【推荐1】There are three kinds of goals: short-term, intermediate and long-term goals. Short-term goals are those that usually deal with present activities. Such goals can be achieved in a week or two, or possible months. It should be remembered that just as a building is no stronger than its foundation (基础), our long-term goals cannot be achieved without the achievement of solid short-term goals. Upon completing our short-term goals, we should date the time and then add new short-term goals that will build on those that have been completed.
The intermediate goals build on the foundation of the short-term goals. They might deal with just one term of school or the entire school years, or they could extend for several years. Any time you move a step at a time, you never allow yourself to become discouraged. As you complete each step, you will have more belief in your ability to grow and succeed.
Long-term goals may be related to our dreams of future. They might cover five years or more. Life is not a static (静态的) thing. We should never allow a long-term goal to limit us or our course of action.
1. The long-term goals mean______.

A．something static and easy to get if we complete our short-term goals

B．something easy to reach if we complete a short-term goal in time

C．nothing but our dreams of future

D．a lot, such as a dream, and aspiration (热望) or a wish in our life

2. When we complete each step of our goals, ______.

A．we will win final success	B．we become down-hearted
C．we should encourage ourselves	D．we should think about changing our goals

3. It is the most important for us students to have ___________ first.

A．long-term goals	B．intermediate goals
C．short-term goals	D．dreams of future

4. Which of the following titles is best for this passage?

A．Three Kinds of Goals	B．How to Reach Goals
C．Changeable Goals	D．Moveable Goals

【推荐3】It’s 2035. You have a job, a family and you’re about 40 years old! Welcome to your future life.

Getting ready for work, you pause in front of the mirror.

“Turn red,” you say. Your shirt changes from sky blue to deep red. Tiny preprogrammed electronics(智能电子元件) are re-arranged in your shirt to change its color. Looking into the mirror, you find it hard to believe you’re 40. You look much younger.

With amazing advances in medicine, people in your generation may live to be 150 years old. You’re not even middle-aged! As you go into the kitchen and prepare to pour your breakfast cereal into a bowl, you hear, “To lose weight, you shouldn’t eat that.” from your shoes. They read the tiny electronic code on the cereal box to find out the nutrition details. You decide to listen to your shoes. “Kitchen, what can I have for breakfast?” A list of possible foods appears on the counter as the kitchen checks its food supplies.

“Ready for your trip to space?” you ask your son and daughter. In 2005 only specially trained astronauts went into space —and very few of them. Today anyone can go to space for day trips or longer vacations. Your best friend even works in space. Handing your children three strawberries each, you add, “The doctor said you need these for space travel.” Thanks to medical advances, vaccination shots(防疫针) are a thing of the past. Ordinary foods contain specific vaccines. With the strawberries in their mouths, the kids head for the front door.

It’s time for you to go to work. Your car checks your fingerprints and unlocks the doors. “My office, Autopilot,” you command. Your car drives itself down the road and moves smoothly into traffic on the highway. You sit back and unroll your e-newspaper. The latest news downloads and fills the viewer. Looking through the pages, you watch the news as video film rather than read it.

1. What changes the color of your shirt?

A．The mirror.

B．The medicine.

C．The counter.

D．The shirt itself.

2. How do the shoes know that you shouldn’t eat the breakfast cereal?

A．By pouring the breakfast into a bowl.	B．By checking the nutrition details of the food.
C．By testing the food supplies in the kitchen.	D．By listening to the doctor’s advice.

3. The strawberries the children eat serve as _______.

A．vaccines

B．lunch

C．breakfast

D．nutrition

【推荐1】Habiba keeps a record of new words and expressions in English. He usually writes them in a notebook. Then, one day, she asks her teacher about them. “Mrs Thomas, these expressions are new to me — She is blue today. What’s the matter? You are yellow. A little white lie. After looking at the notebook, Mrs Thomas says, “In everyday English, Habiba, blue sometimes means sad. Yellow means afraid. A person with a green thumb grows plants successfully and a white lie is not a bad lie.” “I don’t understand. Please give me an example.” “For example, I offer you some cake. The truth is, you don’t like my cake. You don’t say that. Instead, you say, ‘No, thanks. I’m not hungry.’ That’s a white lie.” “I see. Thanks for the explanation.”

1. I don’t have a green thumb. All my plants _______.

A．are green	B．have died
C．are yellow	D．are growing well

2. “You are yellow to fight” means _______.

A．you are able to fight	B．you are happy to fight
C．you are in a hurry	D．you dare not fight

3. If you say “It’s a white lie.” it means that someone _______.

A．is telling a lie	B．is unfriendly
C．is telling the truth	D．doesn’t want to tell the truth in a polite way

4. “The weather is bad, and _______.”

A．I’m blue today	B．I’m yellow today
C．I’m green	D．I’m white today

【推荐2】Currently, the ability to speak English fluently has become a necessity for individuals and countries to participate in the global economy. This is particularly true for countries that heavily rely on international trade and investment. Singapore is a perfect example of such a country.

Singapore is a small city-state located in Southeast Asia. Despite its small size, it has become one of the most prosperous and innovative economies in the world, This nation has gained a reputation for having a good quality of life, well-developed infrastructure (基础设施), and a favorable climate for businesses. While there are four official languages in Singapore, English, Chinese, Malay, and Tamil, English is the most commonly used language in business, education, and government.

English has played a crucial role in Singapore’s economic development. The country’s founding father, Lee Kuan Yew, acknowledged the significance of English in the international business environment and made it a priority to promote English learning in Singapore. He saw English as a tool to connect Singapore to the world and attract foreign investment. The government carried out policies to promote English learning, such as making English the medium of instruction in schools and providing financial support for teachers to teach English.

As a result of these policies, Singaporeans have become proficient in English, and this has given them a competitive edge in the global economy. Singapore is home to many multinational corporations, and English proficiency is a critical factor for these companies when selecting employees. Singaporeans’ proficiency in English has also made it easier for them to conduct business with other countries, particularly those in the Western world. As a consequence, the country started marching forward steadily towards prosperity.

1. What can we learn from paragraph 1?

A．English proficiency is a must for every person.

B．English is highly important in the world of business.

C．English is the official language of all countries.

D．English is the only language spoken in the global economy.

2. What can we learn about Singapore from the passage?

A．It has a favorable climate to live in.

B．Its government officials speak English best.

C．Its economy rarely relies on international trade.

D．Its mainly-used official language is English.

3. What did Lee Kuan Yew do to promote English learning?

A．He supported schools to include more English classes.

B．He was committed to attracting foreign investment.

C．He attached great importance to English learning in Singapore.

D．He made policies to protect the business environment in Singapore.

4. Which of the following can be the best title for the passage?

A．English, the Global Language

B．The Road to a Prosperous Country

C．English Learning Promotes Singapore’s Development

D．Reasonable Policies Lead to the Prosperity of Singapore

【推荐3】Canada is one of the few nations in the world to have two official languages: English and French. There are 10 provinces in the country, but only one of these—Quebec is known as “French Canada”. This is because it was founded by French explorers while British adventurers discovered the rest.

Canada left the British Empire(帝国) in 1867 to become an independent country, and English and French have been recognized as the official languages ever since.

Most people speak English as their first language and the two national television networks broadcast in English throughout the country. Apart from in Quebec and a few places on the east coast, French television is rare.

The same goes for traffic signs and menus, for example, outside of Quebec, there are only a few places where you’ll see traffic signs in French. In restaurants, it’s almost impossible to find French on the menu unless you are in the heartland(中心地带) of French Canada. However, all products sold in Canada must, by law, have labels(标签) and instructions in both languages.

In Canada’s English-speaking provinces, official bilingualism means that students can choose to complete a special French language course. Under this program, they are taught most of their subjects in French. If a student begins the course in kindergarten(幼儿园) or Grade One, it is likely that all his lessons will be in French. But if he starts at junior high school, 25 percent of the teaching will continue to be in English.

1. Which country controlled Canada before its independence?

A．France.

B．America.

C．The British Empire.

D．Germany.

2. Where can you watch French television programs?

A．In Quebec and a few other places.	B．Only in Quebec.
C．From the two national television networks.	D．All over Canada.

3. What does the underlined word “bilingualism” in the fifth paragraph mean?

A．外语教育

B．双语教育

C．母语教育

D．语言教育

4. What do we know about the education in Canada’s English-speaking provinces?

A．Only English courses are offered.

B．Most of the courses in junior high schools are taught in English.

C．The courses in primary schools are all taught in English.

D．If you choose a special French language course in kindergarten, all of the lessons will be taught in French.

【推荐1】The mysterious science of reading gestures is explained using practical explanations and clear images. Gestures are products of both genetic (遗传的) and environmental influence. Understanding our gestures is not as difficult as some people would have you believe. All human beings use them and so actually have a “built­in” ability to recognize and read it.

Fingers crossed

Generally this means “wishing for good luck or fortune”. Another explanation could be seen as “Here’s hoping”. The gesture probably has Christian origins where the gesture was believed to get away from evil. As such, people believe that crossing the fingers when telling a lie somehow gets away from the evil of the lie. Some historians believe that crossing your fingers is a hidden or secret way of making the Christian sign of cross—a piece way of defeating evils. As a gesture, it has both good and bad meanings. Luck or lies.

Waving the first finger

Mothers and teachers are common users with this hand gesture. In general, it is used to warn a single person. It is a change of the “you” gesture. If translated into language, it would say “Stop whatever you are doing and pay attention to me. I am your superior and I am warning you!” Classified as a “silent” parent to child gesture, it is completely unacceptable in a professional environment where it will be interpreted (诠释) as both rude and domineering (盛气凌人的). Some psychologists believe that it has a meaning of the whip.

1. What can we infer from the first paragraph?

A．Reading gestures is a secret.

B．Gestures are formed in daily life.

C．Some people make reading gestures difficult on purpose.

D．It is hard to explain gestures by images.

2. What does a Christian crossing his fingers mean?

A．Showing he isn’t lucky.	B．Wishing to succeed.
C．Getting rid of the evil of the lie.	D．Crossing the street.

3. What is the purpose of your mum’s waving her first finger?

A．To wish for good luck.

B．To stop you.

C．To praise you.

D．To help you.

【推荐2】Nature has created many ways to protect creatures’ eyes. The most common protection is the eyelid — a fold of skin that closes over the eye, protecting it from damage. Eyelashes are useful for keeping out dust and other things, and tears wash away any small pieces that get through the other defenses.

Some creatures, including most birds, have three eyelids. The upper and lower lids act like human lids and keep out little tree branches, dirt, and sand. The third eyelid, however, is a semitransparent tissue(半透明组织) that crosses over the eye from the inside corner to the outside corner. Because of this protective membrane(隔膜), birds seldom have to blink. They close their eyes only when they go to sleep. For ducks, this third eyelid serves as an underwater diving mask that helps the ducks find food.

Most fish and snakes have no eyelids at all. Instead, a hard glassy covering protects their eyes. For fish, water constantly sweeps away dirt from the covering. And a snake’s eyesight is usually so bad that a little dirt obscuring its vision does not disturb it greatly.

Eyelashes defend(保护) the eye by shading it from strong light. They also act like mini brushes to remove dust. Camels have eyelashes that are four inches long to protect their eyes from wind-blown sand in the desert.

1. Birds don’t often blink because _______.

A．they don’t need to sleep a lot.

B．their upper and lower lids can keep away little branches, dirt and sand.

C．eyelashes act like mini brushes to remove dust.

D．they have a kind of tissue to cover the eyes.

2. Which of the following statements is TRUE according to this passage?

A．Ducks don’t close their eyes even when they go to sleep.

B．A little dirt doesn’t disturb a snake’s eyesight badly because its eyesight is very good.

C．Eyelashes help to keep away small pieces that get through the other two defenses.

D．Some creatures have a hard covering to protect their eyes instead of eyelids.

3. It can be concluded from the passage that ________.

A．eyelids are more important in protecting creatures’ eyes than other devices.

B．creatures develop different modes of eye protection in different environments.

C．birds often close their eyes in the daytime.

D．a fish’s eyelid is a hard glassy covering.