【推荐2】We lived in a very quiet neighborhood. One evening I heard a loud crash in the street. Earlier that evening my wife had asked me to go to the store to get some soft drinks. It seemed that this would be a good time to let my teenage daughter Holly practice her driving, so I sent her to the store in my truck. At dinner my son talked about how much he liked my truck. I enjoyed having it, but I said: “Guy, my heart is not set on that truck. I like it but it is just metal and won’t last forever. Never set your heart on anything that won’t last.” After hearing the loud noise, the whole family ran outside. My son shouted: “Dad! Dad, Holly crashed your truck.”
The accident had occurred in my own driveway. Holly had crashed my truck into our other vehicle, the family van. In her inexperience, she had confused the brakes(刹车) and the gas pedal (油门). Holly was unhurt physically but when we reached her, she was crying and saying: “Oh, Dad, I’m sorry. I know how much you love this truck.” I held her in my arms as she cried.
Later that week a friend stopped by and asked what had happened to my truck. I told her the whole story. Her eyes were wet and she said: “That happened to me when I was a girl. I borrowed my dad’s car and ran into a tree that had fallen across the road. I ruined the car. When I got home, my Dad knocked me to the ground and began to kick me.”
Over 40 years later, she still felt the pain of the night. I remember how sad Holly was on the night she crashed our truck, and how I comforted her. One day, when Holly thinks back on her life, I want her to know that I love her a thousand times more than any piece of property.
1. What caused the crash?

A．The brakes weren’t working.

B．The car got a flat tire and Holly lost control.

C．Holly was drinking a soft drink while driving.

D．Holly stepped on the gas pedal instead of the brakes.

2. What happened to the author’s friend after she ruined her dad’s car?

A．She lost the courage to drive.

B．Her father was violent toward her.

C．Her father kicked her out of the house.

D．She suffered physical pain for a long time

3. What can we learn from the passage?

A．The author regretted sending his daughter to the store.

B．Holly was allowed to drive because she was older than her brother.

C．Seeing the crash, the author was sorry for the damage to his beloved truck.

D．The author made it clear that he loved his daughter more than his truck.

4. What does the underlined sentence imply?

A．The friend was seriously wounded

B．The wound recovered after 40 years.

C．The friend was deeply hurt by her father.

D．Parents shouldn’t beat their children.

5. The purpose of writing the passage is to show us ________.

A．love is more important than possessions

B．parents should never let a teenager drive

C．it is useless blaming someone after an accident

D．we should always forgive others’ mistakes

【推荐3】For Canaan Elementary’s second grade in Patchogue, N. Y. , today is speech day, and right now it`s Chris Palaez`s turn. The 8-year-old is the joker of the class. With shining dark eyes, he seems like the of kid who would enjoy public speaking.

But he’s, nervous. “I’m here to tell you today why you should…should…” Chris trips on the “-ld,” a. pronunciation difficulty for many non-native English speakers. His teacher, Thomas Whaley, is next to him, whispering support. “…Vote for…me…” Except for some stumbles, Chris is doing amazingly well. When he brings his speech to a nice conclusion, Whaley invites the rest of the class to praise him.

A son of immigrants, Chris stared learning English a little over three years ago. Whaley recalls（回想起）how at the beginning of the year, when called upon to read, Chris would excuse himself to go to the bathroom.

Learning English as a second language can be a painful experience. What you need is a great teacher who lets you make mistakes. “It takes a lot for any student,” Whaley explains, “especially for a student who is learning English as their new language, to feel confident enough to say, ‘I don`t know, but I want to know.’”

Whaley got the idea of this second-grade presidential campaign project when he asked the children one day to raise their hands if they thought they could never be a president. The answer broke his heart. Whaley says the project is about more than just learning to read and speak in public. He wants these kids to learn to boast（夸耀）about themselves.

“Boasting about yourself, and your best qualities,” Whaley says, “is very difficult for a child who came into the classroom not feeling confident.”

1. What made Chris nervous?

A．Telling a story.	B．Making a speech.
C．Taking a test.	D．Answering a question.

2. What does the underlined word “stumbles” in paragraph 2 refer to?

A．Improper pauses.	B．Bad manners.
C．Spelling mistakes.	D．Silly jokes.

3. Which of the following best describes Whaley as a teacher?

A．Humorous.

B．Ambitious.

C．Caring.

D．Demanding.

【推荐1】After their three children grew up and left home, Margaret Thompson and her husband, Kenneth, began taking walking holidays in Switzerland. In Interlaken, they would head up the mountain and watch the paragliders (滑翔伞运动员) launch themselves into the sky. Back in town, in a large park, they watched them return to the earth."Some day I’d love to do that," Thompson told Kenneth.

But there was always so much to do in Interlaken. Besides, Thompson didn’t know if Kenneth would have enjoyed it. "He was not so keen on heights as I was," she said. So she continued to watch the gliders take fight and land.

Kenneth died in 2005. Eleven years later, Thompson finally took to the skies herself, in a para glider at the age of 80. Although some people get scared while flying, she said she just feels free. Thompson did her second paraglide when she turned 85, and raised nearly 2,000 for a local charity. Before leaving Interlaken after her second fight, Thompson asked the organizers about the age limit for para gliding. They said: “Any age, as long as you’re fit.” Thompson, now 86, plans her third flight for when she is 90.

Thompson grew up living above her parents shop in Belfast. At 18, she helped in the shop while studying for her music diplomas (文凭) in Stranmillis, south Belfast. She started to teach piano to local children, and at the height of her teaching she gave 70 lessons a week. She still has 15 pupils on her books. “Over the years I’ve had so many that I’m teaching their children now.”

Is she scared of getting older? “Fear? No. People say: ‘Isn’t getting old awful? I say: No. You are free to do more of the things that you want to do.” “People might worry about falling, it being the end of them. But that doesn’t bother me at all. When it’s your time, it’s your time. No matter where you are.” Thompson added.

1. What inspired Thompson to try para gliding at the age of 80?

A．Her long-held curiosity toward it.

B．Her husband’s encouragement.

C．Her love for nature and adventure.

D．Her wish to overcome her fear of heights.

2. How did Thompson feel during her first paraglide?

A．Nervous.	B．Surprised.
C．Free.	D．Uncomfortable.

3. What does Thompson think of aging?

A．It inspires her to reach new heights.

B．It is an opportunity for more freedom.

C．It doesn’t make any difference to her.

D．It limits her ability to do what she wants.

4. How does Thompson view the risks brought by para gliding?

A．They prevent her from enjoying paragliding.

B．They add to the excitement of paragliding.

C．She believes they don’t exist.

D．She accepts whatever may happen.

【推荐2】阅读理解。
阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项 （A 、B 、C 和 D ）中，选出最佳选项。

My friend Jennie Crossen gave her bone marrow (骨髓) to a 51-year-old woman with leukemia, a woman she has never met.

     At the end of March, the Red Cross called back. Six different blood elements were tested; Jennie matched five completely and was about a 3/4 match of the sixth. So she was the best match.

In April, Jennie went for a complete physical exam by one of the doctors who would perform the surgery. The doctor had to make sure that it would be no threat to her. The doctor told her that the surgery would entail having two quarts of bone marrow extracted from her hip bones. Jennie would probably be released the same day the surgery took place and should expect to be sore for a couple of months.

“I didn’t think it was that big a deal until I realized I was a match,” Jennie said, “There wasn’t a question in my head. It didn’t seem like something that was going above and beyond.”

     Jennie was left with two very small scars on her lower back from the surgery and was given medication to help dull the pain. She still felt a great deal of pressure on her lower back. “Being only 21, I feel like I am not old enough to significantly impact someone’s life,” Jennie said, “It seems strange to me that I could possibly save this woman’s life which was being cut short by cancer.”

Three weeks after the surgery, Jennie received a call from the Red Cross representative who told her the transplant was successful. “I feel good, and I think it will actually work for her,” she said, “So many people say they’d only donate if it was for a family member or close friend. This woman is someone’s family and someone’s friend. Obviously, no one she knows is a match, and the fact that you’d be able to help a perfect stranger is great.”

1. Jennie Crossen gave her bone marrow to                .

A．a close friend	B．a stranger
C．a classmate	D．a relative

2. Before Jennie Crossen knew she was the best match, her feeling could described as “               ”.

A．frightened

B．nervous

C．calm

D．excited

3. The underlined word “impact” in Paragraph 5 probably means                 .

A．take pleasure in the beauty

B．devote all one’s life to something

C．end the dangerous practice of something

D．have an important effect on something

4. What would be the best title of this passage?

A．A Great Woman	B．To Save a Stranger
C．My Good Friend	D．Jennie’s Life Blood