【推荐1】No one has a temper naturally so good, that it does not need attention and cultivation, and no one has a temper so bad, but that, by proper culture, it may become pleasant. One of the best disciplined tempers ever seen, was that of a gentleman who was naturally quick, irritable, rash, and violent; but, by taking care of the sick, and especially of mentally deranged(疯狂的) people, he so completely mastered himself that he was never known to be thrown off his guard.

There is no misery so constant, so upsetting, and so intolerable to others, as that of having a character which is your master. There are corners at every turn in life, against which we may run, and at which we may break out in impatience, if we choose.

Look at Roger Sherman, who rose from a humble occupation to a seat in the first Congress of the United States, and whose judgment was received with great respect by that body of distinguished men. He made himself master of his temper and cultivated it as a great business in life. There are one or two instances which show this part of his character in a light that is beautiful.

One day, after having received his highest honors, he was sitting and reading in his sitting room. A student, in a room close by, held a looking­glass in such a position as to pour the reflected rays of the sun directly in Mr Sherman's face. He moved his chair, and the thing was repeated. A third time the chair was moved, but the looking­glass still reflected the sun in his eyes. He laid aside his book, went to the window, and many witnesses of the rude behavior expected to see the ungentlemanly student severely punished. He raised the window gently, and then—shut the window blind!

I can not help providing another instance of the power he had acquired over himself. He was naturally possessed of strong passions, but over these he at length obtained an extraordinary control. He became habitually calm and self­possessed. Mr Sherman was one of those men who are not ashamed to maintain the forms of religion in their families. One morning he called them all together as usual to lead them in prayer to God. The “old family Bible” was brought out and laid on the table.

Mr Sherman took his seat and placed beside him one of his children, a child of his old age. The rest of the family were seated around the room, several of whom were now grown­ups. Besides these, some of the tutors of the college were boarders in the family and were present at the time. His aged mother occupied a corner of the room, opposite the place where the distinguished Judge sat.

At length, he opened the Bible and began to read. The child who was seated beside him made some little disturbance, upon which Mr Sherman paused and told it to be still. Again he continued but again he had to pause to scold the little offender, whose playful character would scarcely permit it to be still. At this time he gently tapped its ear. The blow, if blow it might be called, caught the attention of his aged mother, who now with some effort rose from the seat and tottered across the room. At length, she reached the chair of Mr Sherman, and in a moment, most unexpectedly to him, she gave him a blow on the ear with all the force she could gather. “There，” said she, “you strike your child, and I will strike mine.”

For_a_moment,_the_blood_was_seen_mounting_to_the_face_of_Mr_Sherman. But it was only for a moment and all was calm and mild as usual. He paused; he raised his glasses; he cast his eye upon his mother; again it fell upon the book from which he had been reading. Not a word escaped him; but again he calmly pursued the service, and soon sought in prayer an ability to set an example before his household which should be worthy of their imitation. Such a victory was worth more than the proudest one ever achieved on the field of battle.

1. The following sentence should be put at the beginning of Paragraph ________.
The difference in the happiness which is received by the man who governs his temper and that by the man who does not is dramatic.

A．Two	B．Three
C．Four	D．Five

2. How is the passage mainly developed?

A．By analyzing reasons.	B．By giving examples.
C．By listing arguments.	D．By comparing facts.

3. What was Roger Sherman's attitude towards his aged mother?

A．Grateful.	B．Skeptical.
C．Tolerant.	D．Sympathetic.

4. What can we learn about Roger Sherman?

A．He came from a distinguished family background.

B．He was not good at displaying his true inner feelings.

C．He severely punished a student who didn't behave himself.

D．He was a man conscious of the consequences of his behavior.

5. What does the underlined sentence in the last paragraph mean?

A．Mr Sherman's face was covered with blood.

B．Mr Sherman was seeking strength in prayer.

C．Mr Sherman was then on the point of exploding.

D．Mr Sherman was ashamed of his mother's rude behavior.

【推荐2】Memory likes to play tricks on us, taking us to places we once loved, but haven’t seen in years. It was early morning, raining and cold. Something woke me. Two little feet running down the stairs. It was my 7-year-old grandson Henry on his way to the kitchen for breakfast.

I suddenly thought about cookies. The perfections my grandmother baked in her wood stove(火炉). They were light as air and sweet as a baby’s smile. We’d cover them in butter and top them with jam that we made with blackberries I picked myself. I loved it. I especially loved those cookies. I wish I knew how she made them.

I learned a lot from my grandmother. How to read. How to sit in a chair at the end of a day and just be satisfied. But I never learned how to make cookies her way. I’ve made them according to various recipes(食谱), with varying success. They’re not bad, but not half as good as hers were. Henry would eat them up. He wasn’t crazy about the cookies, but loved butter and jam.

I rolled out of bed and went downstairs to hug him and bake some cookies.

They weren’t great cookies. But they were good enough. I covered them in butter and jam. Henry ate two and kept eyeing mine until I gave him half. Maybe someday he’ll say they were the best cookies ever.

The memories we leave with our children and grandchildren and all our loved ones --like the cookies we bake and the stories that will be told about us long after we are gone-are never made with perfection. They’re just made with love. Love makes everything better, even without butter and jam.

1. When woken up in the morning, the author remembered________.

A．the cookies

B．the stories

C．the recipes

D．the tricks

2. Henry loved the cookies mainly because they were________.

A．well baked

B．light and sweet

C．made by himself

D．with butter and jam

3. According to the author, the best cookies in the world are with________.

A．love

B．success

C．memory

D．perfection

【推荐1】It’s possible to admire Oprah Winfrey and still wish Harvard hadn’t awarded her an honorary doctor of law degree and the commencement speaker spot at yesterday’s graduation. There’s no question Oprah’s achievements place her in the temple of American success stories. Talent, charm, and an exceptional work ethic have rarely hurled anyone as far as they have this former abused teenage mother from rural Mississippi who became one of the world’s most successful entertainment icons and the first African-American female billionaire.

Honorary degrees are often conferred on non-academic leaders in the arts, business, and politics. Harvard’s list in recent years has included Kofi fi Annan, Bill Gates, Meryl Streep, and David Souter. But Oprah’s particular brand of celebrity is not a good fit for the values of a university whose motto, Veritas, means truth. Oprah’s passionate advocacy extends, unfortunately, to a hearty embrace of fake science. Most notoriously, Oprah’s validation of Jenny McCarthy’s claim that vaccines cause autism has no doubt contributed to much harm through the foolish avoidance of vaccines.

Famous people are entitled to a few failings, like the rest of us. And the choice of commencement speakers often reflects a balance of institutional priorities and aspirations. Judging from our conversations with many students, Oprah was a widely popular choice.

But this vote of confidence in Oprah sends a troubling message at precisely the time when American universities need to do more to advance the cause of reason. As former Dean of Harvard College, Harry Lewis, noted in a blog post about his objections. “It seems very odd for Harvard to honor such a high profile popularizer of the irrational… at a time when political and religious nonsense so jeopardize the rule of reason in this allegedly enlightened democracy and around the world.”

As America’s oldest and most visible university, Harvard has a special opportunity to convey its respect for science not only through its research and teaching programs but also in its public affirmation of evidence-based inquiry.

Unfortunately, many American universities seem awfully busy protecting their brand name and not nearly busy enough protecting the pursuit of knowledge. A recent article in The Harvard Crimson noted the shocking growth of Harvard’s public relations arm in the last five years and it questioned whether a focus on risk management and avoiding controversy was really the best outward-looking face of this great institution.

As American research universities begin to resemble profit centers and entertainment complexes, it’s easy to lose sight of their primary mission: to produce and spread knowledge. This mission depends on traditions of rational discourse and vigorous defense of the scientific method. Oprah Winfrey’s honorary doctorate was a step in the wrong direction.

1. What do we learn about Oprah Winfrey from the passage?

A．She was a distinguished graduate of Harvard School of Law.

B．She worked her way to success in the entertainment industry.

C．She used to abuse her children when she was a young mother.

D．She achieved her fame through persistent advocacy of fake science.

2. Why does the author think it inappropriate for Harvard to confer an honorary degree on Oprah Winfrey?

A．She did not specialize in the study of law.	B．She was known as a supporter of fake science.
C．She was an icon of the entertainment industry	D．She had not distinguished herself academically.

3. What is the author’s regret about many American universities?

A．They show inadequate respect for evidence-based inquiry.

B．They fall short of expectations in teaching and research.

C．They all attach too much importance to public relations.

D．They are tolerant of political and religious nonsense.

4. What does the author think a prestigious university like Harvard should focus on?

A．Cultivation of student creativity.	B．Defense of the scientific method.
C．Liberation of the human mind.	D．Pursuit of knowledge and truth.

【推荐3】Nowadays, handwriting seems to become less necessary, for young children learn to tap and touch screens before they have even learned to pick up a pencil or tie their shoelaces. Most of our written communication is done through texting（发送信息）on mobile phones or typing on a keyboard. And voice recognition software is becoming more and more advanced－making even keyboard unnecessary!

So, are handwriting skills important to your child? Actually handwriting is an exercise in eye-hand coordination（手眼协调）skills, which are connected with achievements in study. Scientists found that developing fine（精细的）visual-motor（视觉运动）skills in early childhood can predict not only writing success, but better performance in reading and math in elementary school. It was also found that kids who fail to write neatly and efficiently are often accused of being lazy. And this may affect their behavior and self-worth. Moreover, a study showed that when a group of children were asked to come up with ideas for an essay, the ones with better handwriting were more active and had quicker minds. In some ways, handwriting helps their brains’ development.

The first attempts at writing can be challenging for preschool children whose necessary fine motor skills are not yet fully developed. But some skills to prepare for handwriting are simple to build at home and in preschool. Parents should provide lots of opportunities for kids to copy and draw shapes and simple pictures in early childhood before letters are introduced. Let your child copy your shapes in sand, or with chalk on a board before trying to draw shapes on their own. Encourage your child to spend less time on electronic devices and more time on activities to improve eye-hand coordination.

Let’s face it－technology is certain to continue developing and more research is needed to find the best ways to teach handwriting to young children. But, there’s plenty of evidence that the handwriting practice young children get can provide a jump start in developing skills needed for a healthy and successful journey in school.

1. According to paragraph 1, handwriting is .

A．easy to learn on a touch screen.

B．more difficult than typewriting.

C．used less for communication now.

D．totally replaced by voice recognition software.

2. How does the author explain the benefits of handwriting?

A．By stating some research finding.

B．By giving examples of the kids around him.

C．By quoting some news reports on handwriting.

D．By analyzing data about pupils with good grades.

3. What does the author suggest parents do?

A．Keep young children away from electronic devices.

B．Teach preschool children to write letters with chalk.

C．Encourage children to face writing challenges bravely.

D．Help children get ready for handwriting before school.

4. What can be the best title for the text?

A．Does poor handwriting really mean being lazy?

B．How can handwriting affect children’s self-confidence?

C．Should handwriting be taken seriously in children’s growth?

D．Should homework be done through handwriting or typewriting?

【推荐1】Earlier this year a series of papers in The Lancet reported that 85 percent of the $265 billion spent each year on medical research is wasted because too often absolutely nothing happens after initial results of a study are published. No follow-up investigations to replicate(复制) or expand on a discovery. No one uses the findings to build new technologies.

The problem is not just what happens after publication — scientists often have trouble choosing the right questions and properly designing studies to answer them. Too many studies test too few subjects to arrive at firm conclusions. Researchers publish reports on hundreds of treatments for diseases that work in animal models but not in humans. Drug companies find themselves unable to reproduce promising drug targets published by the best academic institutions. The growing recognition that something has gone wrong in the laboratory has led to calls for, as one might guess, more research on research — attempts to find rules to ensure that peer-reviewed studies are, in fact, valid.

It will take a concerted effort by scientists and other stakeholders to fix this problem. We can do so by exploring ways to make scientific investigation more reliable and efficient. These may include collaborative team science, study registration, stronger study designs and statistical tools, and better peer review, along with making scientific data widely available so that others can replicate experiments, therefore building trust in the conclusions of those studies.

Reproducing other scientists’ analyses or replicating their results has too often in the past been looked down on with a kind of “me-too” derision(嘲笑) that would waste resources — but often they may help avoid false leads that would have been even more wasteful. Perhaps the biggest obstacle to replication is the inaccessibility of data and results necessary to rerun the analyses that went into the original experiments. Searching for such information can be extremely difficult. Investigators die, move and change jobs; computers crash; online links malfunction. Data are sometimes lost — even, as one researcher claimed when confronted about spurious(伪造的) results, eaten by termites(白蚁).

There has definitely been some recent progress. An increasing number of journals, including Nature and Science, have adopted measures such as checklists for study design and reporting while improving statistical review and encouraging access to data. Several funding agencies, meanwhile, have asked that researchers outline their plans for sharing data before they can receive a government grant.

But it will take much more to achieve a lasting culture change. Investigators should be rewarded for performing good science rather than just getting statistically significant (“positive”) but nonreplicable results. Revising the present incentive(激励) structure may require changes on the part of journals, funders, universities and other research institutions.

1. What is the problem reported in those papers in The Lancet?

A．Great achievements in medical research failed to get published.

B．Money was wasted on follow-up investigations in medical research.

C．Too many new research findings are not put into use after publication.

D．Few scientists are devoted to building new technologies for mankind.

2. Which of the following situation is most similar to the problem described in paragraph 2?

A．A high school decides to cut its art programs due to the lack of fund.

B．A patient gets sicker because he does not follow the doctor’s advice.

C．A marketing firm tests a website with participants that are not target population.

D．A drug company fails to produce the new drug due to no access to the latest data.

3. Which of the following can be inferred from the passage?

A．Measures are taken to ensure publication of tested results only.

B．Scientific experiments must be replicable to be considered valid.

C．Experiment replication is unoriginal and not worthwhile.

D．Rewards should be given only to those nonreplicable findings.

4. The purpose of this article is to ___________.

A．argue that scientific research lacks efficiency

B．explain the result of a recent scientific study

C．introduce some recent progress in medical research

D．highlight the possible problems of research studies