【推荐1】Henry Ford was the first person to build cars which were cheap, strong and fast. He was able to sell millions of models because he could produce them in large numbers at a time: that is, he made a great many cars of exactly the same kind. Ford's father hoped that his son would become a farmer, but the young man did not like the idea and he went to Detroit（底特律）where he worked as a mechanic（机械师）. By the age of 29, in 1892，he had built his first car. However, the car made in this way, the famous “Model T” did not appear until 1908-five years after Ford bad started his great motor car factory. This car showed to be well-known that it remained unchanged for twenty year. Since Ford's time, this way of producing cars in large numbers has become common in industry and has reduced the price of many goods which would otherwise be very expensive.

1. Henry Ford was the man to built ________ cars.

A．cheap and strong	B．cheap and long
C．fast and expensive	D．strong and slow

2. Ford was able to sell millions of cars, because ________.

A．he made many great cars	B．his cars are many
C．he made lots of cars of the same kind	D．both A and B

3. The young man became a mechanic, ________.

A．which was his father's will（意愿）	B．which was against his own will
C．which was against his father's will	D．which was the will of both

4. The “Model T” was very famous ________.

A．before 1908	B．between 1982 and 1908
C．before 1892	D．after 1908

【推荐2】The story of Sindhutai Sapkal is the story of rebirth and the love of children who nobody else wanted. The 68-year-old woman has raised over 1,400 orphans (孤儿), offering them not just food and shelter, but also the love of a real family. Her amazing work has earned her over 750 awards, and the nickname "Mother of Orphans".

Sindhutai Sapkal's work was inspired by her own hardships growing up. Born into a poor family, she had to abandon her education at age 9, and was married to a 20-year-old man when she was just 10 years old. Ten years later, when she was expecting a Why, she was thrown out of the house by her husband, and because everyone, even her family, turned her away, she had to give birth in a cow house.

To support herself and her newborn daughter, Sapkal had to beg and sing at train stations for food. It was during these difficult times that she met many other abandoned youths who were struggling just like she was. She would share her food with them and provide as much care as she could. Some of them started following her around，and that, she says, is how her large family started to form without her even realizing.

Over the last 40 years, Sindhutai Sapkal has traveled to countless villages, giving speeches until her throat was dry, trying to collect donations to provide a better life for her adopted children. She managed to build four orphanages, where many abandoned children have grown into respectable members of society. She makes it her duty to keep the kids on the right path in life and offer them the love and care of a real family.

"I was raised believing that blood relations don't really mean much. For me, my understanding of a home was based on what I had seen-my mother and her large family," Sindhutai's daughter, Mamata, says. "After completing my degrees, I have been working with Mai(mother)."

1. What inspired Sindhutai Sapkal to start her work?

A．Over 750 awards given.	B．Her poor education.
C．Many homeless children.	D．Her life experiences.

2. What can we infer from the last paragraph?

A．Sindhutai Sapkal's work has a great influence on her daughter.

B．Mamata thinks blood relations don't really mean much in a family.

C．Mamata's based her understanding of a home on adopted chil击en.

D．Sindhutai Sapkal was satisfied with what she got from her life.

3. What is the text mainly about?

A．Sapkal's social status as Mother of Orphans.

B．Sapkal's contribution to abandoned children.

C．Sapkal's wish to build shelters for children.

D．Sapkal's effort to collect money for the poor.

4. Which of the following can he used to describe Sindhutai Sapkal?

A．Cruel.	B．Serious.
C．Caring.	D．Strict.

【推荐3】A dog spent the last four years of his life waiting at a crossroad in the Thai city of Khon Kaen as if waiting for someone. People originally thought the dog had been abandoned, but then realized that he looked healthy, so people asked around about him. It turned out that the dog had indeed been spending most of his time around that crossroad, but a woman had been coming round regularly to bring him food and water.

One day, while photographing the dog everyone called Leo, a reporter met the woman who had been taking care of him. She had come to drop off some food. After learning the story about the dog and the woman, the reporter decided to share the story on social media. The post soon went viral and the photos of Leo got shared hundreds of times. And the photos reached the eyes of Leo’s former old owner.

Nang Noi Sittisarn, a 64-year-old woman from Thailand’s Roi Et Province, almost had a heart attack when her daughter showed her a photo of the beloved dog named BonBon she had lost during a car trip. When she learned that he had been waiting for her in the same spot for the last four years, her heart melted.

Auntie Noi told her daughter to drive her to where the dog was waiting. When she got there and called his name, BonBon, the poor dog started wiggling his tail and came to her, but when she tried to take him home with her, he was unwilling to follow. She didn’t want to force the dog to come with her so she agreed to leave him with his new master. However, she and her daughter will come to visit him regularly.

1. Why did the dog look healthy after separation from his former owner?

A．He walked around the crossroad constantly.	B．He was kept at a woman’s home all the time.
C．A local reporter brought him food and water.	D．A woman looked after him on a regular basis.

2. What does the underlined phrase “went viral” in paragraph 2 probably mean?

A．Spread quickly.	B．Got infected with virus.
C．Appeared gradually.	D．Got ignored directly.

3. Why did Nang Noi Sittisam feel touched according to the passage?

A．A stranger looked after the dog carefully for many years.

B．The story posted by the journalist has attained a lot of attention.

C．The poor dog still stayed at the crossroad in order to wait for her.

D．The poor dog was very delighted when meeting her at the crossroad.

4. Which of the following can we best describe the dog Leo?

A．Gentle.

B．Faithful.​​​​​

C．Reliable.     ​ ​

D．Diligent.

【推荐1】Alice Walker makes her living by writing. And her poems, short stories, and novels have won many prizes for her. She was born in Eatonton, Georgia; she went to public schools there, and then to Spelman College in Atlanta before coming to New York to attend Sarah Lawrence College, from which she graduated in 1965.For a time she lived in Jackson, Mississippi, with her lawyer husband and small daughter.

About Langston Hughes: American Poet, her first book for children, she says,“ After my first meeting with Langston Hughes, I promised I would write a book for children someday. Why? Because I, at twenty-two, knew next to nothing of his work, and he didn’t scold me. He just gave me a pile of his books. And he was kind to me. I will always be thankful that in his warmth he fulfilled my deepest dream (and need) of what a poet should be.”

“To me he is not dead at all. Hardly a day goes by when I don’t think of him or speak of him. Once, just before he died, when he was sick with the flu, I took him a full basket of oranges. The joy I felt in giving that simple gift is undiminished (没有减弱) by time. He said he liked oranges, too.”

1. In the passage, Alice Walker is ______.

A．a researcher at Sarah Lawrence College

B．a professor at Sarah Lawrence College

C．a prize-winning writer

D．a writer of plays for children

2. From the passage we can conclude that Alice Walker was twenty-two years old when _____.

A．she moved to Jackson, Mississippi

B．she moved to New York

C．she first met with Langston Hughes

D．Langston Hughes died

3. What is the main topic of the passage?

A．Langston Hughes’ books about Alice Walker.

B．The childhood of Alice Walker and Langston Hughes.

C．Langston Hughes, American poet.

D．Alice Walker’s reflection on Langston Hughes.

【推荐2】Bob Dylan, the 75-year-old rock legend received the Nobel Prize for having created new poetic expressions within the great American song tradition. Sara Danius, permanent secretary of the Swedish Academy, said Dylan had been chosen because he was a great poet in the English speaking tradition.

Dylan, born on May 24, 1941 is an American songwriter, singer, artist, and writer. He has been influential in popular music and culture for more than five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s. Early songs such as Tangled up in Blue, Blowing in the Wing and The Times Are a-Changing became anthems（颂歌）for the American civil fights and anti-war movements. Leaving behind his initial base in the American folk music revival（复兴）, his six-minute single Like a Rolling Stone, recorded in 1965, enlarged the range of popular music.

Dylan’s lyrics（歌词）include a wide range of political, social, philosophical, and literary features. His recording career, spanning more than 50 years, has explored the traditions in American song---from folk, blues, and country to rock and roll, and rockabilly to English, Scottish, and Irish folk music, embracing even jazz and the Great American Songbook. Dylan performs with guitar, keyboards, and harmonica. Backed by a changing lineup of musicians, he has toured steadily since the late 1980s on what has been called the Never Ending Tour. His accomplishments as a recording artist and performer have been central to his career, but songwriting is considered his greatest contribution.

Since 1994, Dylan has published six books of drawings and paintings, and his work has been exhibited in major art galleries. As a musician, Dylan has sold more than 100 million records, making him one of the best-selling artists of all time. He has also received numerous awards including eleven Grammy Awards, a Golden Globe Award, and an Academy Award. In May 2012, Dylan received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Obama.

1. Why was Bob Dylan awarded the Nobel Prize?

A．Because he invented many music expressions.

B．Because his lyrics in his songs rhymed like poems.

C．Because his works had the characteristics of Rock.

D．Because he changed the English speaking tradition.

2. Which of Dylan’s works expended the area of popular music?

A．Like a Rolling Stone	B．Blowing in the Wind
C．Tangled up in Blue	D．The Times Are a-Changing

3. According to the passage, Bob Dylan can be best described as ________.

A．knowledgeable and generous	B．talented and socially responsible
C．thoughtful and warm-hearted	D．hard-working and ambitious

4. What is considered to be Dylan’s greatest contribution in his career?

A．Composing Poems.	B．Giving performances.
C．Making records.	D．Writing songs.

【推荐3】Four famous classic Italian writers

When speaking of Italian literature, many people come up with Dante. But there are many other famous Italian authors. Below are four recommended writers and their masterpieces.

Ludovico Ariosto (1474-1533)

Ariosto is best known for his epic (史诗般的) poem Orlando Furioso, which was published in 1977. As a poet always with new ideas, Ariosto invented the way of “singing the poem to the audience”. The poem presents a rich variety of characters, which has been an encouragement for many paintings and musical works.

Italo Calvino (1923-1985)

Calvino was the author of If on a Winter’s Night a Traveler published in 1979. The novel differs from others for its unique description of a frame story - a unifying story within which several tales are related. It has encouraged musicians like Sting to create their works. At the time of his death in 1985, Calvino was one of the world’s most translated Italian writers.

Umberto Eco (1932-2016)

Eco wrote The Name of the Rose, a historical murder mystery (神秘) novel published in 1980. In the story, he skilfully applied the use of signs and symbols to it. A number of his books deal with the meaning and understanding of communication.

Alessandro Manzoni (1785-1873)

Manzoni is most famous for his novel The Betrothed published in 1827. The novel was regarded to be connected with Risorgimento, the Italian unification movement(统一运动) in the 19th century. Probably we can say, without this great novelist and this masterpiece of world literature, Italy wouldn’t be Italy.

1. What do Orlando Furioso and If on a Winter’s Night a Traveler have in common?

A．They have both influenced musical works.

B．They both have related characters and stories.

C．They were both published in the same year.

D．They are both translated into many languages.

2. What can readers probably find in The Name of the Rose?

A．A unique describing style.	B．A mix of new ideas.
C．The use of signs and symbols.	D．The history of a movement.

3. Whose work is related to the formation of a united country?

A．Ludovico Ariosto.

B．Italo Calvino.

C．Umberto Eco.

D．Alessandro Manzoni.

【推荐1】I was eleven years old, standing outside when I watched the house that I grew up in burn to the ground. A few minutes earlier, I was asleep in my nice, warm bed.

My grandmother’s bedroom was just next to mine and my brother’s. A fire had broken out there and awakened her first. While I stumbled(蹒跚) around in the smoke and darkness, my brother ran from room to room quickly, waking everyone in the house. The house. however, was over 50 years old and made of wood. Before we could do anything the fire consumed(毁灭) it. We all made it outside before the flames destroyed every room.

I stood there shivering(颤抖) while the fire destroyed my hooks, clothes, and toys. I watched helplessly while my mum cried. I wondered what was going to happen to us now that we had lost all of our things.

As I looked around, though, I realized something for the first time: The things that matter aren’t things. I saw my elder brother running to get help. I saw my grandmother and dad hugging together. I realised at that moment that we were all alive. Everything that was important survived the fire. Our lives would continue. We would survive without the things that were burning. We would all be around to love each other for many years to come. And that was all that mattered.

I still think of that fire in the night that helped me to become who I am today. It helped me to learn that the love we share is far more important than the things we have. Love others. Help everyone. Let the fire inside of you make this world a warmer place.

1. Who found the fire at first?

A．The author himself.	B．The author’s grandmother,
C．The author’s mother.	D．The author’s elder brother.

2. Which word could best describe the author when he ran outside?

A．Calm.

B．Helpful.

C．Frightened.

D．Disappointed.

3. What’s the meaning of the underlined sentence in Paragraph 4?

A．Lost things can’t come back.

B．Getting others’ help is necessary.

C．Material wealth isn’t the most important.

D．Lives must continue on if we lack love.

4. What happens to the author after the fire?

A．He plans to build a new house.	B．He is still what he used to be.
C．He only shares his love with his family.	D．He is ready to help those in need.

【推荐2】Arens, a driver of a delivery company, was making his rounds near a pond in Bozeman, Montana, when he heard an unearthly sound.

It was December 2018, and about 15 feet from the frozen banks was the source of that cry — a half-submerged brown-and-white wirehaired dog, struggling to hold on to a thin layer of ice.

How she got there no one knows, but an elderly man was already on the scene, determined to save her. The elderly man had entered the pond in a rowboat and was hacking away at the ice with a rock to create a path to the dog. It was slow going, and Arens, 44, thought he stood a better chance. He took off his clothes, even though the temperature was -30℃, and jumped into the rowboat.

His heart beating fast, Arens slid closer to the dog and used the other man’s rock to smash away at the ice. He gave himself a strong pull and slipped off the boat, crashing into 16 feet of freezing water. He resurfaced in time to see the dog going under. Using nervous energy to keep warm, he swam about five feet toward her, grabbed hold of her collar, and pulled her to the ice. He then boosted the dog into the boat and slid it back to the shore, where anxious bystanders carried the dog to the home of the rowboat owner.

Once in the house himself, Arens jumped into a warm shower with the dog until they both felt warmer.

A few more minutes in the pond, the vet (兽医) told Arens, and she would have likely suffered heart failure.

The next day, Arens was back working in the same neighborhood when the dog’s owner came over to thank him for saving Sadie.

Arens says, “That special delivery was the highlight of my career.”

1. What does the underlined word “hacking” in paragraph three most probably mean?

A．Finding.

B．Cutting.

C．Revising.

D．Adopting.

2. Why does Arens think “he stood a better chance” (in paragraph 3) according to the passage?

A．He had an advantage in age.	B．He was able to jump into the rowboat.
C．He had better nerves to keep warm.	D．He was a faster swimmer.

3. Which of the following statements is true about the incident?

A．After saving the dog, Arens carried her home.

B．Arens jumped into the river on seeing the dog.

C．Without Aren’s help, the dog could hardly survive.

D．The dog was hunting when she fell into the water.

4. What is the main idea of the passage?

A．A special delivery of a driver.	B．A story of a pet lover.
C．A dog suffering from heart attack.	D．A fight against freezing waste.

【推荐3】Powerful storms had rocked Columbia, Missouri, leaving behind deep floodwaters that continued to rise. Monica Viet’s 16-year-old son Dominic Viet and his 17-year-old friend, Joseph Diener, had gone out to ride bikes and check out the storm damage. With more storms on the way, Monica thought it was best for children to stay home in this situation. Then, she texted him. However, she needn’t have worried. Dominic sent her a reply saying, “Mom, we just saved a girl’s life.”

Here’s what happened. The teens were riding past a basketball court that was deeply flooded when they spotted a girl holding on to a pole and calling out for help. They realized she was seriously in trouble. Fortunately, in school, they had both earned lifesaving medals that included water rescues, and as they glanced around at the other concerned bystanders, they knew they needed to take action. Together, they jumped into the water and fought the fast-flowing water to push the drowning 18-year-old girl to shore. Ten minutes later, they made it.

Once on dry land, the girl began to throw up water. First responders quickly arrived and took her to the hospital, where she is recovering.

The boys’ headmaster said being prepared for emergency situations is attached great importance to in the daily training of our school. He hopes the teens will get special medals for their extraordinary actions that day!

The two boys are now regarded as heroes for risking their own lives to help a stranger. “I feel like if you’re able to save somebody like that,” Joseph said. “You certainly will, because that’s what every one of us will do.” “We didn’t think much about it, and we just had to get her out. That’s it! Besides, we’re trained for this!” Dominic added.

1. Why did Dominic’s mum text him?

A．To warn him of the coming storms.	B．To urge him to come back quickly.
C．To have him go to the basketball court.	D．To tell him to record the storm damage.

2. What did the boys depend on to rescue the girl?

A．Their training and skills.	B．Their parents’ encouragement.
C．First responders’ instant help.	D．The support from the passers-by.

3. Which word best describes the boys as rescuers?

A．Ambitious.

B．Demanding.

C．Modest.

D．Honest.