【推荐1】While children are dogs-loyal and affectionate (情深的)— teenagers are cats. It’s so easy to be a dog owner. You feed it, train it, and boss it around. It puts its head on your knee and gazes at you as if you were a Rembrandt painting. It jumps indoors with enthusiasm when you call it.

Then around age 13, your adoring little puppy turns into a big old cat. When you tell it to come inside, it looks amazed, as if wondering who is so boring. Instead of following your doorsteps, it disappears. You won’t see it again until it gets hungry — then it hunts through the kitchen long enough to turn its nose up at whatever you’re serving. When you reach out to touch its head, in that old affectionate gesture, it turns away from you, then gives you an indifferent (冷漠的) look, as if trying to remember where it has seen you before.

Since you are the one who raised it, taught it to fetch and stay and sit on command, you think that you did something wrong. Filled with guilt (内疚) and fear, you redouble your efforts to make your pet to do things in a right way.

Only now you’re dealing with a cat, so everything that worked before now has the other side of the wanted result. Call it, and it runs away. Tell it to sit, and it jumps on the counter. The more you go toward it, waving your hands, the more it moves away.

Put a dish of food near the door, and let it come to you. But remember that a cat needs your help and you love too. Sit still, and it will come, seeking that warm and comforting lap. It has not entirely forgotten. Be there to open the door for it.

One day your grown-up child will walk into the kitchen, give you a big kiss and say, “You’ve been on your feet all day. Let me get those dishes for you.”

Then you will realize your cat is a dog again.

1. When you call a dog, how will it probably react to you?

A．Excitedly.

B．Curiously.

C．Angrily.

D．Calmly.

2. What does the word “it” refers to in the third paragraph?

A．A dog.

B．A parent.

C．A situation.

D．A teenager.

3. What can we learn from the passage?

A．Children like cats can easily obey parents’ orders.

B．Parents should try their best to leave their children alone.

C．You can’t expect children to care about their parents’ feelings.

D．Parents should consider what they do wrong to educate their kids.

4. What is the main purpose of writing this passage?

A．To tell us how a dog changes into a cat.

B．To tell us how to deal with teenagers aged 13 or so.

C．To tell us the similarities between pets and children.

D．To tell us how to keep pets like cats and dogs.

【推荐2】My father was chief engineer of a merchant ship, which was sunk in World War IT. The book Night of the U-boat told the story.

Memories

In September, 1940, my mother, sister and I went to Swansea, where my father's ship was getting ready to sail. We brought a family photography to be kept with him at all times and keep him safe.

Then I remember my mother lying face down, sobbing. She had heard from a friend that the ship had been sunk by a torpedo (鱼雷) .

I can remember the arrival of the telegram, which in those days always brought bad news. My grandmother opened it. It read, "Safe. Love Ted."

My most vivid memory is being woken and brought down to sit on my father's knee, his arm in a bandage.

He was judged unfit to return to sea and took a shore job in Glasgow for the rest of the war. For as long as I can remember, he had a weak heart. Mother said it was caused by the torpedoes, but he said it was because of the cigarettes. Whichever, he died suddenly in his early 50s.

Ten years later I read Night of the U-boat and was able to complete the story.

Torpedo

One torpedo struck the ship. Father was in the engine room, where the second engineer was killed. He shut down the engines to slow the ship, making it easier for it to be abandoned.

By the time he got on deck he was alone. Every lifeboat was gone except one which had stuck fast. When he tried to cut it free it swung against the ship, injuring his hand and arm. He had no choice but to jump --- still with the photograph in his pocket.

Three days later, he and other survivors were safe in Glasgow. All 23 with him signed the back of the photograph.

A toast

In my room is the book and the photograph. Often, book in hand, I have wondered how I would have dealt with an explosion, a sinking ship, a jump into a vast ocean and a wait for rescue? In case we forget, I have some more whisky and toast the heroes of the war.

1. We can infer that the mother and children went to Swansea _____.

A．to meet a friend	B．to see the father
C．to take a family photo	D．to enjoy the sailing of the ship

2. What can we know about the author's father after his ship was attacked?

A．He lost his arm.	B．He repaired the engine.
C．He managed to take a lifeboat.	D．He was the last to leave the ship.

3. What is the passage mainly about?

A．A group of forgotten heroes.

B．A book describing a terrifying battle.

C．A memory of a ship engineer's wartime experience.

D．Memories of the author's childhood.

【推荐3】Kids often ask questions like those that are hard or not possible to answer, and adults tend to respond with explanations that try to solve the problem. It is natural to try to comfort a kid who is feeling puzzled by the world. But simple explanations may not be what the child expects or wants. Sometimes, kids simply want to talk about their questions and thought.

I'm a philosopher (哲学家) and educator who has been listening to children and talking with them about their big philosophical questions for the past 25 years. I encourage all young people to think for themselves about problems that matter to them because it's important for them to learn how to understand their own experiences.

Most kids start wondering about big questions almost as soon as they learn to speak, and they continue to think about them throughout childhood. Being full of curiosity about things that most adults take for granted, children all over the world are wide open to the mysterious that AI human life. Research shows, though, that as they get older, kids ask questions less and less.

While children do need adults' help and guidance, parents don't always have to act as an expert providing the answers. Thinking with children about their bigger questions can make Way for more communication. Since these kinds of questions tend not to have settled and final answers, discussions about them allow parents and children to wonder together. In this way, adults feel less pressure to be the experts.

Kids have few long-held beliefs about how the world works and they are open to many possibilities. In discussions about bigger questions, kids often suggest original and creative ways of looking at them. Talking with kids about what they are thinking can help parents explore their own concerns and ideas. Especially now, as families are separated together in a time of great uncertainty, these conversations have the possibility to allow parents and children to communicate more deeply and in a traditional way.

1. What is parents' usual response to their kids' question?

A．Offer kids answers.	B．Praise their curiosity.
C．Ignore their questions.	D．Explore the puzzle together.

2. What might the author suggest young people do?

A．Think independently.	B．Turn to educators for help.
C．Be curious about the world.	D．Learn from others experience.

3. What is kids' attitude towards questions when they grow up?

A．They need adults' more help.

B．They are wider open to questions.

C．They tend to ask questions less frequently.

D．They are more interested in asking bigger questions.

4. What will probably happen if parents stop being expert?

A．Kids will not follow parents' guidance.

B．Parents and kids will become separated.

C．Kids will have more uncertainty for their future.

D．Their relationship with their kids will be deepened.

【推荐2】Veteran Oksana Chusovitina ended her legendary career on Sunday night after competing at a record eighth Olympic Games. After failing to secure a spot in Sunday’s vault final, the 46-year-old, representing Uzbekistan, waved to the small crowd inside Tokyo’s Ariake Gymnastics Center, made a heart shape with her hands and briefly cried.

Born in Uzbek capital Tashkent in 1976, Chusovitina took up gymnastics at age 7, following her older brother into the sport. “My mother did not want me to do gymnastics, she was worried about me all the time. I wanted to prove to her that I was not doing it in vain, and I think I eventually succeeded in that,” Chusovitina once said of her childhood.

She made her Olympic debut (首次亮相) at the 1992 Barcelona Games as part of the gold medal-winning Unified team, comprised of (由……组成) athletes from former Soviet states.

She then represented Uzbekistan, before being granted German citizenship in 2006. She took home a vault silver medal at the 2008 Beijing Games for Germany, but switched back to competing for Uzbekistan in 2013. Chusovitina is one of just two female gymnasts to represent three different nations at the Olympic Games.

When Chusovitina’s 3-year-old son was diagnosed with leukemia in 2002, she sold her possessions and used any prize money she earned to pay for his medical treatment. Her switch to German citizenship was motivated by the promise of a higher income and better medical care.

After her son’s recovery, Chusovitina continued to compete, but this time it was her love of gymnastics that kept her going. “There is no secret. I just love gymnastics and no one ever forced me to compete. I do so with pleasure,” she said.

With COVID-19 rules keeping fans out of the venue, Chusovitina admitted the atmosphere wasn’t what she had hoped. “I would have loved to have spectators, she said. “Of course in terms of performance, it’s better when it’s just you and the apparatus (器具). But every athlete needs this attention and applause.”

“Maybe Fil skip Paris (2024 Games), and go to Los Angeles (2028 Games) for the applause,” she joked. At last, she told reporters, “My son is 22 years old and I want to spend time with him. I want to be a mom.”

1. What is implied about Chusovitina?

A．She once took home a gold medal in her own right.

B．She started gymnastics to meet her mother’s expectations.

C．She preferred no audience when performing during the pandemic.

D．She will probably not compete in the 2028 Olympic Games.

2. Why did Chusovitina choose to compete for German?

A．Because she could secure a spot more easily in the Olympics.

B．Because it would guarantee her a lot of prize money.

C．Because it meant better medical treatment for her son.

D．Because she was granted German citizenship.

3. Which word can best describe Chusovitina as an athlete?

A．Diligent.

B．Perseverant.

C．Talented.

D．Ambitious.

4. What is the best title for the text?

A．A Legend Athlete Fighting in the Olympics	B．Life of a Legend Athlete
C．A Legend Athlete, a Smashing Mother	D．A Record Breaker of the Olympics

【推荐1】After the Summer Olympics are over, when all the athletics have gone home and the television audience has switched off, another group of athletics and fans will arrive at the host city, and another competition will begin. These are the Paralympics, the games for athletes with a disability. But in Beijing in 2008, for the first time, one of the greatest Paralympics will not be taking part．
She is a British athlete by the name of Tanni Grey-Thormpson. Born with spina bifida (脊椎裂)which left her paralyzed from the waist down. Tanni used a wheelchair from the age of 7. At first, she was not keen on sport, apart from horse-riding, which gave her a sense of freedom. But in her teens, she started taking sports more seriously. She tried swimming, basketball and tennis. Eventually she found athletics, and never looked back.
Indeed, Tanni’s athletic career took off. In 1984, when she was 15, she pulled off a surprise victory in the 100metres at the Junior National Wheelchair Games.
In 1988, Tanni went to her first Paralympic Games in Seoul. She won bronze in the 400 metres.   Even greater success followed at the 1992 Barcelona Paralympics. Tanni won gold in the 100, 200, 400 and 800 metres relay, setting two world records in the process. In the same year she achieved the first of her six London Wheelchair Marathon victories.
Tanni’s enduring success had been part motivation(动机), part preparation, “The training I do that enables me to be a good sprinter(短跑运动员)enables me to be good at a marathon too. I train 50 weeks of the year and that keeps me prepared for whatever distance I want to race. I am still competing at a very high lever, but as I get older things get harder and I want to retire before I fall apart.”
Indeed Tanni retired finally after the Visa Paralympic World Cup in 2007. Her wish is to coach young athletes for Beijing 2008 Olympic Games.
In spite of ups and downs, she never take her fate lying down. In her splendid life, she has won an amazing eleven gold medals, four silvers and one bronze in series of Paralympics--- a top lever athletic career covering two decades. She has won the London Wheelchair Marathon six times, more than any other competitor, and she has set over thirty world records.
What advice does she have for young athletes? “Work hard at your studies, and then train, train and train again.”
1. Which of the following sports did Tanni like before thirteen?

A．Basketball.	B．Swimming．
C．Tennis．	D．Horse-riding．

2. When did Tanni win her first Olympic gold medal?

A．In 1984．	B．In 1988．
C．In 1992．	D．In 2007．

3. The underlined word “that” in the 5th paragraph refers to _______．

A．fifty weeks’ training

B．being a good sprinter

C．training almost every day

D．part motivation and part preparation

4. What’s the right order of the events related to Tanni?
a．She works as a coach．
b．She took up athletics．
c．She won four gold medals in Barcelona．
d．She competed in her first Paralympic Games．
e．She achieved a victory in her first London Wheelchair Marathon．

A．b,d,c,e,a	B．a,d,b,c,e
C．a,d,c,e,b	D．b,d,a,e,c

5. What can we learn from Tanni’s success?

A．Union is strength．

B．Never too late to learn．

C．Well begun is half done．

D．No pains, no gains．