【推荐1】When Laura wanted to go into the garden by the back door, it was blocked by servants.

Something had happened.

“What's the matter? What's happened?"

“There's been a horrible accident/ said the cook. "A man killed."

“A man killed! Where? How? When?”

Know those little cottages just below here, Miss?” Know them? Of course, Laura knew them. "Well, there's a young guy living there, name of Scott, a carter His horse shied（受惊）at a traction-engine, and he was thrown out on the back ofhis head. Killed.^

“Dead!" Laura stared at the cook.

“Dead when they picked him up," said the cook. 'Just now they were taking the body home. He'$ left a wife and five little ones.

come here;' Laura caught her sister's sleeve and dragged her through the kitchen into the garden. There she paused. "Jose!" she said, horrified, ''however are we going to stop everything?'

"Stop everything, Laura!” cried Jose in astonishment. “What do you mean?”

"Stop the garden party, of course.Why did Jose pretend?”

But Jose was still more amazed. "Stop the garden party? My dear Laura, don't be so absurd. Of course we can’t do anything of the kind. Nobody expects us to. Don't be soextravagant”

“But we can’t possibly have a garden party with a man dead just outside the front gate.”

That really was extravagant. Those little cottages, those miserable houses, had no right to be in that rich neighbourhood in the first place. When Laura and Jose were little they were even forbidden to set foot there because of the rude language and of what they might see. It was dirty and disgusting.

“And just think of what the band would sound like to that poor woman," said Laura.

"Oh, Laura!” Jose began to be seriously annoyed, lf you are going to stop a band playing every time some one has an accident, you'll lead a very difficult life, I'm every bit as sorry about it as you. But you won't bring a drunken workman back to life by being sentimental（多愁善感的）.”

"Drunk! Who said he was drunk?” Laura turned angrily on Jose, “I'm going straight up to tell mother

Do, dear," said Jose, gently.

"Mother, can 1 come into your mom?" Laura turned the big glass door-knob.

"Of course, child. Why, what’s the matter? What's given you such a colour?” And Mrs. Sheridan turned round from her dressing-table. She was trying on a new hat.

"Mother, a man's been killed,began laura.

“Not in the garden?" interrupted her mother.

“No, no!”

"Oh, what a fright you gave me!" Mrs. Sheridan sighed with relief and took off the big hat and held it on her knees.

"But listen, mother,,, said Laura, Breathless, half-choking, she told the dreadful story. "Of course, we can't have our party, can we?" she begged. "The band and everybody arriving. And the poor family would hear us, mother; they're nearly neighbours!”

“Oh, Laura's astonishment her mother behaved just like Jose; it was harder to bear because she seemed amused. She refused to take Laura seriously.”

“But, my dear child, use your common sense. If some one had died there normally一and I can't understand how they keep alive in those little holes一we should still be having our party, shouldn't we??”

Laura had to say “yes” to that, but she felt it was all wrong.

"Mother, isn't it terribly heartless of us?” she asked.

"Darling!" Mrs. Sheridan got up and came over to her, carrying the hat. "My child!” said her mother, "the hat is yours. It's made for you. Wow! Look at yourself!And she held up her hand-mirror.

"But, mother, Laura began again. She couldn't look at herself; she turned aside.

This time Mrs. Sheridan lost patience just as Jose had done.

"You are being very absurd, Laura," she said coldly. "People like that don't expect sacrifices from us. And ifs not very sympathetic to spoil everybody ,s enjoyment as you are doing now,"

"I don't understand,'' murmured Laura. Then, quite by chance, she saw this charming girl in the mirror, in the beautiful hat. Never had she imagined she could look like that. Is mother right? she thought. And now she hoped her mother was right. Am I being extravagant? Perhaps. Just for a moment she had another glimpse of that poor woman and those little children, and the body being carried into the house. But it all seemed blurred, unreal, like a picture in the newspaper. I'll remember it again after the party's over, she decided. And somehow that seemed quite the best plan …

1. Laura suggested stopping everything because .

A．something bad had happened in the garden

B．her neighbours were experiencing great grief

C．the servants blocked the back door of the garden

D．she wanted to provide material help for the poor family

2. What does the last paragraph mainly tell us?

A．Laura was trying to submit herself to her family.

B．The news of the carter's death finally hit the headlines.

C．Laura hoped mother was right in choosing that hat for her.

D．A poor man's death was little more than an unimportant thing,

3. What will most probably happen following this story?

A．Laura came up with a best plan to solve all this.

B．Laura managed to persuade her mother and sister.

C．The party just continued as planned in the garden,

D．The poor widow came over to scold the band.

4. Which of the following can best describe Laura?

A．Sentimental and persistent.	B．Optimistic and easy-going.
C．Considerate and sympathetic.	D．Hardworking and open-minded,

5. What does the underlined word “extravagant” probably mean?

A．Too sensible.	B．Not practical
C．Too upright.	D．Not sympathetic.

6. Which of the following can be the best title of the story?

A．The garden party.	B．The quarrel.
C．rhe rich and the poor.	D．The death of a neighbour.

【推荐2】It’s not unusual for us to be together with our relatives on the weekends. But you know that holidays can be the chances for families to get together. Also, it may be a time to break your relationship because of some improper conversations. Now, Deborah Tannen, a Georgetown University professor, offers suggestions to improve communication at the holiday table. Let’s take a look.

A round dinning table is best for promoting a lively conversation because everyone faces one another. So, avoid seating grandparents at the ends of a rectangular(长方形的）table, even though it is the traditional place of honor. The old may feel lonely there because they will be unable to hear or keep up with a conversation. So do female family members because they prefer to face each other when they talk. However, Men might look around at other things. “Guys may be more relaxed looking at the TV or other interesting things.” says Tannen.

When talking, you should notice the people who are not involved in it. If you feel you are doing all the talk, wait to give others a chance to start. If you feel you can’t get a chance to speak, try to make yourself to start talking.

Besides, Some families find that gatherings will go better if they take part in an outdoor activity. Going to a park for a walk may be more enjoyable than sitting around talking.

1. According to the passages, seating the old at the ends of a rectangular table _______.

A．might stop them from talking

B．may make them feel uncomfortable

C．is a good way to show them honor

D．allows them to follow a conversation

2. Which of the following is TRUE according to the text?

A．Men like to make more eye contact than women.

B．Women prefer outdoor activities over sitting around talking.

C．Men may be more relaxed while watching TV.

D．Women always want to doing all the talk.

3. The main purpose of the text is to _______.

A．introduce Deborah Tannen

B．give us some advice on how to spend holidays

C．suggest how we can talk and act properly when families are getting together

D．look at the person and listen to him when you are talking with others

【推荐3】Types of Family Structures

Family structure has changed noticeably over the last 50 years.     1    

Nuclear Family

The nuclear family is the traditional type of family structure, consisting of two parents and children.     2     Children in nuclear families receive strength and stability from the two-parent structure and generally have more opportunities due o the financial ease of two adults In America, almost 70 percent of children live in a nuclear family unit.

Extended Family

The extended family structure consists of two or more adults who are related, either by blood or marriage, living in the same home. This family includes many relatives living together and working toward common goals.     3     Extended families are becoming increasingly common all over the world.

Stepfamily

Many marriages end in divorce, and many of these individuals choose to get remarried. This creates the stepfamily which involves two separate families merging into one new unit.     4     Stepfamilies are as common as the nuclear family, though they tend to have more problems. Stepfamilies need to learn to work together to ensure these family units run smoothly.

There is no right or wrong answer when it comes to what is the best type of family structure.     5     Families need to do what is best for each other and themselves, and that can be achieved in almost any unit.

A．Parents go to look after elders occasionally.

B．They raise the children together, due to financial difficulties.

C．The nuclear family was long held by society as the ideal to raise children.

D．It consists of a new husband and wife and their children from previous marriages.

E．As long as a family is filled with love and support for one another, it is successful.

F．The following types of families exist today, with some falling into different kind.

G．While these types of families are distinct in definition, in practice the lines are less clear.

【推荐1】No one knows exactly how many disabled people there are in the world,  but estimates (估计)  suggest the figure is over 450 million.The number of disabled people in India alone is probably more than double the total population of Canada.

In the United Kingdom, about one in ten people have some disability.Disability is not just something that happens to other people: as we get older, many of us will become less mobile, hard of hearing or have failing eyesight.

Disablement can take many forms and occur at any time of life.Some people are born with disabilities.Many others become disabled as they get older.There are many progressive disabling diseases.The longer time goes on, the worse they become.Some people are disabled in accidents.Many others may have a period of disability in the form of a mental illness.All are affected by people's attitude towards them.

Disabled people face many physical barriers.Next time you go shopping or to work or visit friends, imagine how you would manage if you could not get up steps, or on to buses and trains.How would you cope if you could not see where you were going or could not hear the traffic? But there are other barriers: prejudice can be even harder to break down and ignorance inevitably represents by far the greatest barrier of all.It is almost impossible for the able-bodied to fully appreciate what the severely disabled go through, so it is important to draw attention to these barriers and show that it is the individual person and their ability, not their disability, which counts.

1. The first paragraph points out that __________ .

A．there are many disabled people in the world

B．the number of disabled people in India is the greatest

C．India has much more disabled people than Canada

D．it is impossible to get an exact figure of the world's disabled people

2. The key word in paragraph 4 is ___________.

A．disability

B．ignorance

C．prejudice

D．barriers

3. The last word of the passage "counts" most probably means " _________ ".

A．is most important	B．is considered
C．is included	D．is numbered

4. It can be concluded from the passage that  __________.

A．we should try our best to prevent disability

B．both physical and mental barriers are hard to break down

C．we must take a proper attitude towards the disabled

D．the able-bodied people will never fully understand the disabled

【推荐2】Farming is moving indoors，where the sun never shines，where rainfall is irrelevant and where the climate is always right.The perfect crop field could be inside a windowless building with controlled light，temperature，wetness，air quality and nutrition.It could be in a New York high­rise or a sprawling complex in the Saudi desert.It may be an answer to the world's food problems.

The world already is having trouble feeding itself.Half the people on Earth live in cities，and nearly half of those－ about 3 billion－are hungry or ill­fed.Foodprices，currently increasing，are buffeted by dryness，floods and the cost of energy required to plant，harvestand transport.And prices will only get more unstable.Climate change makes long­term crop planning uncertain.Farmers in many parts of the world already are using water available to the last drop.And the world is getting more crowded：by mid­century，the global population will grow from 6.8 billion to 9 billion.

To feed so many people may require expanding farmland   at the expense of forests and wilderness，or finding ways to completely increase crop output.

Gertjan Meeuws has taken the concept of a greenhouse a step further，growing vegetables and house plants in enclosed (封闭的) and regulated environments.In their   research station，water flows into the pans when needed，and the temperature is kept constant.Lights go on and off，creating similar day and night，but according to the rhythm of the plant.

A building of 100 square meters and layers (层) of plants could provide a daily diet of 200 grams of fresh fruit and vegetables to the entire population of Den Bosch，about 140,000 people.Their idea isn't to grow foods that require much space，like corn or potatoes.

Here sunlight is not only unnecessary but can be harmful.Plants need only specific wavelengths of light to grow.Their growth rate is three times faster than under greenhouse conditions.They use about 90 percent less water than outdoor agriculture.And city farming means producing food near the consumer，and there's no need to transport it long distances.

1. What can we mainly learn from Paragraph 2?

A．The climate is worse and worse.

B．The city people live a hard life.

C．The world has difficulty feeding its people.

D．The world's population is increasing fast.

2. Which of the following is true of the environments in   the research station?

A．The temperature is often changed.

B．Sunshine is in great need for plants.

C．Day and night depends on plants.

D．Air quality is controlled by plants.

3. It can be inferred from the text that Gertjan   Meeuws's farming________.

A．helps save sea water a lot

B．is highly adaptable

C．resembles greenhouse agriculture

D．suits the production of corn

4. What is the text mainly about?

A．Development of indoor farming.

B．Great Revolution in farming.

C．Advantages of indoor farming.

D．Sunless，rainless indoor farming.

【推荐3】Faces, like fingerprints, are unique. Did you ever wonder how it is possible for us to recognize people? Even a skilled writer probably could not describe all the features that make one face different from another. Yet a very young child or even an animal, such as a dolphin can learn to recognize faces.

We also tell people apart by how they behave.When we talk about someone’s personality, we mean the ways in which he or she acts, speaks, thinks and feels make that person different from others.

Like the human face, human personality is very complex.But describing someone’s personality in words is somewhat easier than describing his face. If you were asked to describe what a “nice face” looked like, you probably would have a difficult time doing so. But if you were asked to describe a “nice person”, you might begin to think about someone who was kind, considerate, friendly, warm and so on.

There are many words to describe how a person thinks, feels and acts. Gordon Allport, an American psychologist, found nearly 18,000 English words characterizing differences in people’s behavior. And many of us use this information as a basis for describing or typing his personality.

People have always tried to “type” each other. Actors in early Greek drama wore masks to show the audience whether they played the villain’s (坏人) or the hero’s role. In fact, the words “person” and “personality” come from the Latin, meaning “mask”. Today, most television and movie actors do not wear masks. But we can easily tell the “good guys” from the “bad guys” because the two types differ in appearance as well as behaviors.

1. Why does the author mention the fingerprints in Paragraph 1?

A．To make people learn to recognize faces.

B．To show people have different personalities.

C．To describe the features of fingerprints.

D．To explain people differ in facial features.

2. Why can we tell one type of person from another?

A．People differ in behavioral and physical characteristics.

B．Human fingerprints provide unique information.

C．People’s behavior can be easily described in words.

D．Human faces have complex features.

3. Which of the following is the major point of the passage?

A．Why is it necessary to identify people’s personality?

B．Why is it possible to describe people?

C．How to get to know people?

D．How to recognize people best?

【推荐1】As most of us know, talking and listening don’t go smoothly every time.Will your parents take you seriously, believe what you say, listen to and respect your opinions?    1    But some of what happens depends on you, too.Since communication is a two－way street, the way you talk can influence how well a parent listens and understands you.So here are some guidelines to consider when talking to parents：

●Be clear and direct.Be as clear as you can about what you think, feel, and want.    2    They can listen better or be more helpful if they understand what you mean and what’s really going on.

●Be honest. If you’re always honest, a parent will be likely to believe what you say.If you sometimes hide the truth or add too much drama, your parents will have a harder time believing what you tell them. If you lie, they’ll find it hard to trust you.

●Try to understand their point of view.If you have a disagreement, can you see your parents’ side?    3    Telling your parents you understand their views and feelings helps them be willing to see yours, too.

●Try not to argue or complain. Using a tone that’s friendly and respectful makes it more likely that your parents will listen and take what you say seriously.    4    If you think your emotions might get the better of you, do something to blow off steam before talking: Go for a run.Cry.    5    Do whatever it takes to sound calm when you need to.

A．Hit your pillow.

B．If you can, say so.

C．A lot depends on your parents.

D．Think twice before you make a decision.

E．Your parents won’t always see things in your way.

F．Give details that can help your parents understand your situation.

G．Of course, this is hard for any of us when we’re feeling heated about something.