【推荐2】Cowboys, policemen, princesses and superheroes are all characters kids choose to be on any given day. Putting on a play can be a fun activity that lets them act out their favorite characters as well as use their artistic ability to create the stage.

Best of all, they will be able to use their favorite line “ look at me” as the audience sits down to enjoy the production.

Help your kids decide on a play they would like to act out. Use the Internet or the library to find scripts (剧本) for older reading kids. For younger kids, they can act out a favorite story or a fairy tale. Of course, you could always help them write their own scripts.

Decide how many characters are needed. Invite neighbors and friends to be in your play or let your kids play more than one character. Make sure you teach them to change the way they look, move and speak so the audience can tell the difference.

Search for costumes and props (道具) supplies. Find clothes from your closet or attic (阁楼) , or go to a garage sale. Help everyone make a mask or put on makeup to represent their characters.

Get creative. Make tickets, invitations, movie posters and props for your kids’ play. You can even decorate a curtain and hang it in front of the stage. Set up chairs for the audience.

Choose your music. Pick something that goes with the theme of the play. Ask someone to play the piano or have the kids make up songs and help them make homemade instruments.

Rehearse the play. The more the play is practiced, the better it will be. Try starting early in the summer and practicing once a week. Set out a snack after rehearsal and make it light-hearted and fun. Then perform the play at the end of the summer vacation.

Invite the audience to sit down and enjoy the play.

1. Which of the following characters may not be chosen by kids?

A．Policemen.	B．Princesses.
C．Superheroes.	D．Beggars.

2. What can we learn from the passage?

A．Putting on a play can improve kids’ imagination.

B．Kids of different ages should choose the same script.

C．A kid can act out different characters in the same play.

D．Different costumes and props are not important on stage.

3. The underlined word “ Rehearse” has the closest meaning to “___________”.

A．research	B．review
C．practice	D．remember

4. Which is the best title for the passage?

A．How to Help Kids to Put on a Play

B．How to Give Kids Useful Advice on Performances

C．How to Get Kids Interested in Performing

D．How to Teach Kids to Show Their Character

【推荐3】NEW YORK – On a quiet weekend at the box office, "Ralph Breaks the Internet" was No. 1 for the third straight week, while the upcoming DC Comics superhero film "Aquaman" made a huge splash in Chinese theaters.

With no new wide releases, Disney's "Ralph" again led in domestic (国内的) ticket sales with an estimated $16.1 million. The animated sequel has grossed more than $140 million in three weeks.

Another holdover, "The Grinch," with Benedict Cumberbatch as the voice of Dr. Seuss' title character, trailed in second with $15.2 million in its fifth weekend.

But the weekend's biggest new arrival was in China, where "Aquaman" debuted with $93.6 million in ticket sales. That marked a new record for a DC title in China and ranks fourth all-time for superhero films.

Rounding out the top five: "Creed II," the latest in the "Rocky" series, starring Michael B. Jordan as Adonis Creed, finished third with $16.8 million. J.K. Rowling's "Harry Potter" prequel "Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald" held in fourth with $11.2 million, while Queen biopic" Bohemian Rhapsody was fifth with $8.1 million.

1. What is the total earning of “Ralph Breaks the Internet” for the first three weeks?

A．$16.1 million.	B．$140 million.
C．$15.2 million.	D．$93.6 million.

2. Which film is a DC superhero film in the passage?

A．The Grinch.	B．Fantastic Beasts.
C．Aquaman.	D．Creed II.

3. The top five films are ranked (排名) based on their earnings during _________.

A．a weekend	B．a week
C．three weeks	D．a month

【推荐2】Help Hermit Crabs

Hermit crabs are nature’s recyclers. They eat waste and help keep oceans and shores clean. Unlike other crabs, the hermit crab has a thin outer shell over its soft tail. This makes the hermit crab easy prey for hungry predators(天敌). Hermit crabs stay safe by living in old seashells. A hermit crab is picky(狡猾); it tries on many shells until it finds one that fits just right. In recent years, however, many hermit crabs have had trouble finding their perfect homes. What is the problems? There are not enough shells to go around!

One reason for the seashell shortage is that ocean water is not as clean as it once was. This has caused chemical changes to sea water. Some sea animals, like snails, are affected by these changes. Now there are fewer snails making shells. People visiting the beach often take shells home as souvenirs(纪念品). This is another problem. Other people even take shells for their own pet hermit crabs! They do not realize that hermit crabs in the wild need those shells too.

Now people are working to solve this hermit crab housing shortage. They are teaching beach-Boers to leave seashells where they belong—at the seashore! Some people even make fake seashells that they hope the hermit crabs will like. For example, a group called Project Shelter invited people who visited their website to create different designs for hermit crab shells.

These designers had a lot to consider. What kind of material should be used to build seashells. The material must be light enough for the hermit crab to carry, but strong enough to protect the crab from predators. The man-made shells could not contain glue or any other substance(物质)that might harm a hermit crab. Another challenge with building a hermit crab home was the opening to the shell. Too big would mean the crab would not feel safe. Too small would be uncomfortable, and the crab would not want to move in.

The Project Shelter shells are placed in the wild for hermit crabs to find. Lucky hermit crabs can move into these new dream homes.

1. Where can hermit crabs stay safe?

A．In different old seashells.

B．Behind the waste they’ll eat.

C．In their own thin outer shells.

D．Under the stones at the seashore.

2. What does the underlined word “fake” in Para. 3 mean?

A．man-made

B．perfect

C．hard

D．comfortable

3. What is the passage mainly about?

A．The Project Shelter Group.

B．The shortage of the seashell.

C．New homes for hermit crabs.

D．The recyclers of the nature.

【推荐3】In its best times on the nineteenth century, thatch (茅草屋顶) played an important role in protecting British homes from the weather. But new technologies since have led to a rapid decline in thatching and many of the thatched cottages that remain have been changed beyond all recognition by developers or have run into disrepair, a rather upsetting reminder of a bygone age.

A Welsh company, however, is trying to breathe new life into some of the last traditional thatched cottages in western Wales by repairing them and letting them out as holiday homes. Called “Under the Thatch”, the company is run by Greg Stevenson, who lives in his own thatched cottage in Ceredigion. An architectural historians by training, he repairs old buildings in old-fashioned ways.

All the cottages are in attractive locations around southwest Wales. Unlike most holiday homes, the cottages are let all year round---chiefly because Greg prices them lower than many holiday properties( 房屋) and he’d prefer that properties are rented just above cost price than not used at all. And with that comes a bargain or two: it’s common for a property to go for as little as£35 a night. Consequently occupancy for properties with “ Under the Thatch” is at 95 percent( the average in Wales is 35 percent)

Its success has meant that Greg has been able to buy up more old cottages and bring them back into the community. Greg has also diversified from offering only thatched cottages: he now lets out a variety of rare accommodations dotted around western styles , including a renovated(修复的) train carriage and two gypsy caravans which were used by Romanies.

Most of his thirty properties are run using environmentally friendly technologies. Including solar panels and recycled furnishings. But most importantly, what the cottages all have in common is that they bring back life to local communities. Spend a weekend “Under the Thatch” rather than in a holiday home, buy local food and visit nearby restaurants, and you will be contributing to the local economy.

1. How does the author sound when talking about thatched cottages in Paragraph 1?

A．Excited	B．Afraid
C．Sorry	D．Humorous

2. What is the main reason for the success of “Under the Thatch”?

A．The properties’ low prices.

B．The company’s excellent services.

C．The company’s creative designers.

D．The properties’ beautiful locations.

3. Beside thatched cottages, what does Greg’s company provide?

A．Design plans for modern cottages.

B．Other uncommon styles of holiday homes.

C．Environmentally friendly technologies.

D．Advice on developing the local economy.

4. What can be the best title for the text?

A．Buy Up Traditional Thatched Cottages.

B．Protect British Homes from the weather.

C．Spend a Weekend Under the Thatch.

D．Bring Properties Back into the Community.