell forced to give Shay another chance

3. The smallest boy threw the ball high and far over the third baseman’s head, probably because that boy ________.

A．was obviously aware of the pitcher’s purpose

B．looked forward to winning the game for his team

C．failed to throw the ball to the second baseman

D．saw that Shay already reached second base

4. Which of the following has nothing to do with Shay’s becoming the hero for his team?

A．The pitcher did not throw the ball to the first baseman.

B．The audience and the players from both teams cheered for him.

C．The opposing players failed to stop his running to home.

D．One of the opposing players ran to help him.

5. What to you think is the theme of the story?

A．True human nature could be realized in the way we treat each other.

B．Everyone has his own strength even if mentally or physically disabled.

C．Everyone can develop his team spirit in sports and please his parents.

D．The results of the game should not be the only concern of the players.

【推荐2】Everybody may have that one neighbor, who just looks out of the window, looking angry at everyone and everything that crosses the path. And though we think we know what’s going on in is head, we could be wrong.

There is such a person in our community. First you see this bad-tempered old man looking out of his window, taking in everything that is happening on his block. He looks annoyed by just everything. But his heart is solid gold. When he saw one neighbor shouting angrily at her son after he broke her coffee maker, this ill-tempered old man went and bought her a new one.

But he didn’t want her to know so, instead he made it look like he was just throwing it away. And that one secret good deed was just the tip of the iceberg. When he saw another neighbor with a crying baby because of the heat, he got a fan, took it to his room and made it look like it had been sitting for forever. He thought he was being strange and no one would know all the kindness he had shared. But a boy next door knew this ill-tempered neighbor’s secrets. He carefully drew a picture of the old man dressed as Santa and put it on the wall.

So when Christmas came, this little boy had a surprise for the block’s secret Santa. This precious poster is such an important reminder that the holiday season is about giving out of love, even if no one knows. How sweet this is!

1. What impression does the old man leave on his neighbors?

A．Warmhearted.	B．Easy-going.
C．Dangerous.	D．Unfriendly.

2. Why did the old man pretend to throw away his coffee maker?

A．To help a mother and her son.	B．To show off his wealthy life.
C．To get rid of a useless thing.	D．To create a peaceful neighborhood.

3. What do we know about the bad-tempered old man?

A．He wanted to scare his neighbors.

B．He did many good deeds secretly.

C．He told his secrets to the little boy.

D．He was really angry with all his neighbors.

4. Why did the little boy draw the old man as a Santa?

A．To blame the neighbours.

B．To play a trick on the old man.

C．To show the old man’s kindness.

D．To make the old man embarrassed.

【推荐3】Norm Pethrick, a 36-year-old man in Australia’s northern city Darwin, was praised on Thursday for jumping onto a crocodile’s back to save his wife Wendy at Litchfield National Park, a popular tourist spot southwest of Darwin, a local newspaper reported.
Ms. Pethrick was standing on a river bank Wednesday afternoon when the saltwater crocodile lunged (扑), locking its jaws on both her legs as it tried to drag her underwater.
Norm Pethrick, who with his wife had been collecting water, immediately went to help her. He jumped onto the back, poked (戳) the eyes of the crocodile and finally got his wife free.
Ms. Pethrick was later taken to Royal Darwin Hospital for a medical treatment. The doctors said she was suffering eight puncture wounds in her right leg, a puncture wound in her left leg and a serious cut to one of her fingers.
“This could have been a fatal and tragic situation,” said the general manager of Royal Darwin Hospital (RDH), Dr. Len Notaras, according to a local report.
He said Ms. Pethrick was saved by her husband’s “quick and diligent actions”. Dr. Notaras also said she would remain in hospital for three to four days and have an operation to clean the wounds, which are easy to get infected because of bacteria on the teeth of the crocodile.
1. This passage is most likely to be found in ______.

A．a travel guide	B．a textbook
C．a novel	D．a newspaper

2. The crocodile attacked Ms. Pethrick when she was ______.

A．swimming in the river

B．standing on the river bank

C．watching the crocodile

D．fishing in the water

3. Which of the following statements is TRUE about Ms. Pethrick?

A．One of the crocodile’s teeth was found in her leg.

B．She had eight wounds altogether.

C．One of her fingers also got hurt.

D．Her eyes were badly poked.

4. Which of the following would be the best title for this passage?

A．The husband should save the wife

B．Human beings can beat crocodiles sometimes

C．A crocodile is not so dangerous as people imagine

D．A man saves wife’s life from crocodile’s jaws

【推荐1】They think they're lucky and it's Christmas again. They can't see that we live on a dirty street in a shabby house among people who aren't much good. Johnny and the children can't see how pitiful it is that our neighbors have to make happiness out of this filth and dirt. My children must get out of this. But how? The money that we've saved isn't nearly enough.
The McGaritys have money, but they are show-offs with it. The McGarity girl just yesterday stood out there in the street eating from a bag of cookies while a ring of hungry children watched her. I saw those children looking at her and crying in their hearts, and when she couldn't eat any more, she threw the rest down the sewer(阴沟).
Miss Jackson who teaches at the Settlement House isn't rich, but she knows things. She understands people. Her eyes look straight into yours when she talks with you. Everybody else here looks away because they're ashamed of their lives. I'd like to see the children would be like Miss Jackson when they grew up.
1. The writer's family is the poorest one on that street.
2. The McGarity girl is characterized as rich and nice.
3. The writer thinks Miss Jackson is an example her children should follow.
4. The writer wants to move out of that district.
5. Watching the rich girl eating cookies, those hungry children cried.

【推荐2】Odland remembers like it was yesterday working in an expensive French restaurant in Denver. The ice cream he was serving fell onto the white dress of a rich and important woman.
Thirty years have passed, but Odland can not get the memory out of his mind, nor the woman’s kind reaction. She was shocked, regained calmness and, in a kind voice, told the young Odland. “It is OK. It wasn’t your fault.” When she left the restaurant, she also left the future Fortune 500 CEO with a life lesson: You can tell a lot about a person by the way he or she treats the waiter.
Odland isn’t the only CEO to have made this discovery. Instead, it seems to be one of those few laws of the land that every CEO learns on the way up. It’s hard to get a dozen CEOs to agree about anything, but most agree with the Waiter Rule. They say how others treat the CEO says nothing. But how others treat the waiter is like a window into the soul.
Watch out for anyone who pulls out the power card to say something like, “I could buy this place and fire you,” or “I know the owner and I could have you fired.” Those who say such things have shown more about their character than about their wealth and power.
The CEO who came up with it, or at least first wrote it down, is Raytheon CEO Bill Swanson. He wrote a best-selling book called Swanson’s Unwritten Rules of Management. “A person who is nice to you but rude to the waiter, or to others, is not a nice person,” Swanson says. “I will never offer a job to the person who is sweet to the boss but turns rude to someone cleaning the tables.”
1. What happened after Odland dropped the ice cream onto the woman’s dress?

A．He was fired.

B．He was blamed.

C．The woman comforted him.

D．The woman left the restaurant at once.

2. Odland learned one of his life lessons from          .

A．his experience as a waiter

B．the advice given by the CEOs

C．an article in Fortune

D．an interesting best-selling book

3. According to the text, most CEOs have the same opinion about ________.

A．Fortune 500 companies	B．the Management Rules
C．Swanson’s book	D．the Waiter Rule

4. From the text we can learn that ________.

A．one should be nicer to important people

B．CEOs often show their power before others

C．one should respect others no matter who they are

D．CEOs often have meals in expensive restaurants

【推荐3】I was going to Paris, which I’d always wanted to see. But now I was frightened to travel alone. I arrived at the train station in Paris. I hadn’t spoken my college French for twenty years. On my first metro ride, I came across an incompetent (不胜任的) thief. I just stared at him, and he stopped his hand from my purse and disappeared into the crowd. Somewhere in this confusing city was my hotel hidden, but the directions suddenly weren’t easy to find. When I finally found the hotel, my heart was beating heavily, and I was sweating like a basketball player. I couldn’t stay. Could I? The wallpaper looked like it had been through a fire. The bathroom was downstairs, and the window looked out onto the brick wall of another building. Welcome to Paris. I sincerely wanted to die. I missed my friends. I was entering my third week away from home and my kids, and I had arrived in the most romantic city in the world, alone, lonely and frightened.

The most important thing I did in Paris happened at that moment. I knew that if I didn’t go out, right then, and find a place to have dinner, I would hide in this small room my entire time in Paris. I might never learn to enjoy the world as a single individual. So I went out. Evening in Paris was light and pleasant. I walked along a path, listening to birds sing, watching children float toy boats in a huge fountain. No one seemed to be in a hurry. Paris was beautiful. And I was here alone and suddenly not lonely. My sense of accomplishment overcoming my fear and weakness had left me feeling free. I wore out two pairs of shoes during my week’s stay in Paris. I did everything there was to do, and it was the greatest week of my European vacation. I returned home, becoming a believer in the power of traveling alone. Now when I meet difficulties I just say to myself, “If I can go to Paris, I can go anywhere.”

1. What happened on my first metro ride?

A．I came across a skillful thief.

B．I bravely caught a thief trying to steal.

C．The thief successfully stole my purse.

D．I scared away a thief trying to steal.

2. The room in the hotel where I lived ________.

A．had just gone through a big fire

B．was in very poor conditions

C．had a good sight through the window

D．was very small and untidy

3. The lifestyle of French people can be considered as ________.

A．relaxed

B．rushed

C．anxious

D．aggressive

4. As to the writer, the power of traveling alone is ________.

A．the power of being independent

B．the power of feeling free

C．the power of overcoming difficulties

D．the power of becoming optimistic

【推荐1】Safety and Security Procedures

Your safety and the security of your personal property are of the primary concern to those of us who welcome you as our guest. We urge you to take advantage of the following suggestions.

YOUR VEHICLE

Lock your vehicle and do not leave money or valuable items inside. We are not responsible for their loss.

TRAVELING

Be observant when sightseeing or traveling. Stay in well-lit and heavily traveled areas. Don’t display large amounts of cash.

GUEST ROOM SECURITY

For additional security use the deadbolt (插锁) provided on your door and make sure the windows are locked. As an additional precaution (预防措施), please secure the secondary locks provided. Do not admit anyone to your room without first making identification. A one-way viewer is provided in your door to assist with identification. If there is any doubt about the person’s identity, please contact the Front Desk.

SAFETY BOXES

Do not leave money or valuables in your room or vehicle. We provide free safety boxes for your use. Hotel is not responsible for items left in room valued over $200.

KEYS

Safeguard your key. Please do not leave it in the door. Do not give your key to others or leave it unattended. Please leave your key at the Front Desk when you check out.

REPORTING

Please report any suspicious activity, or safety concerns to management.

FIRE

Please familiarize yourself with the nearest fire exits. Report fire or smoke to the hotel operator. In the unlikely event of a fire, please move quickly and calmly to the nearest safe exit and leave the building. Avoid the use of elevator.

1. The suggestions are most probably from_________.

A．a hotel manager	B．a police officer
C．an experienced traveler	D．a tour guide

2. Which of the following is TRUE?

A．It is advised to travel to places where there are few people.

B．The hotel is not responsible for anything you lose.

C．Don’t report to the manager unless you are sure something is going wrong.

D．You’d better use the deadbolt and the secondary locks for safety.

3. If you feel doubtful about a stranger who knocks at the door, you should________.

A．let the person in after you have got his/her name

B．open the door to check the person’s ID card

C．call the Front Desk to make sure

D．contact the local police for assistance

【推荐2】Benjamin West, the father of American painting, showed his talent for art when he was only six years of age. But he did not know about brushes before a visitor told him he needed one. In those days, a brush was made from camel’s hair. There were no camels nearby. Benjamin decided that cat hair would work instead. He cut some fur from the family cat to make a brush.

The brush did not last long. Soon Benjamin needed more fur. Before long, the cat began to look ragged (蓬乱). His father said that the cat must be sick. Benjamin was forced to admit what he had been doing.

The cat’s lot was about to improve. That year, one of Benjamin’s cousins, Mr. Pennington, came to visit. He was impressed with Benjamin’s drawings. When he went home, he sent Benjamin a box of paint and some brushes. He also sent six engravings (版画) by an artist. These were the first pictures and first real paint and brushes Benjamin had ever seen. 

In 1747, when Benjamin was nine years old, Mr. Pennington returned for another visit. He was amazed at what Benjamin had done with his gift. He asked Benjamin’s parents if he might take the boy back to Philadelphia for a visit.

In the city, Mr. Pennington gave Benjamin materials for creating oil paintings. The boy began a landscape (风景) painting. William Williams, a well-known painter, came to see him work. Williams was impressed with Benjamin and gave him two classic books on painting to take home. The books were long and dull. Benjamin could read only a little, having been a poor student. But he later said, “Those two books were my companions by day, and under my pillow at night.” While it is likely that he understood very little of the books, they were his introduction to classical paintings. The nine-year-old boy decided then that he would be an artist.

1. What is the text mainly about?

A．Benjamin’s visit to Philadelphia.

B．Williams’ influence on Benjamin.

C．The beginning of Benjamin’s life as an artist.

D．The friendship between Benjamin and Pennington.

2. What does the underlined sentence in paragraph 3 suggest?

A．The cat would be closely watched.	B．The cat would get some medical care.
C．Benjamin would leave his home shortly.	D．Benjamin would have real brushes soon.

3. What did Pennington do to help Benjamin develop his talent?

A．He took him to see painting exhibitions.	B．He provided him with painting materials.
C．He sent him to a school in Philadelphia.	D．He taught him how to make engravings.

4. What can be inferred from the last paragraph?

A．Williams’ two books helped Benjamin to master the use of paints.

B．Williams’ two books helped Benjamin to appreciate landscape paintings.

C．Williams’ two books helped Benjamin to get to know other painters.

D．Williams’ two books helped Benjamin to make up his mind to be a painter.

【推荐3】Clara Daly was seated on an Alaska Airlines flight route from Boston to Los Angeles when a flight attendant asked an urgent question over the loudspeaker： "Does anyone on board know American Sign Language?" Clara, 15 at the time, pressed the call button. The flight attendant came by and explained the situation. "We have a passenger on the plane who's blind and deaf," she said. The passenger seemed to want something, but he was traveling alone and the flight attendants couldn't understand what he needed.

Clara had been studying ASL for the past year to help with her dyslexia （读写困难）and knew she'd be able to finger spell into the man's palm. So she untied her seat belt, walked toward the front of the plane, and knelt by the aisle （过道）seat of Tim Cook, then 64. Gently taking his hand, she signed, "How are you? Are you OK?" Tim asked for some water. When it arrived, Clara returned to her seat.

She came by again a bit later because Tim wanted to know the time. On her third visit, she stopped and stayed a while. "He didn't need anything. He was lonely and wanted to talk," Clara says. So for the next hour, that's what they did. She talked about her family and her plans for the future （she wants to be a politician）. Tim told Clara how he had gradually become blind over time and shared stories of his days as a traveling salesman.

"Even though Tim couldn't see her, she looked attentively at his face with such kindness," a passenger reported. "Clara was amazing," a flight attendant told Alaska Airlines in a blog interview. "You could tell Tim was very excited to have someone he could speak to, and she was such an angel. " Tim's reaction: "Best trip I've ever had."

1. Why was an urgent question asked over the loudspeaker?

A．The attendants wanted to learn American Sign Language.

B．The attendants couldn't understand the passenger.

C．The attendants wanted to use American Sign Language.

D．A special passenger wanted to learn American Sign Language.

2. What did Clara do on the second visit to Tim?

A．Clara asked for some water for Tim.

B．Clara stayed with Tim for an hour.

C．Clara shared her life story with Tim.

D．Clara told Tim what time it was.

3. Why did Tim Cook keep asking for help?

A．He needed someone to talk to.

B．He was interested in Clara's future plans.

C．He was afraid and lonely on the plane.

D．He wanted to share his experience with Clara.

4. Which of the following words can best describe Clara?

A．Polite.	B．Outgoing.
C．Thoughtful.	D．Energetic.

【推荐1】Indian officials recently suggested weight guidelines (指南) for children’s school bags.The central government said the weight of the bag should depend on the age of the child. It advised all Indian states to set limits to meet the new guidance.

Indian officials have criticized (责备) schools for making students carry heavy school bags and giving young children homework.

Under the guidelines, no homework would be given to children in grades 1 and 2. This will make sure that the youngest students have no books to carry home. For students in grades 3 to 5, the weight of a school bag would never be more than three kilograms. And bags would never weigh more than five kilograms for students in grade 10.

The Indian government noted studies that showed how a heavy school bag could affect students’ soft and developing spines (脊柱). One study found that 68 percent of young children suffered from mild back pain. The mild pain can develop into long-term back pain and affect bones of the spinal column.

The study included more than 2,500 children between the ages of 7 and 13. It found that more than 88 percent of children carried more than 45 percent of their body weight on their backs.

Mumbai is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. The state requires that a schoolbag’s weight should be not more than 10 percent of a child’s body weight. Many schools there have started using white boards and projectors in classes, which have reduced the number of books to be carried to school.

But in large parts of rural (乡村的) India, children still have to walk great distances, weighed down by heavy school bags. Some have to bring about 4-5 kilograms of books in their school bags and also carry lunch boxes and water bottles in other bags.

1. Who are responsible for children’s heavy schoolbags according to Indian government?

A．Parents.

B．Schools.

C．Children.

D．Lawmakers.

2. What did the studies find?

A．Students’ school bags weighed half of their body weight.

B．88 percent of children suffered from back pain.

C．45 percent of children damaged their bones.

D．Heavy bags harmed most children.

3. How heavy a bag is a child weighing 30 kg in Mumbai permitted to carry?

A．10 kg.

B．15 kg.

C．Less than 3 kg.

D．Less than 5 kg.

4. What do we know about the children in rural India?

A．They have fewer books to carry.	B．They have to carry extra weight.
C．They have heavier homework.	D．They have busier school life.

【推荐2】Sagrada Familia (2,056,448 visits/year)

Opening hours: 09:00—18:00 (October—March); 09:00—20:00 (April—September) Admission: $ 11, or $ 10 with the Barcelona Card.

Disabled Access: Yes.

The temple has been under construction since 1882 and they’ve still got another 30 to 80 years to go before it is finished. The project’s vast scale and its special design have made it one of Barcelona’s top tourist attractions for many years.

La Pedrera (1,133,220 visits/year)

Opening hours: November—February: 09:00—18:30; March—October: 09:00—20:00

Admission: $ 9.50. Save 20% with the Barcelona Card.

Disabled Access: No.

This building used to be called Casa Mila but nowadays it’s more commonly known as La Pedrera. It is a unique modernist building in Barcelona and was made of bricks and had colorful tiles (瓦). It was built between 1906 and 1912 by famous Catalan architect Antoni Gaudi (1852—1926) and in 1984 it was declared a UNESCO World Her it age site with other Gaudi buildings in Barcelona.

Barcelona FC Museum (1,032,763 visits/year)

Opening hours: 6th April—4th October: (Monday to Saturday) 10:00—20:00; the rest of the year: 10:00—18:30

Admission: $ 8.50 for entry to the museum and $ 17 for a guided tour.

Disabled Access: Yes.

When you buy your ticket you have two options. You can buy a ticket for the museum to see the football stadium or you can buy a dual (双的) ticket for $ 15 where you get to see the museum and the scenes at the club.

Miro Museum (518,869 visits/year)

Opening hours: Check the website for details as they vary relying on the time of the year. Admission: $ 8. Save 20% with the Barcelona Card.

Disabled Access: Yes.

This museum has a wide range of Miro’s works dating back as far as 1914. This art work collection not only includes his paintings but also a good selection of sculptures.

1. Which of the following attractions is the most popular with people?

A．Sagrada Familia	B．La Pedrera
C．Barcelona FC Museum	D．Miro Museum

2. What do we know about the tourist attractions mentioned in the passage?

A．Sagrada Familia is the largest building in Barcelona.

B．La Pedrera is well-known for its colorful material.

C．Barcelona FC Museum may attract football fans.

D．Miro Museum was built in 1914.

3. If you visit the stadium and the club with a tour guide in Barcelon a FC Museum, you should
pay ____ .

A．$ 25.5

B．$ 32

C．$ 42.5

D．$ 34

4. What do the attractions have in common?

A．They are all famous for their architectural style.

B．They are available for the disabled people.

C．Their opening hours are changeable in different seasons.

D．Tourists can have a discount of 20% with the Barcelona Card.

5. Where is the passage probably taken from?

A．A novel

B．An advertisement

C．A poster

D．Travel brochure

【推荐3】D. Mike Miles hadn’t had a stable job in years. He bounced around from temporary agency to temporary agency, never sure when his last day would be. Sometimes, he lost a job with less than a day’s notice. This was not due to a poor work ethic (职业道德) - from arriving early to staying late, Miles said he did everything he could to leave good impressions on employers in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, in the US. But because Miles had a criminal record, he was always cut loose when it was time to let staff go.

“It was like walking on eggshells. You just never knew when you’d be gone,” he said.

After his release from prison in 2007, Miles struggled to find stability – both mentally and financially. During this time, he lived in his mother’s house and she helped him raise his daughter. When his mom passed away two years later, Miles said he became more determined than ever to create a healthy environment for his family.

“I’m all she has, and she’s all I have,” he said. “I had to build a whole new relationship with my daughter, while building a whole new life for myself.”

It wasn’t until October 2015, nearly a decade after he got out of prison, that a cousin told Miles about a food company that hires people who have difficulty finding jobs.

Hoping this would clear up what felt like a thick cloud of uncertainty over his future, Miles submitted an application. He got an interview and soon after that, began his new job. His work involves everything from food production to maintenance (保存), not to mention it pays a livable wage of $15 an hour. He said it’s the best job he’s ever had.

Miles’ story is rare in Lancaster, where the poverty rate is around 30 percent – about double the national average. This figure annoyed Charlie Crystle, the co-founder and CEO of the company that gave Miles his job.

Crystle said he wanted to inspire other companies and entrepreneurs (企业家) to rethink their current practices and ignite（引发）conversations about minimum wage and employment opportunities for everyone, including ex-offenders (有犯罪前科的人).

Beyond providing employment and livable wages, the company also helps employees deal with the many challenges of reentry into society. This means anything from helping them find housing and health benefits to changing their schedules.

Miles is now saving for a house. “It doesn’t have to be a big house,” he said. “I just want to be stable.”

1. Why did Miles change his occupation frequently?

A．He liked to try new things.

B．He never got asked to stay at jobs long as he had been in jail.

C．He was never able to find a job that he liked.

D．He is a person who is hard to please.

2. Which is right according to the test?

A．About 15% of people all over the nation are under the poverty line.

B．The ex-offenders are always treated equally in society.

C．Miles is reluctant to do the job in the food company.

D．Miles’ mother died in 2009 because of lung cancer.

3. What can we infer from the last three paragraphs?

A．Miles is not content with his current situation.

B．Miles cares more about a stable life than a big house.

C．The companies and entrepreneurs have agreed to increase the minimum wage level.

D．The local government will help ex-offenders find employment.