【推荐2】When people ask how many languages I speak, I reply I have forgotten six. That’s the problem with languages: if you don’t use them you lose them. But a little practice soon brings them back and you can once again enjoy the magic of talking to others in their own language and on their own terms.

I was a disaster at languages at school. I obtained 5 out of 200 in zero level French — an all time record. I was badly taught and I could never see the point. But as a young Royal Navy soldier to Singapore in the early 1960s,I heard that in Malay there was one word for “let’s take off our clothes and tell dirty stories”. Suddenly I saw the point. I never found the word, but in the process I learnt my first language. In the mid-60s,I was sent to the deep jungle among the local people. In their long-houses there were dried human heads hanging from the frames of the houses. I decided I would feel more comfortable if I knew their language too.

Not long after that, I spent two years learning official Chinese language in Hong Kong. One day, at a party with fellow students and teachers I tried to make a small talk with my female Chinese teacher. “Have you ever flown in planes?” However, with my terrible Chinese tones, I made a mistake by asking “Have you by any chance sat upon a flying cock?” So you can imagine how I really felt inside my mind at that moment! You know what it means by speaking in such an uncomfortable tune to a female teacher!

Then I changed my languages and chatted with her in German, French and Russian in brief. God Heavens! My female Chinese teacher finally reacted and turned her red face to normal! Indeed this is the only time in my adult life when I haven’t been learning a language. Languages have changed my life-and enriched it. And I think they can change yours too.

1. In the writer’s eyes, the loss of using a language can be obtained       .

A．by practicing it more often	B．from a zero level record
C．by learning the points	D．from a Chinese teacher

2. The writer was not very good at languages at school because       .

A．he hated speaking Chinese with female people

B．he didn’t learn languages very effectively

C．his French tests were always a zero record

D．his Chinese teachers taught him in a bad way

3. The mistake with the female teacher at the party       .

A．would make the writer more confident of his Chinese level

B．would certainly bring the writer a severe punishment

C．brought the writer into a very embarrassing situation

D．would make her think highly of his Chinese level

4. The writer turned to other languages to talk to his teacher in order to       .

A．warn people not to make any mistakes in official language

B．advise people to try using more languages to talk with others

C．suggest a diversity of changes of languages in people’s life

D．relieve the tense atmosphere to make her relaxed

【推荐3】A year ago, I paid no attention to English idioms, though my teacher emphasized (强调) the importance again and again. But soon, the importance of English idioms was shown in an amusing experience.

One day, I happened to meet an Englishman on the road, and soon we began to talk. As I was talking about how I was studying English, the foreigner seemed to be astonished. Gently shaking his head, shrugging his shoulders, he said, “You don’t say!” “You don’t say!” I was puzzled. I thought, perhaps this is not an appropriate topic (适当的话题). “Well, I’d better change the topic.” So I said to him. “Well, shall we talk about the Great Wall? By the way, have you ever been there?” “Certainly, everyone back home will laugh at me if I leave China without seeing it. It was magnificent.” He was deep in thought when I began to talk like a tourist guide. “The Great Wall is one of the wonders in the world. We are very proud of it..” Soon I was interrupted again by his words: “You don’t say!” I couldn’t help asking, “Why do you ask me not to talk about it?” “Well, I didn’t request you to do so,” he answered, greatly surprised. I said, “Didn’t you say you don’t say?” Hearing this, the Englishman laughed to tears. He began to explain, “‘You don’t say’ actually means ‘really!’ It is an expression of surprise. Perhaps you don’t pay attention to English idioms.” Only then did I know I had made a fool of myself. Since then I have been more careful with idiomatic expressions. Remember: what the English teachers said is always right to us students.

1. A year ago, I paid no attention to English idioms because _______.

A．English idioms were not important

B．I was not careful with English idioms

C．my teacher didn’t emphasize the importance of them

D．I had no interest in them

2. At first, on hearing “You don’t say,” I thought the foreigner meant _______.

A．he was not interested in the topic

B．he was only interested in the Great Wall

C．I had talked too much

D．I had to stop talking

3. The underlined word in the first paragraph probably means _______.

A．interesting

B．important

C．terrible

D．unlucky

4. Which of the following is true according to the passage？

A．The Englishman left China without seeing the Great Wall.

B．The Englishman wanted to see the Great Wall after I talked about it.

C．The Englishman wanted me to act as his guide.

D．The Englishman visited the Great Wall and thought it worth visiting.

【推荐1】Allan Felix is running a big business — something hard to imagine after she lost her sight in her twenties. When she was 21 years old, she went blind due to certain illness. She recalled, “I hid in my home. I hid in the place; to me, that was the safest place in the world.”

Luckily Felix was not someone who gave up easily. Soon she began to explore the world by using her other senses. She touched and smelled everything she came across. She was soon able to do certain jobs herself, like milking the cows.

In her father’s farm, Allan Felix found a new way forward. She founded a company, bringing in organic wines from many different countries. She traveled from South America to Europe with the help of Hanley (a guide dog named Hanley). At first, Allan Felix resisted the idea of a Seeing Eye dog. But it’s hard to imagine her life or her business without him. She said, “When someone tells me something is organic and I don’t really believe it because I taste something funny on it, I’ll put it in front of Hanley’s face and if he likes the wine, he’ll actually go in and sniff it. If it’s not right, he’ll turn his head away. He goes to the vineyard with me. He scratches around. He makes sure that we see earthworms and butterflies. That’s how we know the soil is actually organic and that there are no chemicals.”

Felix told CBS News she believes the loss of her vision was a gift. She said, “It allowed me to pay attention to what I thought was important and also to be able to teach people the broken hang nail is not a big deal, you know what I mean? All things will round to him who will but wait.”

1. Why did Allan Felix hide in her home?

A．She was shy and didn’t want to meet strangers.

B．She feared that she would be hurt outside.

C．She disliked being exposed to the sun.

D．She got used to being alone at home.

2. What do you know about Hanley?

A．It is no more than a guide dog.

B．It likes drinking organic wine.

C．It can distinguish earthworms and butterflies.

D．It helps Allan a lot in her organic wine business.

3. What does the underlined phrase “the broken hang nail” mean?

A．A nail which is of no use.	B．A task that is not easy to finish.
C．The difficulty you have to deal with.	D．The gift that God gives you.

【推荐2】I’ve worked in the factories surrounding my hometown every summer since I graduated from high school, but making the transition (转变) between school and full-time blue-collar work during the break never gets any easier. For a student like me who considers any class before noon to be uncivilized, getting to a factory by 6 o’clock each morning is torture. My friends never seem to understand why I’m so relieved to be back at school or that my summer vacation has been anything but a vacation.

There’re few people as self-confident as a college student who has never been out in the real world. People of my age always seem to overestimate the value of their time and knowledge. In fact, all the classes did not prepare me for my battles with the machine I ran in the plant.

The most stressful thing about blue-collar life is knowing your job could disappear overnight. Issues like downsizing (裁员) and overseas relocation had always seemed distant to me until my co-workers told me that the unit I was working in would shut down within six months and move to Mexico.

After working 12-hour shifts in a factory, the other options have become only too clear. When I’m back at the university, skipping classes and turning in lazy re-writes seems too irresponsible after seeing what I would be doing without school. All the advice and public-service announcements about the value of an education that used to sound stale now ring true.

“This job pays well, but it’s hell on the body,” said one co-worker. “Study hard and keep reading,” she added. My experiences in the factories have inspired me to make the most of my college years before I enter the real world for good.

1. How did the author look back on his summer days while at college?

A．They were no holiday for him at all.

B．They brought him nothing but torture.

C．They were a relief from his hard work at school.

D．They offered him a chance to know more people.

2. What does the author say about college students?

A．They are confident of their future.

B．They think too highly of themselves.

C．They have little interest in blue-collar life.

D．They expect too much from the real world.

3. What, according to the author, is most frustrating for blue-collar workers?

A．They do not get decent pay.	B．They have to work 12-hour shifts.
C．They do not have job security.	D．They have to move from place to place.

4. In what important way has the author’s work experience changed him?

A．He learned to be more practical.

B．He acquired a sense of urgency.

C．He came to respect blue-collar workers.

D．He came to appreciate his college education.

【推荐3】An 11-year-old boy has become a hero since his quick thinking saved two lives. Davyon Johnson helped save a choking (窒息的) classmate and a woman trying to escape a fire. On Dec. 8, 2021 the Muskogee County Sheriff’s Department honored Johnson for his heroics at a meeting. At the event, Undersheriff Greg Martin gave the sixth-grader a certificate naming him an honorary deputy for the Muskogee County Sheriff’s Office. “We are all so proud of you, Johnson!!” wrote the sheriff’s office in a post on Facebook on Dec.14, 2021.

The Muskogee Public Schools recognized Davyon Johnson during the meeting Tuesday. Principal Latricia Dawkins considered Johnson a hero in an interview. “He always says that he wants to be an emergency medical technician. So he put that desire into action and immediately saved that young man,” Dawkins said, adding that Johnson “is just a kind soul and liked by students and teachers”.

The first incident happened during the school day. Johnson jumped into action after one of his classmates accidentally swallowed a water bottle cap and was choked by it after trying to open it with his mouth. Johnson immediately ran to the child and performed the Heimlich maneuver. Dawkins said, “From the account of the witnesses, when he did it, the bottle cap came out.” Johnson said he learned how to do the Heimlich maneuver on YouTube, and suggested others do the same.

Johnson’s heroism didn’t end there. After school, during the day after he saved his classmate, Johnson found a woman trying to escape from a burning home. He quickly realized the worried woman was moving slowly and ran across the street to help her. “She was a disabled lady and being a good citizen, I should help her leave,” Johnson said. LaToya, the boy’s mother, said, “I don’t feel surprised at my son’s actions. I’m just a proud mom.”

1. What is Johnson’s dream?

A．To be a professional firefighter.

B．To be the principal of a school.

C．To be the deputy director of an office.

D．To be an emergency medical technician.

2. Which words can best describe Johnson?

A．Patient and enthusiastic.

B．Easy-going and knowledgeable.

C．Brave and warm-hearted.

D．Determined and clever.

3. What is the Heimlich maneuver according to the text?

A．A way to calm a person who is angry.

B．A way to help a person who can’t walk.

C．A way to save a person who is choking.

D．A way to save a person who is caught in a fire.

4. Why does the author write the news?

A．To report an 11-year-old boy’s brave act.

B．To describe two serious accidents.

C．To call people’s attention to dangerous things.

D．To prove the importance of Heimlich maneuver.