【推荐1】Scott Halley was a farmer...until a year ago. But the farm kept losing money. “You look at the numbers at the end of the pencil.” said Mr. Halley, 44, “and you realize it’s time to try something different.”

With a heavy heart but a clear head, Mr. Halley became one of the thousands of American farmers who sell their land each year. What surprised Mr. Halley and others is that the move to the city was so easy. The farmers are finding jobs and their families are enjoying the city way of life.

Mr. Halley found a good job working as a scientist at North Dakota State University. His salary is now twice what it was when he was a farmer.

But even for those farmers who find good jobs, there is a price to pay in leaving farming.

“It’s not just about making money but about the other rewards that farming can bring...working land your parent’s parents worked, spending your days in nature, caring for animals,” said Dr Michael Rosmann, a farmer and psychologist who helps farmers. “For most of them, that pain lasts for the rest of their lives. To make the decision to quit farming, to do what’s best for the family, takes an awful lot of courage.” Mr. Halley feels the pull of the land every day. Once a week, he drives eight hours to work a small piece of his old farm.

It was hard to leave, but Mr. Halley knows he did the right thing. For most families that leave the land, salary goes up and the stress from having little money goes down. Both parents and children are happier.

Halley’s children love living in the city.

“The kids don’t want to go back now,” said Mr. Halley. “The telephone never stops ringing.”

Megan Halley, 13, spoke with excitement about her new school. She especially likes art and computer technology. “Back on the farm,” she said. “the old phone system took five minutes or more just to dail up the Internet.”

“It’s cool here,” said Megan. “She loves going to the nearby mall to shop for new clothes and get the latest CDs of her favorite group.” The closest store to the Halley’s farm was a 10-mile drive.

Before moving to the city, Megan worried about getting along with city kids.

“The boys here aren’t any different than back in the country,” she said, “There’s just a lot more of them.”

1. Why Mr. Halley decide to quit farming one year ago?

A．He didn’t like farming any longer.

B．He found a more satisfactory job in the city.

C．He can hardly make money to support his family.

D．It is not so convenient to live on the farm.

2. Why does Mr. Halley drive back to his old farm once a week？

A．To keep his connection to the land.	B．To appreciate the beautiful scenery.
C．To do a part-time job to earn more money.	D．To relax himself from work.

3. According to Megan, what words can be used to describe the life in the country?

A．Comfortable and peaceful.	B．Inconvenient and boring.
C．Easy and worthwhile.	D．Busy and meaningful.

【推荐2】In my class in high school, there was a girl who was considered the most unpopular. No one actually knows how this exclusion (排挤) came from, but we all followed it for no reason at all. One day after lunch, we girls sat on the track field, talking about things that happened in our lives. Someone brought her up, and soon the topic transformed to laughing at the funny hairstyle of her, the stupid way she walked and.... I felt extremely uncomfortable but kept silent, because I didn’t want to be the one “supporting” the common enemy. After all, it’s just a short gossip time among a trusted group of friends; why should I bring unnecessary tension?

Suddenly, one of my friends pointed her finger towards somewhere behind me. All of us turned around and saw that exact girl, hand still in the air, with a twisted (扭曲的) look on her face. She lowered her hand in slow movement, then turned around and ran off. For a second, I wanted to stand up and chase her down to tell her that no one meant what they said, and that she is an amazing person being who she is. But my legs felt so heavy, I didn’t want to make a fool out of myself—why bother taking care of the class clown (小丑)? People would think that I was crazy as well!

A few weeks later, the teacher told us that a classmate dropped out of school—it was that girl. Her parents told the school that it was the peer pressure that made her want to leave. The teacher wanted to know who the bully (霸凌) was. Again, no one spoke a word. Perhaps it was exactly this cold, hard silence that drove her away. I certainly did not raise my hand. I had never even said anything bad about her; it was my friends who loved to make fun of her every day. Surely, I didn’t bully her physically or with my language, but I kept silent when others did. By failing to stand up for her and offering her support, I was giving agreement, which made others think that it was okay to mistreat her. Perhaps if I had realized I was wrong earlier---instead of convincing myself that I had nothing to do with her leaving, I wouldn't have to bear the burden of heavy shame on my shoulders.

1. How did the author feel when seeing the girl being bullied?

A．Cheerful.	B．Uncomfortable.
C．Frightened.	D．Amazed.

2. What can we know from Paragraph 2?

A．The girl heard what the author’s friends said about her.

B．The author’s leg was broken while chasing the girl.

C．The group friends think it crazy to be fooled.

D．The author was mad at her friends at that time.

3. The author didn’t support the girl for the following reasons EXCEPT that______

A．she wanted to follow the flow.

B．she didn’t want to turn against friends.

C．she was prevented by the group friends.

D．she worried about others’ reaction.

4. What will the author probably do when meeting the same situation next time?

A．She will keep silent and walk away.

B．She will stand up for her group friends.

C．She will make fun of the group.

D．She will not turn a blind eye to it.

【推荐3】Mr. Selfridge, the Wisconsin-born retailer (零售商) who left school at 14, rose to become a partner in Marshall Field's. Chicago. Founded in 1852, it was one of the first and most ambitious US department scores. Mr. Selfridge had done well with Marshall Field's. He liked to say, “The customer is always right,” which made the Chicago store popular. And he is believed to have invented the phrase “Only [so many] Shopping Days until Christmas”.
When he visited London on holiday in 1906 he was surprised to find most of the city's department stores were no match of their American and Parisian competitors. This led Selfridge to leave the US and establish Selfridges. a department store named after him. at the west end of London's Oxford Street. In Oxford Street, Selfridge's design team shaped an ambitious classical palacc building with a wall of plate glass windows.
Opened in 1909, Selfridges offered customers a hundred departments along with restaurants, a roof garden, reading and writing rooms, reception areas for foreign visitors, a first aid room and. most importantly, a small army of knowledgeable floor-walking assistants who served as guides as well as being thoroughly instructed in the art of making a sale.
Mr. Selfridge did much to make the department store a destination rather than just a big and comprehensively stocked city shop. It became a place to meet and for ladies to lunch. Mr. Selfridge later introduced the department store as a key element of the 20th Century culture, and Chaplin acknowledged the growing trend for shopping in the department store in his film The Floorwalker.
1. What can be learned about Mr. Selfridge from Paragraph I ?

A．lie was well-educated.

B．He was a gifted businessman.

C．He was a modest man.

D．He was dishonest.

2. What made Selfridge build a department store in London?

A．The large population in London.

B．His desire to own a department store.

C．His confidence in business success.

D．Affection for London architecture.

3. What was Selfridges' most impressive characteristic?

A．The number of departments.

B．The broad choice of goods.

C．The small group of guards.

D．The well-trained sales guides.

4. What is the main purpose of the article?

A．To introduce the history of Selfridge .

B．To compare different department stores.

C．To encourage readers to spend more.

D．To explain how to start a department store.

【推荐1】What is the kindest thing a pet has done for you? My dog gave her life to save my son. Cindy was the most home-loving and smart dog. When my son was born, she was immediately protective over him. She’d sit beside his bed for hours, popping her front legs up onto the bed every now and then to make sure he was OK.

My son was almost three years old. We lived near a busy road and we were super watchful at child going out of the front door—without exception.

One morning, around 4 a.m., our son somehow managed to “escape” through his bedroom window. Cindy knew that our son wasn’t allowed to go through the front door without us, evidenced by her pushing at him if he reached the front door handle. This day, she followed my son through the window.

At 5 a.m. the police woke us knocking on the door. Their words were—“your son was nearly killed but your dog noticed it”. They then recalled what the lorry (卡车) driver had said…

He told them that he was driving along in the dark and in the distance he could see something “light coloured” moving on the road. As he got closer, he could see a dog at the side of the road barking and barking at the “light coloured” something. At the last moment, he realized that this was a child and was about to swerve (转向). He said he could see the dog, still barking and glancing between the lorry and the child. While the driver was stopping the lorry, the dog ran out into the road, jumped at the child’s back and threw him out of the path of the lorry and at the same time, the lorry hit the dog.

The driver said that he’d never believe what he saw unless it was with his own eyes. The dog definitely knew the danger which was why she was barking so anxiously. She just saved that kid’s life and she knew what she was doing.

That was 39 years ago and I still miss Cindy every day. She was a rough collie (牧羊犬) and I can understand why this kind was chosen for the movies.

1. Why did Cindy push at my son according to Paragraph 3?

A．To play with him and have fun.	B．To warn him not to go outside.
C．To lead the way to the outside.	D．To make sure he was awake.

2. The driver was amazed that ________.

A．the dog knew what she was up to	B．the kid saved himself successfully
C．the light coloured something was a dog	D．many movies were made for Cindy

3. Which words can best describe Cindy?

A．Protective but stupid.	B．Daring and optimistic.
C．Patient but aggressive.	D．Devoted and selfless.

【推荐2】Twelve years ago, Danny called me from a dark, damp subway station. “A baby!” he shouted. “Get down here, and flag down a police car or something.” By nature, Danny is a very calm person, so when I could almost feel his heartbeat through the phone line, I ran.

When I got to the subway station, Danny was holding a light-brown-skinned baby, about a day old. The baby had been wrapped (被包裹) in an oversize black sweatshirt and left on the ground in a corner behind the gate.

What neither of us knew, or could have assumed, was that Danny had not just saved an abandoned infant; he had found our son.

Three months later, Danny appeared in family court to tell the story of finding the baby. Suddenly, the judge asked, “Would you be interested in adopting this baby?” The question surprised everyone in the courtroom, except Danny, who answered, simply, “Yes.”

“But I know it’s not that easy,” he said.

“Well, it can be,” said the judge before giving orders to allow me to be a parent-to-be.

My first reaction, when I heard, went something like, “Are you crazy? How could you say yes without asking me?

In three years as a couple, we had never discussed adopting a child: I was an devoted playwright (剧作家) working as a part-time word clerk. Danny was a respected yet wildly under-paid social worker. We had a roommate, who slept in our living room, to help pay the rent.

We knew how many challenges couples usually faced when they want to have a baby. And while Danny had patience and selflessness, I didn’t know how to change a diaper (尿布), let alone nurse a child. I didn’t trust the social system and was sure there would be difficulties. Also, I couldn’t handle parenthood. So I promised myself I wouldn’t devote to it.

The caretaker held the baby and then placed him in my arms. But when the baby stared up at me, with all the innocence and hope he showed to me, I, like Danny, completely fell for him.

1. Why did Danny call the author?

A．Because he found their lost son.

B．Because he found a deserted baby and needed some help.

C．Because he had a heart trouble.

D．Because someone gave birth to a baby there.

2. What’s the reaction of the author after hearing Danny’s answer to the judge’s question?

A．Very excited.

B．A little angry.

C．Worried.

D．Disappointed.

3. Eventually, what would the couple do according to the last paragraph?

A．They would send the baby to somebody.

B．They would adopt the baby.

C．They would leave the baby at the court.

D．They would bring up the baby together with the judge.

4. According to the passage, what conclusion can we draw on the couple?

A．Outgoing and friendly.	B．Hardworking and serious.
C．Kind and caring.	D．Cold and indifferent.