【推荐1】When schools, theaters, amusement parks and libraries around the country closed due to the COVID—19, kids were left with few activities to keep them busy. So Kelly Passek, a school librarian who works for Montgomery County Public Schools in Virginia, came up with a creative way to ensure that kids in her community still have books to read: She was delive-ring them by drone(无人机).

“As a school librarian，it is extremely important for me to have connections with my students,” Passek said. “So I can make sure that they have got access to the resources they need and the resources will allow them to be successful—not just academically(学业上), but also in life.”

When distance—learning began in the school district due to the COVID—19, Passek thought how she was going to keep that connection with her students. One day she came up with an idea. Her family often uses Wing, a drone service from Google’s parent company Alphabet, to get necessities delivered straight to their door. Passek thought maybe she could use the technology to respond to library book requests from students.

Passek discusses the delivery process with Wing. Students can ask to take out library books using an online form. Passek receives the requests» packs the books up in special delivery boxes, and then puts them on the top of Wing» which deals with the drone delivery. Now, students in Montgomery County can choose from the library’s more than 150,000 titles, and have their books delivered right to their front yard.

“Montgomery County Public Schools will be the first public school system in the world to use Wing to deliver library books to our students,” Passek said. “We are excited about this opportunity to have a really unique way to deliver resources, and do it practically on demand. Now we have received praise online from students.”

1. What is extremely important in Passek’s opinion?

A．Students, access to books.

B．Activities to keep students busy.

C．Friendship between her and her students.

D．Ways for students to fight COVID—19.

2. What made Passek think of the idea of delivering books by drone?

A．Students, requests.	B．The popularity of Wing.
C．Support from Google.	D．Her family’s experience.

3. What can we learn about Passek’s drone delivery?

A．It inspires students? love for books.

B．It brings students nothing but stress.

C．It can’t meet every student’s reading needs.

D．It is thought highly of by students.

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

A．Knowledge helps students succeed

B．Students need interesting activities

C．A librarian delivers books by drone

D．The COVID—19 is under control

【推荐2】Children grow quickly, especially their feet, but many families cannot buy new shoes each time a child needs them. As a result, about 300 million children around the world go barefoot. Those children risk picking up diseases and parasites(寄生虫) from the soil.

An American man may have a solution for those barefoot kids—a shoe that grows with the child. Kenton Lee is the creator of The Shoe That Grows. He explains how the shoe works and how it is able to last so long.

“It grows in three places: the front; it can also grow on the side with Velcro; and on the back with our buckle. It can last up to five years. The bottom is compressed(压缩的) rubber like tire rubber. The top is just high-quality leather.” The shoe comes in two sizes: small that fits children aged 4 to 9 and large for children aged 9 to 14.

Lee says he got the idea for the shoe while working as a volunteer in an orphanage in Kenya.“...and there was a little girl in a white dress walking next to me. And I just remember looking down and seeing how small her shoes were. They were so small that she had to cut open the front of her shoes to let her toes stick out. And I just remember thinking, “Wouldn’t it be nice if there were a pair of shoes that could grow with her feet?”

However, Lee says it was not easy to turn his idea into a reality. “I kept writing down I should do this because of this or because of that.” Finally, in 2009 Lee founded a non-profit organization called Because International. In the office of Because International, Lee keeps a pair of his own shoes to help him remember his promise. “I told myself I would not get new shoes until the idea was done. So, those are the shoes that I wore for a little over five years.”

1. Which of the following is the characteristic of the newly invented shoes?

A．They are more expensive.	B．They are not so comfortable.
C．They can grow with a child.	D．They come in different sizes.

2. Who is this kind of newly invented shoes intended for?

A．All the teenagers.	B．Children aged 4 to 14.
C．Middle-aged women in Africa.	D．Senior citizens with low income.

3. Why does Kenton Lee keep a pair of his own shoes in the office?

A．To remind him of his promise.	B．To copy the design of them.
C．To get a change conveniently.	D．To use them as an example.

【推荐3】One morning, a blind boy sat on the steps of a building with a hat by his feet. He held a sign which said, “I am blind, Please help me.”

There were only a few coins in the hat. A man was walking by. He took out a few coins from his pocket and dropped them into the hat. He then took the sign, turned it around, and wrote some words on it. He put the sign back so that everyone who walked by could see the news words.

Soon the hat began to fill up. A lot more people were giving the money to the blind boy. That afternoon the man who had changed the sign came to see how things were. The boy recognized his footsteps and asked.” Are you the one who changed my sign in the morning? What did you write?

The man said, “I only wrote the truth. I said what you said, but in a different way.” What he had written was, “Today is a beautiful day, but I can not see it.”

Do you think the first sign and the second sign were saying the same thing?

Of course both signs told people the boy was blind. But the first sign simply told people to help by putting some money in the hat. The second sign told people that they were able to enjoy the beauty of the day, but the boy could not enjoy it because he was blind.

The first sign simply said the boy was blind, while the second sign told people they were so lucky that they were not blind. There are at least two lessons we can learn from this simple story.

The first is: Treasure what you have. Someone else has less. Try your best to   help those who need your help.

The second is : Be creative. Think differently. There is always a better way.

1. From the passage we know that __________.

A．the boy always has a hat on his head.	B．the man is one of his neighbors.
C．the boy is blind and needs help.	D．the boy works for the man.

2. On the sign the man wrote some words which said, “__________”

A．He is blind. Please help him.

B．Today is a beautiful day, but I can not see it.

C．We are so lucky that we are not blind.

D．Treasure what we have.

3. According to the passage, which of the following is TRUE?

A．The hat began to fill up after the man wrote some words on the sign.

B．The man took away the few coins from the hat.

C．The boy pretended to be blind, for he didn’t want to go to school.

D．Nobody wanted to give coins to the boy.

4. The underlined word “recognized” in the passage means __________.

A．知道	B．懂事
C．理解	D．辨认出

5. According to the writer, from this simple story we can learn: __________.

A．Be careful not to be blind.	B．Be creative. There is always a better way!
C．Be kind to the blind.	D．Don’t always get, but offer!

【推荐1】You've done the right things right. Your materials and certificates made a good impression. You passed the interview phone screening and you've been invited to the company for that important interview. How do you continue to build the relationship with the potential employer that will lead to an eventual job offer?

●    1     Don't expect the potential employer to extend their day by several hours to accommodate your schedule. If you're currently working and looking for a new position, hopefully, you've chosen the most ethical path that your employer knows. A recruiting employer is often willing to interview a good candidate late in the afternoon, but rarely will the interview extend past 6 p.m.

● Make the right, positive impression. Arrive early, dress up for the position for which you are applying and bring an additional resume with references. Remember to treat every person you encounter with dignity and respect. The receptionist is reporting his impressions of you to the HR Director. Be polite as much as possible throughout every interaction you have with the company. Each person is assessing your potential fit within their organization.     2    .

● Bring your resume and other needed information, for you will be asked to fill out an application.     3    . It also allows the company to obtain your written permission to check your references, employment history, and do criminal background checks, etc. if you are hired.

● Follow up after the interview with a thank you letter, and perhaps a phone call. I received three thank you letters and a couple of phone calls from the 23 people who participated in a first interview with us.     4    .

Doing the right things right will result in more interviews, better job offers, and a more successful career.     5    , and your application will rise above the pack. I promise.

A．Good manners always count

B．Take time off work for the interview

C．Take a little more time at each step

D．The filled out application makes the data entry easier

E．Count on it, especially in small- to mid-sized organizations

F．The purpose of the interview is to determine if you and the organization are a good fit

G．Don't blow your chances by behaving rudely to people you believe unimportant

【推荐1】I enjoyed this trip for the opportunity to witness the Cranes (鹤) returning from Wood Buffalo National Park, some with their young of the year. I wondered, at the changing skies of Saskatchewan, often the vivid oranges and pinks of a sunset made me pause, but it was the clouds of feathers as ducks, geese, and cranes lifted off fields and lakes in numbers so numerous, they blocked out the sky at times, that blew my mind.

The desire to travel and explore is strong within the human condition. We might think we must journey “away” to enjoy a holiday, and sometimes we do. But other times, a simpler exploration, digging deeply into landscapes and cultures that we think we know, reveals the best sights.

I grew up in Saskachewan when cranes were fighting back from extinction, and I wasn’t a birdwatcher. But, returning with Eagle-Eye Tours as a bird-loving RCGS Travel Ambassador, I wondered at the conservation successes that allowed us to find these rare birds reliably.

My favourite memory from the trip is of an old farmer driving a large truck who slowed down for our group, standing in the middle of a road, excitedly watching a flock of cranes. Rather than scolding us for blocking traffic, he invited us into his backyard for a better view! He explained how he’s been providing quiet reserves for many years as the birds stop to rest and feed before flying south to Texas. It’s moments like this that make the travel special, and companies like Eagle-Eye Tours craft itineraries (行程) that allow these unexpected discoveries.

I enjoyed sharing these experiences with other nature lovers on the Royal Canadian Geographical Society branded trip and look forward to doing it again in October 2024.

1. What do the changing skies indicate?

A．The worsening environment.	B．The coming change of the weather.
C．The imbalance of nature.	D．The success of protecting cranes.

2. What kind of trip did the writer make?

A．A trip of relaxation.	B．A trip of exploration.
C．A trip of friendship.	D．A trip of protection.

3. Why does the writer mention the farmer?

A．To explain why the protection goes well.

B．To describe how local people live their life.

C．To show that farmers are friendly to tourists.

D．To prove that everyone is a true bird lover.

【推荐2】My parents owned a neighborhood bar called the M Ninety-Seven, named for a nearby highway, on the comer of State Fair and Hoover Avenues in Detroit. Built in the '30s, it had a long wooden bar that was on the right as you walked in. I grew up in the bar. When most kids my age were at the park playing ball or riding bikes, I was watching old men shoot pool and play shuffleboard （沙狐球）.

My father spent his entire life serving drinks and bringing cheer to customers. There were the white-collars who would stop in to unwind from the day's stress. They would bend elbows with the blue-collars and day laborers on either side of them. It always surprised me that they were able to mingle（交往）.I would sit at the last table by the kitchen, sipping Cokes and eating a bag of Better Made potato chips with my twin sister, watching it all.

It was the 1960s version of a reality show. There was Big Bill, the tough talking policeman who stood six and a half feet tall and weighed just shy of the beer truck he drank daily. His views on society could be hard to listen to at times. But one night, he showed that he was all talk. While Bill was on patrol （巡逻）,a call came over the radio about an apartment fire. He raced scout car to the scene, beating even the fire crew. The building was ablaze. He ran up three flights of stairs through smoke and flames to rescue two frightened children. Bill carried them out in his arms like each was a carton of eggs. The man with an explosive mouth but a keg-sized heart had saved the day.

Years passed, my father died, and the bar was sold. Like secondhand smoke, the words and the scenes from that bar stayed with me.

1. What did the author want to tell us by the underlined sentence in paragraph 1?

A．His family built a wooden bar.

B．He didn't play with kids at the park.

C．He liked making friends with old men.

D．He was familiar with everything in the bar.

2. What's the purpose for the white-collars to go to the bar?

A．To drink beer.	B．To watch others.
C．To communicate.	D．To relax themselves.

3. Which of the following can best describe Bill?

A．Rude and careless.	B．lough but a little bit shy.
C．Complaining but responsible.	D．Talkative and narrow-hearted.

4. What can we infer from the last paragraph?

A．The bar impressed the writer a lot.

B．The father didn't manage the bar well.

C．Secondhand smoke is similar to the bar.

D．The writer has nothing to do with the bar.

【推荐3】Sixteen years ago, I learned an important life lesson in the back of a New York City taxi.

I was on my way to Grand Central Station, and we were driving in the right lane when a black car suddenly sped out of a parking space right in front of us.

My driver hit the brakes hard, skidded, and missed the other car by a few inches. The driver of the other car, the man who had just nearly caused a huge accident, started shouting at us. My taxi driver just smiled and waved at him. He was really friendly!

“Why did you just do that？” I asked him. “This guy almost destroyed your car and could have sent us to the hospital！”

This was when my taxi driver told me what I now call “the Law of Garbage Trucks”.

“Many people are like garbage trucks. They run around full of garbage, full of anger, and full of disappointment，” he said. “As their garbage piles up, they need a place to dump it, and if you let them do, they'll dump it on you. So when someone wants to dump on you, just smile, wave, wish them well, and move on. You'll be happier because of what you have done.”

I started thinking, how often do I let Garbage Trucks run right over me? And how often do I take their garbage and dump it on other people—at work, at home, or on the street? It was on that day that I said, “I'm not going to dump anymore.”

1. What happened when the writer was taking a taxi?

A．He saw a car accident.	B．Someone destroyed the taxi.
C．The taxi driver was injured.	D．Another car almost hit the taxi.

2. How did the taxi driver deal with the other driver's behavior?

A．He shouted back at the driver.

B．He sent the driver to the hospital.

C．He was friendly towards the driver.

D．He dumped some garbage in front of his car.

3. What does the taxi driver mean when he says “Many people are like garbage trucks”？

A．Many people like to drive garbage trucks.

B．Many people dump garbage wherever they like.

C．Many people are warm­hearted and make others happy.

D．Many people need to dump their feelings now and then.

4. According to the passage, what should you do if people “dump garbage” on you?

A．Dump your garbage on him or her, too.

B．Be friendly and go on with your own work.

C．Tell them to dump their garbage in the right place.

D．Try your best to encourage them not to do that again.

5. What’s the best title for the passage?

A．A good day with a warm conversation	B．An introduction of the law
C．A story about friendship	D．An experience of a car accident

【推荐1】Recently, the phrase "hair loss" has been trending among young people in China. A recent report on overall health showed that hair loss ranked fifth among top health concerns, following bad skin conditions, depression and anxiety, poor sleep, and digestive tract(消化道)discomfort and illness.

But hair loss isn't just a concern for Chinese youth. It is an inconvenient reality for many people in China and the world over. According to a survey, 250 million Chinese people are troubled by hair loss, most of them between 20 and 40 years old. In the United States, about one in five people is suffering from hair loss.

There isn't really any single reason for hair loss. Humans naturally lose about 50 to 100 hairs each day, which usually regrow later. However, genetic and environmental factors can mean, for some people, these lost hairs won't regrow. In addition, certain factors can further worsen hair loss, including too much stress from work school, too little sleep, and a bad diet.

Is there anything you can do to protect your remaining hair? There are many products out there ready to help you keep a full head of hair. Shampoos, lotions, surgery, even laser-helmets say they can help. Hair loss treatments represent a $3. 6 billion industry in the United States alone. While many of these products make bold promises about their capabilities to restore your hair, the reality is that fixing your hair loss will ultimately depend on finding the specific causes.

If it is due to stress, lack of sleep, or poor nutrition, then a lifestyle change might not only stop hair loss, but also restart the growth of hair. For most young people who want to protect their receding(后移的)hairlines, it starts with their personal health. All they need to do is change unhealthy living habits and pay more attention to their psychological well-being.

1. What can we learn about "hair loss" from the passage?

A．It is common among most people in China.

B．It is the top health concern for Chinese youth.

C．Only Chinese youth are suffering from hair loss.

D．It bothers people of different ages and countries

2. What stops the regrowth of the lost hairs for some people?

A．Genetic and environmental factors.

B．Stress from work and school.

C．Too little sleep.

D．A bad diet.

3. What's the author's attitude towards many hair loss treatments?

A．Critical.	B．Objective.
C．Optimistic.	D．Supportive.

4. What's the author's suggestion to young people with hair loss?

A．To use hair-growth products.

B．To change unhealthy lifestyle.

C．To have a health check in hospital

D．To pay attention to physical well-being

【推荐2】Since you are applying for a visa for a short-term study in the USA, here are a few steps you should take to ensure you can do it smoothly.

You can apply for it if you

●do a short course of study in the USA, such as an English language course or a training course.

●do a short period of research as part of a degree course in the USA.

You must prove that you

●have been offered a place on a course in the USA at an accepted place of study.

●have enough money to support yourself without working or help from public funds.

●can pay for your return or onward journey.

●have permission from your parents or guardian to study in the USA if you are under 18.

You must provide

●proof of the course you're studying, for example, a letter of acceptance from the educational institution — an official headed paper; stating the course's name, duration and cost (including accommodation).

●a current passport or other valid travel identification.

●evidence that you can support yourself during your trip, for example, bank statements or payslips for the last 6 months.

●details of where you intend to stay and your travel plans.

●contact details for at least one parent or guardian in your home country if you’re under 18 years old.

You must

●apply online for a short-term study visa.

●have your fingerprints and photograph taken at a visa application centre as part of your application.

●pay £97 for a 6-month visa or £186 for an 11-month visa.

You may

●be allowed to stay an extra 30 days if your total stay in the USA is no more than 6 months.

1. Who is the passage intended for?

A．A graduate to pick up a full time job in the USA.

B．A university professor to teach Chinese in the USA.

C．A high school student to have a short-term travel in the USA.

D．A scholar to conduct a short degree-related research in the USA.

2. What is needed to apply for this kind of visa?

A．Your previous passport.

B．Details of your study plans.

C．A proof of your parents’ support.

D．An official document of your target course.

3. Which is true according to the passage?

A．It is free for a one-year study visa.

B．You need to apply through the Internet.

C．You can extend one-month stay as you please.

D．Your photo must be taken and submitted online.

【推荐3】Anne sat with her feet up on the couch, drinking a soda. She heard footsteps by the front door. Brenda was right one time, as usual. Never a minute early or late—for her, everything was exact.

Anne placed her feet on the floor, reaching for the remote, and turned off the television. She knew Brenda would demand her complete attention. She knew Brenda would hand up her coat in the closet by the door (third hanger from the left) and then head to the kitchen for her daily inspection (exact seven steps). She knew this because they had been roommates for six months. Taking a deep breath, she thought about what she would say to Brenda. She waited and watched from her spot on the couch.

A moment later, Brenda stepped into the kitchen and surveyed the scene. Anne watched her expression, watched her eyes focus on the sink, and watched her face harden when she saw the dishes piled high. Pointing to the dishes, Brenda said disappointedly, ''I don't believe what I’m seeing. I thought we agreed to share the responsibilities. I thought it was your turn to clean the kitchen this week. ''

''I haven't got to them yet, '' Anne replied. ''I've been really busy. Relax. I've got all night. ''She walked into the kitchen and added her empty glass to the top of the pile.

Brenda fumed. ''You know I'm having company tonight! Somehow I thought you would have done your share in the kitchen. If we want to remain roommates, things have to change. ''

The phone rang, and Anne started to answer it.

Brenda said in the background, ''Tell them to call back; we need to settle this now. I told you I’m having company soon. ''

Anne ignored Brenda's comment and continued to engage in conversation with a good friend of hers. ''Did I ever tell you about the time when…''

1. Why did Brenda get angry?

A．Because Anne was unfriendly.	B．Because she had a bad day at work.
C．Because Anne didn't do her share.	D．Because Anne was very lazy.

2. Why didn't Anne do the dishes?

A．She had just arrived home.	B．She wanted to start a fight.
C．She was too busy to do the dishes.	D．She wanted Brenda to do the dishes.

3. Which of the following suggests that Anne doesn't intend to shoulder her share of the responsibilities?

A．She turns off the television.	B．She watches Brenda coming.
C．She says she's been really busy.	D．She talks on the phone with a good friend.

4. The writer implies in the passage that ___________

A．Anne purposely decided not to do the dishes in an act of rebellion.

B．Anne would sit down and settle the issue with Brenda after Brenda after the call.

C．Brenda would have to do the dishes herself.

D．Brenda would move out.