【推荐1】Carlotta sits down to draw a self-portrait (自 画像).The room is very dark, lit just by a few candles. She doesn't need light, because she's not using a mirror or a photograph --- instead, with one hand she traces the outline of her face, while her other hand draws the shapes on paper.

“It's always a surprise when I see my drawings in daylight,” she says.

Carlotta is an artist. Her apartment is filled with self-portraits - about 1,000 of them, she thinks. Each one is completely different, and they have an otherworldly quality. Shapes overlap. Several heads may be projected on top of each other, sometimes upside down. In one, she has three eyes, in another six.

If she catches sight of herself in a mirror, Carlotta will think, “The woman looking at me is in my clothes and in my flat, so it must be me." She will also recognize her hair - it's what happens underneath those gray curls that's a mystery.

Carlotta's condition began to cause problems when she was a young girl, in Munich in the 1960s, though at first no one really noticed. School was a horrible experience. Everyone looked the same to her. The children bullied (欺凌)her. "If a child can't recognize her classmates, then she must be stupid/⁵ she says.

"Art was definitely an escape for me - without it, I wouldn't be where I am now ," she continues. “In making art, I was able to deal with a lot of the emotions and the difficulties I experienced in my childhood. Face blindness has had a major effect on my life but has also given me a sense of purpose as an artist - to make self-portraits of the face 1 cannot picture in my mind.”

1. How does Carlotta draw self-portraits?

A．By using a mirror.	B．By observing light changes.
C．By feeling the outline of her face.	D．By copying her photograph.

2. What does Carlotta's condition refer to in paragraph 5?

A．She couldn't recognize faces.

B．She liked drawing self-portraits.

C．She was bullied by other children.

D．She wasn't as smart as her classmates.

3. What message is conveyed in the passage?

A．Still waters run deep.

B．Rome is not built in a day.

C．He who laughs last laughs best.

D．Misfortune may prove a blessing.

【推荐3】I didn’t know how to say no, and was afraid to tell people what I wanted. Instead, I got myself tangled (纠结的) in a web of obligations (义务), anxiety, and white lies.

The worst thing was that I didn’t even realize what I was doing. I thought I knew how to say “no”, but couldn’t remember the last time I had. Like a lot of people, I just wanted to be accepted, appreciated, loved, and that the only way to get those things was to put everyone else’s needs before my own.

I never seemed to have time for things I really wanted to do. I’d like to learn Spanish, write more fiction, and travel. These aren’t huge goals. And yet, my people-pleasing ways cut into my free time to stop these desires.

But recently, I decided I’d had enough. As an experiment, I began standing up for myself, even at the risk of alienating (使疏远) myself from everyone and having my entire life come crashing down around me. Several days ago, a good friend asked me to go for coffee at 5 pm. I was planning to go to the gym. So I said, “Sorry, I’ve got things I want to do tonight.” She said sincerely, “That’s fine. Maybe another time.” It was all so simple that I got surprised.

Saying “no” is so much easier. If someone asks me to do something I have zero interest in, I’m polite but honest. “I’m sorry. I don’t think that’s really for me.” The words slip out of my mouth faster than some other excuses.

Learning how to say “no” has added several extra hours to my days, days to my weeks, and to my years. I no longer have to give up my plans to help friends with their matters, or set aside a weekend for others. Saying “no” has set me free.

1. Why was the author afraid of saying “no”?

A．She didn’t want to tell lies.	B．She wanted to keep her hobby a secret.
C．She wanted to please every one.	D．She was always willing to help others.

2. What was the bad point of being afraid to say “no” for the author?

A．She was trusted no longer.	B．She lost the chance to make friends.
C．She felt sad now and then.	D．She had no time for her own hobbies.

3. How did the author’s friend feel when getting “no”?

A．Natural.

B．Painful.

C．Angry.

D．Worried.

4. Which of the following can best describe the author after she had learnt to say “no”?

A．Lonely.

B．Relaxed.

C．Anxious.

D．Lost.

【推荐2】Although books are still popular with teenagers, most of them spend more of their leisure time staring at their phone than reading a paperbook..    1    Instead of publishing whole book at once, they produce very short chapters, which they send once a week to their readers by text message.

    2    Many are written by high school or university students who are very familiar with the topics that teenagers are interested in. Common themes are love, tragedy and betrayal, and the stories often deal with difficult or controversial issues.

Twenty-one-year-old Rin wrote her novel over a six-month period in spare moments, often while commuting on the train.    3    Her book sold 40000 copies and was number five in the Japanese bestseller list. Rin said that her mother had had no idea that she had been writing a novel and was therefore very surprised when she saw a book with her daughter's name on it

    4    Chapters have no more than 200 words, and often just 50-100 words. Sentences are short and there are no descriptions of anything or anybody because there isn't space. The text mostly consists of dialogue and the language is direct, conveying a lot in a few words.

In 2009, a young Japanese writer called Takatsu, who lives in Canada, began writing the first English language cell phone novel, Secondhand Memories. Takatsu had read an English translation of Rin’s story and had been impressed by its simple and emotional language. It was a feature he deliberately copied when he started writing Secondhand Memories.    5    He now believes that, in English, cell phone novels have a powerful and poetic identity of their own. Cell phone novels encourage young people to engage in fiction, even those who would not normally pick up a book. They could be described as ten novels for the 21st century.

A．Books are sometimes regarded as old-fashioned and difficult to read.

B．In response 10 this trend, some smart young authors have changed the way they write.

C．However, as the story progressed, the style gradually evolved into something different.

D．She typed out chapters on her phone and uploaded them onto a popular website for cell phone authors.

E．No money is made from cell phone novels unless they are published as books.

F．The style of cell phone novels has evolved to suit the medium.

G．Although the idea originated in Japan, cell phone novels have also appeared in the rest of world.

【推荐3】The American book Who Moved My Cheese has been a best-seller all over the world.

    1     Now its author Spence Johnson has written a book just for teenagers.

The book tells us that when facing changes in our lives,like a new school or new friends,don’t be afraid.Instead,use these changes to make a better life.

    2     A school is changing from having two terms to three terms because there are too many students.Several teenagers are talking about this.Most of them are unhappy and worried.But Chris laughs and tells a story about two mice,two little people and some cheese.    3     Here,cheese means something important in life,like moving to a new class or getting into college.    4    

The mice realize that they can’t change what has happened and have to find more cheese.    5     The little people,however,can’t do this.They are afraid of change so they find no cheese.

After Chris finishes the story,the friends understand one thing:to get more cheese,move in a new direction quickly.His friends understand how this can be used in the changes all teenagers face,such as doing well at school or having good relationships or just feeling good about yourself.

A．But they find the cheese is gone.

B．This means finding different dreams.

C．The four are in a maze looking for the cheese.

D．The book gives an example of a change at school.

E．It teaches people how to face changes in their lives.

F．However,some strange things happened in a school.

G．It tells a story which happened between mice and people.