【推荐1】An elderly carpenter was ready to retire. He told his employer of his plans to leave the house building business and live a more leisurely life with his wife, enjoying his extended family. He would miss the pay check, but he needed to retire.

The employer was sorry to see his good worker go and asked if he could build just one more house as a personal favor. The carpenter said yes, but in time it was easy to see that his heart was not in his work. He used shoddy materials to build the house. It was an unfortunate way to end his career.

When the carpenter finished his work and the employer came to inspect the house, he handed the front-door key to the carpenter. “This is your house,” he said, “my gift to you.”

What a shock! What a shame! If he had only known he was building his own house, he would have done it all so differently. Now he had to live in a home he hadn’t built very well.

It is the same with us. We build our lives in a distracted way, reacting rather than acting, willing to put up with less than the best. At important points, we don’t give the job our best effort. Then with a shock we look at the situation we have created and find that we are now living in the house we have built. If we had realized that, we would have done it differently.

Think of yourself as the carpenter. Think about your house. Each day you hammer a nail, place a board, or erect a wall, build wisely. It is the only life you ever build. Even if you live it for only one day more, that day deserves to be lived graciously and with dignity. The plague (牌匾) on the wall says, “Life is a do-it-yourself project.”

Who could say it more clearly? Your life today is the result of your attitudes and choices in the past. Your life tomorrow will be the result of your attitudes and the choices you make today.

1. Why was the carpenter ready to retire?

A．He wanted to have a relaxed life.

B．He found a better-paid job.

C．He could still survive without working.

D．He was tired of his job.

2. What does the underlined word “shoddy” in the second paragraph probably mean?

A．Beautiful.

B．Best.

C．Bad.

D．General.

3. What is the main idea of the fifth paragraph?

A．We should build a good house to live in.

B．We always regret what we have done.

C．We should try our best to do things well.

D．We prefer to react, rather than act.

4. What does the author mainly want to tell us in the text?

A．We should build a house wisely.

B．Life is a do-it-yourself project.

C．Building a house is like building a life.

D．We should have the right attitude towards life.

【推荐2】We were ordinary people taking the bus every day that summer. During the early morning rides, we sat sleepily on our seats. One of the passengers was a small grey man to the center for senior citizens. He walked with a stoop (驼背) and a sad look on his face. We paid little attention to him.

Then one July morning he said good morning to the driver and smiled to us before sitting down. The driver nodded politely, the rest of us being silent. The next day, the old man boarded the bus energetically, smiled and said loud, “Good morning!” Some of us looked up, amazed, and murmured “Good morning”. The following weeks we were more surprised. Our friend was dressed in a nice old suit with the thin hair carefully combed. He said good morning to us every day and we gradually began to nod and talk to each other. One morning he had a bunch of wild flowers in his hand. The driver smilingly asked, “Have you got yourself a girlfriend?” He nodded shyly, “She lives at the center.” The other passengers whistled and clapped at him. Charlie bowed before sitting down.

Every morning after that Charlie always brought a flower. Some regular passengers began bringing him flowers for his bunch. Everyone smiled and joked about it.

But one morning he didn’t turn up. When he wasn’t there the following days, we started wondering if he was sick or... We stopped at the center for senior citizens. The staff told us he was fine, but he hadn’t been coming that week. One of his very close friends had died at the weekend. They expected him back on Monday. How silent we were on the rest of the way to work!

The next Monday he was waiting at the stop, stooping a bit more and a bit more grey. Inside the bus was a silence, all of us sitting with our eyes filled with tears and wild flowers in our hands.

1. The old man boarded the bus energetically probably because _______.

A．he bought a bunch of flowers	B．he got to know other passengers
C．he fell in love with a lady	D．he had a sweet dream

2. What change did the old man bring to the early morning bus?

A．The passengers were silent.	B．The bus was full of life.
C．The passengers were sleepy.	D．The bus was punctual.

3. Why didn’t the old man turn up for several days?

A．He was in sorrow for the loss of his girlfriend.

B．He wondered whether others cared about him.

C．He had a quarrel with the staff of the center.

D．He wasn’t himself for the cold weather.

4. What can we infer from the story?

A．Only love can affect others’ emotions.

B．The old man’s passion for love inspires others.

C．The passengers didn’t care about others’ feelings.

D．The center for senior citizens is a good place for love.

【推荐3】It’s “Baby Day” at the Riverpark seniors home in Ottawa—a twice monthly event Eulah Johnson, 90, never misses.“I really enjoy it. It's a shift from the regular routine,” says the retired nurse.

Today, Johnson sits on a sofa and looks at a laughing child on the seat of her walker. A few moments later, the girl skips off to play with the dozen or so other small children and babies mixed with 20 of Johnson’s fellow residents.

Some, like 12-month-old Owen, are regular visitors to Ottawa seniors’ homes.“We’ve been doing this since he was three months old,” says his mother, Allison Rodgers, 33.

She loves the social calls, too.“I didn't have grandparents while growing up. It’s nice to spend time with older people, and it feels good to know they re betting so much out of it.”

Babies Who Volunteer, the initiative (倡议) bringing these generations together, is the inspired idea of Jessica Turner, a former educational assistant. The idea came about during a March 2018 visit with her 22-month-old daughter Amelia to a friend’s mother, who was living in a long-term-care unit. She was most surprised by the response of her friend's mother; she hadn’ t spoken in two years, but with Amelia in her lap, she began singing. Turner went home and immediately put out a call on a mums’ Facebook group: Would anyone be interested in dropping by seniors’ residences with their babies?

A year later, there are now 1,500 volunteers, and the organization visits 39 homes in Ottawa. Everyone benefits from intergenerational programmes, she says.“This playgroup is good for the mothers, too. They’re giving something to the community, which provides a sense of purpose and belonging. It can really help someone who is feeling lonely.”

1. What’s the event Eulah never misses at the seniors home?

A．A visit with his children.	B．Baby Day performances.
C．Children's regular visit.	D．His shift from routine work.

2. What does Jessica think is the benefit of the project?

A．Children can grow up with their grandparents.

B．Everyone can meet their need for communication.

C．Online attention can be drawn to the life of seniors.

D．Mothers can have a life goal by reaching out to the old.

3. What is the text mainly about?

A．Regular visits to the old.	B．The baby effect on seniors.
C．Connection with the seniors.	D．Mothers’ sense of belonging.

【推荐1】The former National Football League player and children’s author Tim Green has added another book to his list of accomplishments: Unstoppable. The book tells the story of a 12-year-old boy named Harrison,who lives in a cruel foster home (寄养家庭) before he finally finds a loving family. Once he settles in and realizes his natural football ability, tragedy strikes again and he loses his leg because of deadly bone cancer. Unstoppable follows Harrison’s incredible journey as he faces many challenges in his life.

Tim Green said he decided to write a novel about a kid facing cancer after watching how his wife fought to survive her own illness. “Her mental and physical toughness was more heroic to me than anything I’d ever seen in the national sports leagues,” Green told TFK kid reporter Zachary J. Lewis.

After watching his wife’s battle, Green said he knew he needed to write about a person who struggled against a serious illness. But because teenagers are the target for his books, he needed to tell the story through the eyes of a teenager.

When friends introduced Jeffrey Keith to Green, Green knew he had found the right person to help him“capture(捕捉) the heroism that it takes to fight cancer”. Cancer survivor Jeffrey Keith lost his leg because of disease at twelve, but he went on to be a goalie(守门员) and was also the first to run3,300miles across the country. When Green heard Jeffrey Keith’s story, he knew it was the perfect narrative on which his next book would be based.

TFK asked Keith what it felt like to read Unstoppable for the first time. “Tim captured what it felt like for me to go through this experience and battle back,” Keith said. “After I read the book, Tim asked me to describe it in one word, and I said ‘awesome’. Tim’s book sends a message to all the kids across the country that are facing obstacles that can have nothing to do with cancer: you are all unstoppable, as long as you believe it.”

1. What happened to Harrison after he was adopted by a loving family?

A．He became a goalie of a football team.

B．He lost one of his legs in an accident.

C．He was found to suffer from blood cancer.

D．He realized he had talent for playing football.

2. Who inspired Tim Green to write the novel Unstoppable?

A．A boy named Harrison

B．His wife.

C．Zachary J. Lewis.

D．Jeffrey Keith.

3. What can we know from the last paragraph?

A．Jeffrey Keith thinks highly of Unstoppable.

B．Jeffrey Keith has read Unstoppable many times.

C．Unstoppable will be one of the best-sellers this year.

D．Jeffrey Keith is fond of reading all inspiring novels.

4. The novel Unstoppable intends to inspire kids to______.

A．become a writer as they wish

B．pursue their dreams bravely

C．fight against disease fearlessly

D．overcome any obstacles ahead

【推荐2】I’m an architect. One of my services is helping clients move into new office space. Last year, a client was moving into a storefront. The space had formerly been occupied by a photography studio, which looked as if it had been abruptly abandoned.

Piled against one wall was a huge pile of photos. I gazed at one photo. A family, all dressed up, smiling. They'd put on their best clothes, come here to the studio, sat for the photos. A moment in time captured (捕捉到) a moment of life. I stood there, picturing all those smiling faces packed into a dumpster (垃圾大铁桶). Two days later, after getting permission, my family drove two minivans to the abandoned studio. We loaded armful after armful of photos into the vans.

“We'll have to put them in the basement. I wonder why the company just left them there," my wife Dawn said when we got home. "It was said the company had gone broke and shut all its stores around the country, " I said.

We pulled the photos into the basement. I looked up the company, a national chain. There were news stories about customers around the country losing their portraits (肖像),calling phone numbers that no longer worked. I imagined what it would feel like to lose a treasured family portrait. I knew all about the power of small gestures to give someone a welcome shot of hope.

The kids helped me sort the photos. We made a spreadsheet of names and whatever contact information we could find, sending a group text message inviting people to set up a time to collect them. People began arriving at the house. But it was only a few people.

“Try social media," said the kids.

I posted a message to a community board on Facebook. The phone rang. And rang. E-mails poured in. Then the COVID-19 temporarily blocked our project. When lockdown eased, we restarted reuniting people with photos, returning more than 60 of the 105 photos.

1. Where did the author find some deserted photos?

A．At his working place.	B．At a friend's home.
C．At his former office.	D．At a client's studio.

2. What drove the author to take the photos home?

A．His curiosity to study them.

B．His eagerness to help the owners.

C．The intention to collect them for fun.

D．The idea of selling them for money.

3. What might have delayed some photos' journeys back to their owners?

A．The breakout of a disease.	B．The poor mailing channel.
C．The owners' neglect.	D．The author's hesitation.

4. What would the author feel about the outcome of the event?

A．It's disappointing.	B．It's imaginable.
C．It's encouraging.	D．It's interesting.

【推荐3】Every morning Grandpa got up early and sat at the table to read his books. His grandson tried to do the same.

One day, grandson said, “Grandpa, I tried to read those books just like you did, but I forgot what I had read as soon as I closed the books. What good does the reading do?”

Turning around, the old man pointed to a dirty basket beside the table and replied, “Take this basket down to the river and bring back a basket of water.”

The boy did as he was told, but all the water was all gone before he got back to the house. Grandpa laughed and said, “You have to run a little faster next time.”

Again, the boy did as he was told. But the basket was still empty before he reached the house. Out of breath, he told grandpa that it was impossible to carry water in a basket. He decided to get a bucket instead.

But Grandpa said, “I don’t want a bucket of water. I just want a basket of water. Maybe, you’re not trying hard enough.”

Again, the boy did as he was told. But when he ran back, the basket was still empty. He said breathlessly, “Grandpa, it’s useless!”

“Do you think so?” Grandpa asked, “Look at the basket again.”

The boy looked at the basket and for the first time he realized that the basket was different. It had been changed from a dirty basket to a clean one.

The lesson: We might not remember everything, but when we keep reading, we’ll be changed, inside and outside.

1. The grandson was confused about       .

A．what kind of book he should read	B．whether it was useful to read books
C．why he forgot what he read so soon	D．how he could read like his grandpa did

2. Why did Grandpa ask his grandson to use a basket to carry water?

A．To train him to run faster.	B．To show what good reading can do.
C．To clean the dirty basket.	D．To punish him for not reading carefully.

3. Which of the following best describes Grandpa?

A．Funny.

B．Stupid.

C．Curious.

D．Wise.

4. What lesson does the author want us to learn from the story?

A．Reading can change a person slowly.	B．It is foolish to carry water with a basket.
C．The old are always smarter than the young.	D．It is important to remember what we read.