【推荐1】Our house was across the street from a hospital. We rented the upstairs rooms to outpatients at the clinic. One summer evening as I was preparing supper, there was a knock at the door. I opened it to see a truly awful looking man hardly taller than my eight-year-old daughter.

But the frightening thing was his swollen face. He told me that he’d been hunting for a room since noon but no one seemed to have a room. For a moment I hesitated, but his next words convinced me: “I could sleep on the porch (门廊). My bus leaves early in the morning.”

I went inside and finished getting supper. When we were ready, I asked him to join us. “No, thank you. I have plenty.” And he held up a brown paper bag. When I had finished the dishes, I went out to talk with him for a few minutes.

He told me he fished for a living to support his daughter, who was hopelessly disabled, and her five children. He didn’t tell it by way of complaint; in fact, he was grateful that no pain accompanied his disease. He thanked life for giving him the strength to keep going.

At bedtime, we put a small camp bed in the children’s room for him. When I got up in the morning, the bed linens were neatly folded and the little man was out on the porch. He refused breakfast, but just before he left, he smiled, “Your children made me feel at home. Grownups are bothered by my face, but children don’t seem to mind.” I told him he was welcome to come again.

In the years he came to stay overnight with us there was never a time that he did not bring us fish or vegetables. Other times we received packages. Knowing that he must walk three miles to mail these, and knowing how little money he had made the gifts more precious. I know our family always will be grateful to have known him; from him we learned what it was to accept the bad without complaint and the good with gratitude.

1. What led to the old man’s failure to get a room before?

A．His ugly appearance.	B．His fishing job.
C．His disabled daughter.	D．His lack of money.

2. What can we learn about the old man?

A．He often took his daughter to hospital.

B．He suffered great pain due to his disease.

C．He took great trouble to send the author gifts.

D．He often came to offer the author help from then on.

3. What is the best title of the text?

A．A precious gift.	B．A caring family.
C．A generous fisherman.	D．An unspoken complaint.

【推荐2】When my daughter Sara was in the fifth grade, she came to me with a problem. "Marcy hates me!" she cried. “Because Kathy is my friend. too. She wants me to be her friend and nobody else's. You talk to Marcy. You tell her that I want to be her friend, but I can have other friends, too!”

Oh! I looked at her for a few moments, wondering how I got into this mess(困境),when suddenly an idea came to me.

Picking up two baskets from the living room, I explained, "When everyone is born, he or she has a little basket. This little one here is yours. The big one is mine. As you grow, so does the basket. You can see your little basket is inside mine because when you were born, there were too many things you couldn't do for yourself. I did everything you couldn't do on your own."

She nodded.

"Well, as you grew older and began to do some things on your own, I began placing a few more things in your basket. When you learned to tie your shoes, that went in your basket."

She said softly, " I can tie my own shoes."

"Right. As you grow older, there will be more and more things you must do on your own." As I spoke, I gradually took her basket out of mine and handed it to her. "You will finally carry your own basket with things only you can do."

She looked up at me and said, "I understand. There are some things that I have to do for myself because they are in my basket."

1. What was Sara's problem?

A．She didn't have a basket.

B．She didn't want her own basket.

C．She couldn't deal with her friendship.

D．Her mother was too hard on her.

2. What did the author feel when she heard her daughter's problem?

A．Angry.

B．Crazy.

C．Proud.

D．Helpless.

3. We can infer that Sara____________

A．would talk to Marcy herself

B．wouldn't make friends with Kathy

C．was too young to deal with anything

D．managed to persuade her mother to help her

4. What is the best title of this passage?

A．Growing Baskets as you grow up.

B．Friendship needs repairing.

C．Parents’ impact on children

D．Gifts are given by God

【推荐3】Not all of George H.W. Bush’s extended family members were invited to his Washington D.C. memorial service.

Nearly a week after many paid their respects at the Washington National Cathedral, Sharon Bush, who was married to the 41st president’s son Neil from 1980 to 2003, told Page Six that she was allegedly unable to attend the funeral after she was told by her ex-husband’s secretary that there were not enough seats.

“I was going to take the train down. I wanted to pay my respects. But I paid my respects by raising three wonderful children during a 23-year marriage,” Sharon told the Outlet.

Neil and Sharon share three children: son Pierce and daughters Ashley and Lauren Bush Lauren, who gave a reading at the funeral, where the father of three attended with his second wife Maria Andrews, whom he wed in 2004.

While the D.C. memorial service was taking place, Sharon recalled having lunch with Lady Gaga’s mother Cynthia Germanotta and publishing heiress Anne Hearst.

Though she was snubbed from the funeral, Sharon shared photos on Instagram to honor her former father-in-law. “My girls Lauren and Ashley read scriptures at their grandfather’s funeral. I feel so proud of them. May he RIP.” The mother of three captioned a photo of Lauren and Ashley.

“May he RIP,” Sharon also posted on Instagram, speaking of their children’s upbringing. Sharon credited herself for raising them to be charitable and public servants. “I taught them everything they know about ‘points of light’ by taking them to soup kitchens and homeless shelters from the time they were 4 years old. I didn’t want them spoiled,” she said, referencing the public service nonprofit — Points of Light, for which her ex-husband serves as chairman of the board of directors. “I did this. Neil was never around. He was always traveling,” Sharon added.

1. Why was Sharon not invited to George H.W. Bush’s funeral?

A．Because she did not intend to attend.

B．Because she was not Neil’s current wife.

C．Because the cathedral can’t hold so many people.

D．Because she was busy with her children’s upbringing.

2. How did Sharon mourn for the passing away of her former father-in-law?

A．Through media interviews.	B．By posting on a social medium.
C．By raising three grandchildren.	D．By looking back on lunching with him.

3. Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

A．Sharon’s marriage lasted 30 years.

B．Neil and Sharon share three daughters.

C．Points of Light is a profit-making company.

D．Sharon’s girls attended their grandfather’s funeral.

4. What is Sharon’s attitude towards Neil’s performance of bringing up children?

A．Unconcerned.	B．Appreciative.
C．Dissatisfied.	D．Positive.

【推荐1】I was raised on a farm in the Fraser Valley along with five sisters and one brother. When I was 15, I got addicted to drinking at weekends and then dropped out of school. By the time I was 17, I continued to drink heavily. I couldn't find a job to support myself. So, I had no other choice but to join the army. I retired and went back home three years later, still a heavy drinker. When I was 22, I met Sue whose father was also a heavy drinker, so my behavior didn't surprise her. We were soon married and later had two daughters.
I started my first business when I was in my mid-twenties. A few years later, I bought a large chicken farm. Even with this success, though, my drinking was always a problem. It affected my marriage and family so much that I knew I had to make up my mind to stop drinking. So I tried great efforts. But two years later, I began drinking again.
When I was in my mid-thirties, I sold both of my businesses, and bought the big house on the hill. I was not at all happy, although I had everything that was supposed to make me happy. I sold our big house on the hill and bought a large land, where I built a new house. Our marriage was in big trouble, and my finances would _________ For the first time in many years, I had to go to work for someone as an employee. I took a job as a heavy equipment operator in a road building camp.
My marriage still came apart when I was 38, and my kids had to go through our divorce. I spent 6 months in giving up drinking on a school camp. Nearly a year later, I met my childhood neighbor girl, June. We were married not long afterwards. My kids learned to trust me again and I have two stepchildren that also love me.
Happy life continued about ten years. Everything was going so well when I felt there was something wrong with my body. I went to see a doctor, and the medical examination came out that I had ALS(肌肉萎缩症). Record shows that people with ALS generally survive between two to five years after symptoms appear. I've probably had the symptoms for one-and-a-half years already, so I don't know how much time I have left.…God knows…
1. Which of the following is the right order for the author’s experience?
a. He married June.
b. He married Sue
c. He bought the big house on the hill.
d. He bought a large chicken farm.
e. He succeeded in giving up drinking.
f. He tried but failed to get rid of drinking.

A．a, d, c, b, f, e	B．b, d, f, c, e, a
C．b, c, d, a, f, e	D．f, b, d, c, e , a

2. The underlined phrase “go down the drain”(in Paragraph 3) is closest in meaning to “__”.

A．be out of expectation	B．be totally successful
C．become worse and worse	D．be safe in one’s pocket

3. What can we know about the author?

A．He began drinking at the age of 17.

B．He ended his army life at the age of 19.

C．He was not happy, although he lived in the big house at the age of 35.

D．He bought the big house on the hill when he was 25.

4. What can we infer about the author’s marriage?

A．His two kids didn’t trust him before he remarried.

B．His finance was the first thing that led to the failure of his first marriage.

C．His first wife didn’t know about his drinking before marriage.

D．He gave birth to two children in his 40s.

5. What is true according to the last paragraph?

A．The author is hopeless because he will be dead in a few years because of ALS.

B．The author has hope because the doctor concluded that he had 2-5 years left.

C．The author is uncertain whether the symptoms of ALS have appeared or not.

D．The author will ask God whether the disease is curable or not.

【推荐1】Technology can really help you with your language learning. Here are four free apps you can try!

Google Translate

This is a very useful app. When you open it, you will notice that there is a camera icon at the bottom. This allows you to translate menus, signs and guides that you may come across when exploring in a foreign country.

Duolingo

I used this app while at university to practise my French while travelling. All you have to do is select your mother tongue, the language you want to learn (English) then, lastly, you decide how much time you want to spend practising each day (between 5 and 20 minutes). This is a good way to practise your reading and listening whenever you have a free moment and you can also do some speaking exercises.

Learn English Podcasts App

This is a good app for getting in some listening and reading practice at the same time. Each part is filled with information on everyday topics which can help you to widen your vocabulary and also help you to get used to the different sounds within different words.

Nemo Language App

This app turns your iPhone, iPad or Android phone into your favorite teacher of foreign languages. Learn whenever and wherever it’s most convenient for you. It is meant to be picked up and put down throughout the day, whenever you have a few minutes to spare.

1. Which app will you prefer if you’re having dinners in a foreign country?

A．Duolingo.	B．Google Translate.
C．Nemo Language App.	D．Learn English Podcasts App.

2. What can we learn from the passage?

A．Google Translate makes you exploring the world harder.

B．Duolingo offers you some speaking and writing exercises.

C．Learn English Podcasts App is full of information on daily topics.

D．Nemo Language App introduces your favourite teachers to you.

3. Where does the passage probably come from?

A．A news report.	B．A textbook.
C．A travel journal.	D．A learning magazine.

【推荐2】When international aid is given, steps must be taken to ensure (确保)that the aid reaches the people for whom it is intended. The way to achieve this may not be simple. It is very difficult for a nation to give help directly to people in another nation.             The United Nations Organization (UNO) could undertake to direct the distribution of aid. Here however rises the problem of costs. Also tied with this is time. Perhaps the UNO could set up a body of devoted men and women in every country who can             speedily distribute aid to victims of floods and earthquakes.
More than the help that one nation can give to another during a disaster; it would be more effective to give other forms of help during normal times. A common proverb says, “Give me a fish and I eat for day, teach me to fish and I eat for a lifetime.” If we follow this wise saying, it would be right to teach people from less developed nations to take care of themselves. For example, a country could share its technology with another. This could be in simple areas like agriculture or in more complex areas like medical and health care or even in building satellites. Even small country is able to help less developed nations. Sometimes what is take for granted, like the setting up of a water purification plant or the administration of a school, could be useful for countries which are looking about to solve common problems. It does not cost much to share such simple things. Exchange students could be attached for a number of months or years and learn the required craft while on the site. They can then take their knowledge back to their homelands and if necessary come back form time to time to clear doubts or to update themselves. Such aid will be truly helpful and there is no chance of it being temporary or of it falling into the wrong hands.
Many countries run extensive courses in all sorts of skills. It will not cost much to include deserving foreigners in these courses. Besides giving effective help to the countries concerned, there is also the build-up of friendships to consider. Giving             direct help by giving materials may be effective in the short run and must continue to be given in the event of emergencies. However, in the long run what is really effective would be the sharing of knowledge.
1. According to the author, how could international aid reach the victims in time?

A．By solving the cost problems

B．By solving the transportation problems

C．By setting up a body of devoted people in every country.

D．By relying on the direct distribution of the UNO.

2. What does the author try to express in the underlined sentence?

A．Providing food is vital

B．Learning to fish is helpful

C．Teaching skills is essential

D．Looking after others is important.

3. Which aid is likely to fall into the wrong hands?

A．A medical team.	B．An exchange program.
C．A water plant.	D．Financial support.

4. What can we infer about international aid from the passage?

A．It is facing difficulties

B．It is unnecessary during normal times

C．It should be given in the form of materials

D．It has gained support developed countries

【推荐3】Even from the basement,they could hear the bombs.

The basement was filled with the sound of crying children.It was crowded with people.

For comfort,to shut out the loud noise of the basement,Liesel opened one of her books and began to read.The book on top of the pile was The Whistler and she spoke it aloud to help her concentrate.She could hardly hear the opening paragraph herself

"What did you say?"Mama shouted,but Liesel ignored her.She remained focused on the first page.When she turned to page two,it was Rudy who noticed.He paid direct attention to what Liesel was reading,and he tapped his brother and his sisters,telling them to do the same.A quietness started spreading through the crowded basement.By page three,everyone was silent but Liesel.

She didn't dare to look up,but she could feel their frightened eyes following her as she read the words.Everyone listened.Only the sound of the turning page could be heard.Liesel read on.

For at least 20 minutes,she handed out the story.The youngest kids were comforted by her voice,and everyone else saw visions of the whistler running from the crime scene.Liesel did not.She was only reading the text word by word.

Everyone waited for the ground to shake.That was still an unchangeable fact,but at least they were distracted（分心）'）now,by the girl with the book.One of the younger boys seemed to cry again,but Liesel stopped at that moment and copied her papa to deal with the situation.She smiled at him and continued.

Only when the sirens（空袭解除警报）came into the basement again did someone interrupt her."We're safe,”said Mr.Jenson."Shhh!"said Frau Holtzapfel.

Liesel looked up."There are only two paragraphs till the end of the chapter,"she said,and she continued reading.Just the words.Out of respect,the adults kept everyone quiet,and Liesel finished chapter one of The Whistler.

On their way up the stairs,the children rushed by her,but many of the older people thanked the girl.They did so as they made their way past and hurried from the house to see if Himmel Street had suffered any damage.

Himmel Street was untouched.

1. Why did Liesel read the book?

A．To create a warm atmosphere in the basement

B．To shut out the sound of the bombs.

C．To block out the noise in the basement.

D．To make use of every minute to read.

2. Rudy tapped his brother and sisters in order to ______ .

A．ask them to listen to Liesel	B．give some comfort to Liesel
C．signal them to ignore Liesel	D．read the text instead of Liesel

3. What does the underlined sentence"Liesel did not."mean?

A．Liesel did not manage to comfort herself like others.

B．Liesel did not like the story of the book at all.

C．Liesel did not pay attention to the plot but the words instead.

D．Liesel did not see the whistler because she was too concentrated.

4. Many of the older people thanked Liesel because ______ .

A．she saved their lives during the bomb attack

B．she finished reading the whole story

C．she distracted kids'attention and comforted them

D．she protected their homes from any damage

【推荐1】The biggest soccer organization in the U.S. introduces new rules to make the sport safer.

The U.S. Soccer Federation announced that players in its teams who are 10 or younger are no longer allowed to head the ball. Players aged from 11 to 13 have limits on how often they can practice heading.

The new rules are set to stop kids from getting hurt because of a blow to the head that shakes the brain. Players may get headaches by heading the ball. Even worse, they may also get concussions, which will cause lasting brain damage.

Heading the ball can be one of the most dangerous parts of soccer. Sometimes the force of hitting the ball with their heads gives players concussions. But more often, players receive concussions when they jump to head the ball and by accident knock heads with other players or fall and hit their heads on the grass.

“More concussions happen during the act of heading than any other action in soccer,” says Dr. Robert Cantu, an expert on brain damage.

So far, the new rules are only used by teams that are part of the U.S. Soccer Federation. But the group says it hopes more soccer teams will soon follow its example.

Former U.S. soccer star Brandi Chastain is one of the leaders of the activity to ban heading among young soccer players. She welcomes the rule change but wants the rule to include all players under 14.

1. The new rules are made to________．

A．keep young players from being hurt

B．teach young players how to practice heading

C．make the U.S. Soccer Federation more famous

D．encourage young players to improve their skills

2. What is Brandi Chastain’s attitude towards the new rules?

A．She is against them.	B．She supports them.
C．She is unsure about them.	D．She doesn’t care about them.

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

A．New rules in soccer.	B．How to protect young players.
C．Brain damage becomes more common.	D．The introduction of the U.S. Soccer Federation.

【推荐2】Why do we laugh and get amusement from so many different things, from puns(双关语) to pratfalls(出洋相)? Why are things funny to some people and not to other? How is it that while a successful joke can cause pleasure, a sick one can cause serious harm?

Over the centuries, various scholars have tried to produce a universally agreed-upon theory of humor. Plato and Aristotle introduced the superiority theory, the idea that people laugh at the misfortune of others. Their theory seems to explain teasing, but it doesn't work well for knock-knock jokes. Sigmund Freud argued for his relief theory, the concept that humor is a way for people to release psychological tension and reveal their inner fears and desires. His theory works well for dirty jokes, less well for most puns.

The majority of humor experts today agree with the incongruity(不和谐) theory, the idea that humor arises when there's a gap between what people expect to happen and what actually happens. Incongruity has a lot going for it-jokes with unexpected funny lines, for example, fit well. But scientists have found that in comedy, unexpectedness is overvalued.

With the goal of developing a new, more satisfactory explanation, I produced “the gentle violation(侵犯) theory”, the idea that humor arises when something seems wrong or threatening, but is actually OK or safe. A dirty joke, for example, trades on moral or social violations, but it's only going to get a laugh if the person listening is open enough to consider the subject OK to talk about. Similarly, puns can be seen as linguistic violations that still make grammatical sense.

And while most humor theories have struggled to explain tickling (挠痒痒),or just avoided the phenomenon altogether, my theory accounts for even this kind of laughter. Tickling involves violating someone's physical space in a gentle way. People can't tickle themselves - because it isn't a violation.

1. What is the author's attitude towards Plato and Aristotle's theory?

A．Approving.	B．Critical.
C．Unconcerned.	D．Uncertain.

2. According to Sigmund Freud's theory, we can infer that ___________.

A．people will laugh when they see others suffer

B．tickling doesn't involve psychological tension

C．unexpectedness can explain how humor works

D．telling dirty jokes is a relief of one's nervous feelings

3. According to the author, why are some things funny to some people but not to others?

A．Because the sense of humor varies greatly from person to person.

B．Because people have different expectations for the same thing.

C．Because some people lack the sense of safety deep in their heart.

D．Because people's understanding of violation is different.

4. What is the author's main purpose of writing this passage?

A．To draw people's attention to the research of humor.

B．To criticize people's misunderstandings about humor.

C．To explain what exactly causes people to laugh.

D．To prove the sense of humor can be developed.

【推荐3】Chopsticks, or Kuaizi in Chinese, are used to eat Asian food. The earliest evidence of a pair of chopsticks made of bronze was found in the Ruins of Yin near Anyang, Henan Province, dating back to about 1,200 B.C..

Chopsticks are round on the eating end which stands for heaven, and the other end is square which stands for earth. This is because keeping enough food supply is the greatest concern between heaven and earth in Chinese culture.

There is no single standard for the use of chopsticks, but better keep some rules in mind while eating with them. Playing with chopsticks is considered impolite and rude, just like playing with a fork in a western environment. Besides, chopsticks are not used to move bowls or plates or to play with one’s food. Chopsticks are not supposed to stab food, either. Exceptions include tearing larger items apart such as vegetables. Also, chopsticks should not be left standing up in a bowl of food. Any stick-like object pointing upward looks like the incense sticks that some Asians use as offerings to family members who have died. In addition, never tap chopsticks on the edge of one’s bowl, as beggars are believed to make this noise to attract attention. Moreover, chopsticks should not be chewed on, or stay in one’s mouth for too long.

Today, chopsticks serve many other functions. For example, you can buy a pair of chopsticks as a gift for a newly-married couple as their wedding gift. In Chinese. “chopsticks” reads “kuaizi”, which means having sons soon. Skillful craftsmen paint beautiful scenery on chopsticks to make them look like fine artwork. Additionally, it has been said that using chopsticks improves one's memory, increases finger flexibility and can be useful in learning and improving skills such as Chinese character writing and brush painting.

1. We may probably find this passage in            .

A．a poster

B．a magazine

C．a travel guide

D．an advertisement

2. What is Paragraph 3 mainly about?

A．Traditional rules for using chopsticks.	B．Different standards to use chopsticks.
C．Some exceptions to use chopsticks.	D．Cultural backgrounds for using chopsticks.

3. The writer probably agrees             .

A．chopsticks can help keep enough food supply

B．stabbing food with chopsticks is never allowed in China

C．standing chopsticks up in a bowl of food is traditionally accepted

D．Chinese brush painting learners may benefit from using chopsticks