【推荐1】My father and I have been separated for over two years. He was physically violent and emotionally abusive to me throughout my childhood, and I felt that I couldn’t forgive him. And yet, now he is dying, unconscious and struggling to breathe through an oxygen tube after a major stroke, all I can think of is how much he loved me.

How he would hold my fringe (刘海) back and kiss me on the forehead before school. How he bought me a pottery set and roller skates, although we were struggling by on just his salary, and allowed me to skate to school. How he would play chess and tennis with me, and take me to endless chess and tennis tournaments, even though I never won anything. How he would read the Guardian every day and fill in the quick crossword, but leave a few clues and praise me if I solved them. He kept every one of my Guardian columns, and every article I ever had published, even during our many estranged (疏远) periods. He gave me a lot of his savings to buy a flat after I became a single mum. And he set my date of birth as the passcode on his phone.

Yet I’m ashamed to say I blamed him, often, for everything: my anorexia (厌食症), my cutting, my anxiety, my depression... He was there during the tough times, yet all I could think was that the tough times happened because of him, forgetting that the causes of events are complex, and that plenty of people who had happy childhoods have to deal with mental illness and domestic violence too.

I even stopped him from seeing my daughter, then three, the thing that brought him most happiness, because I was scared he would hurt her, and that her life would be like mine. That decision would mean he never spoke to me again.

When we spent time together in previous years, my father hugged me a lot yet never talked much. Born in 1930s America during the Depression, he was a man of few words, a silent romantic who signed his empty Valentine’s cards to my mother with only his first initial. I know he thought I talked too much; ironically, I never told him what I needed to. Knowing he was old, I tried to get back in touch several times to make things right, but my mother said he didn’t want to hear from me. I understand that. Why would he want to hear from the daughter who was never able to forgive him for his mistakes; who brought them up time after time, unable to accept his apologies? Who prevented him from seeing his granddaughter? Who scolded him for his faults, yet never acknowledged his numerous kindnesses?

It’s much too late now. When I sit by his hospital bed and hold his large wrinkled hand, far too warm, and ask him to squeeze it if he can hear me, he doesn’t. So I tell him a few of the things I should have told him when he was conscious, though it’s hard to say the words: that I love him very much, and that I’m sorry about the estrangement. And it reminds me of what I’ve known for a long time: that my dad didn’t know how to be a father to me when I was young, because his father was abusive to him as a child. His father died estranged from his son; my father is dying estranged from his daughter.

I never thought that I’d feel this broken at losing him. I fantasise that his eyes will open, and that he will be conscious again for just a few days. I will give him a letter thanking him for all the things I have remembered while writing this piece, and apologizing for all the ways I have wronged him. And when I deliver the letter, I will bring my five-year-old daughter with me, so he can see her happiness and sweetness, and learn that the chain of hurt that has been passed down from generation to generation has finally been broken.

1. The separation between Father and the daughter is mainly caused by ______.

A．Father’s cruelty towards the daughter

B．Father’s irresponsibility for the family

C．the daughter’s protection of her kid from harm

D．the daughter’s misunderstanding of her father

2. Father rejected his daughter’s offer to get in touch with him because ______.

A．he was too ashamed to face his daughter

B．he couldn’t support his daughter any more

C．he couldn’t pardon his daughter’s ignorance

D．he was content to live away from his daughter

3. The author’s father can be described as ______.

A．generous, cold and stubborn	B．strict, caring and stubborn
C．generous, strict and inconsiderate	D．caring, cold and inconsiderate

4. What message does the author want to convey in the underlined part?

A．The granddaughter will break the family chain to live freely.

B．The previous way of family education will no longer continue.

C．There will be no restriction in the family from that moment on.

D．Father will leave the world without any regrets and sufferings.

5. What might be the best title of the passage?

A．East or west, home is best	B．A good medicine tastes bitter
C．It’s no use crying over spilt milk	D．Where there is life, there is hope

【推荐2】As a young girl growing up in the 1930s, I always wanted to fly a plane, but back then it was almost unheard of for a woman to do that. I got a taste of that dream in 2001, when my husband arranged for me to ride in a hot air balloon for my birthday. But the experience turned out to be very dull. Around that time, I told my husband that I wanted to skydive. So when our retirement community announced that they were having an essay competition and the topic was an experience of a lifetime that you wanted to have, I decided to write about my dream.

In the essay, I wrote about my desire to skydive, stating George Brush Sr. did it at age 80. Why not me? I was just 84 and in pretty good health. A year went by and I heard nothing. But then at a community party in late April 2009, they announced that I was one of the winners. I just couldn’t believe it. Inspired by this, I decided to realize my dream, even though some of my family members and my doctor were against it.

On June 11, 2009, nearly 40 of my family and friends gathered in the area close to where I would land while I headed up in the airplane. My instructor, Jay, guided me through the experience. The plane was the noisiest one I had ever been in, but I wasn’t frightened—I was really just looking forward to the experience. When we reached 13,000 feet, Jay instructed me to throw myself out of the plane. When we first hit the air, the wind was so strong that I could hardly breathe. For a second I thought, “What have I gotten myself into?” But then everything got calmer. We were in a free fall for about a minute before Jay opened the parachute（降落伞）, then we just floated downward for about five minutes. Being up in the clouds and looking at the view below was unlike anything I have ever felt—much better than the hot air balloon. I was just enjoying it.

Skydiving was really one of the greatest experiences of my life. I hope other people will look at me and realize that you don’t stop living just because you are 84 years old. If there’s something you want to experience, look into it. If it’s something that is possible, make it happen.

1. The author mentioned George Bush Sr. in her essay to ________.

A．make her argument persuasive	B．show her admiration for him
C．compare their health condition	D．build up her own reputation

2. How did the author feel immediately after she jumped out of the plane?

A．Excited.	B．Regretful.
C．Nervous.	D．Scared.

3. What did the author enjoy most when she was skydiving?

A．The beautiful clouds.	B．The wonderful view.
C．The company of Jay.	D．The one-minute free fall.

4. What is the best title of the passage?

A．Impossible is nothing	B．A dream made come true
C．An unforgettable skydiving	D．I Went Skydiving at 84!

【推荐3】It was one of my first lessons as an international student in New York City. My US history teacher had just finished his lesson. He sat back in his armchair comfortably, and asked: “Was there anybody doing anything interesting yesterday?”

“I drew a panda, which was lovely!” a girl beside me shouted.Then, the talk developed rapidly. Someone said he had received his learner’s driving permit, while another mentioned that she had spent the first salary from her part-time job. Everybody seemed to have something to say. Although there was a range of people, from different backgrounds, people seemed to feel at home with each other.

Not me. I stayed aloof from the discussion. I looked through my notes until I looked up to see another teacher come in and share some cookies he had made yesterday. The beautifully baked cookies sent out a good smell, which made it impossible to concentrate on my work any longer. However, my seat was in the back row, and I was too shy to stand up and take a cookie for myself.

“Go ahead and have one!” It was the history teacher: “If you don’t stand up, nobody is going to feed you!”

I was still hesitant, but I got up and took a cookie with some other classmates. Now I felt more at ease. We laughed about how “greedy” we were.

The “cookie crisis” had taught me a lesson. I would have to be less shy in the United States. Here was a mixed and various culture, and if I wanted to get anywhere I would have to brave its newness and difference and make myself heard, just as the teacher had said. Otherwise, “Nobody is going to feed you.” It was something a person new to the US, such as myself, needed to learn.

1. The atmosphere in a US classroom is quite __________.

A．lively	B．lonely
C．bad	D．quiet

2. What does the underlined phrase “aloof from” mean?

A．in spite of	B．instead of
C．apart from	D．away from

3. What prevented the writer from getting a cookie for himself at first?

A．His bravery.	B．His shyness.
C．His strangeness.	D．His weakness.

4. The “cookie crisis” in the last paragraph was __________ to the writer.

A．an important problem	B．a kind of valuable food
C．a turning point in his life attitude	D．a dream in his school life

【推荐1】On Punctuality

A punctual（守时的）man is in the habit of doing everything at the proper time and is never late for an appointment.

The unpunctual man，on the other hand，never does what he has to do at the proper time.     1    There is an old saying "Time flies never to be recalled." This is very true.     2     Time is more valuable than material things. In fact，time is life itself，and the unpunctual man is forever wasting and mismanaging his own valuable assets（资产）as well as others'. The unpunctual man is always complaining that he finds no time to answer letters，or to return calls，or to keep appointments promptly（准时地）.     3    He knows that he can't get through his large amount of work unless he faithfully keeps every appointment promptly and deals with every piece of work when it has to be attended to.

    4    If a person is invited to a dinner and arrives later than expected，he keeps all the other guests and the host waiting. This is great disrespect.

    5    Imagine how it would be if the people who are entrusted with important tasks fail to be at their proper place at the appointed time. A man who is known to be habitually unpunctual is never trusted by his friends or his fellow men. And the unpunctual man is a source of annoyance both to others and to himself.

A．Of these the former is the majority.

B．Broadly speaking，humans can be divided into two classes.

C．Failure to be punctual is a sign of disrespect towards others.

D．Unpunctuality is very harmful when it comes to doing one's duty.

E．A lost thing may be found again，but lost time can never be regained.

F．He is always in a hurry and in the end loses both his time and his good name.

G．But the man who really has a great deal to do is very careful of his time and seldom complains of want of it.

【推荐3】For each working person, the rarest resource is your daily time. You may feel like that you do not have enough hours in the day, only endless things to do. Of course, some of these things are not part of your job, such as other colleagues asking for your help or bosses making new demands.

How can we reasonably refuse them?

    1     Just by doing the following three steps, you can usually make yourself and the other person comfortable while refusing them.

◆ Listen patiently to others’ requests

It’s not simply hearing what the other person is saying. You have to stop what you’re doing and carefully listen to what they say.     2     The point is to let the other person see that you are willing to help, and let them understand that you’ve already known their needs. In this way, even if you eventually refuse them, they’ll understand that you are not available, instead of not willing to help.

◆     3    

When we listen, we all hope that other people will come to a conclusion quickly. But when we speak, we instinctively（本能地）start from the beginning of the story. In fact, this way of speaking is not good for communication. So if you want to refuse somebody, just tell them No, and then explain the reasons why.

◆ Provide an alternative solution

Maybe you really don’t have the time to listen to the other person’s request. In situations like this, don’t just tell the other person that you don’t have the time.     4     For example, you may say, “Sorry, I really don’t have the time right now. Is it OK if we talk tomorrow morning?” In this way, although you refuse him, he still can feel your support.

In conclusion, refusal is unavoidable, but you can choose the way to refuse. An inappropriate refusal may cause great harm to your working life.    5    .

A．Begin with conclusion when refusing.

B．Start from the beginning when refusing.

C．Even if your time is limited, it is best for you to do so.

D．Instead, you should give them a time when you would be available.

E．In addition, this willing-to-help attitude also shows leadership skills.

F．In fact, there has been a mature methodology (科学方法) for this matter since long ago.

G．An artistic refusal, on the other hand, may lead you to some unexpected benefits.

【推荐2】More than one in five species of maple trees faces extinction, a shocking new report has revealed.

The trees are experiencing a vast decline in habitat, due to urban development, timber harvesting, and agricultural expansion. “Time is running out for the world’s biodiversity,” said Douglas Justice, associate director at the University of British Columbia Botanical Garden. “Every recent survey of plants and animals in the wild points to this.” He continued, “This is happening nearly everywhere that rarer maples exist. And because of climate change, the narrow habitats that support species at the tops of mountains are quickly disappearing.”

The trees can be found in sub-tropical and tropical regions, as far south as Indonesia. The only species found in the UK, the field maple is not under threat. Not only are the trees a popular ornamental feature in parks and public spaces, but also they are a key part of the natural ecosystem in woodlands, as well as being an important timber crop in several countries.

China is home to the largest proportion of maples with 92 species. It has seen a number of trees become endangered due to urban expansion. Some 14 of the 23 maple trees at risk of extinction in the country are only found in China and have small populations and limited geographical ranges. “We still have an opportunity to save species from disappearance, but it will take expertise, resources and the cooperative efforts by the world’s botanical gardens to make it work,” Justice added.

One species in Mexico, the Acer binzayedii, is in “desperate need of conversation” despite only being discovered in 2017. “It is at risk from climate change in its cloud forest habitat and threatened by grazing, logging, and forest fires,” the report adds. The report recommends developing conversation plans, monitoring species currently not at risk to ensure populations are maintained, and adding those missing maple species to seed banks and the like.

BGCI(Botanic Gardens Conversation International)is now establishing a conversation program to address the conservation needs of maple species. Maple specialists will work together to develop comprehensive strategies to manage and deliver conservation action points for the species.

1. What is the major reason for maple trees’ extinction?

A．A lack of scientific research.	B．The rarity of the new species.
C．The losses of their habitats.	D．Problems with the distribution.

2. What’s Justice’s attitude to saving maple trees?

A．Hopeful.

B．Skeptical.

C．Reserved.

D．Negative.

3. What are the last two paragraphs intended to tell us?

A．There is no guarantee of maintaining the tree populations.

B．It can never be too late to join hands to protect the species.

C．All maple trees of the species are on the edge of extinction.

D．Effective measures should be taken to conserve maple trees

4. What can be a suitable title for the passage?

A．Time is running out for maple trees.	B．Maple trees are vital to the ecosystem.
C．Maple trees will stand tall in nature.	D．Climate change puts maple trees at risk.

【推荐3】A new study of 8, 000 young people in the Journal of Health and Social Behavior shows that although love can make adults live healthily and happily. It is a bad thing for young people. Puppy love （早恋）may bring stress for young people and can lead to depression （忧郁症）. The study shows that girls become more depressed than boys, and younger girls are the worst of all.

The possible reason for the connection between love and higher risk of depression for girls is "loss of self"According to the study, even though boys would say "lose themselves in a romantic relationship", this "loss of self" is much more likely to lead to depression when it happens to girls. Young girls who have romantic relationships usually like hiding their feelings and opinions. They won't tell that to their parents.

Dr Marian Kaufnian, an expert on young people problems, says 15% to 20% young people will have depression during their growing. Trying romance often causes the depression. She advises kids not to jump into romance too early. During growing up, it is important for young people to build strong friendships and a strong sense of self. She also suggests the parents should encourage their kids to keep close to their friends, attend more interesting school activities and spend enough time with family.

Parents should watch for signs of depression - eating or mood changes - and if they see signs from their daughters or sons, they need to give help. The good news is that the connection between romance and depression seems to become weak with age. Love will always make us feel young, but only maturity （成熟）gives us a chance to avoid its bad side effects.

1. What's the main idea of the passage?

A．Puppy love may bring young people depression.

B．Parents should forbid their children's love.

C．Romance is a two edged sword for adults.

D．Romance is good for young people.

2. Which of the following is more likely to have depression?

A．Young people who have a strong sense of selfishness.

B．Young boys whose parents watch for their behavior.

C．Young girls who always hide their feelings and opinions.

D．Careless parents whose children are deep in love.

3. What’s the author's attitude towards puppy love?

A．Confused.

B．Disapproving.

C．Interested.

D．Afraid