【推荐1】Growing up, I was often the first Jewish person my classmates had ever met. I lived in Mississauga, Ontario, and was the only Jewish student in my grade — sometimes the only one in the whole school. This difference set me apart.

Every September, I hated presenting the note my parents had expertly made to a teacher I was just getting to know. The note explained that I would be absent during the Jewish High Holidays of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. I fretted that my teachers would label me the “Jewish kid”.

The real trouble always came as the local new year’s festival approached. I was Jewish and celebrated Hanukkah, not this festival. At school, on one day before the winter break, every class would sit in neat rows in the gym and sing songs from the festival. However, the music teacher sometimes played Dreidel, Dreidel, Dreidel, a Jewish festival song, and I would feel hundreds of eyes staring at my red cheeks. As my friends counted down the days until the festival, I counted the days until it was over and I could go back to feeling normal.

Each year during primary school, my mother would coordinate (协调)with my teacher to come to my class and tell the story of Hanukkah. She would prepare treats and materials depending on my age. Every time I would proudly stand beside her as she told the story of Hanukkah and explained the symbols. The children who had attended the presentation previously competed to answer questions. After my mom left, I would overhear them showing off their fried treats to kids in other classes.

My mom’s annual visits to my school sparked (激发)interest from other parents as well. Over the years, we had visits from parents who shared how festivals were celebrated in Germany and Italy.

My mom showed me, my classmates and their families that what sets us apart should be celebrated and shared, an intention which I continue to set for myself as I cycle through another holiday season.

1. What does the underlined word “fretted” in paragraph 2 refer to?

A．Noticed.

B．Disagreed.

C．Worried.

D．Expected.

2. What really annoyed the author during the local festival?

A．Being a trick target.	B．Singing holiday songs.
C．Being culturally different.	D．Celebrating others’ festival.

3. How did the author’s classmates react to Mom’s coming?

A．They welcomed it warmly.	B．They gave away her treats.
C．They showed off themselves.	D．They expressed sympathy for her.

4. Which of the following best states what Mom did at school?

A．She protected her child from being hurt.

B．She encouraged cross-cultural understanding.

C．She made Hanukkah a school-celebrated festival.

D．She saved the Jewish tradition.

【推荐2】You’re never too old to achieve your dreams — or even break records. A 104-year-old woman named Dorothy Hoffner is such an example. She has just become the oldest person to skydive (跳伞), and she had the time of her life doing it. After touching ground following her jump with a US instructor, she proudly said, “Age is just a number.”

Hoffner took to the skies of Northern Illinois with the help of Skydive Chicago, making her way to the town of Ottawa for the jump. For all the excitement, this wasn’t her first time jumping out of the plane. Hoffner’s first skydiving took place a few years ago, when she was 100. Although back then the instructor helped push them out together, this time she insisted on leading the jump from 13,500 feet up in the air.

A video shared by Skydive Chicago shows Hoffner determinedly advancing towards the plane on her red walker (助行架) before being helped on board. Sitting among her fellow skydivers, she is all smiles as she waits for her turn. Once the door opens, the woman confidently jumps out of the plane head first.

Before Hoffner’s jump, the record for the oldest person to skydive belonged-to 103-year-old Linnea Ingegard Larsson from Sweden, who set it in May 2022. Now, Skydive Chicago is requesting Guinness World Records to certify Hoffner’s jump as the new record.

As for Hoffner, she seems happy with having achieved this, describing the jump as an amazing experience. “It was wonderful up there. The whole thing was wonderful, and couldn’t have been better,” she says. Now that she has completed this achievement, she is now thinking of her next adventure. Since she is turning 105 in December, she is thinking of celebrating by riding a hot air balloon, saying, “I’ve never been in one of those.”

1. What do we know about Hoffner?

A．She set a world record in 2022.

B．She took up skydiving from an early age.

C．She loved to meet new challenges in life.

D．She improved her physical fitness through sports.

2. Why does the author mention Hoffner’s red walker in paragraph 3?

A．To compare different types of walkers.

B．To explore the reason why she took to skydiving.

C．To encourage people struggling in life to be brave.

D．To show her determination despite physical difficulties.

3. Which of the following best describes Hoffner?

A．Thoughtful.

B．Courageous.

C．Responsible.

D．Calm.

4. What is the main idea of the text?

A．Woman braves difficulties to achieve success.

B．104-year-old woman takes the world by storm.

C．Woman with disability stands out with hard work.

D．The oldest person breaks world record for skydiving.

【推荐2】A few weeks ago, my teenage daughter failed a test. She was embarrassed, angry, anxious and there were tears in her eyes. This grade might prevent her from qualifying for the next key class she wanted to take.

She took some time to complain to me. Then I saw something interesting. She calmed herself down by making a joke. She expressed thankfulness that she didn’t have bigger problems. Then she made a plan to talk to her teacher to improve her skills. This was a great change from the kid I was watching deal with disappointment a few years ago,the one who once was unwilling to take responsibility and blamed others, which shows she has grown up and understood the good in the bad.

We expect our kids to learn and grow, but many of them will also grow through adversity (逆境), and even thrive (茁壮成长) after trauma (创伤). Psychologists call it post-traumatic growth. Trauma, defined as an emotional response to a terrible event like an accident, attack, natural disaster, or other life-changing happenings, is painful and even can be harmful. Trauma does leave its mark, but the mark may not be all bad and there can also be growth.

In one study, researchers surveyed nearly 385 people who experienced financial adversity, even while working full-time. These people are also the parents or primary caregivers or young children in education. And those surveyed had either been sick with an illness or had a loved one who’s been in bad health. Despite all of this adversity, 88 percent of the people surveyed said they now have stronger family relationships and a greater appreciation for life. Some said they experienced spiritual growth and 11 percent reported they discovered new opportunities.

Hardship makes us adapt, respond, and find other ways to solve it. When we do, we become not only able to heal the trauma associated with it but also thrive again. We build up confidence and experience that will help us the next time we face adversity.

1. How did the author’s daughter react after failing the test?

A．She blamed other people for her failure.

B．She felt grateful and meant to improve.

C．She became more anxious and angrier.

D．She refused to take responsibility.

2. What positive change did the author observe in their daughter?

A．She became more frighted of difficulties in life.

B．She developed a stronger support system.

C．She became more negative and disappointed.

D．She grew up and understood the value of hardships.

3. What did the study mentioned in the article tell about surveyed people?

A．They became more disconnected from others.

B．They developed responsible attitude towards their families.

C．They had a better family and increased appreciation for life.

D．They experienced a decline in their overall well-being.

4. How does hardship contribute to personal growth according to the article?

A．It prevents a person from healing from trauma.

B．It limits personal ability to adapt to adversity.

C．It encourages a person to find different solutions and develops confidence.

D．It results in long-term negative effects on a person’s emotional well-being.

5. What is the main message of the article regarding adversity and growth?

A．Hardship can lead to personal growth.

B．Traumatic events leave only harmful effects.

C．Adversity always leads to negative outcomes.

D．People who face trauma are unable to heal from it.

【推荐3】Poet William Stafford once said that we are defined more by the detours in life than by the narrow road toward goals. I like this image. But it was quite by accident that I discovered the deep meaning of his words.

For years we made the long drive from our home in Seattle to my parents’ home in Boise in nine hours. We traveled the way most people do: the fastest, shortest easiest road, especially when I was alone with four noisy, restless kids who hate confinement and have strong opinions about everything.

Road trips felt risky, so I would drive fast, stopping only when I had to. We would stick to the freeways and arrive tired.

But then Banner, our lamb was born. He was rejected by his mama days before our planned trip to Boise. I had two choices: leave Banner with my husband, or take him with me. My husband made the decision for me.

That is how I found myself on the road with four kids, a baby lamb and nothing but my everlasting optimism to see me through. We took the country roads out of necessity. We had to stop every hour, let Banner shake out his legs and feed him. The kids chased him and one another. They’d get back in the car breathless and energized, smelling fresh from the cold air.

We explored side roads, catching grasshoppers in waist-high grass. Even if we simply looked out of the car windows at baby pigs following their mother, or fish leaping out of the water, it was better than the best ride down the freeway. Here was life. And new horizons.

We eventually arrived at my parents’ doorstep astonishingly fresh and full of stories.

Some road trips are by necessity fast and straight. But that trip with Banner opened our eyes to a world available to anyone adventurous enough to wander around and made me realize that a detour may uncover the best part of a journey—and the best part of yourself.

1. Why did the author use to take freeways to her parents’ home?

A．It was less tiring.	B．It would be faster and safer.
C．Her kids would feel less confined.	D．She felt better with other drivers nearby.

2. The author stopped regularly on the country roads to__________.

A．relax in the fresh air	B．take a deep breath
C．take care of the lamb	D．let the kids play with Banner

3. What does the author discover from the trip according to Paragraph 6?

A．Freeways are where beauty hides.

B．Getting close to nature adds to the joy of life.

C．Enjoying the beauty of nature benefits one’s health.

D．One should follow side roads to watch wild animals.

4. What could be the best title for the passage?

A．Charm of the Detour	B．The Road to Bravery
C．Creativity out of Necessity	D．Road Trip and Country Life

【推荐1】One spring morning many years ago, I had been prospecting for gold along Coho Creek in southeastern Alaska. Suddenly, no more than 20 paces away was a huge Alaskan timber wolf-caught in a trap.

From her appearance, I guessed she had been trapped for several days. She needed my help, I thought. But if I tried to release her, she would turn aggressive to me. The wolf was clearly suffering. The trap's steel jaws had imprisoned two toes. They were swollen and lacerated, but she wouldn't lose the paw (爪子) — if freed. Yet each time I moved closer, she would make a frightening growl. If I could only win her confidence, I thought. It was her only hope.

Over the next few days, I divided my time between prospecting and trying to win the wolf's trust. I talked gently with her, throwing her some meat. Gradually, I kept edging closer — though I was careful to remain beyond the length of her trap chain.

At dusk on the fifth day, I delivered her dinner. Suddenly, I saw a slight wagging of her tail. I moved within the length of her chain. She remained sill. As a towering man, my heart was in my mouth, though. Within her reach, I wrapped my blanket around myself and slowly settled onto the cold ground. It was long before I fell asleep.

The next morning, I slowly placed my hand on the wolf's injured leg. Unexpectedly; she made no threatening move. Then I applied pressure, the trap sprang open, and the wolf pulled free.

My experience told me the wolf would vanish into the woods quickly. But cautiously, she crept toward me and sniffed my hands and arms. This went against everything I'd ever heard about timber wolves. Yet, strangely, it all seemed so natural.

1. What happened to the timber wolf?

A．She was stuck in a trap.	B．Her food ran out.
C．Her legs were swollen.	D．She was caught in the author's trap.

2. What was the only hope for the wolf to be saved?

A．Some food.	B．The author's care.
C．Her trust in the author.	D．Winning the author's confidence.

3. Why was falling asleep difficult for the author?

A．He was too close to the wolf.	B．The ground was too cold.
C．The wolf remained still.	D．The wolf wagged her tail.

4. How did the author feel about the outcome of the event?

A．It was frightening and surprising.	B．It was unexpected but natural.
C．It was humorous and natural.	D．It was terrifying but encouraging.

【推荐3】I arrived in my Chinese classroom, ready to share my vast knowledge and experience with the 75 students who would be my English Literature class. Having taught in the USA for 17 years, I had no worry at all about my ability to plant in my students enthusiasm for the literature of my mother tongue.

I was really shocked when the monitor shouted “Stand up” and the entire class rose as I entered the room, and I was somewhat confused and anxious about how to get them to sit down again, but once that embarrassment was over, I quickly calmed down and launched into what I thought was a fact-packed lecture, sure to gain their respect-perhaps even their admiration. I went back to my room radiating that rosy glow (光泽) that comes from a sense of significant accomplishment.

My students kept journals, however, and as I read them, the rosy glow was gradually replaced by an overwhelming sense of frustration. The first journal said, “Our literature teacher didn’t teach us anything today. Perhaps her next lecture will be better.” Heartbroken, I read journal after journal, each expressing a similar theme. Didn’t teach them anything? I sketched the entire philosophical framework of thought AND laid the historical background for all the works we’ll study in class.” I complained, “How can they say I didn't teach them anything?”

Determined to clear myself, I dug out all my reference books, adding background material to my next lecture, researching into the sociological setting and even the psychological state of the author. After the second class, I eagerly opened the journals, expecting enthusiastic reviews at last. Again, I was crushed by their continuing comments that I was going too slowly without giving meaningful details.

More determined than ever. I dived into sources of criticism, deciding to devote more time to the texts by providing summaries of all the interpretations I could find of each work. This material would give my students ample information for drawing their own conclusions about the work’s meaning, “Our teacher seems confused about the real meaning of the works,” the journals said. “One minute she gives one interpretation; the next minute she gives another. Then she asks for our opinions. We’re the students. She’s the teacher. She should tell us what the works mean.”

It was a long semester, and it gradually became clear to me that my ideas about education were purely Western, and that Chinese ideas differed significantly. I thought a teacher’s job was to raise interesting questions and provide enough background so that students could draw their own conclusions. My students thought a teacher’s job was to provide accurate information as directly and concisely as possible. Americans wanted to interpret and experience. The Chinese wanted to master and memorize.

1. How did the writer feel before he began his teaching in China?

A．Worried.	B．Confident.
C．Disappointed.	D．Confused.

2. What might be the reason why the writer was shocked when the monitor shouted “Stand up”?

A．The students intended to scare their new foreign teacher.

B．The students refused to stand up before their new foreign teacher.

C．The writer was a little shy and felt embarrassed when he entered the classroom.

D．The writer didn’t know much about the Chinese classroom and that was totally unexpected.

3. What does the writer mean by saying “determined to clear myself” in Para. 4?

A．He wanted to better understand the students’question.

B．He wanted to prove his ability in teaching the course.

C．He was a little bit angry with the students.

D．He was very disappointed with himself.

4. Which of the following might the writer agree with?

A．Chinese and Western ideas about education are slightly different.

B．A teacher’s job is to make students think and have their own opinions.

C．Teaching is to provide accurate information directly and clearly.

D．Both Americans and the Chinese tend to draw conclusions by themselves.

【推荐1】Electrical devices(仪器)could soon use power made by human energy. Scientists say they have developed an experimental device that produces electricity from the physical movement of a person walking , British scientist Max Donelan and other scientists in Canada and the United States developed the device.
The device connects to a person’s knee. As the person walks ,the device captures energy each time the person slows down. To do this ,the device helps with the slowing sown movement of the leg, the movements of the walking person push parts of a small machine that produces electricity. Using the device, an adult walking quickly could produce thirteen watts of electricity in just a minute. Donelan says walking at that speed could produce enough power to operate a laptop computer for six minutes.
There are several possible uses for the device. Developers say it could help people who work in areas without electricity to operate small computers. The device could also he used in hospitals to operate heart pacemakers(起博器), it could even be used to assist in the movement of robotic arms and legs.
The experimental version of the device weighs about one and a half kilograms, but it is too costly for most people to buy, but the researchers hope to make a lighter, less costly version, An improved version should be ready in one year.
The developers hope the device will one day help developing countries; nearly twenty five percent of people around the world live without electric power.
A similar product was invented in 2005 by Larry Rome of the University of Pennsylvania, He created a bag carried on a person’s back that also produces power from walking. The knee device does not produce as much electricity as the bag, but the bag requires the walker to carry a load of twenty to thirty kilograms.
1. The second paragraph mainly talks about

A．who developed the device

B．how the device works

C．several possible uses for the devices

D．how much electricity the device can produce

2. What is the disadvantage of the experimental version of the device?

A．It is too heavy for the walker to bear

B．It is too complex for people to use

C．It is too expensive for most people to afford

D．It will slow down one’s walking speed

3. Compared with the device designed by Larry Rome, this new device

A．produces power without adding more loads to the walker

B．can produce more power in a much shorter time

C．needs to be equipped with a battery

D．can help the walker walk faster

4. From the passage, we can learn that the electrical device can

A．help housewives operate the washing machine

B．make it much easier for us to go online

C．produce more electricity than that invented by Larry Rome

D．be applied in medical fields to operate heart pacemakers

5. What would be the best title for the passage

A．First device powered by walking will soon be on the market

B．Advanced technology brings in a new way to operate heart pacemakers

C．Device gives new meaning to the idea of power walking

D．Human energy will become a main source of electricity

【推荐2】Prosocial behaviors are those intended to help other people. Behaviors that can be described as prosocial include feeling empathy(同感) and concern for others and behaving in ways to help or benefit other people.

Prosocial behavior has long posed a challenge to social scientists seeking to understand why people engage in helping behaviors that are beneficial to others, but costly to the individual performing the action. Why would people do something that benefits someone else but offers no immediate benefit to the doer?

Psychologists suggest that there are a number of reasons why people engage in prosocial behavior. In many cases, such behaviors are fostered during childhood and adolescence as adults encourage children to share, act kindly, and help others. Prosocial behaviors are often seen as being compelled by a number of factors including egoistic reasons (doing things to improve one's self­image), reciprocal benefits (doing something nice for someone so that they may one day return the favor), and more altruistic reasons (performing actions purely out of empathy for another individual).

Characteristics of the situation can also have a powerful impact on whether or not people engage in prosocial actions. The bystander effect is one of the most notable examples of how the situation can impact helping behaviors. The bystander effect refers to the tendency for people to become less likely to assist a person in distress when there are a number of other people also present. For example, if you drop your purse and several items fall out on the ground, the likelihood that someone will stop and help you decreases if there are many other people present. This same sort of thing can happen in cases where someone is in serious danger, such as when someone is involved in a car accident. In some cases, witnesses might assume that since there are so many other present, someone else will have surely already called for help.

Why do people help in some situations but not in others? Experts have discovered a number of different situational variables that contribute to (and sometimes interfere with) prosocial behaviors. First, the more people that are present decreases the amount of personal responsibility people feel in a situation. People also tend to look to others for how to respond in such situations, particularly if the event contains some level of ambiguity. Fear of being judged by other members of the group also plays a role. People sometimes fear leaping to assistance, only to discover that their help was unwanted or unwarranted. In order to avoid being judged by other bystanders, people simply take no action.

Experts have suggested that some key things must happen in order for a person to take action.

1. Prosocial behaviors are motivated for all the following reasons EXCEPT ________.

A．empathy for another individual	B．instant benefits of helping others
C．parental influences in the early life	D．the desire to better one's self­image

2. What does the underlined word “distress” in the fourth paragraph mean?

A．peace	B．despair
C．comfort	D．trouble

3. Which situation can be described as the bystander effect?

A．When hearing an injured lady crying for help, the neighbors didn't take action.

B．Seeing an old man slipping on the icy road, many people volunteered to help.

C．A woman was to give birth on the train and you were the only doctor there.

D．On the scene of your colleague's traffic accident, you called the police for help

4. After the last paragraph, the most possible topic could be ________.

A．possible benefits of prosocial behavior

B．various reasons for prosocial behavior

C．situational influences on prosocial behavior

D．skills and knowledge to provide assistance

【推荐3】Utility, Portland's low-waste, refill and reuse company, started in January 2019 and held its first retail (零售) shop in April. Rebecca Rottman and Nadine Appenbrink, two women on a mission to green their city, are deeply committed to sustainability (持续性) and supporters of zero waste.

They believed that their green-minded city was missing something that was essential to sustainability. So, they started one shop (that is almost zero waste) as a second job for both. It started as a personal journey, looking for clean products that didn't come in plastic. Their mission is to reduce the amount of single plastic use by allowing people to bring their own reusable containers.

Every week the women teamed up with local stores to sell their goods and to refill products for returning customers. Now they are operating only online for pickup or local delivery in the Portland area. It's really easy. Just shop online and choose a container. Then select pickup or delivery. The products include all-natural dish bar soap — that is locally made and a wide variety of plastic-free kitchen tools. While not completely zero waste, Utility is striving to get incredibly close. Appenbrink said, “We’re all on a journey. And we want to be as approachable as possible. Utility is to raise awareness about this lifestyle.”

When the shops were running, the women were able to build community with other like-minded environmental activists and they planned to do community engagement activities like park cleanups. There are also plans to start some DIY classes on how to make natural products like the face cream they sell.

There are zero waste or as close as possible stores in other communities, like Clean Kilo in Birmingham, UK, but they are real brick buildings. Utility's concept is so simple that it can be copied almost anywhere. Zero waste markets are the way to go to transition (过渡) into the economy that is needed to stop plastic waste, reduce our carbon footprint and have a sustainable future.

1. What can we know about Utility according to the first paragraph?

A．It was set up by Portland government.

B．It's an environmentally-friendly company.

C．It makes Portland become much safer.

D．It's a world famous zero waste company

2. Why did Rottman and Nadine found the shop?

A．To raise money for a charity.

B．To provide locals with daily necessities.

C．To offer more job chances to people.

D．To reduce the use of single plastic.

3. What will DIY classes focus on?

A．How to make natural items.

B．How to improve lifestyle.

C．How to try zero waste.

D．How to develop a community.

4. What can we infer from the last paragraph?

A．It's a hard job to set up zero waste stores.

B．Portland almost goes zero waste.

C．The economy of zero waste markets should change.

D．It's easy to copy what Utility does.