【推荐1】They follow you in the street. They ask you for money and they don’t leave you alone when you try to say no. They are the aggressive street-working, fund-raising charity workers, otherwise known as “chuggers”.

The term “chugger” is a combination of two words, “charity” and “mugger”. Chuggers often work in the street. They set up a stall with information about the charity they represent, and they try to get you to donate money to the charity. Typically, they prey on your feelings of guilt, greeting you with questions such as, “Do you care about the planet?” or, “When was the last time you did something for someone else?”

But a survey of their strategies has found that some charity volunteers are far from charitable. “Many chuggers simply refuse to back off when asked to do so,’’ said Brian Jones, a spokesperson for a charity watchdog (监察人). “One of the problems is that some chuggers say they are working as volunteers,” he added. “However, they aren’t really. Most of the 50 chuggers we spoke to showed little interest in anything other than raising the maximum amount of cash in the minimum amount of time. They get paid from this so it makes sense. Also, a fifth of fundraisers had no visible ID and almost a quarter failed to give clear information about the cause they were representing. By employing chuggers who break the law, tell lies or refuse to leave members of the public alone, charities undermine the trust we all instinctively have in them.”

But Shirley Bosworth, chief executive of the Institution of Fundraising, said face-to-face fundraising remains “an appropriate and effective method”. “It enables charities to engage with a particular demographic of donor, and it means that charity and donor can enter into a dialogue about what the charity does and how the donor’s money will be used,” she explained.

1. What do chuggers do according to the passage?

A．They rob money of strangers.

B．They cheat you into buying things.

C．They ask you to donate money for charities.

D．They hurt your feelings by asking questions.

2. What’s the third paragraph mainly about?

A．The survey of charity volunteers.

B．The problems with charity volunteers.

C．The basic information about charity volunteers.

D．The attitude Brian Jones takes toward charity volunteers.

3. What does the underlined word “undermine” may probably mean?

A．betray

B．strengthen

C．build

D．weaken

4. How does Shirley Bosworth feel about what chuggers do?

A．It’s useful.	B．It’s disgusting.
C．It’s absurd.	D．It’s popular.

【推荐2】Banker Chip Paillex had never planted so much until he moved to the countryside in Pittstown, New Jersey, seven years ago. Surrounded by working farms, he quickly became interested in the grow-it-yourself idea and rented a piece of 30-by-30-foot land. He planted tomatoes, eggplants and other vegetable—enough to feed his family of four for the summer. He ended up with so much produce; he couldn't give it away. He found a local food factory and donated 120 pounds of fresh vegetables.

The following year, with a handful of volunteers and a memorable name—America's Grow-a-Row, Paillex harvested 1, 500 pounds of fresh vegetables, all of which he donated to area food banks--places that give food to poor people. Soon Paillex had a hundred volunteers and needed more land. He visited Meredith and Jeremy Compton, who farm Peaceful Valley Orchards in Pittstown. Could he work their land?

“I guess we were feeling honored, " says Meredith. Not only do the Comptons welcome Grow-a-Row volunteers, they also work on the land.

What began with a few empty fields has turned into a large local farm. This year, Grow-a-Row will deliver about 250, 000 pounds of fresh produce to food banks. Their secret for getting all of this done? Family power. " Each week, a couple of families ‘own' the garden, " says Paillex." They water, pick, and deliver, and then hand it off on Sunday night to the next group of families."

Paillex also welcomed local school kids. On a Friday morning in May, some kids worked on a field. "We' re growing food, " one fifth grader said proudly.

"The program shows kids that there are people in need, " says Paillex. “When these kids become tomorrow's leaders, they'll be much more likely to encourage their co-workers or employees to get involved in something like this. “

"Chip makes people want to help, " says Colleen Duerr, a mother of two. "And families love this. Chip has given us a way to raise our kids with a giving heart. "

1. Why did Chip start growing vegetables in Pittstown?

A．He was deeply attracted by planting.

B．Farmers there encouraged him to do so.

C．He wanted to offer food to the local food factory.

D．There were very few fresh vegetables on the market.

2. After a year's planting, Chip         .

A．set up more food banks sin the area

B．persuaded many people to help him on the land

C．won great support from more people

D．helped save many people from being poor

3. How can Grow-a-Row manage to produce so much food?

A．School children play the most active part.

B．Schools and families divide the work equally.

C．The work is divided into separate small tasks.

D．Families take turns to look after the garden.

4. What's the best title for the text?

A．American Farms

B．Paillex—The Producers

C．Way of Planting

D．Chip's Country Life

【推荐3】Dear Reader,
Today I am going to ask you to support Wikipedia with a donation.

Wikipedia is built differently from almost every other top 50 websites. We have a small number of paid staff，just twenty­three. Wikipedia content is free to use by anyone for any purpose. Our annual expenses are less than six million dollars. Wikipedia is run by the non­profit Wikimedia Foundation, which I founded in 2003.

Wikipedia is driven by a global community of more than 150,000 volunteers — all devoted to sharing knowledge freely. Over almost eight years, these volunteers have contributed more than 11 million articles in 265 languages. More than 275 million people come to our website every month to access information,free of charge and free of advertising.

But Wikipedia is more than a website. We share a common cause: Imagine a world in which every single person on the planet is given free access to the sum of all human knowledge. That’s our commitment.

Your donation helps us in several ways. Most importantly, you will help us cover the increasing cost of managing global traffic to one of the most popular websites on the Internet. Funds also help us improve the software that runs Wikipedia — making it easier to search, easier to read, and easier to write for. We are committed to increasing the free knowledge movement worldwide, by taking on new volunteers, and building strategic partnerships with institutions of culture and learning.

Wikipedia is different. It’s the largest encyclopedia (百科全书) in history, written by volunteers. Like a national park or a school, we don’t believe advertising should have a place in Wikipedia. We want to keep it free and strong, but we need the support of thousands of people like you.

Thank you,

Jimmy Wales

1. What do the second and third paragraphs mainly talk about?

A．Why you should donate to Wikipedia.

B．How much the workers are paid.

C．How Wikipedia is run.

D．How many people contribute to Wikipedia.

2. All the following are the reasons for the need of your donation EXCEPT ____________.

A．to keep Wikipedia free for people all over the world

B．to update the software that runs Wikipedia

C．to raise the salaries of the staff

D．to pay the cost of running the website

3. What does the underlined word ＂That＂ in Paragraph 4 refer to?

A．Free access to all human knowledge.

B．Human knowledge.

C．Every single person.

D．A common cause.

【推荐1】Afternoon tea, the most typical of English customs, is, perhaps surprisingly, a relatively new tradition. The custom of drinking tea became popular in England during the 1660s thanks to King Charles II and his wife, and it was not until the mid-19th century that the concept of “afternoon tea” first appeared.

Afternoon tea was introduced by Anna, the Duchess of Bedford, in the year 1840. At that time lunch was taken early but the evening meal was served fashionably late at eight o'clock, leaving a long period of time between the two meals. The Duchess would become hungry in the afternoon, so she asked that tea and cake be brought to her room around four o'clock. This became a habit of hers and later she began inviting friends to join her.

This palace tea party was such a success that it soon spread to London and other places in UK as a fashionable social event. During the 1880’s, upper-class women would dress up for their afternoon tea, also known as “low tea” because tea was taken while sitting in low, comfortable chairs or sofas.

While Low Tea was largely a game for the upper class, “high tea” was a necessary meal for working class families. During the second half of the Victorian Period, working families would return home late tired and exhausted. As the most important meal of the day, the table would be set with meats, bread, butter, cheese and of course, a pot of good, strong tea to lift their spirits. Because it was eaten at a high, dining table, it was called “high” tea.

To experience the best of the afternoon tea tradition, treat yourself with a trip to one of London’s finest hotels. There are also a wide selection of old-fashioned tearooms offering afternoon tea experience.

We provide very British afternoon tea experience trips during your stay in London. Just tell your tour guide when you want to taste the culture and we will arrange everything for you with a very reasonable charge. It’ll be a once in a lifetime experience. Don’t miss it.

1. Why did the Duchess of Bedford need afternoon tea?

A．It’s a fashionable palace social event.	B．It’s a tradition from King Charles II.
C．The evening meal was too late for her.	D．She wanted to spread tea culture in UK.

2. What do we know about high tea?

A．It was a game for the upper class.	B．It was started by Queen Victoria.
C．It was an occasional social activity.	D．It was highly important to working class.

3. Which of the following statement is NOT true according to the text?

A．Low tea was mostly enjoyed by upper-class ladies.

B．Low tea was eaten while sitting in low chairs or sofas.

C．The tea making peopled spirits high was called high tea.

D．High tea was taken by working class at a high dinning table.

4. What’s the main purpose of this passage?

A．To explain the origin of afternoon tea.	B．To advertise for tea experience trips.
C．To honor the tradition of drinking tea.	D．To introduce two afternoon tea types.

【推荐2】What’s On?

Electric Underground

7:30 pm - 1:00 am Free at the Cyclops Theatre

Do you know who’s playing in your area? We’re bringing you an evening of live rock and pop music from the best local bands. Are you interested in becoming a musician and getting a recording contract (合同)? If so, come early to the talk at 7:30 pm by Jules Skye, a successful record producer. He’s going to talk about how you can find the right person to produce you music.

Gee Whizz

8:30 pm - 10:30 pm Comedy at Kaleidoscope

Come and see Gee Whizz perform. He’s the funniest stand-up comedian on the comedy scene. This joyful show will please everyone, from the youngest to the oldest. Gee Whizz really knows how to make you laugh! Our bar is open from 7:00 pm for drinks and snacks.

Simon’s Workshop

5:00 pm - 7:30 pm Wednesdays at Victoria Stage

This is a good chance for anyone who wants to learn how to do comedy. The workshop looks at every kind of comedy, and practices many different ways of making people laugh. Simon is a comedian and actor who has 10 years’ experience of teaching comedy. His workshops are exciting and fun. An evening with Simon will give you the confidence to be funny.

Charlotte Stone

8:00 pm - 11:00 pm Pizza World

Fine food with beautiful jazz music; this is a great evening out. Charlotte Stone will perform songs from her new best-selling CD, with James Pickering on the piano. The menu is Italian, with excellent meat and fresh fish, pizzas and pasta (面食). Book early to get a table. Our bar is open all day, and serves cocktails, coffee, beer, and white wine.

1. Who can help you if you want to have your music produced?

A．Jules Skye.

B．Gee Whizz.

C．Charlotte Stone.

D．James Pickering.

2. What do we know about Simon’s Workshop?

A．It requires membership status.	B．It lasts three hours each time.
C．It is run by a comedy club.	D．It is held every Wednesday.

3. At which place can people of different ages enjoy a good laugh?

A．The Cyclops Theatre.

B．Kaleidoscope.

C．Victoria Stage.

D．Pizza World.