【推荐1】How to Maximize Space in a Dorm Room

Most dorm(宿舍) rooms are really small. Lack of the right way and failure to know how to maximize(最大限度地利用) space in a dorm room, you’ll have a hard time putting everything you need in your space.     1    .

●Use the storage space under your bed

Many students looking for more space to store their belongings will just put things under their beds. If you are like those students, consider getting more organized by using storage containers. They are effective in maximizing space at the same time.

●     2    

If you are like most students who like to bring several pairs of shoes to college, you can get a shoe rack(架) which you can hang near your doorway. Most of those shoe racks can keep around 9 to 12 shoes at a time, saving you a lot of floor space. You can also get storage bins(储藏箱) which you can attach to your door.     3    .

●Keep things on your walls

Using a small area on the wall for a coat rack will allow for more space.     4    . If that is the case, you can use sticky hooks(钩) or sticky baskets which you can buy them from your local stores.

In conclusion, these are just some of the things you can do to maximize the space in your dorm room. If you’re still having problems putting everything into your space, go through each of your items.     5    .

A．Use the sleeping area

B．Use the dorm room door

C．Here are some great tips that really help

D．Those bins can give you enough space to store various items

E．However, most dorms won’t let students nail anything into walls

F．Put away your coats and jackets you won’t need for the season under your bed

G．Find out which of them are necessary to keep and which ones you don’t really need.

【推荐3】In Britain and other countries，young people sometimes take a“gap year”，a year off between high school and college．This idea never gained a big following in America．Recent news reports have suggested that interest may be growing，though there are no official numbers．
Charles Deacon,．Dean of Admissions at Georgetown University in Washington，D．C．，estimates that in the current first-year class of 1,600 students，only about 25 decided to take a year off．He says this number hasn’t changed much over the years．
Mr．Deacon says the most common reason for taking a“gap year”is to have a chance to travel，but he says international students may take a“gap year”to meet requirements at home for military duty．
Some high school graduates see a year off as a chance to recover after twelve years of required education，but it can also give students a chance to explore their interests．Students hoping to be doctors，for example，could learn about the profession by volunteering in a hospital．
Many colleges and universities support gap-year projects by permitting students to delay their admission．Expels say students can grow emotionally and intellectually as they work at something they enjoy．
The Harvard admissions office has an essay on its Web site called“Time Out or Bum Out for the Next Generation．’’It praises the idea of taking time off to step back，think and enjoy gaining life experiences outside the pressure of studies．It also notes that students are sometimes admitted to Harvard or other colleges partly because they did something unusual with that time．
Of course，a gap year is not for everyone．Students might miss their friends who go on directly to college，and parents might worry that their children will decide not to go to college once they take time off．Another concern is money．A year off，away from home，can be costly．
Holly Bull’s job is to specialize in helping students plan their gap year．She notes that several books have been written about this subject．She says these books along with media attention and the availability of information on the Internet have increased interest in the idea of a year off, and she points out that many gap-year programs cost far less than a year of college．
1. What is the passage mainly about?

A．It is likely that taking a“gap year”is becoming popular in America．

B．More and more American students are choosing to take a year off．

C．If you want to go to an American university, take a gap year first．

D．Americans hold different opinions towards students’taking a“gap year”．

2. How many reasons for students’ taking a“gap year”are mentioned in the passage?

A．2．

B．3．

C．4．

D．5．

3. The essay“Time Out or Bum Out for the Next Generation．”suggests that______．

A．every student must take a“gap year”before applying for a famous university

B．some famous universities encourage students to gain more life experiences

C．taking a‘gap year’Can make students free from life learning

D．the stress of studies does harm to the students’ health

4. What can we learn from the passage?

A．Charles Deacon doesn’t support the idea of the students’taking a“gap year”

B．Parents might disagree with the program，concerned about their children’s future.

C．Books and media have contributed to the students’interest in school learning.

D．Experts agree taking a year off will benefit the students emotionally and physically.

【推荐1】Picture a young Chinese woman in a field, dressed in traditional hemp (麻布) clothing, as she picks flowers to create makeup for her cheeks. Imagine the same person making a bamboo sofa, cooking soy sauce and cooking up all sorts of delicious dishes.

It may sound hard to believe, but such a person exists in modern China, and her name is Li Ziqi. On Dec 14, she won Person of the Year in the category of cultural influence awarded by China Newsweek.

With a fan base of more than 21 million people on Sina Weibo and 7 million flowers on video-sharing site YouTube, Li has made a name for herself in a series of videos that show off a pre-industrial Chinese way of life in rural Sichuan province. “I want to do my part to let more people know about Chinese culture,” the bogger told China.org.cn. “Much of the popularity of my videos owes to the attraction of Chinese culture.”

Li sems to be a master of all kinds of sills—cooking, painting, designing and farming. She raises silkworms to sew a quilt for her grandmother and grows plants. Many videos show her picking seasonal ingredients from her own garden and cooking them up with her wood-fired work. A warm bowl of soup for the winter, a lighter plate of noodles for the summer, Li follows the seasons in her cooking, as China’s traditional 24 solar terms also do, and makes food suitable for the particular climate.

“She told the stories of China’s culture and that of China.” the official Sina Weibo account of China Central Television noted. The success of Li Ziqi also comes from her “passion for life, for her home and for her culture”. Indeed, Li’s simple pleasures amaze people living in the hustle and bustle of big cities. “She leads a life that many dream of, but don’t dare to give up their current life in exchange for,” iFeng.com wrote. Her handmade lifestyle is a fantasy for many. “In today’s society, many feel stressed,” she told the South China Morning Post. “When they watch my videos at the end of a busy day, I want them to relax and experience something nice, to take away some of their anxiety and stress.”

1. Which of the following is true according to the passage?

A．Li Ziqi enjoys 7 million followers on Twitter.

B．Li Ziqi won Person of the Year awarded by Chinese government.

C．Li makes suitable food to follow the changes of climate.

D．Li’s video can’t bring pleasures to people in big cities.

2. What makes Li’s video so successful at home and abroad?

A．Her love for Chinese culture	B．Her confidence for Chinese culture
C．The attraction of her videos	D．Her excellent ability of making handicrafts

3. What does the underlined words “hustle and bustle” in Paragraph 5 mean?

A．noisy and stressful life	B．busy but relaxing life
C．fantastic and enjoyable life	D．quiet and comfortable life

4. What’s the main purpose of making videos according to Li Ziqi?

A．To promote the sales of Chinese food and handicrafts.

B．To attract more of fans to visit her Sina Weibo.

C．To make herself known to the public.

D．To free the stressed people from the anxiety and stress

【推荐3】Anna, my 10-year-old daughter, is on a wild ride with the United States Postal Service (USPS) and our mail carrier, Eason. She has a serious letter-writing habit and keeps in contact with her favorite people. If you’ve been the receiver of her hand-decorated letters and envelopes, then I know they really make your day.

A letter from Anna is likely to include some art, a joke and enough questions to guarantee a response. But when she wrote a letter to Eason, she put something new in it. “You may know me as the person living here that writes lots of letters. You’re very important to me, helping me stay in touch with friends. I cheer people up with my letters, and you do that too!” Anna wrote.

The next day, a package arrived with two letters. One was from Eason and the other from his superior, Sara, saying she had shared Anna’s letter in the internal newsletter (内部通讯) of the USPS and believed many postal folks wanted to thank Anna. Anna was so pleased with the letter that it perturbed me much, for the possible result of no reply from other mail carriers would come as a blow to her.

Surprisingly, today, we saw Eason come with two boxes of letters from around the country. These letters were so human, filled with stories about family, pets and a sense of kindness. But there was something more in them. People felt seen — some for the first time in a long time. “I work alone in a small rural post office...” “Not many people think about how hard we work...” Anna wrote back seriously.

I’m sharing this not because I’m a proud dad, but because it’s relatively easy, if we take the time to give others links they need to be good. We all want to be seen, known and loved. Send a letter. Give a call. Take a step of bravery, like Anna.

1. Why did Anna write Eason a letter?

A．To make friends with him.	B．To cheer him up.
C．To express her appreciation.	D．To share her daily life.

2. What does the underlined word “perturbed” in Paragraph 3 probably mean?

A．Touched.

B．Concerned.

C．Moved.

D．Astonished.

3. Which of the following words can best describe Anna?

A．Caring and grateful.	B．Energetic and ambitious.
C．Courageous and generous.	D．Capable and humorous.

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

A．People should face challenges with bravery.	B．People should care more about mail carriers.
C．People should connect with others actively.	D．People should show kindness to their parents.

【推荐1】We often hear such statements: “I spilled (洒出) juice, but it wasn’t my fault.”, “I got in trouble at school, but it wasn’t my fault.” or “I was in a car accident, but it wasn’t my fault.” That “It’s not my fault.” is a go-to response for so many people and especially teenagers.

Parents complain they are tired of the “excuse”. The reason why variations of “It’s not my fault.” are so popular is that it lets us off the hook from guilt and blame. I’m a fan of not owning responsibility for things that I can’t control. Teens who often say “It’s my fault.” when something bad happens tend to be highly self-critical, perfectionistic and more easier to be troubled by anxiety and depression.

While it is important to recognize lack of reason to blame oneself, many teens over-rely on “It’s not my fault.” When trying to get them to take responsibility, parents usually attempt to convince their teens that something is their fault. The approach tends to be ineffective and turn into a power struggle. No one wins. A more effective approach can be to stress significant drawbacks to consistently focusing on removing our responsibility with this phrase.

Overuse of the phrase can result in feelings of lack of ability to control their own lives. This sense has been shown to cause low motivation. Besides creating feelings of lack of ability, overuse of “It’s not my fault.” focuses a teen’s attention on what is done as opposed to what needs to be done.

People may not have caused all their problems but they have to solve them anyway. The example I frequently share with teens is the question of what one will do if he is pushed into a deep lake. One can certainly stay in water, yelling, “It’s not my fault.” However, that won’t get him out of water. He needs to swim to the shore, regardless of the fault.

If you take a proper approach to communicating with your teens, you can help them avoid over-reliance on “It’s not my fault.”

1. What phenomenon is described in Paragraph 1?

A．The teenagers’ dislike for school life.

B．The common trouble faced by teenagers.

C．The reasons for blaming others for accidents.

D．The tendency for people not to be responsible for mess in life.

2. What type of teens tends to suffer great mental pressure according to the text?

A．Those lacking confidence and ambition.

B．Those allowing others to find excuses.

C．Those unable to get along well with others.

D．Those often blaming themselves for some incidents.

3. What’s the author’s attitude to parents’ usual way of guiding children?

A．Supportive.	B．Negative.
C．Ambiguous.	D．Neutral.

4. What lesson is conveyed in the example often shared by the author?

A．We should try to avoid troubling others.

B．We should focus on how to solve problems.

C．We should dare to point out others’ mistakes.

D．We should be self-critical as much as possible.

【推荐2】I arrived late one night on a business trip, so I decided to have dinner in the hotel I stayed in. As I was finishing my meal, an elderly couple came in. They were holding hands and had lovely smiles on their faces. They sat three tables from me. I was amazed at the love they showed for each other. It struck me because it was shortly after ending a 20-year marriage and I still had pain in my heart.

My waiter was also their waiter. As I paid my bill, I asked what their bill was. He informed me, and I gave him $40 to pay their bill. He asked if I knew them. I told him “No, I just wanted to repay them for the love that they were showing to each other, ” and then I left.

The next day I entered the restaurant again. After I had been seated, the waiter who served me the night before told me that the strangest thing happened after I left the restaurant. When the elderly couple went to pay for their meal, they were informed that it had been paid. The waiter just retold them what I said. They were amazed. They looked around, asked for the bill of two young couples seated together, paid their bill and left.

I smiled and began to order my meal. About 45 minutes later, I finished my meal and was about to head out, but my waiter was nowhere to be found. I explained to the hostess that I needed to pay for my meal and hurry to the airport. She smiled and explained that I would not have to pay, because she felt she should pay my bill due to the joy brought to the faces of the elderly couple and the amazement of the young couples.

When I told her that she didn't have to do that she said with a smile “Love begets Love.”

1. Why was the writer deeply touched by the love of an elderly couple?

A．Because he did not have heart pain cured soon after divorce.

B．Because he has been familiar with them.

C．Because he was warm-hearted.

D．Because he was amazed at the love of others.

2. The hostess paid the writer's bill because______

A．She only felt like paying for the love of couples.

B．She was ready to help people in need.

C．She was glad to pass the love.

D．She was required to pay the bill.

3. What can be learned from the story?

A．The writer did it to prove his generosity.

B．The young couples paid the bill of the elderly couple.

C．The writer was reminded to pay his own bill in time.

D．The love is produced, it can be passed.

4. What is the best title of the passage?

A．Pain Past Is Pleasure

B．Love Is the Reward of Love

C．All Good Things Come to An End

D．Love Is A Permanent Faith

【推荐3】We've seen a worldwide health crisis (危机) bring out the worst in some people, but fortunately, we've also been able to see it bring out the best in others.

A taxi driver in Spain has been providing COVID-19 (新冠肺炎) patients with free rides to and from the hospitals. Doctors and nurses wanted to surprise him with their thanks for helping out.

They tricked him down to the hospital under the pretense of needing to pick up a sick patient, but in reality, doctors and nurses lined the hall waiting to applaud (鼓掌) him.

“This is a surprise that has been given to a taxi driver who takes patients to the hospitals without charge,” wrote the taxi company that first shared the video.

The man seemed completely taken aback by the gesture, stopping in the middle of the doors as the whole room cheered for him.

He was also given an envelope full of money and the satisfying results of his own COVID-19 test.

The video has since been shared tens of thousands of times across the world, because kind gestures break the language barrier (障碍).

“When the crisis is finished, there will have been two types of people... the good and the bad,” one user wrote. “With workmates like him, I am proud to be a taxi driver, son of a taxi driver, and father of a taxi driver.”

With the word in hard times, just knowing good people are there doing good deeds is something we can all appreciate.

1. We can learn from the story that____________.

A．the driver took doctors to and from the hospitals

B．the taxi company ticked the driver to pick up a patient

C．the patients lined the hall to thank the driver

D．the driver stayed safe from COVID-19

2. What does the underlined phrase “taken aback" in Paragraph 5 mean?

A．Worried.

B．Amazed.

C．Frightened.

D．Excited.

3. Why has the video been shared so many times across the world?

A．It moves people of different nations.

B．It encourages more people to be a taxi driver.

C．It shows there will have been two types of people.

D．It calls for doctors and nurses to fight COVID-19.

4. What is the author intended to tell us?

A．There is always kindness around us.

B．We should be proud of our own jobs.

C．Helping others is the biggest happiness.

D．Taxi drivers play an important part in this crisis.

【推荐1】From a distance, they look like nothing more than thin red lines on the horizon, easily lost in the rough blue of the Atlantic Ocean. But get closer and the significance of the 140m-long tubes becomes apparent: they are the beginning of an entirely new industry in the hunt for clean power.

Yesterday, the red snake-like objects were laid as part of the world's, first wave-power station, off the coast of the northern Portuguese town of Agucadoura. The project marks the latest step in Portugal's moves to become a leader in developing renewable energy sources.

At the heart of the power station are three round wave energy converters(转换器), designed and built by a British company Pelamis Wave Power. Moving up and down on the endless supply of waves in the open sea, they change the motion into electricity, without sending out any of the carbon dioxide responsible for warming the planet.

The Pelamis wave machines will produce 2.25 Megawatt(MW兆瓦), enough for the annual needs of about 1,500 homes. Eventually, the station will be expanded with a further 25 Pelamis machines so that it can produce up to 21MW of power. That will save 60,000 tons of CO2 per year compared with a conventional fossil fuel plant.

“The future of wave energy starts today,” said ManuelPinho, Portugal's economics minister. “Portugal wants to be good in renewable energy. We are among the top five in the world, and we are just in the beginning of the process. We think this can create an industrial revolution and a lot of opportunities for jobs and research and we want to lead the trend.”

In addition to this flagship wave power, the Portuguese are spending large amounts of money on other renewable technologies. In the past three years, the country has enlarged 3 times its hydroelectric capacity and 4 times its wind power sources-northern Portugal has the world's biggest wind farm. They are already spending &250m on more than 2,500 solar panels to build the world's largest solar farm near the small town of Moura in eastern Portugal. It will have twice the area of London's Hyde Park and supply 45MW of electricity each year, enough to power 30,000 homes.

1. What are the tubes in the water used to do?

A．To decorate the coast.	B．To hunt for ocean animals.
C．To take advantage of the waves.	D．To prevent huge waves in the ocean.

2. How will the wave power station benefit the country?

A．There will be less unemployment.	B．Industry have been fast developed.
C．Fewer waves will damage the coast.	D．Carbon dioxide will be reduced.

3. What can we infer from the text?

A．Portugal is rich in new energy resources.

B．Portugal is short of renewable energy.

C．Portugal's solar plant will be as large as London's Hyde Park.

D．Portugal will bring in technologies to develop wave and solar energy.

4. What is the best title for the text?

A．The Future of Renewable Energy Starts Today	B．Portugal's Moves to Employ Ocean's Power
C．The Fossil Energy Is to Be out of Date	D．Clean Energy Is on Its Way in Portugal

【推荐2】Extra fingers are not that rare. About one or two in every 1, 000 babies are born with extra fingers. If the extras are just small nubs(肿块), they may be surgically removed at birth. But some extra fingers can prove helpful, a new study shows.

An extra finger can be incredibly handy. People born with six fingers per hand can tie their shoes, flexibly manage phones and play a complicated video game---all with a single hand. What's more, their brains had no trouble controlling the more complex movement of their extra fingers, the new study finds. Its results also highlight how flexible the human brain can be. That information can guide people who design brain-controlled robots.

Researchers worked with a 52-year-old woman and her 17-year-old son, both of whom were born with six fingers on each hand. Their extra fingers grew between the thumb and index finger. And they resemble thumbs in how they can move. The researchers studied the subjects' hands with MRI(核磁共振成像), which can map body structures. They also looked at activity in the parts of the brain that control the hands. Those scans showed a dedicated brain system that controls the extra fingers. The sixth fingers had their own muscles and tendons That means they don't' just depend on the muscles that move the other fingers as some doctors had thought. The brain had no trouble directing the extra fingers, the researchers showed. It suggests someone's mind would be able to control robotic fingers or limbs. However, it might be harder for a person not born with extra fingers.

Living in a world designed for people with five fingers has led the mom and son to adapt in interesting ways. For instance, eating tools are too simple for them, so they constantly change the posture on the eating tools and use them in different way. Still, not everyone with extra fingers may show improved flexibility. In some cases, extra fingers may be less well developed.

1. What does the new research find about extra fingers?

A．They are always useless.	B．They are very uncommon.
C．They are usually necessary.	D．They are sometimes beneficial.

2. What can we infer about extra fingers from the text?

A．Brain-controlled robots can be designed to have extra fingers.

B．Extra fingers are more flexible than normal ones.

C．The extra nubs removed at birth are actually helpful.

D．Extra fingers' muscles and tendons are stronger.

3. How do extra fingers move according to the study?

A．They can't move by themselves.

B．They follow other fingers to move.

C．They act under the direction of the brain.

D．They move out of the control of the brain.

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

A．Sixth Finger Can Improve Ability

B．Sixth Finger Can Prove Extra Handy

C．Sixth Finger Should Be Treated Properly

D．Sixth Finger Should Develop in Many Ways

【推荐3】I believe in thank you notes. I believe in sending them and in receiving them. Absolutely for gifts—every gift REQUIRES written acknowledgement —but also for random acts of kindness or thoughtful behavior and for hospitality.

Ask anyone, "Hey, how are you doing?" and they will most likely respond, "Busy. I am SOOO busy. There is just too much going on."

Everyone is busy. It’s hard to make time for yourself much less for others. That’s why it is so special when someone takes the time to do something nice. It may be something small, such as checking to see if you have books that need to be returned to the library since they are going. Or something bigger, like inviting you over for dinner because they know you’ve spent the day carting around things in the yard and will be too tired to cook.

I believe people who make the effort to stop what they are doing and look around to see what another human being might need deserve to be formally acknowledged and appreciated. And I think that appreciation is more genuine and more meaningful if it isn’t especially easy.

To me, a breezy "Thanks a million,” “You are a life saver,” or “You’re the best!" is too easy and, though true, lacks the appropriate depth of gratitude. It’s what you say to a clerk in a store who helped you locate an item or made your shopping easier.

I am very fortunate to have friends across the world. I make every effort to stay in touch and see them whenever possible. But after we leave our friends’ homes, I bask in the warm recollections of shared laughter, lively conversation, and newly-rich memories. And that is when I begin to compose my thank you note—a heartfelt expression of how their hospitality, generosity and kindness made me feel and why I treasure their friendship. It is important to me that those who take the time to make me a priority are aware that I am grateful. I believe in thank you notes.

1. What belief does the author have?

A．Showing her appreciation by sending gifts.	B．Sending and receiving thank you notes.
C．Receiving grateful presents from other people.	D．Accepting thank you notes and expensive gifts.

2. What can we know from the fifth paragraph?

A．The strength of words is obvious.	B．Only saying thankful words are not enough.
C．Saying gratitude words are necessary to the clerk.	D．The usual words that customers used to say.

3. How does the author develop this passage?

A．By listing numbers.	B．By making comparisons.
C．By following the order of time.	D．By giving examples.

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

A．What’s a Thank-you Note?	B．How to Write a Thank-you Note?
C．A Thank-you Note Really Matters!	D．How Thank-you Notes Change Me!