【推荐1】I've lived in big cities. And I was often woken at night and frequently concerned by the almost constant sounds of car and truck engines. I now live in the middle of the woods.

So I was excited when hearing about the Spanish city that has prevented cars from running. It seemingly means I could have everything that a city offers museums and culture, walking to get groceries or delicious coffee, a quick subway or bus ride to work —and peace and quiet. It sounds like that's what people in Pontevedra got after this city carried out its leader Lores' order of changing 75 acres of this city's historic center into a pedestrian-only place.

Formerly, the area had been filled with cars. People tried to get in and out of the area as quickly as they could. Cars would get stuck in the area when they tried to cross the city, while others circled endlessly looking for a parking space, which led to upset for drivers and plenty of noise for pedestrians and residents.

Later the area was rebuilt with beautiful stones and returned to pedestrians. Nearly three-quarters of what were car journeys are now made on foot or by bicycle. Air becomes much cleaner. As a result, the population of central Pontevedra is obviously increasing after it has attracted 12.000 new residents from nearby towns to live there.

Considering the negative health effects of pollution, it makes sense to get rid of cars from at least some parts of urban areas. The good news is that Pontevedra isn't the only one to expand car-free areas. Dublin, Santa Monica and Burlington have pedestrian-only areas, too. These cities' great changes will probably positively shape many other leaders' decisions on city planning.

1. What do we know about the author's past life in cities?

A．She preferred to keep to herself.	B．She visited museums constantly.
C．She didn't live quite joyfully there.	D．She didn't like working during the day.

2. What may Lores' order have led to according to the author?

A．Tourists being less interested in the city.	B．More museums and factories being built.
C．Transportation becoming a little inconvenient.	D．People better enjoying services offered by the city

3. What did Pontevedra's historic center use to look like?

A．It had fantastic scenery.	B．It was troubled by traffic.
C．It was crowded with bicycles.	D．It had fewer parking lots.

4. What does the author think of Pontevedra's plan for cars?

A．It needs to be improved.	B．It may be adopted by more cities.
C．It differs from the Santa Monica's.	D．It harms the rights of many drivers.

【推荐2】More and more pupils are giving teachers presents, but the practice only creates insecurity in parents and staff.
I’ve certainly noticed some pupils being feverishly overgenerous of late. Last year, I received not one bottle of wine but four for helping a disaffected pupil through his GCSEs. By and large, my colleagues report the gifts differing along gender lines. Gentlemen get ties, mugs, booze and, if they’re really lucky, tickets to football matches. The ladies are often presented with flowers, jewels, chocolates and so on.
When my son was at private school, I noticed there was a real competitiveness between the students about giving presents to teachers, with expensive baskets from fancy stores and huge bouquets being handed out on the last days of term. Since my wife and I only let my son give thank-you cards, it was clear we were not “classy”. Now he is at an inner-city primary, we’ve noticed that this kind of nonsense seems to have more or less disappeared. For one thing, there isn’t that kind of money floating around – but there isn’t that kind of competitive culture either.
Personally, I think gifts to teachers should be banned beyond the thank-you card: they cause many more problems than they solve, creating insecurity in both parents and staff. Perhaps the recession and the lack of money in people’s pockets might be a good excuse for the government to issue some guidelines to schools that gifts shouldn’t be accepted by teachers.
The gifts that I really value are the cards which say a genuine thank you. I still keep them in a file at home.
1. What can the author most probably be?

A．A teacher.	B．A school nurse.
C．A researcher.	D．A gift shop owner.

2. The underlined word “nonsense” in Paragraph 3 refers to the fact that ________.

A．the son only gives thank-you cards to teachers

B．the author and his wife are not classy

C．the son goes to an inner-city primary

D．the students give gifts to teachers

3. To solve the problem, the author thinks it’s a good way to ________.

A．forbid the students to give any gifts to teachers

B．create insecurity by giving thank-you cards

C．make people have less money in pockets

D．issue some guidelines by the government

4. Which of the following can be the best title?

A．Don’t Forget to Give Gifts to Your Teachers

B．Presents Won’t Make Pupils Teachers’ Pets

C．Learn the Competitive Culture of Gifts

D．Refuse Presents from Your Students

【推荐3】For some students, there's nothing better than sitting back during school breaks with some friends, family and a couple scary movies, not having to worry about homework. There are also students (such as myself) who get anxious during school breaks because we don't have anything to do. Over fall break I got a slight head start on my homework, wrote an article for this paper, did some laundry and other chores and slept about 10 hours every day. And I still found myself feeling bored.

During breaks many students take the opportunity to camp while it's still warm outside, or ski if it's not. But you know what's happening to the people who make a habit of avoiding homework or productive activities over breaks? They're messing up their sleeping patterns, by procrastinating and then cramming in homework that's suddenly due in two days, and finally wishing the break could last a little longer.

This is why we should make it a point to do homework over short breaks. I'm not saying that professors give students a 10-page essay to write or have them finish an entire book during a break — I'm just encouraging students to make use of time to get ahead.

Breaks are for family, friends and oneself. Doing a lot of homework during breaks can make one feel burnt out, but it will benefit everyone to take some time to catch up or get ahead so that when the break ends and we have to pull ourselves back to reality, we're not left hoping uselessly for a longer break.

When teachers give you homework over fall break, they' re forcing you to use your break the way you should. A break is meant to give you the gift of time, and it should be used wisely. Work today so you can party tomorrow. Party today and you'll be hating the work tomorrow.

1. What do we know about the author during school breaks?

A．She doesn't just want to get relaxed.	B．She never gets bored due to her study.
C．She tries to keep herself as busy as possible.	D．She enjoys the life without homework anxiety.

2. What does the underlined word “procrastinating” in Paragraph 2 mean?

A．Depending on.

B．Turning to.

C．Picking out.

D．Putting off.

3. Which of the following statements would the author agree with?

A．One should avoid parties over school breaks.

B．Studying properly over school breaks reduces stress.

C．School breaks are for students to relax rather than study.

D．Students should do much homework during school breaks.

4. What's most probably the author's purpose in writing the text?

A．To show the importance of homework.	B．To explain why school breaks are useful.
C．To tell us how we should spend school breaks.	D．To give us some tips on how to study at home.

【推荐1】Cheating can happen in a lot of different ways. When people cheat, it’s not fair to other people, like the kids who studied for the test or who were the true winners of a game.
Many people like the action of cheating. It makes difficult things seem easy, like getting all the right answers on the test. But it doesn’t solve the problem of not knowing the material and it won’t help on the next test --- unless the person cheats again.
Some people lose respect for cheaters and think less of them. The cheaters themselves may feel bad because they know they are not really earning that good grade. And, if they get caught cheating, they will be in trouble at school, and maybe at home, too.
Some kids cheat because they’re busy or lazy and they want to get good grades without spending the time studying. Other kids might feel like they can’t pass the test without cheating. Even when there seems to be a “good reason” for cheating, cheating isn’t a good idea.
If you were sick or upset about something the night before and couldn’t study, it would be better to talk with the teacher about this. And if you don’t have enough time to study for a test because of swim practice, you need to talk with your parents about how to balance swimming and school.
A kid who thinks cheating is the only way to pass a test needs to talk with the teacher and his or her parents so they can find some solutions(解决办法) together. Talking about these problems and working them out will feel better than cheating.
1. The author thinks that when kids cheat in class,________.

A．it is unfair to other people

B．it does harm to their health

C．teachers should punish them

D．teachers shouldn’t stop them at once

2. Some students like cheating mainly because_________.

A．the material in the test is very difficult

B．they want to do better than the others

C．cheating can make hard things seem very easy

D．they have little time to study their lessons

3. The fourth paragraph mainly tells us______.

A．cheating isn’t a good idea

B．why kids cheat in the test

C．some kids can’t pass the test without cheating

D．some kids don’t spend the time studying

4. In the passage those cheaters are advised to_______.

A．spend more time on school than on sports

B．find good solutions instead of cheating

C．try hard to be intelligent rather than lazy

D．ask their classmates for good methods of study

【推荐2】Going from middle school to high school can be difficult, as students are faced with new academic and social challenges. Before the first day of high school, there are things every soon-to-be high school freshman and his family should know.   

People that have a fixed mindset (思维倾向) believe that they are born to be great or weak. On the other hand, people that have a growth mindset believe that their greatness or weakness is because of their own actions. I totally agree that students should have a growth mindset. I don’t expect any student to move from just passing a subject to an A+. It’s going to take time and focused effort; just keep working on it.   

Parents should prepare students to fight the battle “on the pillow” and “in the kitchen”. When I say “pillow”, I mean sleep. Not having enough sleep can have some surprising effects on students, including improper behaviour, anxiety and poor grades. The second weapon is eating healthy and balanced meals. Studies show that students who eat nutritious meals and who exercise 60 minutes a day remain more attentive (专心的) during the school day and experience improved academic achievement and grades. This last “secret” weapon is not to have over-scheduled time. Make sure students know how to set realistic plans and how to say no to tasks and activities that aren’t important to them.   

A lot of students who know each other from primary and middle school are in their “comfort zones”, feeling they have a sense of control over and expectations of their relationships. Then comes the first real day of high school, and that will all change. The reason why I encourage high school freshmen to step out of their comfort zones, though often scary, is that comfort zones get boring and there are many kinds of people to get to know. Let’s encourage them to get involved, have fun and play.

1. Which of the following represents a fixed mindset?

A．I’m at the starting point of my potential.

B．My mother is not good at chemistry either.

C．I should start studying a little earlier next time.

D．It’s okay if I fail; at least I’ve learnt something.

2. What might the author encourage parents to do?

A．To prepare healthy meals for their kids.

B．To praise their kids when they do well in school.

C．To take their kids to visit their grandparents often.

D．To buy soft pillows for their kids to have a good rest.

3. What is the third weapon mainly about?

A．Enjoying good health.	B．Acquiring the ability to say no.
C．Balancing schoolwork and play.	D．Developing time management skills.

4. What does the underlined word “that” in the last paragraph refer to?

A．The expectation of future.

B．The value of friendship.

C．The feeling that they have control over relationships.

D．The feeling that they become helplessness.

【推荐3】Chinese are very generous(慷慨的) when it comes to educating their children. Not caring about the money, parents often send their children to the best schools or even abroad to England, the U.S. or Australia. They also want their children to take extra-course activities where they will either learn a musical instrument or ballet, or other classes that will give them a head start in life. The Chinese believe that the more expensive an education is, the better it is. So parents will spend unreasonable amount of money on education. Even poor couples will buy a computer for their son or daughter.

However, what most parents fail to see is that the best education they can give their children is usually very cheap.

Parents can see that their children’s skills vary, skilled in some areas while poor in others. What most parents fail to realize though, is that today’s children lack self-respect and self-confidence.

The problem is that parents are only educating their children on how to take multiple-choice tests and how to study well, but parents are not teaching them the most important skills they need to be confident, happy and clever.

Parents can achieve this by teaching practical skills like cooking, sewing and doing other housework.

Teaching a child to cook will improve many of the skills that he will need later in life. Cooking demands patience and time. It is an enjoyable but difficult experience. A good cook always tries to improve his cooking, so he will learn to work hard and gradually finish his job successfully. His result, a well-cooked dinner, will give him much satisfaction and a lot of confidence.

Some old machines, such as a broken radio or TV set that you give your child to play with will make him curious and arouse his interest. He will spend hours looking at them, trying to fix them; your child might become an engineer when he grows up. These activities are not only teaching a child to read a book, but rather to think, to use his mind. And that is more important.

Title: What Chinese Parents Do in     1     Their Children

Attitude towards Children’s education	●Chinese are very     2    , serious and devoted in education.
Measures	●Never       3     too much of money. ●Send them to the best schools or abroad. ●Want their children to take       4     in extra-course activities.
Belief	●The more investment in education, the       5     the result will be.
What they can see in their children	●Their children skill in some fields with     6     skills.
What they can’t see in their children	●Lack of self-respect and     7     in themselves.
8     of their failure	●Only teach them how to take multi-choice tests and       9     hard at study. ●Never teach them the most important skills they need to be confident, happy and clever.
How to    10    with the problems	●Only by teaching practical skills, can they succeed in education.