【推荐2】Rules of friendship—respect

Friendship provides emotional, social and physical health benefits for each of us. Although there are no “exact” rules, deep friendships often share similar values including respect for one another.     1     It is not because they have money or a certain social status but a feeling of deep admiration for their abilities, qualities or achievements.

    2     My parents immigrated to this country with very little money and now my father owns his own business. My sister was recruited by the most famous college in the country, which is something that I was never good enough to achieve. I have friends that I respect because they have found their own paths to success and showed determination throughout the entire process.

Almost all of your friends have achieved something that deserves to be celebrated. Find out what it is and acknowledge it. Tell them that you admire their achievements and ask them for advice on how you can follow suit. Some people have an outstanding work ethic and others have a very creative mind.     3     Qualities like these are necessary if you are to build long-lasting friendships.

Sometimes it may seem hard to find someone with any respectable qualities.     4     First, you can look for a new circle of friends and surround yourself with people you admire. Second, if your circle of friends doesn’t have someone like this, why don’t you become a person your friends can admire?    5     Achieve something that they will want to do as well as you.

A．Both are very respectable qualities.

B．Well, what makes you respect others?

C．If that is the case, then you have a few options.

D．Just be someone that deserves your friends’ respect.

E．What qualities would you want your best friend to have?

F．There are many people for whom I have endless respect.

G．Friendship has been studied in many academic fields in recent years.

【推荐1】I’m a happy mother of two wonderful kids. My daughter is Blanca Ramirez. She’s 14 years old right now, but at the age of 11, she began to do long-distance running, she knew she could do more than just run, so she decided to run for a charity.

She ran for Operation Smile. It is a non-profit organization that helps children worldwide suffering from cleft lip or cleft palate (唇腭裂) at no charge. At Operation Smile they believe every such child deserves exceptional surgical (外科的) care.

My daughter believes that no child should be without a smile, so to help even more, she took her running even further. She went on a journey on becoming the youngest female in the world to run 7 marathons on 7 continents in the name of Operation Smile. She did so in order to raise money and awareness to this organization. And she completed her journey by age 12 on February 19, 2015.

But she’s not done. She now continues to help inspire others by running. One person she has inspired so much is her little brother Jordan. He is 7 years old and has run to this day, 105×5k’s, 11×10k’s & 4×half marathons. He will be running all 7 continents too along with Blanca, starting in November 2017 in Australia.

What makes me proud is that they both plan to continue to help others in this way, and maybe one day they’ll get an Olympic medal.

1. Why did Blanca run for Operation Smile?

A．Because her mother asked her to do so.

B．Because the organization required her to do so.

C．Because her brother invited her to do it together.

D．Because she could make contributions to the world.

2. What does Operation Smile do for the kids suffering from cleft lip or cleft palate?

A．It educates them for free.

B．It offers them food and clothes.

C．It looks after them at no charge.

D．It operates on them free of charge.

3. Which of the following can best describe Blanca?

A．Warm-hearted and inspirational.

B．Humorous and clever.

C．Outgoing and helpful.

D．Gentle and kind.

4. Why does the author take pride in her two children?

A．Because they exercise regularly to keep fit.

B．Because they try to help others by running.

C．Because they’ve completed four full marathons.

D．Because they’ll continue running to win an Olympic medal.

【推荐2】When we're in need, we always turn to our parents for help. But would you like them to hear the conversations you have with your friends on the school playground or lunch queue? Social networking sites have become extensions (延伸)of the school hallways, so would you add your parents as "friends" and allow them to view your online activities and conversations with friends？

In the past the generation gap included a technology gap, where children were up to date with the latest technology and parents were left behind, content to continue their day-to-day lives as they always had because they had no need to know more about technology. However, more and more parents are beginning to realize just how important social networks are in their lives. This realization has given many parents the motivation to educate themselves about social networking sites.

These days many people are attracted to social networking sites because they can choose who they have around them; there's also a certain amount of control over privacy(隐私) that we don't get in real life. Sometimes we feel that privacy is violated when we must accept a "friend" request from a parent or family member.

It's a difficult choice whether or not to allow a parent to become a part of our online lives. On the one hand we don't want to "reject" their request because that might hurt their feelings or make them feel you have something to hide. On the other hand if you do accept, then you could have a sense of being watched and no longer feel free to comment or communicate the way you did before.

A recent survey suggested that parents shouldn't take it personally if their children overlook their requests. When a teenager overlooks a parent's friend request, it doesn't necessarily mean that he/she is hiding something, but it could mean that this is one part of his/her life where he/she wants to be independent.

Perhaps talking with parents and explaining would help soften the blow if you do choose not to add them to your friend list.

1. What is the passage mainly about?

A．Privacy online.	B．Parents' friend requests.
C．The generation gap.	D．Social networks.

2. What can we infer from paragraph 2?

A．Parents have realized the importance of social networks.

B．Parents feel secure about their privacy online.

C．Social networks successfully fill the generation gap.

D．Social networks offer a platform for parents to communicate.

3. What maybe the reason for teenagers to refuse a parent's friend request?

A．Their parents make negative comments on them.

B．They hide something from their parents.

C．They are unwilling to be watched by parents.

D．Their parents tend to fall behind in technology.

4. Who are the passage mainly written for?

A．Parents.	B．Teachers.
C．Researchers.	D．Teenagers.

【推荐3】A car dealership in my hometown of Albuquerque was selling six to eight new cars a day. I was also told that 72 percent of this dealership’s first-time visitors returned for a second visit.

I was curious. How does a car dealership get 72 percent of its first-time visitors to return? And how can they sell six to eight cars a day in a declining car market?

When I walked into Saturn of Albuquerque that Friday, the staff there didn’t know me from Adam; yet they shared with me their pricing policy, the profit margin on every model, and staff income. They even opened their training manuals for my review and invited me back on Saturday if I wanted more information.

On Sunday, the day after my second visit to the Saturn store, my wife, Jane, and I were walking as we frequently do. On this particular June morning, Jane gently slipped her hand in mine and said tenderly, ＂I don’t know if you remember, but today’s my fifth anniversary of being cancer-free.＂ I was surprised, partially because I was embarrassed that I had forgotten and, partially because.... Well, I didn’t know what to do with Jane’s information.

The next day, Monday, Jane went off to work teaching school. Still not knowing what to do to mark this special occasion, I did the most impetuous thing I’ve ever done in my life: I bought a new Saturn. I didn’t pick the color or the model, but I paid cash and told them I’d bring Jane in on Wednesday at 4:30. I told them why I was buying the car.

On Tuesday, it dawned on me that Jane always wanted a white car. I called the sales consultant at Saturn, and I asked him if he had anything white in the store. He said he had one left but he couldn’t guarantee it’d still be available on Wednesday at 4:30 because they were selling so fast. I said I’d take my chances and asked him to put it in the showroom.

Wednesday came. Unexpectedly, someone in our family was admitted to the hospital. So, it wasn’t until 9:30 Saturday morning when we finally made our way to the Saturn store. Jane had never been in a Saturn store. When we went through the front door, the Lord took control of her feet and her mouth. She saw that little white Saturn coupe all the way across the showroom floor. She quickly passed a multi-colored sea of automobiles, sat in the little white Saturn and said, ＂Oh, what a pretty little car. Can I have a new car?＂ I said, ＂No. Not until our son graduates from college.＂ She said, ＂I’m sick and tired of driving that old Dodge, I want a new car.＂ I said, ＂I promise, just three more semesters and he’ll be out.＂

Next, Jane walked around to the front of the car. As she looked it over, she let out the most blood-curdling, shrill scream I’d ever heard in 29 years of marriage.

Now, before I tell you why Jane screamed, let me tell you what the sales consultant had done. He had ordered a large, professionally engraved sign (white letters on blue). The sign stood alone on the hood of the little white Saturn coupe. It said ＂Congratulations, Jane. This car is yours. Five years cancer-free. Let’s celebrate life. From Team Saturn＂ Every employee at Saturn of Albuquerque had signed the back of that sign.

Jane saw it, screamed, collapsed in my arms and cried loudly. I didn’t know what to do. I was in tears. I took out my invoice (发票) from the previous Monday, pointing to the white coupe, said, ＂No, honey, this car isn’t yours. I bought you this one.＂ I tapped the invoice with my index finger. Jane said, ＂No, I want this one right here.＂

While this conversation was going on, there was no one in the store. The sales consultant had arranged it so that we could share the moment alone. Even so, it’s impossible to have a lot of privacy when so many people are standing outside the showroom windows looking in. When Jane screamed and collapsed in my arms, I saw everybody outside applaud and begin to cry.

1. Why did the writer visit the Saturn of Albuquerque that Friday?

A．He wanted to collect some raw materials for his story.

B．He was asked to write a report about that car store.

C．He was told the car store was launching a price reduction activity.

D．He simply wanted to see why the car store enjoyed so much popularity.

2. Why did the writer buy a new Saturn?

A．Because his car was so old that he didn’t want to drive it any longer.

B．Because Jane wanted a new car for her fifth anniversary of being cancer-free.

C．Because he wanted to mark his wife’s fifth anniversary of being cancer-free.

D．Because he thought the car could be helpful to his wife’s recovery from cancer.

3. When did the writer decide upon the white car?

A．On the next Tuesday.

B．On the first Friday.

C．On the second Wednesday.

D．On the first Saturday.

4. How did Jane feel when she saw the sign on the car?

A．Surprised and thrilled.

B．Angry but satisfied.

C．Shocked and frightened.

D．Skeptical but overjoyed.

5. Which of the following belongs to the most wonderful part of this story?

A．Paying cash for a new Saturn.

B．Picking up the new car in the store.

C．The couple’s conversation on the street.

D．The writer’s first visit to the car store.

6. The purpose of the writer writing this story is ________.

A．to introduce a new type of car

B．to tell readers of his lovely wife

C．to sing high praise for a car store

D．to show his deep love for his wife