【推荐1】An elderly carpenter was ready to retire. He told his employer of his plans to leave the house building business and enjoy his late life.

The employer was sorry to see his good worker go and asked if he could build just one more house as a personal favor. The carpenter said yes, but in time it was easy to see that his heart was not in his work. He did his job carelessly and used inferior materials. It was an unfortunate way to end his career.

When the carpenter finished his work, the employer came to examine the house and handed the front-door key to the carpenter. "This is your house," he said, "my gift to you."

What a shock! What a shame! If he had only known he was building his own house, he would have done it all so differently. Now he had to live in the home he had built none too well.

So it is with us. We build our lives in a distracted way, reacting rather than acting, willing to put up less than the best. At important points we do not give the job our best effort. Then with a shock we look at the situation we have created and find that we are now living in the house we have built. If we had realized, we would have done it differently.

Think of yourself as the carpenter. Think about your house. Each day you hammer a nail, place a board, or build a wall. Build wisely. It is the only life you will ever build. Even if you live it for only one day more, that day deserves to be lived well. The plaque (匾牌) on the wall says, "Life is a do-it-yourself project."

Who could say it more clearly? Your life today is the result of your attitudes and choices in the past. Your life tomorrow will be the result of your attitudes and the choices you make today.

1. What’s the possible meaning of the underlined word “inferior” in Paragraph 2?

A．not enough	B．not so good
C．not special	D．not expensive

2. According to the passage, how did the carpenter feel after his employer gave the house to him as a gift?

A．surprised and grateful	B．ashamed and thankful
C．shocked and regretful	D．pitiful and annoyed

3. What lesson can we draw from the story?

A．Every man is his own worst enemy.	B．Experience is the mother of wisdom.
C．Actions speak louder than words.	D．Every man is the builder of his own future.

【推荐2】Artist Zsudayka Nzinga Terrell clearly remembers the day in high school when the teacher asked her to write about her family history. She saw that it was impossible to answer the questions “Who am I?” and “Where did I come from?”

Nzinga Terrell told VOA about her childhood memories.“So the white kids were able to get up and talk about hundreds of years of their background. And there was me and one other black kid in the class who could go back to a plantation in Virginia and that’s it.” She talked about her family’s history. “My people were brought here on the bottom of a ship. And they were sold and they were re-named.My dad’s side of the family took the last name of the job that they had,which is butlers. My mom’s side of the family took the last name of the plantation that owned them.”

Today,she and her husband, artist James Terrell, explore that identity in their work. Their new exhibit of paintings is called “Born at the Bottom of the Ship.” The show recently opened at the Center for the Arts in Manassas, Virginia.

Over the generations, Africans became African Americans with a new culture, and Nzinga Terrell includes different parts of that story in her art. There are things that look like African cloth and design and things that make you think of American culture and clothing.

James Terrell’s style is more abstract. “Mami Wata”, the first painting visitors see in the new exhibit, shows a woman rising from the ocean. Terrell explains the painting.“Mami Wata is a goddess of the sea...There’s no light going through;there’s not a lot of colour being seen, as opposed to the other ones. So, it’s just showing the time of the slaves being brought to America.”

But the artist says he also likes to play with colour.Growing up, Terrell attended a church with coloured glass in many windows. Because of that experience, he learned how light goes through the windows. He makes lines in his painting that look like the lines between pieces of coloured glass in the church windows.

Terrell’s works show how he sees himself as an African American. Visitors to the art exhibit say they see themselves and their family members in the works.

1. When young,Nzinga Terrell’s memory of her family dates back to 　　　.

A．the time when the slaves were sold and re-named

B．the time when she was born at the bottom of a ship

C．the time when the black slaves were brought to America

D．the time when her family worked on a plantation in Virginia

2. How did Nzinga Terrell’s father get his family name?

A．It was named after a plantation.

B．It was named after their owner’s name.

C．It was named after the job the family did.

D．It was named long ago after a place in Africa.

3. What’s the painting “Mami Wata” like?

A．It’s typical of native American style.

B．It reflects a dark time of the black slaves.

C．It’s abstract with rich and bright colours.

D．It describes a church James once attended.

4. How do the visitors probably feel seeing Terrell’s works?

A．Strange.	B．Curious.
C．Depressed.	D．Moved.

【推荐1】Have you heard of Creative Growth? The Oakland institution offers a professional studio space where adult artists with developmental, mental and physical disabilities can create work. It also provides gallery exhibitions, representation, guidance, a community of likeminded artists and a safe space in which to grow. The late Judith Scott, whose artwork lit up the Brooklyn Museum in a retrospective(回顾展)last year, was a Creative Growth artist who suffered from down syndrome(唐氏综合征)and hearing loss.

“It’s the best facility for local adult artists living with disabilities,” Jonah Olson, an artist and former teacher in Creative Growth’s printmaking studio said. “ The amount of work they produce and the quality of it are remarkable.”

Olson, who now lives in Los Angeles, is a member of the band L.A. Takedown. Along with his bandmates, Olson decided to use the opportunity to expose Southern California to lesser known contemporary outsider artists, living and working just a few hours up north.

“I’ve had an interest in outsider art for a long time,” Olson explained. “You make art as a child and the reasons for doing it now, in my case, are no different now from what they were then. It’ s very basic. Intrinsic (本质的). I think that’s what drew me to art made by people with developmental disabilities.”

The show, a survey of the space’s better-known and lesser-known names, loosely revolves(围绕) around themes of art and music. “Not a lot of the recent artwork specifically is about music, but we are grouping the work around the idea of being in the cities of L.A. and Oakland.” Olson said.

The artists of Creative Growth will be on view throughout the month of August, coupled with musical performances and film screenings organized by L.A. Takedown. All proceeds from the month will benefit the artists and space. The money will be used to improve the condition of the studio and for the development of the artists. “L.A. doesn’t really have a place like Creative Growth,” Olson said, discussing his hopes for the show.

1. What do we know about Creative Growth?

A．It was founded by Judith Scott.

B．It hosts exhibitions of famous artists’ works.

C．It offers professional service to physically disabled people.

D．It provides an artistic environment for disabled adult artists.

2. Why does Olson like outsider art?

A．It is created by children.

B．It focuses on the art itself.

C．It is different from contemporary art.

D．It shows the feelings of disabled people.

3. What does the underlined word “proceeds” in the last paragraph mean?

A．Activities.	B．Work
C．Profits	D．Arrangement

4. What would be the best title for the text?

A．An art show brings music along.

B．Outsider art challenges traditions.

C．Creative art helps people develop across many fields.

D．Artists with disabilities explore the potential of visual expression.

【推荐1】John James Audubon was curious about some birds he saw near his Mill Grove home in the early 1800s. He caught a few of them, tied a thin silver string to their legs, and released them. The next year, the birds returned. Audubon realized that his feathered neighbors returned to the same nesting spot each year.

People had tried attaching bands to birds' legs before Audubon's experiment. More than 2,000 years ago, Rome officers sent messages attached to birds to keep their armies informed. Audubon's experiment, however, is the first example of banding used to learn more about the movements of the wild birds in North America.

Today, only trained scientists are permitted to band birds. An organization known as the Bird Banding Laboratory（BBL）supplies official aluminum bands. Each band is stamped with a unique identification number. Researchers collect information about banded bird's species, weight, sex, age, wingspan and general health. That information is shared with the BBL.

Modern technology has taken bird banding to a new level. Today, transmitters（发射器）that come in all kinds of sizes are used. They can be attached to the leg, the neck, the back, or even a bird's feathers.

Researchers can learn many things from a banded bird, such as patterns in nesting, feeding and migration. Banded information also gives researchers a sense of the general health of a group of birds. And information about the general health of birds helps scientists understand the general health of the environment, which is good for humans too.

1. What do we know about John James Audubon?

A．He studied birds.

B．He raised many birds.

C．He sent messages using birds.

D．He was the first to tie a string to wild birds' legs.

2. What does the underlined word "stamped" in Paragraph 3 mean?

A．filled	B．combined
C．charged	D．marked

3. What can we infer from the technology of banding birds?

A．BBL tied the bands to the birds.

B．It has advanced greatly nowadays

C．It once provided more information.

D．Transmitters could be put into the birds' body

4. What is the last paragraph mainly about?

A．The ways of banding birds.

B．The development of banding birds.

C．The scientific value of banded birds.

D．The influence of banding birds on humans.

【推荐2】When people think of working animals，what often comes to mind are dogs that watch sheep，horses that work on farms and animals that perform in movies.But there are lots of other jobs animals have had over the years.

Dogs have greater sense of smell than humans.This made dogs the traditional hunting partners，making their owners able to follow foxes and other animals.Police departments have taken advantage of this skill to help find missing people and escaped criminals.Recently，dogs have been trained to find drugs and explosives (爆炸物).

The honey－guide lives in the southeast African nation of Mozambique.It has developed a win－win relationship with a group called the Yao.If a Yao member makes a certain sound，the honey－guide will fly from tree to tree directing him to a hidden bee box.Once the box is discovered，the person breaks open the box for honey，and the honey－guide could enjoy the honey，too.

Ferrets (雪貂) are cute and furry animals that are from 1.5 to 4 pounds.People   have taken advantage of a ferret’s natural ability to run through tiny space.Ferrets wear a special harness(甲胄) that makes them able to pull a string through hundreds of feet of tiny space，which is then used to pull computer wires through tiny space.

Baby flies are called maggots.The job of a maggot is to eat and grow until it turns into a fly.This is similar to how a caterpillar eats and grows until it becomes a butterfly.However，there is a big difference between these insects.Caterpillars feed on plants，while maggots eat meat.Actually，they only enjoy bad meat.Maggots are used with patients who get serious infections that can’t be treated with antibiotics (抗生素).The maggots are used to the infected area for a number of days.They eat the dead part but leave the living part alone，thereby helping patients recover from the infection.

1. From the passage，we can learn that dogs ________.

A．are the friendly friends of sheep

B．have developed a win－win relationship with people

C．have greater sense of smell than foxes and other animals

D．help human beings a lot in many areas

2. With the help of the honey－guide，the Yao member can ________.

A．find the hidden bee box

B．develop a great relationship with bees

C．pay attention to dangerous things

D．stay away from criminals

3. What can we know from the passage?

A．The honey－guide can be used as medicine.

B．People can learn much from dogs and horses.

C．Ferrets are good at running through tiny space.

D．The baby fly is   always called the caterpillar.

4. People can take advantage of the baby flies to treat ________.

A．burns caused by explosives

B．terrible cancers

C．harm caused by bees

D．serious infections

【推荐3】Some people like to listen to the Beatles, while others prefer Gregorian chants. When it comes to music, scientists find that nurture (培养) can overpower nature.

A study shows musical preferences seem to be mainly shaped by a person’s cultural upbringing and experiences rather than biological factors. “Our results show that there is a profound cultural difference in the way people respond to consonant (和谐的) and dissonant (不和谐的) sounds, and this suggests that other cultures hear the world differently,” says Josh McDermott, a scientist in Cambridge.

Some scientists believe that the way people respond to music has a biological basis and that this would overpower any cultural shaping of musical preferences, effectively making them a universal phenomenon. Some musicians, by contrast, think that such preferences are more a product of one’s culture. If a person’s upbringing shapes their preferences, then they are not a universal phenomenon.

The trick to working out where musical preferences come from was to find and test people who hadn’t had much contact with Western music. McDermott and his team travelled by aeroplane, car and canoe (独木舟) to reach the remote villages of the Tsimane people, who are largely isolated from Western culture.

In their experiments, McDermott and his colleagues investigated responses to Western music by playing combinations of notes to three groups of people: the Tsimane and two other groups of Bolivians that had experienced increasing levels of exposure to Western music. The researchers recorded whether each group regarded the notes as pleasant or unpleasant.

The Tsimane are just as good at making acoustic (声响的) distinctions as the groups with more experience of other types of music, the scientists find. Most people prefer consonant tones, but the Tsimane have no preference between them. “This pretty convincingly rules out that the preferences are things we’re born with,” McDermott argues.

“Culture plays a role. We like the music we grew up with,” agrees Dale Purves, a scientist at Duke University. “Nature versus nurture is always a fool’s errand. It’s almost always a combination,” he adds.

1. Why does the author mention Beatles in the first paragraph?

A．To compare people’s preferences for music.

B．To stress the importance of music.

C．To introduce the topic to be discussed.

D．To encourage readers to listen to their music.

2. McDermott would most probably agree that ________.

A．people’s music preference is a universal phenomenon

B．Chinese and Japanese have different music preferences

C．the way people respond to music is biologically decided

D．parents have nothing to do with children’s music preference

3. What do we know about the Tsimane in the experiment?

A．They prefer consonant tones.

B．They are born with excellent music talent.

C．They do well in telling acoustic distinctions.

D．They have never had contact with Western music.

4. What does the underlined phrase “a fool’s errand” in the last paragraph refer to?

A．Something meaningless.	B．Something significant.
C．Something reliable.	D．Something sensitive.

【推荐1】How an advertisement is put together

When you read an advertisement there are many factors you should consider, including:

 target audience

 brand names

 slogans

 pictures and colour

 special offers/coupons

 emotive/persuasive vocabulary

Target audience

Advertisers aim particular products at different groups of people according to age, sex, social class and interests. They will often make assumptions about people and label or stereotype them.

Who do you think these products would be aimed at: nappies, diamonds, mint chocolates, sports cars?

What kind of products would be aimed at these people: teenagers, 25-year-old single men, 40-year- old working mums?

Brand names

Brand names are chosen carefully. They can suggest particular lifestyles, values or interests and are intended to appeal to the target audience.

Nissan Primera: this suggests quality. Primera is similar to premium and premier.

Ford Ka: the spelling of Ka suggests novelty and simplicity. It is modern and futuristic. It is also bound to stick in your mind when you are looking for a new car!

Slogans

A slogan has to be catchy and memorable. Slogans use a range of devices: alliteration, repetition, puns, questions, personal pronouns and humour.

Have a break. Have a Kit Kat. Repetition

The totally tropical taste. Alliteration

Picture and colour

All pictures try to make you feel something and most are biased, even photographs. They create a view of what the world is like using different tricks such as lighting and colour.

Different colours have different associations that can be linked to particular products.

Yellow: freshness, sunlight, lemons. This colour would be good for advertising washing up liquid.

Green: countryside, natural, healthy. What would you use this colour for ?

What do you associate these colours with: red, black, orange, gold, blue?

Special offers/coupons

Advertisers often appear to offer something for nothing’: if you buy one product you will receive another one free or half price. These offers are incentive to try a new product or to encourage loyalty to an existing one.

Emotive/persuasive vocabulary

In advertising you will find lots of words and phrases that are intended to persuade you or appeal to your emotions.

Mouthwatering silky free chocolate romantic creamy luxurious like mum used to make

1. What color is suitable for dishwashing liquid?

A．Green.

B．Red.

C．Orange.

D．Yellow.

2. Which of the following slogans applies the device alliteration?

A．Mosquito Bye Bye Bye.(RADAR)	B．We do, we said.(HENNESSY)
C．M&Ms melt in your mouth(M&Ms)	D．Start ahead.(RLJOICE)

3. According to the passage, to keep the regular customers, advertising companies tend to ________.

A．impress them with colorful pictures	B．use promotional strategies
C．change slogans frequently	D．create eye-catching brand names

【推荐2】When travelling abroad, you have to spend some time thinking about gifts. What should you buy your family or your best friend? It could be a Yankees baseball cap if you Visit the U.S.A. In Vietnam, a straw hat called a non la is a popular tourist gift. If you ever visit Russia, you may want to think about buying a set of Russian dolls (玩具娃娃).They are like no other doll.

The proper name for a Russian doll is a Matryoshka doll. When you first see it, it looks like a single doll. Pick it up and twist(扭转)its top, you will find that it comes apart around the middle. Inside is a second doll, looking exactly the same as the first, but smaller. Twist the second doll, and the same thing happens. You keep twisting each doll until you end up with a very tiny doll. Usually, there can be up to 10 dolls making up a set.

Russian dolls were first made in 1890 and included eight dolls. These were all hand carved and painted. They were dressed in a traditional dress called a sarafan. The word “Matryoshka” means matron — an older married woman. The idea was that it meant a family with the mother being at its head. The dolls proved to be very popular and it was not long before every woodworker was making them.

The Russian doll appeared at the Paris World’s Fair in 1900. Everyone who saw them wanted one. Soon people visiting Russia also wanted to have one. Being quite small, they could fit into tourists’ luggage (行李) very easily — unlike a non la! The dolls were all hand carved and painted until about 1930, when factories began producing Russian dolls which are not expensive.

Walking around the tourist streets of Moscow, you will find many shops selling Russian dolls. The traditional Matryoshka dolls are still there, but today you can also find the images(形象)of all kinds of different people.

1. As a tourist gift, where does a non la most probably come from?

A．France.

B．Russia.

C．Vietnam.

D．America.

2. What can we learn about the early Matryoshka dolls?

A．They were named after an old woman.

B．They were images of a big family.

C．They were gifts for mothers.

D．They were made by hand.

3. What happened to the Russian doll at the Paris World’s Fair?

A．They were hugely popular.	B．They were produced in factories.
C．They were put into a small bag.	D．They were given to tourists as a gift.

4. What's the advantage of a Russian doll?

A．It is cheap.	B．It is useful.
C．It is easy to carry.	D．It is made to order.

【推荐3】L. Bean Quad backpack

If you need a backpack that can carry large and small objects and is comfortable to wear, this is the backpack for you. The reasonable price and customers’ 100% satisfaction makes this a great buy any way you look at it. While it’s not the most beautiful backpack on the planet, it does look nice at first sight.

Kanken 15" backpack

This Kanken bag is a great choice for school kids of grade one to six or adults with narrow shoulders. Weighing under 450g, it’s easy and comfortable to carry this bag around. The simple design with a lot of eye-catching colors may have you fall in love with it at once.

Timbuk2 Command backpack

If you want to safely carry your laptop and look stylish, the Timbuk2 Command backpack is the one for you. The soft back is made for a comfortable wearing experience. The clean coloring and lines of the bag may make you more “grown-up”.

Amazon Basics backpack

With a lowest price among all these backpacks, the Amazon Basics backpack is a great choice for college students on a tight budget. There are tons of storage choices in this backpack, so it’s easy to forget exactly where you placed a certain object. It is a basic black backpack with a few designs and is never going to appear on a fashion T stage.

1. What makes L. Bean Quad backpack attractive?

A．The color and the design.	B．The cost and the public praise.
C．The style and the quality.	D．The lightweight and the simplicity.

2. Which backpack might be the most suitable one for a Grade-3 student?

A．L. Bean Quad backpack.	B．Kanken 15" backpack.
C．Timbuk2 Command backpack.	D．Amazon Basics backpack.

3. Which of the following is an advantage of Amazon Basics backpack?

A．Price.

B．Fashion.

C．Comfort.

D．Storage.

4. In which section of a newspaper can you probably find the passage?

A．News.

B．Society.

C．Business.

D．Reviews.