【推荐1】From childhood, Moira loved to write. Throughout school she enjoyed writing, but pursuing it professionally was never a possibility. Her father was a doctor, her mother a nurse. “Medicine was a fairly safe choice,” Moira says, “and writing was a career where it wasn't a certainty that you'd have high income.”

She became a doctor but still wanted to write something. However, being a doctor was so demanding that she didn't take up writing until her thirties. She produced a novel—a fictionalized version of her travel in China after university. She got excellent reviews. Moira sent it off to as many agents as she could find, and found one who wanted to represent her. Suddenly, it seemed she was on her way as an author.

“I had one lengthy phone call with the agent where we went through all possible areas that she thought needed polishing. I worked on those and sent it back to her but didn't hear anything.” It wasn't long before Moira found another agent who was interested if she was willing to rewrite it from the first person to the third person. She did the hard work and sent it off again. “I got back a really brief letter: ‘Thank you, I'm no longer interested.’ It was really disappointing.”

A decade went by, and Moira found herself eager to write again, this time purely for her own enjoyment. She set herself the challenge of creating a thriller and chose Western Australia as her setting.

As she was writing just for herself, something surprising began to happen. “The characters took on a life of their own; they started doing things I hadn't thought about. It just flew.” One day, an agent called from Australia. Three weeks later, Moira had a publication deal. Her novel, Cicada, was published in March.

“Even if it hadn't been published I still gained so much from the process,” says Moira.

1. Which of the following choices will bring Moira a promising future?

A．Medicine.

B．Writing.

C．Traveling.

D．Reviewing.

2. What does the underlined phrase “take up” in paragraph 2 refer to?

A．avoid

B．begin

C．accept

D．occupy

3. What do we know about Moira?

A．She chose writing as her career although medicine seemed to be more promising.

B．She wrote again ten years later because she was lack of money.

C．She became a real success the moment she finished her travel diary.

D．She polished her first novel several times, but it wasn’t published.

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

A．Moira’s Love for Writing	B．How to be a Writer
C．Moira’s First Novel	D．A Passion for Traveling

【推荐2】Equipped only with a pair of binoculars (双筒望远镜) and ready to spend long hours waiting in all weathersfor a precious glance of a rare bullfinch (红腹灰雀), Britain’s birdwatchers had long been supposed to be lovers of a minority sport. But new figures show bird-watching is fast becoming a popular pastime, with almost three million of us absorbed in our fluttering (飞来飞去) feathered friends.

Devoted birdwatchers, those prepared to travel thousands of miles for sighting of a rare Siberian bird, are fast being joined by a new breed (类型) of follower whose interest is satiated by watching a few finches (雀科鸣鸟) on a Sunday walk or putting up a bird-box in the back garden.

“Almost three million UK birdwatchers is certainly possible if you include everyone with only a casual interest,” Stephen Moss said in his newly published book——A bird in the Bush: a Social History of Birdwatching——which records the pursuit from the rich Victorian Englishman’s love of shooting rare birds to the less offensive observational tendencies of birdwatchers today.

Television wildlife programmes have helped to fuel the new trend. Last summer, BBC 2’s Britain Goes Wild was a surprise success. It pulled in three million views and led to bird-houses selling out across the UK as 45,000 people promised to put up a box.

Birdwatchers networking system first came to the attention of the nation in 1989, when a birdwatcher caught sight of the first Vermivora chrysoptera— a golden-winged songbirdfrom North America-to be seen in Britain. He put a message out on the network service Birdline, and the next day 3,000 birdwatchers proved the full pull of a truly rare bird as they visited the Tesco car park in Kent., where it had settled. Today, birdwatchers can log on to www.birdline.co.uk or have news of the latest sightingtexted to their phones.

“Multimillion-pound spending on binoculars, bird food and boxes point to the increasing numbers of birdwatchers.” Said David Croack, the editor of Bird Watching magazine “The number of people involved is so big that they have great potential to influence government decisions affecting the environment.”

1. The word “satiated” in paragraph 2 can best be replaced by “      ”.

A．affected	B．shared
C．satisfied	D．narrowed

2. What happened after the message offing a Vermivora Chrysoptera was put on the network?

A．Birdwatchers helped the rare bird settle in Kent.

B．Large numbers of birdwatchers went to view the bird.

C．Many birdwatchers logged on to the website for details.

D．Birdwatchers showed their determination to protect the rare bird.

3. Which of the following CANNOT he true according to the passage?

A．Television wildlife programmes started the popular pastime of bird watching.

B．The network service has contributed to the rapid development of bird watching.

C．Birdwatching in Britain was long considered a sport with a small group of followers.

D．The current situation of birdwatching may promote the protection of the environment.

【推荐3】My name is Kenn Nesbitt and I’m a poet. I started writing poems as a hobby in 1994. At the time, I never gave any thought to publishing them; I just wrote for my own amusement. But it was so much fun that I ended up writing a lot of poems, which led me to the idea of creating a website, and at last writing books. If you want to write poems, I have some advice for you.

   My ideas mostly come from my imagination. That is, I like to sit and daydream, and see what kinds of crazy things I can think up. For kids, I suggest that whenever you think of an idea, you should write it down, even if you don’t have time write them to create a whole poem from your idea. I have notebooks full of ideas that I haven’t written poems about yet. So I can always look through my notebooks and find something fun to write about.

   One way to make poems interesting is to write about things readers can understand: school, family, food, pets, games, sports, and so on. To make a poem funny, I often ask myself, “What kinds of funny things might happen at school, or over dinner? What funny things might your pets do?” and it’s OK to make things up, such as having a pet elephant, or a pet that plays video games. Use your imagination and see where it leads. But the best advice I can give kids is not to just write one poem, it might be a great one, or maybe not so good. But if you write ten poems, you’ll probably find that, even though they aren’t all perfect, a few of them are much better than the others.

1. Why did the author start writing poems at first?

A．To publish them.	B．To entertain himself.
C．To contribute to a website.	D．To kill time.

2. What’s the main idea of Paragraph 2?

A．How to write poems.	B．How to think up crazy things.
C．How to get ideas for poems.	D．How to become creative.

3. According to the author, what is the best advice he can give us?

A．Just write great poems.	B．Write as many as possible.
C．Make poems as funny as possible.	D．Try to make things up in your poems.

4. Where does the author come from?

A．America

B．China

C．Germany

D．not mentioned

5. What’s the author’s purpose of writing the text?

A．To suggest some poems written by him.

B．To show writing poems isn’t that hard.

C．To tell readers how to write poems.

D．To explain how he writes poems.

【推荐2】Years ago a farmer owned land along the Atlantic. He constantly advertised for hired hands. Most people were not willing to work on farms along the Atlantic because they worried about the terrible storms that destroy buildings and crops. The farmer received a steady stream of refusals at the interview for a farmhand
Finally, a short, thin man approached the farmer. “Are you a good farmhand?” the farmer asked him.
^“Well, I can sleep when the wind blows. ” answered the little man.
Although puzzled by this answer ，the farmer, desperate for help, hired him. The little man worked well around the farm ，busy from dawn to dusk, and the farmer felt satisfied with the man's work.
Then one night the wind howled loudly from offshore. Jumping out of bed，the farmer grabbed a lantern and rushed next door to the hired hand’s sleeping quarters. He shook the little man and yelled， “ Get up! A storm is coming! Tie things down before they are blown away! ”
The little man rolled over in bed and said firmly, “No sir. I told you, I can sleep when the wind blows. ”
Enraged (激怒）by the response, the farmer was tempted to fire   him on the spot ,Instead, he hurried outside to prepare for the storm. To his amazement，he discovered that all of the hay had been covered. The cows were in the bam，the chickens were in the coops，and the doors were barred The shutters were tightly secured. Everything was tied down, Nothing could be blown away.
The farmer then understood what his hired hand meant, so he also returned to his bed to sleep while the wind was still blowing.
1. Why did the farmer constantly advertise for hired hands?

A．Because he needed hired hands all. the year round.

B．Because there was too much work to do on the farm.

C．Because he could hardly hire a farmhand.

D．Because he offered poor conditions for the hired hands.

2. The farmer felt amazed because _______

A．the Little man was sleeping	B．everything was in safety
C．the wind was too strong	D．he could not open the doors

3. What did the man mean by saying “I can sleep when the wind blows. ” ?

A．He needed much sleep after working hard on the farm.

B．He was very brave and not afraid of wind

C．He enjoyed sleeping when the wind blew.

D．He would get everything done before the wind blew.

4. Which of the following   statements about the Little man is TRUE?

A．He was not afraid of storms.

B．He was a heavy sleeper under any condition

C．He was hard-working and devoted to his work.

D．He was fired shortly after he tied everything down.

【推荐3】If the world were a village of 1,000 people it would include:
•584 Asians                                           •124 Africans
•95 Eastern and Western Europeans            •84 Latin Americans
•55 former Soviets (including Lithuanians, Latvians, Estonians, and other national groups)
•52 North Americans                              •6 Australians and New Zealanders
The people of the village would speak:
•165 Mandarin                                      •86 English
•83 Hindu/Urdu                                     •64 Spanish
•58 Russian                                          •37 Arabic
The above list covers the mother tongues of only half the village.
One-third of the people in the village are children, and only 60 are over the age of 65. Just under half of the married women in the village have access to modern equipment.
This year 28 babies will be born. Ten people will die, 3 of them for lack of food, 1 from cancer. Two of the deaths will be of babies born within the year. With the 28 births and 10 deaths, the population of the village next year will be 1,018.
In this village of 1,000 persons, 200 people receive 75 per cent of the income; another 200 receive only 2 per cent of the income.
About one-third _______ clean, safe drinking water.
Of the 670 adults in the village, half cannot read nor write.
The village has a total yearly budget, public and private, of over $3 million—$3,000 per person if it is distributed evenly. Of the total 3 million:
$181,000 goes to weapons and warfare
$159,000 to education
$132,000 to health care
These weapons are under the control of just 100 of the people. The other 900 are watching them with deep anxiety, wondering whether they can learn to get along together.
1. Which of the following problems is NOT mentioned in the text?

A．Environment.	B．Marriage.
C．Poverty.	D．Education.

2. The underlined part “have access to”means .

A．use

B．buy

C．produce

D．try

3. Which of the following is true about Mandarin according to the text?

A．Nearly one-third of Asian people speak Mandarin in the village.

B．About 8. 25 per cent of the people speak Mandarin in the village.

C．About 16. 5 per cent of the people speak Mandarin in the village.

D．Nearly all the Mandarin-speaking people are from Asia in the village.

4. The last sentence in the text implies that most of the people long for .

A．a peaceful world	B．good education
C．better health care	D．a life without anxiety

【推荐1】Train Information

All customers travelling on TransLink services must be in possession of a valid ticket before boarding. For ticket information, please ask at your local station or call 13-12-30.

Public holidays

On public holidays, generally a Sunday timetable operates. On certain major event days, i.e. Australia Day, Anzac Day, sporting and cultural days, special additional services may operate.

Christmas Day services operate to a Christmas Day timetable, Before travel please visit translink.com.au or call TransLink on 13-12-30 anytime.

Customers using mobility devices

Many stations have wheelchair access from the car park or entrance to the station platforms.

For assistance, please Queensland Rail on 13-16-17.

Guardian trains (outbound)

Depart	Origin	Destination	Arrive
6:42 p.m.	Altandi	Varsity Lakes	7:37 p.m.
7:29 p.m.	Central	Varsity Lakes	8:52 p.m.
8:57 p.m.	Fortitude Valley	Varsity Lakes	9:52 p.m.
11:02 p.m.	Roma Street	Varsity Lakes	12:22 a.m.

1. What would you do to get ticket information?

A．Call 13-16-17.	B．Visit translink. com. au.
C．Ask at the local station.	D．Check the train schedule.

2. Which train would you take if you go from Central to Varsity Lakes?

A．6:42 p.m.

B．7:29 p.m.

C．8:57 p.m.

D．11:02 p.m.

【推荐2】Do you want to be able to get around in a new country for a week or two? Do you need to be able to talk with new friends or family members in their native languages? Or are you required to master a language enough to work full time in a foreign country? Well, MUAMA Enence is able to deliver all those things and a lot more!

MUAMA Enence is an instant translator created by two famous Japanese inventors. It can easily translate real-time speech and transform you into an able-communicator instantly using only a few finger-taps.

Comfortable & Easy to Use

With its lightweight design and small size, MUAMA Enence is easy to carry around in any pocket or bag and is right there when needed. Hence the name “handheld voice translator” that you will want to use every day!

Fair and Reasonable Price

MUAMA Enence is inexpensive. An experienced professional translator or interpreter can be costly, and you need to pay more than once. MUAMA Enence requires just a one-off payment for a huge selection of languages.

Perfect Sound Quality & Multi-Language Support

It is comfortable to use in crowded places as the sound is loud enough to be heard clearly. Its built-in advanced technology can support a 2-way language translation and so it supports over 40 languages. Moreover, a text translation is also available.

1. What do you know about MUAMA Enence?

A．It’s a human translator.	B．It’s useful for overseas travelers.
C．It’s a language learning machine.	D．It’s too costly for regular customers.

2. What makes MUAMA Enence get its name “handheld” voice translator?

A．Perfect sound quality.	B．Translating real-time speech.
C．Supporting over 40 languages.	D．Lightweight and small size.

3. What type of writing is the text?

A．An advertisement.	B．A user guide.
C．A research paper.	D．A news report.

【推荐3】A day away from the stress of city life!

A perfect experience for nature lovers!

Our One — Day tour will take you to see the most beautiful sunset and sunrise at the top of Mt. Huangshan （Yellow Mountain）.

Schedule

Early in the morning: take the cable car to the top of the mountain to see the breathtaking sunrise at Cloud Dispelling Pavilion.

Late in the morning: Visit such famous places as the Sixinfeng Peak, the Black Tiger pine tree, the Writing Brush Peak or the Xihai Scenic Area.

At noon: have a traditional Chinese lunch at a hotel on the top of the mountain.

In the afternoon: go to the city centre of Huangshan and take a walk along Tunxi Old Street, where traditional old buildings line the quiet street.

In the evening :Return to the Cloud Dispelling Pavillion to enjoy the sunset.

Price:$327

What's included

Professional and friendly English-speaking tour guide; Breakfast, lunch, dinner; All entrance fees; Cable car fees to and from the Cloud Dispelling Pavillion; Two nights at Beihai hotel or similar standard hotels; Hotel pickup and drop-off.

What's not included

Expenses to and from Mt. Huangshan;

Local Chinese-speaking tour guide;

Other attractions not included in the schedule.

1. Where should the tourists go to see the sunset and sunrise?

A．Sixinfeng Peak.	B．Xihai Scenic Area.
C．Cloud Dispelling Pavilion.	D．Writing Brush Peak.

2. When will the tourists go to Tunxi Old Street?

A．In the morning.

B．At noon.

C．In the afternoon.

D．In the evening.

3. This one-day tour is most probably suitable for        .

A．the British

B．the Chinese

C．the Dutch

D．the Germans