【推荐1】The history of writing instruments, with which humans have recorded and conveyed thoughts and feelings, is the history of civilization itself. This is how we know about our ancestors and their life.

The handy sharpened-stone was adapted into the first writing instrument. Around 24,000 BC, the cave man started drawing pictures with the stone onto the walls of his cave.    1    Walls at the Apollo site in Namibia are believed to be the oldest rock paintings to date.

Before paper came along, people used clay or wax tablets on which they wrote with sharp objects such as metal sticks or bones. Around 6000 years ago, the Egyptians invented the first paperlike material called papyrus. The word “paper” actually comes from the word “papyrus”.

    2    Bones or metal sticks were no longer useful as the papyrus could not be scratched. So the Egyptians created a reed-pen perfect for the papyrus.    3    And thus, ancient Egyptians transformed bamboo stems (茎) into an early form of a fountain pen.

Another writing instrument that remained active in history for a long period was the quill (鹅毛) pen. Introduced around 700 AD, the quill was a pen made from a bird feather. Goose feathers were most common.    4    For making fine line drawings, crow feathers were the best.

When writers had better inks and paper and handwriting had developed into both an art form and an everyday occurrence, man’s inventive nature once again turned to improving the writing instrument.    5    

A．Now something was needed to write upon the papyrus.

B．The papyrus became the most popular material at that time.

C．Swan feathers were of a high quality, being rare and most expensive.

D．Bamboo stems were better and much more expensive than goose feathers.

E．This led to the development of the modern fountain pen in the 19th century.

F．These were mostly the stems of grasses, especially from the bamboo plant.

G．These drawings showed events in daily life like the planting of crops or hunting victories.

【推荐1】It was the most important thing in my family — my piano recital (钢琴演奏会) tonight. My grandparents were coming by plane to hear me play. Even my busy Aunt Dianne, who is on TV every night reading the news, was coming.

But one thing was for sure. I would never win an award for my piano playing. And that’s just because the more I practiced, the more nervous I got. So there I was, on the stage, in my beautiful dress, and I sat down at the piano. But when I started to play, I hit a wrong note. I told myself to start over. But then I hit the wrong note again. It was as if I hadn’t practiced at all.

Finally the disaster was over. I ran off the stage. I couldn’t understand why audience were clapping. But they were. My mom and dad had flowers for me and we were all supposed to go out for a nice dinner, but I couldn’t. I just wanted to go home and cry and never go anywhere again. After we went back home, Aunt Dianne just came in and sat down on the side of my bed.   

“It was my first night on the air,” she said. “I had never been on television before and I made a mistake. I mispronounced my name and the name of the news show. And you know what? No one even noticed but me. Just like tonight, no one noticed — just you.” Aunt Dianne was right. I think we are harder on ourselves than anyone else is. Maybe I will leave my room. And maybe I’ll play the piano again.

1. From the passage we can know Aunt Dianne ________.       

A．worked as a news broadcaster on TV	B．worked as an actress
C．played the piano very well	D．hosted the piano recital

2. What did the author learn from her piano performance?

A．Things always go as well as people expect.

B．Don’t be too hard on yourself.

C．No one cares about what others have done.

D．Never rely on others.

3. What would be the best title for the passage?

A．A lesson from Piano Recital Disaster

B．A wonderful Piano recital performance

C．Support from my Family

D．Encouragement from the audience

【推荐2】On a BA flight from Johannesburg, a middle-aged South African lady found herself sitting next to a black man. She called the cabin crew attendant over to complain about her seating.

“What seems to be the problem, Madam?” Asked the attendant.

“Can’t you see?” She said, “You’ve sat me next to a black. I can’t possibly sit next to this dirty disgusting human. Find me another seat!”

“Please calm down, Madam,” the attendant replied, “The flight is very full today, but I’ll tell you what I’ll do—I’ll go and check to see if we have any seats available in club or first class.”

A few minutes later, the attendant returned with the good news, which she delivered to the lady, who cannot help but look at the people around her with a smug and self-satisfied grin.

“Madam, unfortunately, as I guessed, economy is full. I’ve spoken to the cabin services director, and club is also full. However, we do have one seat in first class.”

Before the lady had a chance to answer, the attendant continued.

“It’s most extraordinary to make this kind of upgrade, however, and I have had to get special permission from the captain. But, according to this special situation, the captain felt that it was unbelievable that someone should be forced to sit next to such an obnoxious(讨厌的) person.”

Having said that, the attendant turned to the black man sitting next to the lady, and said, “So if you’d like to get your things, sir, I have your seat ready for you.”

At that moment, the surrounding passengers stood and gave a long-lasting ovation (欢呼) while the black man walked up to the front of the plane…

1. What made the white South African lady angry?

A．She had to find the attendant to complain.	B．She couldn’t find another seat to sit down.
C．The passenger next to her is dirty.	D．She sat next to a black man.

2. Who will fly in first class?

A．The attendant.

B．The white woman.

C．The black man.

D．The captain.

3. How many types of seats are there in the plane?

A．2

B．3

C．4

D．5

4. What was the “special situation” that the attendant mentioned in Paragraph 8?

A．The woman was obnoxious.

B．The black man was obnoxious.

C．The white woman can’t sit next to a black man.

D．The passengers around can’t stand the woman any longer.

5. From the passage, we can make a conclusion that __________.

A．people don’t like those who look down on others

B．the attendant aboard is unfriendly

C．the white lady was refused to go on the plane at last

D．many passengers aboard don’t like to sit next to the black man.

【推荐3】It was in October. I was aimlessly wandering down the street, heading into a most gloriously beautiful sunset. I had an urge to speak to someone on the street to share that beauty, but it seemed everyone was in a hurry.
I took the next-best action. Quickly I ducked into a department store and asked the lady behind the counter if she could come outside for just a minute. She looked at me as though I were from some other planet. She hesitated, and then seemingly against her better judgment, she moved toward the door.
When she got outside I said to her, “Just look at that sunset! Nobody out here was looking at it and I just had to share it with someone.”
For a few seconds we just looked. Then I said, “God is in his heaven and all is right with the world.” I thanked her for coming out to see it; she went back inside and I left. It felt good to share the beauty.
Four years later my situation changed greatly. I came to the end of a twenty-year marriage. I was alone and on my own for the first time in my life. I lived in a trailer park which, at the time, I considered a real come-down, and I had to do my wash in the community laundry room.
One day, while my clothes were going around, I picked up a magazine and read an article about a woman who had been in similar circumstances. She had come to the end of a marriage, moved to a strange community, and the only job she could find was one she disliked: clothing sales in a department store.
Then something that happened to her changed everything. She said a woman came into her department store and asked her to step outside to look at a sunset. The stranger had said, “God is in his heaven and all is right with the world,” and she had realized the truth in that statement. From that moment on, she turned her life around.
1. The author asked the woman to go outside to ______.

A．admire the sunset	B．cheer her up
C．offer some help	D．have a chat

2. Four years later, the author ______.

A．found her dream job

B．put an end to her marriage

C．worked in a laundry room

D．lived in the same community

3. After reading the article in the magazine, the author was probably______.

A．disappointed	B．puzzled
C．inspired	D．overjoyed

4. Which of the following shows the right order of what happened?
a. I shared a few words and beautiful sunset with the woman.
b. The woman I met years ago got into frustration after divorce.
c. I got divorced and felt lost in my life.
d. I came across a beautiful sunset but had no one to share with.
e. The woman felt astonished by the invitation from a stranger.
f. I recognized the woman I met before in the magazine.

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

5. What can be the best title for the passage?

A．Sharing Beauty	B．Never give up
C．Beauty of Life	D．An Unforgettable experience