【推荐1】A young woman one day said something that hurt her best friend of many years. She regretted it immediately and would like to do anything to take the words back. what she had said hurt her friend so much that her woman herself also felt very painful. To make up what she had done, she went to an old wise man in the village and ask for advice.

The old man understood the young woman’s suffering. He know he must help her. He knew he could never remove her pain, but he could teach. And he also knew the result would depend only on her character.

“Tonight, take your best feather pillows and put single feather on the doorstep of each house in the village before the sun rises,” he said.

The young woman hurried home to prepare for it, even though the feather pillows were very dear to her. All night long, she made her efforts alone in the cold. Finally it got light and she places the last feather on the step of the last house. Just as the sun rise, she returned to the old man.

“Now,” said the man, “go back and refill your pillows with the feathers you have put on the steps. Then every thing will be as it was before.”

“You know that’s impossible! The wind blew away each feather as fast as I placed them on the doorsteps!” The young woman was surprised.

“That’s true,” said the old man. “Each of your words is like a feather in the wind. Once your words are spoken, no matter how much effort you make and how sincere you are, you can never return them to your mouth. Choose your words well and protect people you love from being hurt.”

1. According to Paragraph 2, the old man ______.

A．could remove her pain	B．knew a lot about her character
C．refused to teach her	D．decided to help her learn something

2. When did the woman come back to the old man?

A．In the evening	B．At midnight
C．At sunrise	D．In the afternoon

3. After the women came back to him, the old man advised her to ______.

A．put the feathers back to the pillows	B．make some now pillows
C．take away the feathers	D．Find more feathers

4. What can we learn from the story?

A．Taking one’s advice before doing.

B．Thinking carefully before speaking.

C．Asking for advice when you have troubles.

D．Talking to people when you have troubles.

【推荐2】Most people put the Christmas lights on their trees at home. I plugged (塞) the lights on my tiny tree into a bag and strapped (拥) the whole thing to the roof of my car. My car was filled with donations. Before I climbed behind the wheel to a big open field, I took a moment to adjust my Santa hat. Finally I was ready. The people I would play Santa for didn’t have homes.

Usually my family made extra soup to pass out. But I didn’t understand why they cared about strangers. My dad said, “Son, everyone wants to be treated with respect, as a real person.”

When I grew up and moved to the United States, I continued helping others in little ways as my family usually did. But I didn’t focus on homeless people at first.

The empty field came into view. The people there were rubbing their hands to stay warm. It made me remember the stranger who knocked on my window at a gas station the winter before.

“Excuse me, sir,” a man in his sixties said. “I wonder if you could help a man out.” “How are you?” I asked. “Well,” he said, “you see that field across the road? That’s where I slept last night.” I filled my gas tank while he talked about how cold it got at night. When I was leaving, Dad’s words came back to me. I handed the man a few dollars and wished him well.

But later I kept thinking about him—a real person who got cold and hungry. I gave food to homeless people. Whenever I gave something I started to talk to them and learn their stories. I could tell they appreciated my listening to them, maybe even more than they appreciated the food I gave them. Only then did I understand what my father had meant.

1. Why did the author drive to a big open field?

A．To meet with Christmas Santa.	B．To collect donations from others.
C．To build houses for the homeless .	D．To bring Christmas to the homeless.

2. What mainly contributes to the author’s being helpful?

A．His generosity by nature.	B．The atmosphere of festivals.
C．The good behavior of the poor .	D．His family’s small act of kindness.

3. How did the author change after helping the man at the gas station?

A．He got to know about the people he was helping.

B．He began to share his stories with people in need.

C．He provided the poor with money instead of food.

D．He began to appreciate listening to the homeless.

4. What is the best title for the text?

A．Listen to the Homeless Carefully	B．Help Those in Need With Respect
C．Treat Strangers With Great Patience	D．Offer Help to People We Know Well

【推荐3】When I was growing up in America, I was ashamed of my mother's Chinese English. Because of her English, she was often treated unfairly. People in department stores, at banks, and at restaurants did not take her seriously, did not give her good service, pretended not to understand her, or even acted as if they did not hear her.

My mother has long realized the limitations of her English as well. When I was fifteen, she used to have me call people on the phone to pretend I was she. I was forced to ask for information or even to shout at people who had been rude to her. One time I had to call her stockbroker (股票经纪人). I said in an adolescent voice that was not very convincing (令人相信的)，“This is Mrs. Tan. "

And my mother was standing beside me, whispering loudly, “Why he don't send me check already two week late. "

And then, in perfect English I said: "I'm getting rather concerned. You agreed to send the check two weeks ago, but it hasn't arrived. "

Then she talked more loudly. "What he want? I come to New York tell him front of his boss. "And so I turned to the stockbroker again, "I can't tolerate (容忍) any more excuse. If I don't receive the check immediately, I am going to have to speak to your manager when I am in New York next week. "

The next week we ended up in New York. While I was sitting there red-faced, my mother, the real, was shouting to his boss in her broken English.

When I was a teenager, my mother’ s broken English embarrassed me. But now, I see it differently. To me, my mother’s English is perfectly clear, perfectly natural. It is my mother tongue. Her language, as I hear it, is vivid, direct, and full of observation and wisdom. It was the language that helped shape the way I saw things, expressed ideas, and made sense of the world.

1. Why was the author's mother poorly served?

A．She was unable to speak good English.	B．She was often misunderstood.
C．She was not clearly heard.	D．She was not very polite.

2. From Paragraph 2,we know that the author was________.

A．good at pretending	B．rude to the stockbroker
C．ready to help her mother	D．unwilling to phone for her mother

3. After the author made the phone call, ________.

A．they forgave the stockbroker   ·	B．they failed to get the check
C．they went to New York immediately	D．they spoke to their boss at once

4. What does the author think of her mother's English now?

A．It confuses her.	B．It embarrasses her
C．It helps her understand the world.	D．It helps her tolerate rude people.

【推荐1】Top Public Sculpture Parks to Visit in America

Kasmin Sculpture Garden (New York City)

This quiet sculpture garden in Manhattan’s Chelsea neighborhood is far from the crowds. Owned and operated by Kasmin Gallery, this exhibition space can be viewed from the nearby High Line. It is designed by Future Green, a Brooklyn, landscape architect studio, and it stands beside a famous building designed by Zaha Hadid. There’s a current exhibition featuring bronze (铜) sculptures by Alma Allen, which shows the artist’s regard for Utah.

Tippet Rise Art Center (Fishtail)

This sculpture garden is worth the trip to the Beartooth Mountains in Fishtail. It is a 12,500-acre ranch (牧场), which is peppered with public art, including sculptures by Mark di Suvero, among others. This summer, the ranch will be open to those who are hiking or traveling by bike.

Storm King Art Center (New Windsor)

By far the most popular sculpture park in upstate New York, it is a 500-acre sculpture park in Hudson Valley. Since opening in 1960, it has grown to include dozens of sculptures that change over time. In its collection, the park owns sculptures by famous artists including Carl Andre, Louise Bourgeois, and Daniel Buren.

Olympic Sculpture Park (Seattle)

This outdoor park was created by the nearby Seattle Art Museum and features a large red sculpture by Alexander Calder called Eagle, as well as Wake by Richard Serra. Since 2007, this waterfront park has brought creativity to Elliott Bay. The landscape design fits in with the local roads and skyline, facing the harbor in what’s recognized as Seattle’s largest downtown green space.

1. What can be learned about the garden in Manhattan’s Chelsea neighborhood?

A．It is run by Kasmin Gallery.

B．It is designed by Zaha Hadid.

C．It has become a part of the High Line.

D．It stands for Alma Allen’s respect for Utah.

2. Which of the following parks is located in Hudson Valley?

A．Kasmin Sculpture Garden.	B．Tippet Rise Art Center.
C．Storm King Art Center.	D．Olympic Sculpture Park.

3. Where can you see the sculpture Wake?

A．In New York City.	B．In Seattle.
C．In New Windsor.	D．In Fishtail.

【推荐1】Captain James Cook was a great explorer. Before he started exploring, maps of the Pacific Ocean were almost empty. He visited hundreds of islands across the Pacific Ocean and put them in the correct places on the map. He made maps of the coastlines of Australia and New Zealand. James Cook was born in England in 1728. His parents were poor farm workers. When James was 18, he found a job on a coastal ship. He worked on the ship until he was 27 years old, and then he joined the navy. He fought in Canada in a war against France, and he mapped some of the eastern coasts of Canada. In 1768 King George made him Captain of a ship and sent him to the Pacific. He was gone for nearly three years. When he returned, he was regarded as a national hero.

He started his third voyage in 1776. On this trip he visited Hawaii. He was the first European to set foot on this beautiful island. Then he mapped the western coast of North America. After that he returned to Hawaii. Unfortunately there was some trouble between the Hawaiians and the white men and they started fighting. In the end Captain was killed in a clash with the local.

1. He started exploring when _______.

A．he worked on a coastal ship	B．he was 18 years old
C．he was sent to the Pacific	D．he served in the navy

2. Which of the following is NOT true?

A．He made the first maps of the Pacific Ocean.

B．He went on three long important voyages in his life.

C．He was the first English man to reach Hawaii.

D．He was respected by his people.

3. He was considered a national hero because of _______.

A．his experience in Canada

B．his being the first European to visit Hawaii

C．his heroic death

D．his devotion to exploration on the Pacific Ocean

4. Captain Cook was killed by _______.

A．his sailors	B．the Hawaiians
C．the Canadians	D．the French

【推荐2】At the beginning of my 8:00 a.m. class one Monday at UNLV（拉斯维加斯内华达大学）, I cheerfully asked my students how their weekend had been. One young man said that his weekend had not been very good. The young man then proceeded to ask me why I always seemed to be so cheerful.

His question reminded me of something I’d read somewhere before: “Every morning when you get up, you have a choice about how you want to approach life that day,” I said to the young man. “I choose to be cheerful.”

“Let me give you an example,” I continued. “In addition to teaching here at UNLV, I also teach out at the community college in Henderson. One day a few weeks ago I drove to Henderson. I exited the freeway and turned onto College Drive. But just then my car died. I tried to start it again, but the engine wouldn’t turn over. So I put my flashers on, grabbed my books, and marched down the road to the college.”

“As soon as I got there, the secretary in the Provost’s office asked me what had happened. ‘This is my lucky day’, I replied, smiling.”

“Your car breaks down and today is your lucky day?” She was puzzled, “What do you mean?”

“I live seventeen miles from here. I replied. My car could have broken down anywhere along the freeway. It didn’t. Instead, it broke down in the perfect place: off the freeway, within walking distance of here. I’m still able to teach my class, and I’ve been able to arrange for the tow truck to meet me after class. If my car was meant to break down today, it couldn’t have been arranged in a more convenient fashion.”

1. What happened when the teacher asked his students how their weekends were?

A．All the students give positive answers.

B．Only a young man said his weekend had not been good.

C．A student was curious about his teacher’s cheerfulness.

D．Nobody really cared about it.

2. If you want to be cheerful you should ________.

A．try to succeed in doing everything	B．choose to be cheerful every day
C．earn a lot of money by working	D．try to please your boss every day

3. The underlined phrase “turn over” in the third paragraph means “________”

A．roll over	B．stopped suddenly
C．work normally	D．move around

4. According to this passage we can infer that the teacher’s car broke down ________.

A．near UNLV	B．along the highway
C．near Henderson	D．at the community college

5. What do you think would happen after the story?

A．The story touched the student and they would try to be cheerful.

B．The student asked the teacher to tell another story.

C．The student wondered how to be cheerful.

D．The student doubted whether the story was true.

【推荐3】The year I turned fifty, I resolved to do something new every day. However, balancing 365 new things with work and family, while still managing to do the laundry and get dinner on the table every night, was not always easy. In the early weeks of the project, I found it difficult to find so many new things.

It wasn’t long before my friends learned that I was open to almost anything I could consider a new thing, and the invitations began pouring in not just from friends, but friends of friends. As a result, my life was new. I went dog sledding. I attended a fashion show. I went to numerous lectures on all kinds of topics that I never would have previously considered useful or interesting and found something to appreciate in every single one. I even signed up immediately when learning about a local group trying to get into the Guinness Book of World Records by doing something unusual.

As time went by, whenever I learned about something that seemed remarkable, I did what I could to pursue it. Instead of “Why”, I began to ask “Why not”. Now I find it is easier to just keep my eyes open to the possibilities that surrounded me. It turned out that there were new things everywhere, and all I had to do was make a little effort to enjoy them.

I looked back on the year. It doesn’t matter to me that many of my “new things” weren’t exactly meaningful. What matters is how to make full use of them when discovering there is an endless number of new things for me. It seemed to me an obvious sign that at fifty, my life was full of promise. I could continue to grow, stretch my wings, and learn more every day for the rest of my life. I enjoyed the idea of something new, and it gave me a reason to welcome each day as an opportunity to experience the world a little differently.

1. Which of the following can best describe the author’s feeling according to Paragraph 1?

A．Better late than never.	B．Action speaks louder than words.
C．Saying is one thing but doing is another.	D．Experience is the best teacher.

2. What’s the author’s attitude toward new things?

A．Skeptical.

B．Appreciative.

C．Cautious.

D．Tolerant.

3. What does the author intend to tell us in the last paragraph?

A．Make the most of new things.	B．Wait for your life to start over.
C．Try to find more new things.	D．Never say never when in trouble.

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

A．Dream for a New Life	B．The Value of Friendship
C．Remarkable New Things	D．A Year of New Things

【推荐1】Our mother earth is going through a very tough situation and we, the entire human race, are destroying our environment or unconsciously without even realizing its consequences. Now we have to act very smartly and plan something to sustain what we still have, getting all necessary support from nature to lead healthy lives.

Gardening is always an excellent and environmentally friendly idea. If you can go for sustainable gardening, then it will be even more useful for all. Gardening is a favorite hobby for many. It is time to channelize your hobby towards a more meaningful motivation.

When we do gardening we need to use different ingredients(材料) to grow plants. Some of them are natural resources like water, soil, sunshine, and many things like this. Using these resources smartly is a part of sustainable gardening. Some simple techniques include: use less water and organic things to grow plants; try to store rainwater so that you can use them for gardening; try using less energy to drive devices; avoid using plastics in any form while gardening; reuse the leaves from your garden to fertilize them. These are the basic sustainable measures. To do so we need to have proper knowledge about gardening and its requirements so that we can use proper resources without wasting any of them.

In today’s busy life we don’t get much time to spend on our environment. Gardening gives us a chance to do so. We can also have some pesticide-free(无农药的) and fresh food if we grow them in our garden. This is the right time to do some good to protect our own environment and gardening is one of the easiest ways. Do you want to start gardening, but you’re not sure how? Click here: http://www. gardenhowto. com.

1. What does the underlined word “channelize” in Paragraph 2 refer to?

A．Cause.	B．Transform.
C．Direct.	D．Associate.

2. Which of the following belongs to a sustainable measure?

A．Using advanced electrical machines.

B．Avoiding fertilizers.

C．Watering plants with collected rainwater.

D．Clearing away the leaves.

3. What is the benefit of sustainable gardening?

A．It requires little water.	B．It needs no fertilizer.
C．It breaks up plastics.	D．It doesn't waste any resource.

4. Where is the passage probably taken from?

A．A newspaper.	B．The Internet.
C．A guidebook.	D．A science report.

【推荐2】Washing windows on a skyscraper is a dirty job. Hanging off the side of a building can also be dangerous, notes Oliver Nicholls, 19. So this 12th-grader invented a robot to handle the job.

Some recent incidents inspired his project. In one, a couple of high-rise window washers were standing on a platform that fell down. No one died, but the pair was seriously injured. Oliver also witnessed someone fall and break his leg while cleaning a glass awning (雨篷) over the entrance to a building.

The new robot is about the size of a medium-sized picnic cooler and weighs 12 to15 kilograms. It's designed to hang off the side of a building from ropes, just as current window－washing platforms do. A hose（软管）carries water to the robot. A cable (电缆) delivers it electric power. The computer controls the robot up-and-down movements by adjusting the ropes from which the robot hangs. When the robot needs to move from one window to another, a set of propellers（螺旋桨） starts to work. They push the robot a short distance away from the building, while the ropes slide along a railing（栏杆）to carry the robot over to the next window. Then, as a different set of propellers holds the robot tight against the window, the cleaning cycle repeats. Oliver tested his robot by cleaning sample windows he'd built in his backyard. The robot’s propellers can hold the robot against a building even in winds as high as 45 kilometers per hour, the teen reports. He performed those tests using his family’s leaf blower.

Besides limiting the chance of injury, this window-washing robot could save building owners a bit of money. If commercialized, Oliver estimates it would cost about ＄11,000. That's about the same cost as hiring a crew to clean a 7-story building. So Oliver suspects his robot might be able to pay for itself after cleaning just one such building.

1. What encouraged Oliver to develop his project?

A．His interest in housework.	B．The accidents he experienced.
C．The high costs of washing windows	D．Risks facing high-rise window washers.

2. What do we know about the robot?

A．It carries water itself.	B．It is supported by a platform.
C．It hangs from ropes while working.	D．It can produce power while working.

3. Why did Oliver test his robot with a leaf blower?

A．To record its working speed	B．To see its wind-resistance ability
C．To test whether it could remove the windows	D．To know if it needed a different set of propellers

4. What does the last paragraph imply about the robot?

A．It is costly but time-saving.	B．It still has many limitations.
C．It has huge commercial potential	D．It has become a favorite of building owners

【推荐3】As we have seen, the focus of medical care in our society has been shifting from curing disease to preventing disease – especially in terms of changing our many unhealthy behaviors, such as poor eating habits, smoking, and failure to exercise. The line of thought involved in this shift can be pursued further. Imagine a person who is about the right weight, but does not eat very nutritious foods, who feels OK but exercises only occasionally, who goes to work every day, but is not an outstanding worker, who drinks a few beers at home most nights but does not drive while drunk, and who has no chest pains or abnormal blood counts, but sleeps a lot and often feels tired. This person is not ill. He may not even be at risk for any particular disease. But we can imagine that this person could be a lot healthier.

The field of medicine has not traditionally distinguished between someone who is merely “ not ill” and someone who is in excellent health and pays attention to the body’s special needs. Both types have simply been called “well”. In recent years, however, some health specialists have begun to apply the terms “well” and “wellness” only to those who are actively striving to maintain and improve their health. People who are well are concerned with nutrition and exercise and they make a point of monitoring their body's condition. Most important, perhaps, people who are well take active responsibility for all matters related to their health. Even people who have a physical disease or handicap may be "well," in this new sense, if they make an effort to maintain the best possible health they can in the face of their physical limitations. "Wellness" may perhaps best be viewed not as a state that people can achieve, but as an ideal that people can strive for. People who are well are likely to be better able to resist disease and to fight disease when it strikes. And by focusing attention on healthy ways of living, the concept of wellness can have a beneficial impact on the ways in which people face the challenges of daily life.

1. Today medical care is placing more stress on______.

A．keeping people in a healthy physical condition

B．monitoring patients' body functions

C．removing people's bad living habits

D．ensuring people's psychological well-being

2. In the first paragraph, people are reminded that_____.

A．good health is more than not being ill

B．drinking, even if not to excess, could be harmful

C．regular health checks are essential to keeping fit

D．prevention is more difficult than cure

3. Traditionally, a person is considered "well" if he ______.

A．does not have any unhealthy living habits

B．does not have any physical handicaps

C．is able to handle his daily routines

D．is free from any kind of disease

4. According to what the author advocates, which of the following groups of people would be considered healthy?

A．People who have strong muscles as well as slim figures.

B．People who are not presently experiencing any symptoms of disease

C．People who try to be as possible, regardless of their limitations.

D．People who can recover from illness even without seeking medical care.