【推荐1】Whoosh!

I sailed by person after person on the track.

I'm a runner. Well, technically a jogger. I often run near my home, most people on the track walking, therefore my speed, meager in running terms and faster than walking.

My speed and endurance(耐力)seem amazing to the walkers. Some will come and walk for an hour. I'm running when they come and still running when they leave. I have whooshed by them twenty or more times.

As I circled the track with my long steady strides passing the walkers like lamp poles, I got to feel puffed-up. You don't have to tell me, but after the constant whooshing past far younger people, it goes to your mind.

Then he came.

He was short, perhaps five feet three. He didn't look like much of a runner. I saw him get out of the car and stretch as I whooshed by a couple holding hands.

He started running a few feet ahead of me.

He was fast. I sped up to keep up. At last, I had someone to pace myself against. After half a lap I was on his heels but my breath was coming harder and heavier. After the first lap I was gasping but still on his heels. After a lap and a half my foot started hurting.

I slowed down and got back to my pace. The pain in foot went away. I could breathe again without sounding like I had a lung disease. He sped away.

In a fairly short time, whoosh! He went past me.

In life, there will always be those slower and faster. Some have natural ability, and some have trained harder. For some, speed is simply their destiny.

The point is we each have our own speed and we often end up hurting ourselves and pushing ourselves to the point where the breath is knocked out of us because we are trying to keep up.

I learned several lessons that day.

1. What does the underlined word “puffed-up” in paragraph 5 probably mean?

A．Superior.	B．Breathless.
C．Dissatisfied.	D．Energetic.

2. Why did the author slow down later?

A．He was suffering from a lung disease.

B．He decided it was not a fair competition.

C．He got hurt in the foot when trying to keep up.

D．He realized he was just trying to outrun someone else.

3. What lesson didn't the author learn that day?

A．Don't judge the capabilities of others by how they look.

B．Don't run fast when you should be running slowly.

C．Don't run your race to the best of your ability in life.

D．Don't have somebody else be your pace setter.

4. Which can be a suitable title for this text?

A．Running: Keep up with others.

B．Speed: Run you own race.

C．Endurance: Say no to “give up”.

D．Destiny: Accept the fate.

【推荐3】As today’s high schoolers are facing too much homework, sports teams and clubs and high-rising college costs, many people are rethinking the idea of high schoolers part-time working. Are there still benefits of having a job in high school? The answer is yes.

When I was 15 years old, my mother suggested that I get a job in order to pay for college. Delighted with my sporadic (零星的) babysitting work, I told my mother that, no matter what job I got, I’d never be able to cover college costs on a high school worker’s pay.

My mother smiled and stated that there were plenty of other reasons why I should get a job beyond just the paycheck. So I found myself applying for and finally accepting a job as a swim instructor and lifeguard at my town’s public pool. I ended up working part-time at the pool through all four years of high school.

Not everything about the job was marvelous, and there were times when I hated jumping in the pool on cold mornings and trying to talk kids into following my instructions, but overall, like my mother said, I got many benefits from the job beyond just the paycheck.

At my job, I made lots of new friends, more than I had made in high school. I also learnt lots of skills including CPR training and office experience. I was also able to use my work experience to stand out from other job applicants in college and get a paid research job as a freshman in college.

For many high school students, there are many benefits of having a job. Not only will high school jobs give you a way to make some money, meet new people, and develop some skills, you can also use your teenage jobs to get yourself a better job in college.

1. What was the author’s attitude when his mother asked him to get a job?

A．He was expecting it.	B．He wasn’t interested in it.
C．He was passionate about it.	D．He didn’t feel like doing it.

2. What does the underlined word “marvelous” in Paragraph 4 probably mean?

A．Simple.	B．Touching.
C．Enjoyable.	D．Relaxing.

3. How did the author’s part-time job benefit him?

A．It developed his communication skills.

B．It led him to meet the best friend of his life.

C．It assisted him to obtain a good job in college.

D．It provided him with enough money as college fees.

4. What is the best title for the text?

A．My first job in senior high	B．What I learnt from part-time jobs
C．More than just a paycheck	D．High schoolers that get into trouble

【推荐1】Traffic jam and cities, it seems, go hand in hand. Everyone complains about being stuck in traffic; but, like the weather, no one seems to do anything about it. In particular, traffic engineers, transportation planners, and public officials responsible for transportation systems in large cities are frequently criticized for failing to solve traffic jam.

But is traffic jam a sign of failure? Long queues at restaurants or theater box offices are seen as signs of success. Should transportation systems be viewed any differently? I think we should recognize that traffic jam is an unpreventable by-product of successful cities, and view the "traffic problem" in a different light.

Cities exist because they promote social interactions and economic transactions (交易) .

Traffic jam occurs where there are lots of people but limited spaces. Culturally and economically successful cities have the worst traffic problems, while decaying cities don't have much traffic. New York and Los Angeles are America's most crowded cities. But if you want access to major stock markets, you will find them easier to reach in crowded New York than in any other large cities. And if your firm needs access to satellite-guidance engineers, you will reach them more quickly through the crowded freeways of LA than through less crowded roads elsewhere.

Despite traffic jam, a larger number and wider variety of social interactions and economic transactions can be made perfect in large, crowded cities than elsewhere. Seen in this light, traffic jam is an unfortunate consequence of prosperity, not a cause of economic decline and urban decay.

So while we can consider traffic jam as increasing costs on the areas of big cities, the costs of inaccessibility in uncrowded places are almost certainly greater.

There is no doubt that traffic jam brings the terrible economic and environmental damage in places like Bangkok, Jakarta, and Lagos. But mobility is far higher and traffic jam levels are far lower here in the US, even in our most crowded cities. That's why, for now, we don't see people streaming out of San Francisco and Chicago, heading for cities like Phoenix, and Cleveland.

1. We can conclude from the first paragraph that _________.

A．traffic jam and weather are the two factors preventing the development of a big city

B．traffic jam seems to be very difficult to deal with

C．if traffic engineers try their best, traffic jam can be solved

D．public officials are always criticized for misusing their power

2. According to the passage, what's the author's opinion towards traffic jam?

A．Traffic jam is unavoidable in large cities.

B．Traffic jam is both a sign of success and a sign of failure.

C．Traffic jam is the consequence of successful cities.

D．Traffic jam is not unpreventable for a successful city.

3. According to this passage, which of the following is TRUE?

A．Crowded cities tend to promote economic transactions.

B．New York and Los Angeles have less limited spaces than other cities.

C．The satellite-guidance engineers are needed most by the firms in LA.

D．Despite the traffic jam in LA, it's easier to reach your destination than in other cities.

4. What can we learn from the last paragraph?

A．Traffic jam has caused terrible bad effects in cities such as Bangkok and Lagos.

B．The traffic jam in San Francisco has resulted in the city becoming empty.

C．The traffic jam level in Chicago is lower than that in Cleveland.

D．Phoenix is as crowded and successful as San Francisco.

【推荐2】Online learning is now becoming very popular around the world. As we know, it allows people to learn at home and people can learn the courses from anywhere in the world. Anyone who wants to learn something can enroll (注册) into a good school offering online courses and complete their education. Besides being convenient, there is no age limit; one can take a course anytime and at any point in their career.

Online learning also means that people have more time for their own life while continuing their education. They are able to learn when it’s convenient for them, and in many cases the courses can be completed in less time than at a traditional school. People can go to work during the day and finish their homework at night. Parents can spend time with their children and then complete online classes when their children are at school or asleep. Since people don’t have to take part in any classroom activities, it does not do any harm to their lives. They can work and learn at any time of the day and at their own speed.

Many people find that online courses are less expensive than traditional ones. Classroom teaching is usually expensive and not suitable for a lot of people. Through online learning, one can save a lot. People don’t have to spend more money on traveling, staying in hotels or eating in restaurants. Online courses are a good choice for those who are short of money but want to learn something and improve themselves. According to the U.S. Department of Education, students learning online have not only saved a lot of money but also performed better than those learning in traditional schools.

Of course, online learning requires a regimented lifestyle and the ability to learn on one’s own. For people who are not strict with themselves, online learning can be a real challenge. For busy people who take online classes, time management can be a challenge. They have to decide for themselves when to work on class tasks and how long they will need in order to finish the work. So, people must think about all of these things before making a choice.

1. In the author’s opinion, online learning ________.

A．is easy to get for anyone	B．should be made fun
C．is a good choice for anyone	D．may disappear in the near future

2. The purpose of the last paragraph is to show ________.

A．how to find time to learn	B．the future of online learning
C．how to make use of online learning	D．the problems of online learning

3. What’s the main idea of the text?

A．Online learning is going to replace traditional schools.

B．People can learn more quickly through online learning.

C．Online learning has both advantages and disadvantages.

D．More and more people are now choosing to learn online.

【推荐1】There are many beautiful places in Europe worth visiting. Among them Greece is right at the top. A vacation to Greece will give you everything you ever want in a holiday. The attractive hot springs, beautiful villages, rich history, delicious seafood and beautiful beaches are all here. The streets are always alive with music, fireworks and celebrations. Winter is the time to enjoy some great skiing, with so many mountains around here that offer this sport.

Spain is the second largest tourist destination in the world. It’s one of the first countries in the world to develop summer beach vacations. Spain, along with Italy, officially has the most world heritage sites, 42 to be exact. With so many mountainous regions, Spain is big when it comes to the winter vacation. Lastly, for great nightlife, you’d love to be in Barcelona or Madrid.

Switzerland is the most popular winter holiday destination in the world. It has 15,000 miles running through mountainous regions. The Swiss Alps attract people from all over the world. If you think Switzerland is only a winter holiday destination, you’re mistaken. The same places are popular in summer too. Hiking is popular in summer. Switzerland is also proud of Jungfraujoch - the highest train station in Europe. Switzerland has developed an amazing transport network, and each and every mountain village can be got to by some kind of public transport.

Venice of Italy is another great destination. It has an amazing history and is famous for its beautiful architecture. There are many old buildings worth visiting. Venice is also filled with many art galleries. The Grand Canal is a long canal that runs right through the city. This is referred to as the most beautiful street in the whole of Venice. The city, made up of 117 small islands, is amazingly linked by 400 bridges over 150 canals.

1. According to the passage, a visitor to Greece enjoy __________.

A．the sights of the mountain range of the Alps

B．music, fireworks and celebrations in streets

C．the great and colorful nightlife

D．artworks in many art galleries

2. According to the passage, if you are quite interested in works of art, you’d better go to _______.

A．Greece	B．Spain
C．Switzerland	D．Venice

3. Where would you most probably find the passage?

A．A book review.	B．A government document.
C．A travel guide.	D．A fashion magazine.

【推荐2】Researchers from Stockholm University, the Institute for Future Studies, and the University of South Carolina teamed up to find out if generosity really pays off. The results, published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, reveal that unselfish people tend both to have more children and earn higher salaries than selfish people.

“The result is clear in both the American and the European data. The most unselfish people have the most children and the moderately (适度地) unselfish receive the highest salaries. And we also find this result over time: the people who are most generous at one point in time have the largest salary,” explains Kimmo Eriksson, a researcher at the Centre for Cultural Evolution at Stockholm University and one of the authors of the study.

Previous psychological and sociological (社会学的) research has shown that selfless people feel happier and have better social relationships, but scientists can now see the benefits of generosity in other areas of life including income and fertility (生育能力).

“The results of this study showed that people generally have the correct expectation that selfish people have fewer children, but erroneously believe that selfish people will make more money. It is nice to see that generosity so often pays off in the long run says Pontus Strimling, a researcher at the Institute for Futures Studies and co-author behind the study.

The researchers believe that prosocial (亲社会的) behaviors help generous people in succeeding from an economic perspective. Although the study does not definitively answer this question, it makes sense that unselfish people, who tend to give their time and energy more willingly to help others would thrive (兴旺) in business relationships and teamwork settings. On the other hand, acting in self-interest has poorer outcomes including lower incomes.

Co-author, Brent Simpson of the University of South Carolina adds, Future research will have to explore deeper into the reasons why generous people earn more and look at whether the link between unselfishness, higher salaries, and more children also exists in other parts of the world.

1. What do the researchers find in the study?

A．Selfish people prefer to do better jobs.

B．Selfish people want to have more children.

C．Generous people actually earn more money.

D．Generous people are willing to pay off their debts.

2. What does the underlined word “erroneously” in Paragraph 4 probably mean?

A．Wrongly.	B．Certainly.
C．Firmly.	D．Usually.

3. Which of the following would the researchers agree to?

A．Selfish people tend to make others to be successful.

B．Unselfish people enjoy working with others in a group.

C．Selfish people devote more time and energy to their job.

D．Unselfish people prefer to finish their jobs on their own.

4. What will the researchers study in the future?

A．Why generous people are more popular.

B．Why being generous have better outcomes.

C．If unselfishness leads to better pay and productivity.

D．Whether generosity pays off in other parts of the world.

【推荐3】If you ask people to name one person who had the greatest effect on the English language, you will get answers like “Shakespeare” “Samuel Johnson” and “Webster”， but none of these men had any effect at all compared to a man who didn’t even speak English - William the Conqueror.

Before 1066, in the land we now call Great Britain lived people belonging to two major language groups.In the west­central region lived the Welsh, who spoke a Celtic language, and in the north lived the Scots, whose language, though not the same as Welsh, was also Celtic.In the rest of the country lived the Saxons, actually a mixture of Anglos, Saxons, and other Germanic and Nordic peoples, who spoke what we now call Anglo­Saxon (or Old English), a Germanic language.If this state of affairs had lasted, English today would have been close to German.

But this state of affairs did not last. In 1066 the Normans led by William defeated the Saxons and began their rule over England. For about a century, French became the official language of England while Old English became the language of peasants. As a result, English words of politics and the law come from French rather than German. In some cases, modern English even shows a distinction between upper­class French and lower­class Anglo­Saxon in its words.We even have different words for some foods, meat in particular, depending on whether it is still out in the fields or at home ready to be cooked, which shows the fact that the Saxon peasants were doing farming, while the upper­class Normans were doing most of eating.

When Americans visit Europe for the first time, they usually find Germany more “foreign” than France because the German they see on signs and advertisements seems much more different from English than French does. Few realize that the English language is actually Germanic at its beginning and that the French influences are all the result of the man’s ambition (野心).

1. The two major languages spoken in what is now called Great Britain before 1066 were ____.

A．Welsh and Scottish	B．Nordic and Germanic
C．Celtic and Old English	D．Anglo­Saxon and Germanic

2. Which of the following groups of words is, by inference, rooted in French?

A．president, lawyer, beef	B．president, bread, water
C．bread, field, sheep	D．folk, field, cow

3. Why does French appear less foreign than German to Americans on their first visit to Europe?

A．Many French words are similar to English ones.

B．They know little of the history of the English language.

C．Most advertisements in France appear in English.

D．They know French better than German.

【推荐1】The Kendama World Cup

Old-fashioned fun is making a comeback!

Many kids are putting down their electronic devices and picking up an ancient toy. It is called a kendama, and it possibly dates back to the 16th century.

The kendama is a small wooden hammer with three cup-shaped ends and a spike on top. A wooden ball with a center hole is attached by string to the hammer. The goal is to make the ball land in a cup or on the spike. It sounds simple, but there are over 1,000 kendama techniques and tricks to master.

The game’s popularity began to grow after the Japan Kendama Association was started in 1975. Today all ages participate in various competitions, including the Kendama World Cup(KWC).

The two-year-old event, which opens in Hatsukaichi, attracts people from all over the world. Players choose 10 different tricks from an approved list. They are then awarded points corresponding to the level of each trick.

A new Kendama World Cup winner will be named tomorrow in this popular sporting event.

1. What does “old-fashioned fun” in Paragraph 1 refer to?

A．An old cup.	B．An ancient game.
C．A clever trick.	D．An electronic device.

2. What does a Kendama look like?

A．	B．
C．	D．

3. What does the last but one paragraph imply?

A．Every KWC lasts two years.	B．The KWC is held every two years.
C．Players can choose tricks freely.	D．Different tricks get different points.

4. What do we know from the last paragraph?

A．A new KWC is being on.	B．The winner of this KWC is very popular.
C．The Kendama is newly-born.	D．KWC will be named after the new winner.

【推荐2】Agnes de Mille was a dancer and a choreographer (编舞). Early in her career, de Mille had created the choreography for a ballet called Three Virgins and a Devil. She thought it was good work, but nobody made much of it.

A few years later, de Mille choreographed a ballet named Rodeo. Again, she thought her work was solid, but it resulted in little commercial fame.

Then, in 1943, de Mille choreographed Oklahoma!, a musical show that enjoyed nearly instant success. In the coming years, Oklahoma! would run for an incredible 2,212 performances, both around the nation and abroad. In 1955, the film version won an Academy Award.

But the success of Oklahoma! didn’t bring her much happiness. She thought that her work on Oklahoma! was only average compared to some of her other creations. She later said, “After the opening of Oklahoma!, I suddenly had unexpected success for a work I thought was only fairly good, after years of neglect for work I thought was fine. I began to think that perhaps my entire scale of values was untrustworthy. I talked to Martha.”

Martha was Martha Graham, perhaps the most influential dance choreographer of the 20th century. (Although not as well-known by the general public, Graham has been compared to other creative geniuses like Picasso or Frank Lloyd Wright.)

During their conversation, de Mille told Martha Graham about her frustration. “I confessed that I had a burning desire to be excellent, but no faith that I could be.”

Graham responded by saying:

“There is a vitality, a life force, an energy, a quickening that is translated through you into action, and because there is only one of you in all of time, this expression is unique. And if you block it, it will never exist through any other medium and it will be lost. The world will not have it. It is not your business to determine how good it is nor how valuable nor how it compares with other expressions. It is your business to keep it yours clearly and directly, to keep the channel open.”

1. What can be learned about de Mille’s ballet named Rodeo?

A．It earned her a large fortune.	B．It made her rise to fame overnight.
C．It didn’t enjoy much success.	D．It laid a solid foundation for her career.

2. How did de Mille feel about the great success of the musical Oklahoma!?

A．Relieved.

B．Ashamed.

C．Confused.

D．Proud.

3. Picasso and Frank Lloyd Wright were mentioned in the passage to suggest that Martha Graham ______.

A．was outstanding in visual arts and architecture

B．enjoyed the same popularity as them

C．had been influenced greatly by them

D．was the most influential artist in her field

4. Which of the following statements best represents Graham’s words in this passage?

A．Comparing with others prevents you from maintaining uniqueness.

B．You should always keep yourself open to the urges that motivate you.

C．Your action reveals the inner landscape, which is the soul of music.

D．Choosing to be positive is going to determine how you live your life.

【推荐3】Journey to the West

If you have a dream, go for it.

My dad talked of the jewel in China’s western part, Tibet Autonomous Region. Tibet was a region I wanted to see and discover but its remoteness and my inability to find the right time to go delayed my journey. After a few talks with my dad, we decided to take a pause in our lives for a few weeks in July 2019 to start an amazing adventure.

We started our journey on a Saturday morning at the Guangzhou train station in south China. We started the first leg of the journey admiring the mysterious mountains of south China. The next day it changed quite suddenly to the dry, waterless landscape of central-west China as we passed through Shanxi and Gansu provinces. That evening we arrived at Xining, Qinghai Province, where we got onto the Xining-Lhasa train.

We were greeted on the train with Tibetan yogurt. The train signs were also written in Tibetan, the beautiful handwriting matched its environment and people. The following afternoon we arrived in Lhasa. Lhasa, one of the highest-altitude cities in the world, is a gem hidden on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. We started our tour of the jewel by exploring the palace and watching local people do morning prays and dances in the park. Overlooking the Jokhang Temple, we enjoyed an amazingly beautiful breathtaking view, just like we had been in the fairyland. It’s a stunning (令人震惊的) golden temple in the middle of old Lhasa, which we visited next before wandering in the old quarters and Barkhor Street in the evening. Barkhor Street is the ideal place to try local food and buy local products.

The following day, we started our journey to the Qomolangma base camp by road from Lhasa. Along the way we stopped to admire the beautiful Yamdrok Lake, a huge freshwater lake that is one of the three largest sacred lakes (圣湖) in Tibet. Yaks (牦牛) in blankets and bells at the lake made for a picturesque impression of perfect countryside Tibet.

About a week later, the highlight came in the afternoon when we arrived at the Qomolangma base camp. We were staying in a guesthouse just next to the base camp. After dropping off our backpacks, we headed straight outside to see the magnificent Mt Qomolangma. There it was, the top of the mountain peeking through the clouds, astonishing us with its unbelievable height. We enjoyed the mountain waves and saw the beautiful clouds separated until the sunset over the peak, feeling I would have regretted for the rest of my life if I hadn’t made the journey.

1. The author wanted to go to Tibet Autonomous Region because _____.

A．his father wanted him to travel there

B．his father thought it was worth visiting

C．he was interested in the mysterious place

D．he wanted to go to the farthest place of China

2. The author thought the most exciting part of the journey was visiting _____.

A．Jokhang Temple	B．Barkhor Street
C．Yamdrok Lake	D．Mt Qomolangma

3. The underlined word “gem” in the fourth paragraph means _____.

A．smart genius	B．precious stone
C．unique temple	D．beautiful grassland

4. The author wrote this passage to tell us _____.

A．beautiful views are worth the risk you take

B．if you have a dream, you should try to make it happen

C．you can finally achieve your dream if you put your heart on it

D．traveling ten thousand miles is better than reading ten thousand books