【推荐2】“Have you checked the oil in the car?” my father used to say to me, his version of “Hello, hope you are well.” Sometimes our phone calls would begin with an inquiry about the oil and end with one about the oil.

Fathers have a lot of love to give, but it’s often supplied through the medium of practical advice. In my experience: it’s mostly about my motor vehicle. My student car — an old green Toyota bought for $500 — was the vehicle for which my father carved his paternal (父亲的) affections. I bet it’s always been so.

Why can’t fathers just say “I love you” or “It’s great to see you”? The point is: You just have to translate from the language that is Fatherlish. Listen closely enough and the phrase “love you” can be heard in the slightly lengthier “I could come around Saturday and replace the seal around the base of your toilet because I assume that thing is getting really smelly.” The affectionate phrase “You made my life better from the moment you were born” may be rarely heard, but there is the more common “I’ll hold the ladder while you get the leaves off the roof.”

When I was 17, I went on my first road trip in that Toyota. My father stood on the corner. “Highways are dangerous,” he said, “so don’t try overtaking anything faster than a horse and carriage. And take a break every two hours. And every time you stop for gas, you really should check the oil.” At that time we thought his speech was pretty funny and would repeat “horse-and-carriage” every time I sped up to overtake some other speeding vehicles.

Dad’s long gone now. But after all these years, I realize that had I owned a copy of the Fatherlish-to-English dictionary, I’d have understood that the speech my friend and I so laughed at was simply dad’s attempt at affection.

1. According to the passage, how do fathers usually show their love?

A．By inquiring their kids’ cars.

B．By doing rather than saying.

C．By offering helpful advice.

D．By accompanying their kids.

2. Why does the author mention certain daily phrases in Paragraph 3?

A．To show the father’s influence on kids.

B．To show a dad’s loving concern for kids.

C．To prove the usefulness of a dad’s advice.

D．To compare different versions of fathers.

3. What does the author think of his father’s speech at last?

A．Funny.

B．Pleasing.

C．Annoying.

D．Caring.

4. What is probably the best title for the passage?

A．Love in Fatherlish

B．Remembering Very Moments

C．Father’s Advice

D．My First Road Trip In Toyota

【推荐1】I had an experience some years ago, which taught me something about the ways in which people make a bad situation worse by blaming themselves. One January, I had to hold two funerals on successive(连续的) days for two elderly women in my community. Both had died “full of years”, as the Bible would say. Their homes happened to be near each other, so I paid condolence(吊唁) calls on the two families on the same afternoon.

At the first home, the son of the deceased(已故的) woman said to me, “If only I had sent my mother to Florida and gotten her out of this cold and snow, she would be alive today. It’s my fault that she died.” At the second home, the son of the other deceased woman said, “If only I hadn’t insisted on my mother's going to Florida, she would be alive today. That long airplane ride, the sudden change of climate, was more than she could take. It’s my fault that she’s dead.”

You see that any time there is a death, the survivors will feel guilty. Because the course of action they took turned out badly, they believe that the opposite course—keeping Mother at home, putting off the operation—would have turned out better. After all, how could it have turned out any worse?

There seem to be two elements involved in our willingness to feel guilty. The first is our pressing need to believe that the world makes sense, that there is a cause for every effect and a reason for everything that happens. That leads us to find patterns and connections both where they really exist and where they exist only in our minds.

The second element is the view that we are the cause of what happens, especially the bad things that happen. It seems to be a short step from believing that every event has a cause to believing that every disaster is our fault. The roots of this feeling may lie in our childhood.

A baby comes to think that the world exists to meet his needs, and that he makes everything happen in it. He wakes up in the morning and summons the rest of the world to its tasks. He cries, and someone comes to attend to him. When he is hungry, people feed him, and when he is wet, people change him. Very often, we do not completely outgrow that childish view that our wishes cause things to happen.

1. What is said about the two deceased elderly women?

A．They lived out a natural life.

B．They died of exhaustion after the long plane rides.

C．They weren’t used to the change in weather.

D．They died due to lack of care by family members.

2. The author had to conduct the two women’s funerals probably because ________.

A．he wanted to comfort the two families

B．he was an official from the community

C．he had great pity for the deceased

D．he was minister of the local church

3. People feel guilty for the deaths of their loved ones because ________.

A．they couldn’t find a better way to express their sorrow

B．they believe that they were responsible

C．they had neglected the natural course of events

D．they didn’t know things often turned out in the opposite direction

4. According to the passage, the underlined part in paragraph 4 probably means that _________.

A．everything in the world is predetermined

B．the world can be interpreted in different ways

C．there’s an explanation for everything in the world

D．we have to be sensible in order to understand the world

5. What’s the idea of the passage?

A．Life and death is an unsolved mystery.

B．Every story should have a happy ending.

C．Never feel guilty all the time because not every disaster is our fault.

D．In general, the survivors will feel guilty about the people who passed away.

【推荐3】Everyone has bad days at work. You met unexpected difficulties with a project you’ve been working on for weeks.     1     You forget to put something on your timetable and leave a key customer waiting. Whatever the reason for your workplace problem, one influence it has is to make you feel more alone.

In those bad moments, you can only rely on yourself.     2     Sure it might seem hokey (矫揉造作的), but there’ s a reason why gratitude (感激) is always showing up on tea bags and in self-help books.

According to research, practicing gratitude can help make you happier. The next time you’re troubled by a problem at work, take a minute and think of someone in your life that you’re grateful for. Write a sentence or two on a notebook about why you feel appreciative.

    3     Gratitude is often a feeling when someone else has done something helpful for you that they didn’t have to do. Those persons have done something to make your life a little better.     4     It might be a relative who took care of you when you were little or a teacher who helped you out in a hard situation. Taking time to practice gratitude will make you happy. The more gratitude you feel, the happier you will be.

Picking one of helpers out and reminding (提醒) yourself of why you’re grateful to them have two advantages.     5     It also reminds you of the deep social connections you have so that you don’t feel lonely anymore.

A．This happens for a few reasons.

B．Why will practicing gratitude make you feel better?

C．A coworker shouts at you in a meeting.

D．We all have such people around us in our lives.

E．At the moment, a little gratitude can help.

F．For one, it gets you thinking about something good, which lifts your heart.

G．People are helped by sharing their troubles with close friends, family or loved ones.

【推荐3】An 11-year-old boy who has been compared to Spanish Impressionist (印象派画家), the great Pablo Picasso, is holding his first exhibition at Llangollen’s Gardening Show this weekend.

Hamad al-Humaidhan, who was born in Kuwait but now lives in Bath, Britain, had no previous knowledge of art history when he first picked up a brush.

But he began to paint his favourite football player, Cristiano Ronaldo, using Picasso’s trademarks (标志) —bright colours and impressionistic forms.

His father said, "I’ve got lots of books about Picasso and I showed them to Hamad but he didn’t know anything about Picasso—it’s just naturally the way he sees it and he just loves to paint."

His first painting of Ronaldo, done when he was just nine, was sold at auction (拍卖) in Bath for ￡650, which drew the attention of local art businessman Steve Turner. "A colleague sent me some pictures of Hamad’s work and I just couldn’t believe the size of it and how the colours blended (融合) together," he said. "He had talent and I thought Picasso had been reborn." "I’ve shown his work to private art collectors. They liked them very much and everyone was eager to buy, so the first six paintings have been snapped up. I bought two of them myself. The next set of his works will go on show for the first time at Llangollen, which will be the first opportunity for the public to see his amazing talent."

Hamad enjoys maths at school but ranks painting higher. "I think I prefer painting! It makes me relaxed and when I feel tired I just pick up a paint brush," he said. "I just close my eyes and see how it’s going to look and then I just paint it —I paint every day. I just love the colours and I want people to enjoy my paintings."

Now Hamad is nervously waiting for the opening of his exhibition.

1. What is the text mainly about ?

A．Hamad’s father.

B．Hamad and his talent for painting.

C．Hamad’s first painting.

D．The similarities between Hamad and Picasso.

2. From the text, we can learn that Hamad ________.

A．began to learn painting when he was a boy

B．has read many books about art history

C．likes Cristiano Ronaldo very much

D．knows a lot about Picasso

3. According to the text, Hamad’s first painting of Ronal-do ________.

A．has bright colours and impressionistic forms

B．was bought by Steve Turner

C．was completed five years ago

D．is his favourite work

4. What does the underlined phrase "snapped up"in the fifth paragraph probably mean?

A．Shown to the public.

B．Bought very quickly.

C．Cleaned up.

D．Hung up.

5. What can we learn from the text?

A．Steve Turner speaks very highly of Hamad.

B．Hamad prefers maths to painting.

C．Hamad’s works will be sold after the show.

D．The public can see all Hamad’s paintings at the show.

【推荐1】While many people dream of mermaids, few people actually try to become one. How can someone become a mermaid if they don't exist? Just ask Dana Richardson, who is a professional mermaid in Hawaii!

“As a child, I always felt very connected to the ocean and played mermaids in the water,” says Dana. “My love of the ocean took me to different types of work such as a lifeguard, swim instructor, boat crew member, underwater photographer, boat captain and surfer. I just decided to take it to the next level and grow a tail.”

Dana doesn't mean literally. In 2008 she began making mermaid tails from materials including shiny fabric that she wears while free-diving in the waters around Kona, Hawaii. Free-diving means diving without any protective equipment. It requires you to hold your breath while swimming deep underwater. As she dives in, Dana not only like a mermaid; she experiences what it is like to swim like one too.

The waters around Dana's home in Kona are filled with wildlife, including dolphins and whales. Kona is by a sheltered sea where the waters are calm for swimming. For ten years Dana has been swimming with the creatures of Kona. Some of them have even learned to recognize her.

Dana knows how to swim with sea life because she is a trained marine naturalist She understands the behavior of sea life and knows how to safely interact with it. Every morning when she swims with sea life she gets to experience her other “home”. The ocean beneath the depths really is another world. Watching how the world works so gracefully in the circle of life underwater is a beautiful thing?

For Dana Richardson being a mermaid just makes sense. “I always felt more comfortable underwater than on land,” she says. Would you like to follow your dream, even if it seems impossible? Dana Richardson reminds everyone, “One person can truly make a difference. By following your heart and offering the world your unique gifts, you will inspire others to do so. The world needs you!”

1. When the author was a child, she      .

A．always played with mermaids	B．felt very linked to the ocean
C．grew a beautiful mermaid tail	D．tried different types of work

2. What do we know about Dana's mermaid tail?

A．She wears mermaid tails while free-diving.

B．She makes mermaid tails mostly from shiny fabric.

C．She has to hold her breath while wearing tails.

D．She is a mermaid with a tail as she dives in.

3. Which can best describe the relationship between Dana and sea life?

A．Aggressive.	B．Embarrassing.
C．Harmonious.	D．Unfamiliar,

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

A．The Protection of the Ocean	B．The Description of Sea Life
C．The Characteristics of Mermaids	D．The Story of Realizing a Dream

【推荐2】There are two main types of office layouts used by most companies around the world: Landscape Office and Enclosed Office. A landscape office lacks privacy, however, this office layout is more beneficial than an enclosed office for employees to improve work efficiency and productivity.

Some people might desire an undisturbed workplace. According to the survey collected from a company with the two kinds of office layouts, most of managers prefer a workplace where they can concentrate on their work and make a clear thinking. However, managers that possess their own enclosed offices might have the feeling of being distant from their clerks, which leads to high pressure. Meanwhile, employees tend to be nervous when they have conversations with their managers in an obviously hierarchical(等级制的) environment. In contrast, a landscape office makes it easier and more pleasant for employees to communicate with their managers or their colleagues; this would result in speeding up work efficiency and productivity.

Besides, greater interaction is beneficial for employees to build up friendship in a landscape office. This can be proved by the experiment of Brookes and Kaplan. They recorded the attitudes and opinions of 120 employees toward their enclosed office before they moved to the landscape office, and then after nine months they were tested again. The researchers discovered that those employees performed positive changes in group sociability. When people have better group sociability, they experience a better team work and efficient cooperation, which surely promotes work productivity.

Some opponents claim that a landscape office would lead to the decline of the value of work satisfaction and motivation from employees. However, the result from other researchers remained controversial; in their opinion there are several factors which affect job satisfaction and motivation. 600 Canadian federal government department workers who were housed at a modern landscape office and were surveyed gave both negative and positive feedback. They admitted that they felt the sense of belonging to a team or a working community, which mainly contributes to job satisfaction. Motivation is also increased by a sense of responsibility for and loyalty to a team.

Admittedly, there are some advantages that only enclosed offices possess. However, a landscape office can combine the features of the traditional enclosed office, for example, designing the independent meeting room to decrease noise from discussion. Although the benefits of a landscape office outweigh those of an enclosed office, which layout is better should be decided by the characteristics of the people and the type of work they do.

1. What is mainly talked about in the passage?

A．Colleague cooperation and its motivation.

B．Group sociability and its productivity.

C．Working environment and its effect.

D．Office privacy and its atmosphere.

2. What has the significant effect on productivity according to Paragraph 2?

A．Job satisfaction.	B．Relaxed atmosphere.
C．Group sociability.	D．Undisturbed workplace.

3. What can be inferred from the passage?

A．Enclosed office leads to individual creativity.

B．Different working styles in enclosed office is encouraged.

C．Landscape office contributes to effective conversations.

D．Frequent communication in landscape office results in high pressure.

4. What is the author’s attitude towards office layouts?

A．Objective.

B．Casual.

C．Optimistic.

D．Sceptical.

【推荐3】You know Australia is a big country, but you may not know how easy it is to get around. The untouched beaches that go for miles and deserts that touch the horizon are just there, waiting to be reached and explored. The following are the different ways you can explore our vast country.

Getting around Australia

Air

Flying is the best way to cover large distances in a short time. You can spend more time on the Australia’s can’t-miss landscapes and relaxing lifestyle. Moreover, competition among airlines makes great flying fees available for you.

Drive

Australia has a vast network of well-maintained roads and some of the most beautiful touring routes in the world. You have no difficulty finding car rental companies at major airports, central city locations, suburbs and attractions.

Bus

Bus travel in Australia is comfortable, easy and economical. Buses generally have air conditioning, reading lights, adjustable seats and videos. Services are frequent, affordable and efficient.

Rail

Train travel is the cheapest and gives you an insight into Australia’s size and variety, all from the comfort of your carriage. Scheduled services are a great way to get quickly between our cities and regional centers.

Ferry

The Spirit of Tasmania runs a passenger and vehicle ferry service between Melbourne and Tasmania nightly. Extra services are running during summer rush hours. Sealink ferries connect South Australia and Kangaroo Island several times a day. Ferries connect suburbs in our capital cities.

Walk

With easy on the feet pedestrian streets, walking is a great way to get around our cities. Besides all the above, you can also experience some of the longest tracks and trails in the world in central Australia—impressive journeys of a thousand kilometers or more that can take several weeks to complete.

1. The underlined word “untouched” in the 1^stparagraph means _____.

A．secure	B．special
C．natural	D．artificial

2. Which of the following is TRUE about travelling in Australia?

A．More travelers make the flying fees among airlines higher than before.

B．You can easily rent a car to explore its most beautiful touring routes.

C．Taking a bus tour is the most comfortable, economical and efficient way.

D．Train services can offer you more comfort than any other means of transport.

3. Ferry service between Melbourne and Tasmania usually runs ____.

A．only at night hours	B．only during rush hours
C．several times a day	D．Between different cities

4. From the passage, we know that ____.

A．pedestrian walking is a great way to travel between cities

B．walking in central Australia takes a long time

C．central Australia has the world’s longest railway line

D．you have to walk over a thousand kilometers in Australia

5. If you have only 5 days and want to visit Australia’s famous attractions that are far away from each other, which way of travelling best suits you?

A．By air.	B．By car.
C．By bus.	D．On foot.