【推荐1】Growing up, I’d always had a love for Australia. There was the United Kingdom, as well. However, I never imagined myself going to a country with a language barrier.     1    . Before I knew it, I had   applied for a summer studying abroad in Berlin, Germany.

Though I had taken a last-minute semester German class at my home university, I was still worried about how I would be able to communicate in my new city.     2    . In addition to getting accustomed to those differences, I would have to change how I would communicate. Still, I was over-the-moon excited for the opportunity and pushed the nervousness to the back of my mind.

It wasn’t until I had just arrived in Berlin and was trying to order lunch that I realized I had begun to face my first test. I remember so vividly working with the other students on my program who also had a bit of German language learning experience to try to put together a few sentences as best as we could in order to get something to eat.    3    . How was I going to survive nine weeks in a country where I couldn’t speak enough of the native language?

Over the next couple of weeks, I searched the Internet for key sentences that would help. Even if I couldn’t understand every word spoken to me, I learned that many Berliners are very open to people who make an effort to speak the language. They are very appreciative of it, too.     4    .

Now, eight weeks have gone by since my first few days in Berlin. Every day I am excited to try out my German in the city, learning something new by doing so. I have completed two German language courses so far.

    5    , but I highly encourage you to take the leap if you have an interest in studying somewhere where they speak an unfamiliar language. You never know what you will learn from the experience!

A．It really is a special feeling

B．The culture would be so different from my own

C．Eventually, I would find myself with an interest in Germany and its culture

D．Being in a new and completely foreign language may not be for everyone

E．Ever since I was in high school, I knew that I wanted to study abroad in college

F．Maybe I’ll even join the German Club at my home university in the United States

G．The experience eventually turned out okay, but I was suddenly filled with fear again

【推荐2】When I arrived in Britain, I could hardly order food in English. Two years later, I calmly explained the

Chinese grammar to a British friend in English.     1    .

Pay special attention to the basic words

Not all words are of the same importance. Some are far more important than the others. Studies have shown that the most common 300 words in any language account for about 60% of the communication. The most common 1,000 words account for more than 90% of the communication. The most basic 3,000 words account for more than 95% of the communication.     2    .

Study hours a day for a certain period of time

Studying five hours a day for two months will be better for you than studying five hours a week for two years.     3    . Repeating in time is very important for our memory. This is one reason why so many students find it so easy to forget.

    4    

As with anything, if you’re going to stick to it, you have to make it interesting. Don’t just sit in a classroom in front of a book, or you’re likely to get tired quickly. Go to events where you can practice while doing something fun instead.     5    . Find out about the person you’re talking with. Talk about personal topics which you care about. Make it a personal life experience, or else you’re going to be bored and forget everything you have talked.

A．Find ways to make it fun

B．Look for people you enjoy talking to

C．The first 300 words will get you quite far

D．I’d like to share the tips I’ve discovered over the past two years

E．In other words, we should spend most of our time on the basic vocabulary

F．Make meaningful simple sentences with the most common 300 words

G．It’s because if you study five hours per week you cannot repeat in time

【推荐3】At the end of August this year I moved from London，UK，to a small town in Quebec， Canada，called Matane to work as an English language assistant.Patience is a word that has appeared in many forms over the past two months.

I don't see myself as being the most patient person in the world but there was something that struck me on my first week of work.I had just finished a session with two students and just as they were leaving the classroom，one of the students turned back and said，"Thank you for your patience." That was an early reminder of the importance of being patient as a teacher. It also made me reflect on the language teachers that I have had over the years， ones that demonstrated a high level of patience and understanding that has shaped my language learning path. Moreover， it helped me to realize the importance of demonstrating patience in the classroom as it can be the difference between building someone's confidence in a language or breaking down their confidence entirely.

Living my life constantly in French is not easy but the people of Quebec are very patient.They repeat things several times and they are more than happy to wait while I find the correct words to express myself and find the correct word order.It's a learning process but with the patience of others， the process is slightly less nervous.At the end of the day， making mistakes shows you are trying and I think that is greatly appreciated by Quebecers.

When I first arrived in Matane I kept getting headaches from having to concentrate all the time due to the language and even overhearing other people's conversations was hard work! I had to keep reminding myself that it would take time， and two months later the headaches are a distant memory and my ears have become more tuned to their accent.The key is to be patient with yourself.

1. According to Paragraph 2， what does the writer think is important as a teacher？ ______

A．Understanding.

B．Patience.

C．Confidence.

D．Help.

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

A．The writer went to Matane to learn the importance of patience.

B．Doctors in Quebec are good at treating headaches.

C．Practice makes perfect for learning a foreign language.

D．The writer first noticed the importance of patience on hearing a student's appreciation.

3. In the small town called Matane，which language do the local people speak？ ______

A．English.

B．Spanish.

C．French.

D．Italian.

4. What is the best title for the passage？ ______

A．Patience Brings a Surprise

B．Attractions of Quebec

C．My Work Experience in Quebec

D．Learn a Foreign Language with Patience

【推荐1】When planning a vacation，many people consider the popular tourist sites they want to visit.But that’s not what my husband and I did when we planned our vacation to Japan.We thought about the kind of farm we wanted to visit.

Ours was far from a typical(典型的)vacation.We were WWOOFing! WWOOF stands for World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms.The organization connects people interested in organic     farming.Volunteers，known as WWOOFers，help their hosts with daily activities.These include everything from baking bread to picking vegetables.Hosts provide volunteers with food and provide a place for them to stay.

My husband and I certainly felt like family when our host met us at the train station.She told us to call her Okasan—Mom.Likewise，we called her husband Otosan—Dad.Okasan and Otosan own an organic vegetable farm that tries to provide the local people with fresh，healthy food.When no WWOOFers are around to help，the farm work is done only by Otosan and Okasan.As part of the family，we were able to enjoy the fruits of our labor at every meal.Eating fresh vegetables three times a day combined with six hours of farm work，certainly   did   our   bodies   good.We   planted vegetables and cleared rocks from fields.We also packed the vegetables so they could be sold at the market.

Perhaps the most challenging thing we did was weeding a rice field.It was quite challenging because the leaves and roots of the weeds look very similar to the rice.It’s not until both plants are mature (成熟的) that you can clearly tell them apart—only one produces rice.

WWOOFing is unlike anything I’ve ever done before，and I can’t wait to do it again! Let’s WWOOF!

1. What do we know about WWOOF?

A．It belongs to a Japanese farm.

B．It helps the poor do farm work.

C．It provides tourists with hotels.

D．It is an organization connected with farming.

2. What can we infer from Paragraph 3 about Okasan and Otosan’s farm?

A．It benefits both the locals and WWOOFers.

B．It attracts many visitors every day.

C．It provides free food for the locals.

D．It is supported by the government.

3. What does Paragraph 4 mainly talk about?

A．The method of producing rice.

B．The hard time of the farm family.

C．The difficulties in weeding a rice field.

D．The most challenging thing for WWOOF.

4. The author would most likely describe her WWOOFing as ________.

A．satisfying	B．worrying
C．boring	D．tiring

【推荐2】Lakshmi grew up in India in the first half of the twentieth century, seeing many people around her who did not get enough food, were often sick and died young.

In the 1960s, she was asked to help manage a program to improve nutrition in her country. At that time, most advice on nutrition came from North American and European countries. Nutritionists suggested foods that were common and worked well for people who lived in these nations.

For example, they told poor Indian women to eat more meat and eggs and drink more orange juice. But Lakshmi knew this advice was useless in a country such as India. People there didn't eat such foods. They weren't easy to find. And for the poor, such foods were too expensive.Lakshmi knew that for the program to work, it had to fit Indian culture. So she decided to adjust the nutrition program. She first found out what healthy middle class people in India ate. She took note of the nutrients (营养物)available in those foods. Then she looked for cheap, easy-to-find foods that would provide the same nutrients.

She created a balanced diet of locally grown fruits, vegetables, and grains. These foods were cheap and could be cooked with simple equipment. Her ideas were thought unusual in the 1960s. For example, she insisted that a diet without meat could provide all major nutrients. Now we know she was right. But it took her continuous efforts to get others to finally accept her diet about 50 years ago. Because of Lakshmi's program, Indian children almost doubled their food intake. And many children who would have been hungry and ill grew healthy and strong.

1. Why did Lakshmi think European nutritionists' advice was useless?

A．It worked well for European people.

B．It suggested too many foods for Indians.

C．It was not practical in India that time.

D．It included foods that didn't exist in India.

2. Lakshmi studied healthy middle class people's diet in order to              .

A．find out nutrients in their food

B．learn about Indian culture

C．know about their eating habits

D．write a report on food nutrients

3. Lakshmi's balanced diet was considered unusual because people thought _________.

A．Athose foods were too cheap

B．it should include some meat

C．it provided all major nutrients

D．it enabled kids to grow healthy

4. What can we infer about Lakshmi?

A．She came from a rich family.	B．She disliked middle class people.
C．She worked with European nutritionists.	D．She was a determined scientist.

【推荐3】Poet William Stafford once said that we are defined more by the detours (绕行路) in life than by the narrow road toward goals. I like this image. But it was quite by accident that I discovered the deep meaning of his words.

For years we made the long drive from our home in Seattle to my parents’ home in Boise in nine hours. We traveled the way most people do: the fastest, shortest, easiest road, especially when I was alone with four noisy, restless kids who hate confinement (限制) and have strong opinions about everything.

Road trips felt risky, so I would drive fast, stopping only when I had to. We would stick to the freeways and arrive tired.

But then Banner, our lamb was born. He was rejected by his mama days before our planned trip to Boise. I had two choices: leave Banner with my husband, or take him with me. My husband made the decision for me.

That is how I found myself on the road with four kids, a baby lamb and nothing but my everlasting optimism to see me through. We took the country roads out of necessity. We had to stop every hour, let Banner shake out his legs and feed him. The kids chased him and one another. They’d get back in the car breathless and energized, smelling fresh from the cold air.

We explored side roads, catching grasshoppers in waist-high grass. Even if we simply looked out of the car windows at baby pigs following their mother, or fish leaping out of the water, it was better than the best ride down the freeway. Here was life. And new horizons.

We eventually arrived at my parents’ doorstep astonishingly fresh and full of stories.

I grew brave with the trip back home and creative with my disciplining technique. On an empty section of road, everyone started quarreling. I stopped the car, ordered all kids out and told them to meet me up ahead. I parked my car half a mile away and read my book in sweet silence.

Some road trips are by necessity fast and straight. But that trip with Banner opened our eyes to a world available to anyone adventurous enough to wander around and made me realize that a detour may uncover the best part of a journey-and the best part of yourself.

1. Why did the author use to take freeways to her parents’ home?

A．She needn’t stop on the way.

B．It would be faster and easier.

C．Her kids would feel less confined.

D．She felt better with other drivers nearby.

2. What does the author discover from the trip according to Paragraph 6 ?

A．Freeways are where beauty hides.

B．Getting close to nature adds to the joy of life.

C．Enjoying the beauty of nature benefits one’s health.

D．One should follow side roads to watch wild animals.

3. Why did the author ask the kids to get out of the car on their way back home?

A．To give herself some time to read.

B．To order some food for them.

C．To play a game with them.

D．To let them cool down.

4. What could be the best title for the passage?

A．Charm of the Detour

B．The Road to Bravery

C．Creativity out of Necessity

D．Road trip and Country Life