【推荐1】On March 25,2010, Kate and David Ogg heard the words every parent fears: Their newborn wasn’t going to make it. Their twins—a girl and a boy—were born two minutes apart and 14 weeks premature, weighing just over two pounds each. Doctors had tried to save the boy for 20 minutes but saw no improvement. His heartbeat was nearly gone, and he’d stopped breathing. The baby had just moments to live.

“I saw him gasp, but the doctor said it was no use,” Kate told the Daily Mail five years later. “I know it sounds stupid, but if he was still gasping, that was a sign of life. I wasn’t going to give up easily.”

Still, the Sydney couple knew this was likely goodbye. In an effort to cherish her last minutes with the tiny boy, Kate asked to hold him.

“I wanted to meet him, and for him to know us,” Kate told Today. “We’d resigned ourselves to the fact that we were going to lose him, and we were just trying to make the most of those last, precious moments.”

Kate unwrapped the boy, whom the couple had already named Jamie, from his hospital blanket and ordered David to take his shirt off and join them in bed. The first-time parents wanted their son to be as warm as possible and hoped the skin-to-skin contact would improve his condition. They also talked to him.

“We were trying to persuade him to stay,” Kate told the Daily Mail. “We explained his name and that he had a twin that he had to look out for and how hard we had tried to have him.”

Then something miraculous happened. Jamie gasped again—and then he started breathing. Finally, he reached for his father’s finger.

The couple’s lost boy had made it.

“We’re the luckiest people in the world,” David told Today. Eight years later, Jamie and his sister, Emily, are happy and healthy. The Oggs only recently told the kids the story of their birth. “Emily burst into tears,” Kate said. “She was really upset, and she kept hugging Jamie. This whole experience makes you cherish them more.”

1. Why was the newborn not going to make it?

A．Because he had just moments to live.

B．Because his heartbeat was nearly gone.

C．Because he was 14 weeks premature.

D．Because he weighed just over 2 pounds.

2. What does Kate’s words mean in paragraph 4?

A．The doctors thought it no use saving the boy.

B．The doctor had no idea how to save the boy.

C．Kate was prepared to resign her position.

D．Kate cherished her last minutes with the boy.

3. What did the first-time parents did to save the boy?

A．To have eye contact.	B．To touch him skin to skin.
C．To tell him stories.	D．To grasp his hands tightly.

4. Which is the best title of the article?

A．Wonders of love	B．Premature twins
C．Life-giving touch	D．Precious moments

【推荐2】I never knew anyone who'd grown up in Jackson without being afraid of Mrs. Calloway, our librarian. She ran Jackson's Carnegie Library absolutely by herself. SILENCE in big black letters was on signs hung everywhere. If she thought you were dressed improperly, she sent you straight back home to change your clothes. I was willing; I would do anything to read.

My mother was not afraid of Mrs. Calloway. She wished me to have my own library card to check out books for myself. She took me in to introduce me.“Eudora is nine years old and has my permission to read any book she wants from the shelves, children or adults,” Mother said.

Mrs. Calloway made her own rules about books. You could not take back a book to the library on the same day you'd taken it out; she didn't care whether you'd read every word in it and needed another to start. You could take out two books at a time and two at most. So two by two, I read library books as fast as I could go, rushing them home in the basket of my bicycle. From the minute I reached our house, I started to read. I knew this was extreme happiness, and knew it at the time.

My mother shared this feeling of mine. Now, I think of her as reading so much of the time while doing something else. I remember her reading a magazine while acting the Wolf in a game of “Little Red Riding Hood” with my brother's two daughters. She'd just look up at the right time, long enough to answer—“I will eat you, my dear,” and go back to her place in the magazine article.

1. Which of the following statements would Mrs. Calloway most likely agree with?

A．Readers can speak aloud in her library.

B．Readers can borrow one book every time.

C．Readers can return a book to the library on the 8ame day they borrow it.

D．Readers can take out any book they want from the shelves without returning it.

2. Which can best describe Mrs. Calloway?

A．Creative and helpful.	B．Outgoing and patient.
C．Silent and humorous.	D．Strict and principled.

3. What do the underlined words “this feeling” refer to in the last paragraph?

A．Love for her job.	B．Worries about the library rules.
C．Eagerness to read.	D．Admiration for Mrs. Calloway,

4. What can be inferred about the author's mother according to the passage?

A．She has a great passion for reading.	B．She enjoys playing games with children.
C．She is interested in playing the part of a wolf,	D．She always forces the author to go to the library to read books.

【推荐3】After he retired, Chan Jae Lee, who lives in Brazil, decided to spend his days taking care of his two young grandchildren, driving them back and forth to school and taking the opportunity to spend some quality time with them. But when Lee’s daughter moved her family to Korea, he was left with a gaping hole in his life. “All of a sudden, I had nothing to do and I missed them terribly,” Lee said.

In 2015, Lee’s third grandchild was born to his son Ji. He traveled to New York to meet the baby and it was there that Ji suggested his dad begin drawing pictures for his grandkids and posting them on Instagram as a way to keep in touch. “I liked the idea and found a purpose to draw and I learned how to stay in touch with my grandkids around the world,” Lee said.

Lee shares new pictures daily, which are watercolors of toys, vivid landscapes and imaginative animals — all of them are full of Lee’s imagination. And he draws birthday messages and his favorite places in Korea, and uses his paintings to teach the kids about important Korean traditions. Right now, Lee is able to use his art project to create a bond with the youngest members of his family.

Lee has no formal training in art and he teaches himself how to use different techniques to draw, but fans have fallen in love with his pictures. “The reaction was amazing. I couldn’t have imagined it in my wildest dreams.” Lee said. “What started as a small family project has drawn great attention.” He is called Grandpa Chan by his followers and achieves fame.

Lee has even been able to sell some drawings online to help fund more trips to see his grandchildren, but the biggest reward for this Instagram influencer has been the reaction he’s gotten from his followers. “Seeing what I’ve done, many people start to reconnect to their own passion for drawing and painting and many people share their stories about their grandparents and parents,” Lee said.

1. What do we know about Grandpa Chan?

A．He moved to Korea after his retirement.

B．He was unable to go back to his hometown.

C．He came up with an idea to become famous.

D．He was lonely after his grandchildren left Brazil.

2. Why did Lee start to post pictures on Instagram?

A．To teach art online.

B．To make new friends on Instagram.

C．To stay connected with his family.

D．To introduce important Korean traditions.

3. What do Lee’s words in Paragraph 4 show?

A．His art project becomes very popular.

B．His family supports him in achieving fame.

C．His painting styles have changed a lot over the years.

D．His fans admire him for his sticking to his dream.

4. What can we learn from the last paragraph?

A．People feel very inspired by Lee’s works.

B．Lee makes a fortune by selling his pictures.

C．Lee gives young people some advice about realizing their dreams.

D．People have improved their drawing skills after seeing Lee’s works.

【推荐1】Traveling on an airplane can be a very tiring task even in the best of circumstances, which is why when Sophie Murphy boarded a recent flight from Sydney to Melbourne and noticed an “awful tension” in the cabin, she first thought it was caused by typical bad-tempered passengers. But as the flight neared its end, it became obvious that something was very wrong.

A teenage boy with Down syndrome (唐氏综合征) who was traveling with his family had become upset and would not return to his seat, regardless of the cabin crew’s warnings over the loudspeaker that it was almost time to land. The pilot was forced to circle above the airport, delaying the landing—and angering people on the already tense flight.

“If it were a cartoon,” remembered Murphy, “there would have been smoke coming out of people’s ears.”

As the boy’s elderly parents and adult brothers and sisters tried to persuade him to get off the floor and back into his seat, but in vain, Murphy, 42 — who had been a teacher for more than 20 years — stood up and quickly headed to the back of the plane.

She found the boy in the passage between rows of seats, lying on his belly, and lay down on her stomach to face him. She began chatting calmly with him, asking his name, his favorite book, and his favorite characters. He told her he felt sick and she tried to comfort him.

Minutes later, he allowed her to hold his hand—and then together they got properly back into airplane seats. Murphy asked for sick bags, and held them as the boy threw up several times, including on her. As she helped him clean up, she repeatedly told him everything would be okay and that they’d get through it together.

After the plane was finally able to land, no one was impatient to step off the flight as one might expect. Instead, calmed passengers—obviously following Murphy’s amazing example — allowed the boy and his family to depart first, smiling at them as they passed. His parents tearfully thanked Murphy for what she had done, and a doctor sitting nearby also let her know he had even taken notes on her expert way of handling the situation.

1. How did Murphy manage to handle the “awful tension” ?

A．She communicated with the boy.

B．She fought against unfair treatment.

C．She asked an experienced doctor to help.

D．She called on other passengers to join her.

2. The landing was delayed because ________.

A．a family ignored the warnings

B．a boy refused to sit in his seat

C．smoke was coming out of the engine

D．the pilot was forced to change the destination

3. What changed the angry passengers’ attitude at last?

A．The boy’s improvement.	B．The plane’s safe landing.
C．The teacher’s efforts.	D．The crew’s behavior.

4. Which of the following words can best describe Murphy?

A．Kind and cool-headed.	B．Patient and interested.
C．Wise and cooperative.	D．Generous and cautious.

【推荐2】More than £5,500 has been raised after a plea (请愿) last Monday by a vet Dr Scott Miller. Scott said: “I would like to say a massive thank-you to Express readers from myself, from Australia and from the koalas. It’s amazing that people from across the world can see how significant the catastrophe has been. I do appreciate that people are being very supportive and reaching into their pockets.” An area, a third of the size of Britain is estimated to have been ravaged(毁坏) since the blazes(火灾) began in September.

On Friday a state of emergency was declared in the capital Canberra, with residents told to prepare to evacuate as fires on the outskirts (市郊) threatened to spread. A billion animals are feared to have died, including 25,000 koalas.

Last week Scott told how he had visited his homeland, helping to save wildlife on Kangaroo Island off the coast of Adelaide. While there he rescued a mother and a baby koala who were stuck in a tree. The pair were rushed to a field hospital on the island to be treated. The mum had severe burns to her paws and was badly dehydrated(脱水的), while her baby son had an eye injury and was underweight.

Scott, who has appeared on ITV’s This Morning and BBC’s Blue Peter, said the mother is showing “great signs of improvement” and her wounds are starting to heal. The baby has undergone surgery to his eye and is “recovering from the anesthetic (麻药) and doing well”.

But he added: “The mother remains dehydrated so isn’t producing enough milk to feed the baby. At the moment they’re being housed severally but there is the hope that when the baby is a little stronger he will be able to be returned to his mother.”

Even after they recover, the pair will probably spend their lives in an enclosure while the bush takes years to recover. Scott said: “Sadly patients are still coming in thick and fast. Each of these animals is requiring to be housed and fed, and regular medical treatment to their injuries.”

1. What can be inferred from the first two paragraphs?

A．Dr. Scott donated more than ￡5,500.

B．Residents were asked to move to Canberra.

C．Numerous animals might have lost their lives.

D．A large area of Britain has been badly damaged by the fire.

2. What did Dr. Scott do after returning to his homeland?

A．He was rushed to the field hospital to receive treatment.

B．He assisted to rescue the wildlife on Kangaroo Island.

C．He hosted the ITV’S This Morning.

D．He fed the underweight baby koala.

3. What does the underlined word in paragraph 5 probably mean?

A．Separately

B．Seriously

C．Successfully

D．Sympathetically

4. What’s the best title of the passage?

A．A big Australian fire	B．People’s generous donation
C．Koalas’ recovery	D．Rescuing koalas

【推荐3】I rescued my little Foxy several years ago. I wasn’t looking for her, but she just crawled up onto my lap and went to sleep, so I took her home. She spent the night with her head on my pillow, and I knew she belonged to me.

I was her person. She didn’t really like other dogs or people...until I met my wife-to-be. The day Angelika came over to visit for the first time was the last time Foxy was truly my dog. She ignored me for the love of a tender woman and who can blame her? I would have done the same. Then Angelika and I got married, and we became a happy family.

The three of us always walk together through our village from the hills to the lake. We get exercise and have fun because Foxy enjoys her walks and strolls through the neighborhood like a 10-pound prize pony.

How sweet and lovely, you say, but there is a dark side to the little furball! Foxy is now a one-woman dog—she has totally bonded with my wife and won't go for a walk at all if Angelika is out. She just lies in her bed by the window waiting for her angel to walk through the door, and I have to tell you, I feel a little rejected. But it’s pretty cute.

I understand animal bonding. My therapy dog, Mercy, was with me for over a decade, and we were a total item. In fact, it wasn't until Mercy died that I decided to remarry. That's how much unconditional love she gave me.

Now my wife is getting to experience that kind of bond for the first time. Young or old, big or little, when your dog finds you, it's an amazing experience, and the love you feel just makes your life sweeter.

When you adopt an animal, remember that it’s a lifetime commitment. And if your pet falls for your other half, just enjoy watching the love.

1. What happened after Foxy met Angelika?

A．Foxy was rejected by Angelika at first.	B．Foxy didn’t love the author anymore.
C．Foxy became more willing to stay at home.	D．Foxy developed deep feelings for Angelika.

2. How did the author feel about the relationship between Foxy and Angelika?

A．Awkward.

B．Delighted.

C．Embarrassed.

D．Disappointed.

3. What is the tone of the text?

A．Plain.

B．Lively.

C．Appreciative.

D．Persuasive.

【推荐1】It warmed my heart today to walk into the Thirsty Camel downtown on the Thanksgiving Day, for a quick lunch before a haircut and library trip. Ilan, a food shop owner, said that he was refusing to take money today because it was Buy Nothing Day. To increase awareness(意识) of the strangers’ overspending nature of our society, Ilan suggested trade(交易) for food today. He simply asked that you offer something of equal personal value for the meal you received.

At first I was really uncomfortable, wondering if it would be fair(公平的) to exchange a yet to be determined “I Owe You”(IOU) for food? What could I give him of equal value? After all, his food is the best in the town!

We ended up writing our IOU’s with promises in a lot of ways if he needed it, such as a book, some paintings and the offer of work. I think the idea isn’t that the trade is “equal” so much as the importance of the kind of transaction. We put thought into our offers and we had an even greater understanding for the meals we ate.

We don’t buy a lot, especially at this upcoming time of year. We don’t give gifts at all in fact. The holiday time is spent enjoying each other’s company and doing things together with family and friends. This is what seems most sensible(明智的). Ilan is a good person. We are all lucky to have someone like this in our community.

1. Ilan did not take any money that day in order to_________.

A．increase awareness of people’s overspending

B．have a quick lunch before a haircut and library trip

C．trade for something for nothing

D．buy nothing that day to save some money

2. For the meal, the author finally offered Ilan_________.

A．some promises

B．a book

C．some paintings

D．work

3. Which of the following is closest in meaning to the underlined word ”transaction“?

A．Transport.

B．Trade.

C．Meal.

D．Giving.

4. What is the author’s attitude to Buy Nothing Day?

A．Disagreeable.

B．Meaningless.

C．Doubtful.

D．Supportive.