【推荐1】Walter Carr and his mother just moved from New Orleans, Louisiana to Birmingham, Alabama after losing their home in Hurricane Katrina.

W alter Carr, a college student in Alabama, walked 32 kilometers in the dark to get to his new job. Walter Carr’s car broke down the night before starting a new job at Bellhops, a furniture moving company. Carr was unable to find a ride. He left at midnight so that he could make it to the customer’s house by 8： 00 am the next morning.

Pelham police saw him walking along a highway at 4： 00 am and they took him to a restaurant for breakfast and then to a church where he could safely wait until 8： 00 am. The police then took Carr to the home of custormer Jenny Lamey. Lamey said that even though Carr had just walked the entire night, he refused her offer to rest and started working. Lamey thought he worked in a down -to- earth way. While he worked, he talked with the customer, telling her how much he liked her kitchen.

Lamey later wrote this on Facebook： “I just can’t tell you how touched I was by Walter and his journey. He is kind and cheerful and he has big dreams! He is hardworking and tough.” She then started a GoFundMe page to help Walter with money to get his car fixed. When the CEO of Bellhops, Luke Marklin, learned of Carr’s story, he drove from Tennessee to Alabama to give Walter his own Ford Escape.

W alter Carr’s story touched many others around the United States. Within a few days, people gave over $ 73, 000 to his GoF undMe page. Carr has decided to give a part of the donations to the Birmingham Education Foundation. And he has received more offers for jobs and scholarships for schools.

1. Walter Carr walked long to his new job because__________.

A．he couldn’t afford the bus fare	B．he wanted to experience new life
C．he tried to avoid the traffc jam	D．he valued his job very much

2. What does the underlined phrase “worked in a down - to - earth way” in paragraph 3 mean?

A．He was tired of the work.	B．He was devoted to his work.
C．He was exhausted after work.	D．He was skilled in his work.

3. Why did Jenny Lamey and Luke Marklin help Carr?

A．They were moved by his deeds.	B．They showed sympathy for him.
C．They wanted to reward him.	D．They used to gain help from him.

4. What can we learn from Carr’s story?

A．Success is a great thirst of job - hunters.	B．Fame always comes first.
C．Jobs can be sought by donation.	D．Struggle and kindness will pay off.

【推荐2】The scar ran down her leg from the knee to the ankle. She brushed her fingertips over its surface, remembering.

Jerry was only seven when he started surfing; by the age of eleven, he was positively incredible, moving over the face of big waves like there wasn’t even a slightest bit of efforts involved in.

On that day in Bah, though, the ocean had seemed strange. The waves broke like water in a washing machine, and the breaks had been heavy too, making it tough to tell whether it was better to try to catch one or to get out of its way. That was how he’d misjudged.

Ella had seen her brother lose control, his board was thrown out of the water riderless high into the air, but she hadn’t seen him surface. She’d waited for the space of a breath. Nothing. Something, clearly, was wrong.

She dashed into the water, swimming faster even than the competitions at school. Lung burning. Heart Piping-Focused.

She’d found him floating just beyond the reef (暗礁), face up but knocked out cold. Just as she was paddling the water hard, her leg was hurt by the reef, a short, sharp instant of pain.

No matter. She had kept Jerry’s head above water, swimming all the way back to shore. That day had been the worst, scariest moment in Jerry’s surfing career, which has seen him rise from a no-name kid who loved the ocean to a young star, winning competitions around the world.

For Ella, her life had changed as well. She had learned something about who she was, about what she could achieve. She ran her fingers again over the scar, the physical map of the person she had become.

1. Why did Ella think something was wrong?

A．She didn’t see Jerry come out of water.

B．She had not seen Jerry lose control before.

C．She saw Jerry’s board high into the air.

D．She noticed Jerry held his breath longer.

2. What does the underlined part “positively incredible” probably mean?

A．Terribly excited.	B．Extremely good.
C．Relatively young.	D．Hardly talented.

3. For Ella, the scar represents       .

A．her skill at saving lives	B．her discovery of self-value
C．her envy of her brother	D．her love for swimming career

4. What can be inferred from the text?

A．Ella was as outstanding an athlete as Jerry.

B．Jerry learned how to surf all by himself.

C．Ella was grateful for this terrible experience.

D．Jerry had his leg injured in the surfing accident.

【推荐3】阅读短文, 并按照题目要求用英语回答问题。

I was in a local store recently when 1 saw something that opened a window into my soul, which helped let in a little more light.

I had just picked up some shampoo and was headed to the pet supplies to get some dog food for my furry friends. I decided to take a shortcut through one of the toy aisles. Blocking my way, however, was a young father and his four-year-old daughter. The little girl was pleading (恳求) with her dad to buy her a new doll. The dad was being gentle but firm, telling her they couldn’t afford it right now. Finally, the daughter burst into tears and said angrily, “I hate you!”

I thought that the father would get mad at her for this outburst. I knew that I probably would do so when I was his age. Instead he just smiled down at her, put his hand on her head, and said, “That’s alright. You’ll love me later.” I stood there in amazement as he took her hand and they walked off. Then it dawned on me that I had been in this situation many times myself over the years but not as the father.

In my childhood, many times I grew angry with my parents when I felt my requests weren’t being answered. Through them all, though, my parents were still patient, loving, and kind to me. They knew that I didn’t understand why certain things had to happen the way they did. They knew that my anger was a part of my growing up spiritually in this world. They knew that I would love them later.

Now I have grown up and become a parent of two children. I have deeper understanding of parents’ behavior in different situations. They love their next generation, but more than that, they also know that they should love them in a proper way. Raising a healthy child means to help him grow both mentally and physically. That is why we need to trust our parents’ love and give them ours as well. It is never too late to love them. It is never too late to invite them into your soul. It is never too late to let their light guide your life.

1. How did the girl react towards her father’s refusal? (no more than 10)
_________________
2. Why did the author feel amazed when hearing the father’s words? (no more than 10 words)
_________________
3. How do you understand the underlined part in Para.3? (no more than 15 words)
_________________
4. What’s the author’s understanding of parents’ love? (no more than 15 words)
_________________
5. Have your parents refused your request? How do you think about it now? (no more than 20 words)
_________________

【推荐1】There’s another universe not far from land. It lacks buildings, trees, cars, cellphones and the Internet. Seemingly limitless water extends uninterruptedly in all directions. Civilization goes away, along with any sign of humanity. And it is why I’m really into sailing. I grew up around boats. My father liked sailing and built them.

My older sister and I were stuffed into a car nearly every summer weekend until my late teens to make the trip from northeast Indiana to the south shore of Lake Erie in Ohio, where Talisman built by my father waited patiently through the week.

As a kid, I read the adventures of Robin Lee Graham, a traveller exploring the sea alone, in the pages of National Geographic and, later, in Graham’s book, Dove. However, it wasn’t until about 20 years ago, well into my adulthood, that I took up sailing in a serious way. I’ve made voyages in fair and stormy weather, on my own boats and those of my friends, and ranging from nearshore day sails to blue-water passages.

Still, I’ve made plenty of mistakes. While living in Asia, a sailing friend and I set off across the South China Sea and intended to get to Thailand, only to be pushed by a late-season typhoon that forced us to make landfall in Vietnam, glad to be alive.

Years later, my wife and I lived aboard our 37-foot ship, Symbiosis, while we saved enough to take a two-year leave from our jobs to journey down the U.S. Atlantic coast and through the Bahamas and the Caribbean. We visited many places that never see ships or airplanes and that are nearly impossible to reach anyway other than at the helm of a small boat. But boats are expensive and time-consuming.

After returning from the Caribbean a few years ago, we decided to sell Symbiosis, resolving instead to sail only “other people’s boats”. It didn’t last, though. A few months ago, we found a good deal on a smaller sailboat—easier to maintain but still capable of some short offshore journeys. I think we’ll name her Talisman.

1. What would the author do on summer weekends as a kid?

A．He would explore the lost civilization.

B．He would tour northeast Indiana by car.

C．He would patiently wait for his father.

D．He would sail with his father and his sister.

2. What can we learn about the book Dove?

A．It is the most famous work by Graham.

B．It was published in National Geographic.

C．It has something to do with exploring the sea.

D．It was an inspiration for the author’s writing.

3. Why did the author sell his ship Symbiosis?

A．It didn’t function well.	B．He couldn’t afford to maintain it.
C．He was fed up with sailing.	D．He assumed others’ boats were better.

4. What message does the author convey by the underlined sentence?

A．He is particular about boat names.

B．The new boat will be his favorite one.

C．Talisman bred his lifelong passion for sailing.

D．Talisman displayed his father’s craftsmanship

【推荐3】It was late, about 10:15 p.m. Janice Esposito got off the train at Bellport, New York, went to her car and started driving home. She was so familiar with the route that she almost drove automatically: turned left to the Station Road, then another left onto Montauk Highway, and then—bam! When Esposito’s car had just crossed the railroad tracks, it hit another vehicle and was pushed back onto the tracks. Injured but mostly shocked by the crash and by the airbags that popped up, she was stuck in the vehicle.

As it happened, Pete DiPinto was just about to go to sleep when he heard a sharp noise and saw the accident not far outside his bedroom window. As a volunteer firefighter and retired teacher, DiPinto, who was 65，fetched a flashlight and rushed out without hesitation. “Any firefighter would have done what I did,” he said. “We’re always on duty.”

At first, he spotted the other car in the accident. After making sure that the driver was all right, DiPinto looked around and discovered Esposito’s car straddling the railway tracks. And then he heard the bell ring, which signaled a train’s arrival.

DiPinto rushed to Esposito’s car and broke the window on the driver’s side. Esposito looked up at him, with her eyes glazing over. “I don’t know where I am,” she said.

“You’re on the railroad tracks，”DiPinto yelled. “I have to get you off right now! The train was running toward them at a speed of some 105 kilometers per hour. The driver’s door fail to be opened due to the collision(碰撞), so DiPinto quickly run to the other side and was able to open the door. He put the airbags aside, seized her arms, pulled her toward him across the passenger seat until finally got her out and walked her to safety as swiftly as possible. Several seconds later, the train crashed into the vehicle. “It was like a Hollywood movie,” DiPinto told reporters the next day.

“Last night,” said Gregory Miglino Jr., Chief of the Department in South Country Ambulance, “the hero arrived in pajamas(睡衣裤), not in a fire truck.”

1. What can we know about the accident from Paragraph 1?

A．Esposito’s car hit another vehicle.

B．Esposito drove too fast.

C．Esposito didn’t know the route well.

D．A running train crashed into Esposito’s car.

2. How was Janice Esposito right after the accident?

A．She felt all right.	B．She was badly hurt.
C．She got stuck in the car.	D．She completely lost her consciousness.

3. How was Janice Esposito rescued from her car?

A．Through the window on the driver’s side.

B．Through the door on the driver’s side.

C．Through the window on the passenger’s side.

D．Through the door on the passenger’s side.

4. What did Gregory Miglino Jr. mean by “the hero arrived in pajamas, not in a fire truck”?

A．DiPinto was not a professional firefighter.

B．DiPinto rushed to save life without thinking about himself.

C．DiPinto was a special firefighter who preferred wearing pajamas.

D．DiPinto was unable to find a fire truck when the accident happened.

【推荐1】Today I’m glad to be here to share with you my idea of success. What’s your idea about success? Some people say that beginners have all the luck, while others believe that success comes only with practice. In fact, I feel both of these statements are not true all the time. Each is true in some ways but not in others.

For example, I went to a drawing competition many years ago and won first prize surprisingly. As a prize, I got a film ticket to see Titanic. I was really lucky because it was the first time I had taken part in a competition. Thinking that I might be lucky again, I tried joining in other art competitions. But the result was that I never won again. I accepted the fact that the other people had a greater artistic ability than I did. Art was not what I was especially interested in and I had never practiced the different art skills. So, the drawings I produced were not of a very high standard.

These experiences taught me a lot. Though I might have been lucky at first, I also need to put in hard work. As we know, practice makes perfect. So I believe success builds on less luck and chance.

1. Which of the following is TRUE about the writer’s first competition?

A．He won the second prize.	B．He got a ticket to a zoo.
C．He didn’t win anything.	D．He got a good result.

2. From the passage we know           .

A．the writer was always lucky.	B．the writer often practiced art skills.
C．the writer didn’t do well in art.	D．the writer had a great talent for art.

3. The writer thinks           .

A．success builds on hard work.	B．success builds on good chance.
C．practice isn’t very useful or helpful.	D．luck is the most important for everyone.

4. What’s the general idea of the passage?

A．What is success.	B．Success is important.
C．My idea of success.	D．Everyone can succeed.

【推荐2】It was a Saturday evening in March，just before sundown，when we heard the screaming. I was out walking with my wife，Melissa，and our golden retriever(猎犬)，Kira，beside a lake when the peace was broken by a woman’s voice，calling out two names over and over.

We spotted her，almost immediately，three or four hundred feet away across the lake. Spring had come but there was still snow on the ground，the water covered by a layer of ice that had just started to thaw. Two big dogs were walking across it. They appeared to be quite old and were moving slowly. As we watched，the ice gave way beneath one dog and then the other，plunging them into the water.

We arrived at the scene a few minutes later，but the dogs already seemed to be showing the effects of the cold as they struggled weakly to escape. We realized that calling 911 would be useless—the dog farther out was in water about 20 feet deep and I feared neither of them would stay afloat long enough for the emergency services to arrive. Besides，I was probably qualified to carry out the rescue myself. I was practicing the kind of deep breathing my grandfather had taught me as I walked in. I wasn’t alone—Kira swam alongside me. Having Kira there was a huge support. We were able to go back to shore quickly.

The second dog was further out and I had to pause before I went back in. That’s when another technique I’d learned from my grandfather came into play. He’d taught me about a pressure point on the wrist that when pressed in the right way sends out an electrical signal，like a jolt of energy. That kept me warm as I set out again with，Kira. I maintained eye contact with the dog as we approached. With Kira’s encouragement，it followed us back. The owner was emotional—“I’m the luckiest woman alive!”she said.

1. What does the underlined word“thaw”in Paragraph 2 probably mean?

A．Melt.	B．Shake.
C．Flow.	D．Appear.

2. Why didn’t the writer call 911?

A．The writer’s dog has been trained to save lives.

B．The dogs could save themselves from the cold water.

C．There wasn’t enough time to wait for the emergency services.

D．The writer’s grandfather had taught him how to save the dogs.

3. What do we know about the second technique the writer learned from his grandfather?

A．It makes him brave.	B．It keeps him warm.
C．It allows him stay focused.	D．It helps him walk quickly.

4. Who accompanied and helped the writer while saving the dogs in the water?

A．His wife.	B．The dogs’owner.
C．His grandfather.	D．His dog.

【推荐3】U.K. astronomer Martin Rees says that in future, some people may decide to leave Earth in order to live on other worlds. Finally, he added, they might use high technologies to change themselves to adapt to their new environment.

“They will find themselves ill-adapted to conditions there, so they will redesign themselves using powerful genetic engineering (基因工程) technologies,” Rees says. “These techniques will, I hope, be kept under control on Earth; but those on other planets will be freer to try.”

“We should surely wish them luck in changing their children to adapt to outer planets. This may be the first step towards the development of a new species,” says Rees. He says that these “post-humans” could one day turn into “fully inorganic intelligences” which may not even need an atmosphere to live and may grow well in zero-gravity environments, which ordinary people are not adapted to. “So it is in deep space, not on Earth, that ‘brains’ may develop powers that humans can’t even imagine,” says Rees.

Rees also warns that human beings shouldn’t fall back on the idea that they can avoid disaster on Earth by heading deeper into space. “It’s dangerous to think that space offers an escape from Earth’s problems,” he says. “We must solve them here. Dealing with climate change is a doddle compared with changing other planets; there’s no environment in our solar system as mild as even the top of Qomolangma.”

This isn't the first time Rees has made interesting predictions. Last year, Rees predicted possible dangers of nuclear physics (核物理学) tests taking place on Earth. “Maybe a black hole could form, and then take in everything around it,” he said. However, some scientists were not worried about this prediction. Stefan, a physicist, said he wouldn't be “losing any sleep” over that prediction.

1. What might be Rees’s prediction?

A．People might live on other planets soon.

B．Space technologies might be improved greatly.

C．People might avoid using genetic technology in outer space.

D．Space exploration might lead to genetically-changed humans.

2. Which of the following might be a description of “post-humans” ?

A．They have better survivability.

B．They are sensitive to zero gravity.

C．They are as smart as ordinary people.

D．They cannot adapt to the global environment.

3. What might the underlined part “a doddle” Paragraph 4 mean?

A．The top dog.	B．A hot potato.
C．A piece of cake.	D．A white elephant.

4. What did Stefan think of Rees’s prediction?

A．It was doubtful.

B．It made great sense.

C．It required special attention.

D．It questioned many popular beliefs.

【推荐1】For fans of Tai Chi, the wait to see it get global recognition may soon be over.

China has nominated (提名) Tai Chi to be included in the UNESCO list of intangible cultural heritage. A final decision will be made later this year. The list was introduced by UNESCO in 2008 to celebrate and protect the world’s cultural diversity. It’s hoped that Tai Chi will become China’s 30^th entry on the list. But there are fears that other countries could beat China to UNESCO’s list. Now both South Korea and Japan are competing with us to get Tai Chi registered.

Tai Chi, a kind of martial art, has been practised in China for centuries. It combines slow movements, deep breathing and meditation(冥想). Every movement in Tai Chi represents an important part of traditional Chinese philosophy—harmony. “It is not just a traditional activity. It is deeply rooted in many areas of Chinese culture and is connected to ancient Chinese civilization.” said Zhu Xianghua, the son of the famous Tai Chi master Zhu Tiancai from the village of Chenjiagou, Henan. That is widely thought to be the birthplace of Tai Chi.

Although it’s popular, the idea that Tai Chi is for the elderly has stopped many young people practising the ancient martial art. They think of it as a slow exercise, which is better suited for their grandparents. Many young people are turning to Indian Yoga, which was placed on UNESCO’s list last year. About 10 million Chinese people practise yoga in 2014, up from 4 million in 2009. Many of them do yoga to keep fit and relieve stress.

Tai chi is also a great way to keep healthy. Researchers from the American college of Rheumatology found that it can help manage several diseases. At the same time, more efforts are being made by China to get young people to practise this kind of martial art.

1. Which can be a suitable title for the text?

A．Tai Chi and Indian Yoga.	B．Recognition on Way for Tai Chi.
C．Sports among Young Generation.	D．Popularity on Way for Tai Chi.

2. What does the writer want to convey in Paragraph 3?

A．Tai Chi is ancient and native in China.

B．Tai Chi is popular in Henan province.

C．Chinese culture is based on Tai Chi.

D．Tai Chi leads to a harmonious society.

3. The author mentioned Indian Yoga to ________.

A．compare Tai Chi with Indian Yoga.

B．provide ways for the protection of Tai Chi.

C．explain why Chinese youth prefer Yoga.

D．show how popular Indian Yoga is in China.

4. What is likely to be written about after the last paragraph?

A．What can be done to promote Tai Chi.

B．How Tai Chi can be beneficial to people.

C．What the research of Rheumatology is.

D．How Tai Chi develops at home and abroad.

【推荐2】A Notice of Delnor Hospital (the “Hospital”)
THIS   NOTICE DESCRIBES HOW MEDICAL INFORMATION ABOUT MAY BE USED AND DISCLOSED ( 透露 )
If you have any questions about this notice, please contact:
The ASIFlex Privacy   Office
PO   BOX   6044
Columnbia MO   65205- 0858
We understand that medical information about you and your health is personal. We are committed to protecting your medical information. We create a record of the care and services you receive at the Hospital. We need this record to provide you with quality care and to comply （遵从）with certain legal requirements.
This notice explains the ways in which we may use and disclose medical information about you. We also describe your rights and certain obligation( 义务   ) we have regarding the use and disclosure of medical information.
HOW WE MAY USE AND DISCLOSE MEDICAL INFORMATION ABOUT YOU
The following categories describe different ways that we use and disclose your medical information. Not every use or disclosure in every category is listed. However, all of the ways we are permitted to use and disclose information will fall within one of the categories.
For Treatment.     We may use your medical information to provide you with medical treatment or services. We may disclose your medical information to doctors, nurses and technicians. In addition, the doctor may need to tell the dietician if you have diabetes so that we may arrange appropriate meals. Different departments within the Hospital also may share your medical information.
For Payment.       We may use and disclose your medical information so that the treatment and services you receive at the Hospital may be billed and payment may be collected from you, an insurance company or a third party. We also may tell your health plan about a treatment you are going to receive to obtain prior approval or to determine whether your plan will cover the treatment.
For Health Care Operations.     We may use and disclose your medical information for the Hospital operations purposes. These uses and disclosures are necessary to run the Hospital and to make sure that all of our patients receive quality care. We also may combine your medical information with those of many Hospital patients to determine whether additional services should be offered, what services are no longer needed and whether certain new treatments are effective.
1. From the notice, we can learn _______may read your medical information.

A．doctors	B．nurses
C．dietician	D．all above

2. Which of the following isn’t mentioned in the notice?

A．The patient will be told how soon he can recover after an operation

B．The Hospital creates a record of the care and services.

C．The patient can be told his health plan about a treatment

D．The Hospital can arrange appropriate meals for patients.

3. What can be inferred from the notice?

A．Patients couldn’t be informed of his medical information

B．All persons in the Hospital know patients’ information

C．Patients in the Hospital could receive proper care and treatment

D．The Hospital could never combine your medical information with those of many Hospital patients.

【推荐3】As people in rich countries know very well, eating too much food and burning too few calories is why a substantial number of us are overweight or obese. Now, however a remarkable change in perspective has come from the discovery that obesity actually provides people with temporary protection from the harmful effects of fat.

The insight has come from re-examming the common assumption that fatness itself drives the development of metabolic syndrome（代谢综合征）, which is what causes so much of the actual damage. The syndrome comes with a mixture of life-threatening effects, with heart disease being among the most serious. In fact, it now seems that body fat may be a barrier that stops millions of Americans and fatty citizens elsewhere from going on to develop the syndrome. And the real damage is caused by the inflammatory（发炎的）effect of high levels of fat in the bloodstream. And ironically, it is fat cells that protect us from this by serving as toxin dumps (毒素垃圾场）, locking away the real trouble-makers of the modern diet.

The problem is that this protection only lasts this long, until there is simply no more room inside the fat cells. That is when they start to break down, leading to a toxin spill（毒素溢出）into the bloodstream. This sets off an inflammatory response that causes various kinds of damage to body tissues. In this way, every extra calorie takes people closer to metabolic syndrome.

So what can we do to stop a superabundance of fat triggering the syndrome? Of course there’s no substitute for a healthy diet and exercise, but actually involving them into your daily life is hard. As with cigarettes and alcohol, a tax on calories—pricing foods by their energy content—is increasingly seen as another “level” to change behavior by making obesity too costly.

The new research may even suggest treatments to fight against metabolic syndrome, such as anti-inflammatory drugs. One promising candidate is salsalate, a drug related to aspirin, and the Joslin Diabetes Center in Boston is now considering large-scale trials.

What might be more helpful though, is simply a wider recognition that fatty and sugary foods are more directly toxic than we has assumed. Ideally, people should be as well informed about the harmful effects of what they eat as, for example, pregnant women are about drinking and smoking.

It is a relief to know that you have your fat tissue to protect you when you consume the extra burger or sweetened soda. But now you know the dangers of pushing your friendly fat cells beyond their natural limits.

1. From Paragraph 2 we know that the actual damage to health is likely to be caused by_________.

A．fat cells	B．metabolic syndrome
C．heart disease	D．bloodstream fats

2. The protective function of fat cells stops working once ________________.

A．their capacity   reaches a limit	B．toxin spills into the bloodstream
C．an inflammatory response appears	D．metabolic syndrome is developed

3. The author indicates in the text that obesity can be restricted by ______________.

A．putting fats' protective function to full use

B．unifying people's diet and exercise habits

C．raising the prices of cigarettes and alcohol

D．controlling food prices by their calorie content

4. What is the author's suggestion to fight against metabolic syndrome?

A．develop more drugs for heart disease

B．ask people to keep away from fatty and sugary food completely

C．strengthen the awareness of the harms of fatty and sugary food

D．protect pregnant women from tobacco and wine