【推荐1】Ever since Donald Trump was elected President of the US, the entire Trump family has been put under a microscope.

In China, the spotlight has been mainly focused on Trump and his daughter Ivanka. She is described on WeChat as an extremely influential role model with striking beauty, a successful career, and happy family. She leads a dream life that a million girls would long for. Yes, she was born with a silver spoon in her mouth. But she got where she is by herself.

There’s always going to be articles that say people born into wealthy families are better looking and have a better family background than you, but these people do work harder than you.

There is a tendency in the media nowadays to encourage elitism(精英主义). They are trying to brainwash young people into thinking that they should invest an enormous amount of time and money in bodybuilding and appearance improvement. They make you believe that if you do as they say, you can improve the quality of your life and join the upper class.

But what’s the downside of being average or common? Do you really need to go to the gym five days a week unless you are a gym crazy? Do you really need to break your neck and sacrifice to earn your first pot of gold only to worry constantly about how to enter high society later?

Don’t let the idea of elitism get to you. Everybody has a right to live the life they want. Human beings should not be judged as a success or failure based on whether they are a part of the upper class or not. As long as you lead a happy and comfortable life, why bother to chase after other people’s shadows? Choose your own life path and go for it.

1. Which of the follow ing about Ivanka is NOT mentioned in the text?

A．She w as born in a wealthy family.

B．She has a successful career.

C．She made it due to her father.

D．She is pretty beautiful.

2. What is the author ’s attitude towards the tendency in the media to encourage elitism?

A．Unconcerned.

B．Negative.

C．Doubtful.

D．Approving.

3. What may be the best title for the text?

A．Run After Stars’ Shadow s	B．Elitism and the Upper Class
C．Trump and His Daughter Ivanka	D．Follow Your Own Course in Life

【推荐2】Growing pains and gains

It’s not easy to grow up. Actually it’s far from easy. Growing up can be a real “pain” for some of us. We are always doing things that someone else makes us do and aren’t allowed to do all the things we like. Sometimes we feel trapped, sometimes we are fearful, and sometimes we just don’t understand why we can’t stay young forever. When we look back on all the hardships in life with a positive attitude (态度), we realize that all of our growing pains actually turn into growing gains!

As a young girl my parents forced my sisters and me to do so many things that I never liked. They made me learn to play the violin and then the piano. At that time I hated music, just because it was what they wanted me to do. But looking back now, I am so glad that my parents encouraged me to take music lessons. Music has enriched my life in so many ways. I realize that my parents and teachers were always pushing me along, not because they wanted me to suffer but because they wanted me to succeed in life. They’ve always wanted me to have a better life than they did themselves.

Every moment of our lives we are either living or dying, so live life to its fullest! We are all going to experience growing pains, but they are just small pains in life. They might seem so huge at the time but we must be strong.Think about how we would feel if we had no fear and live life like that. The future is ours! A little hard work and sweat never hurt anyone! If we realize that these pains are just small bumps (凸块) on our road to success we will realize that our growing pains are actually growing gains!

1. According to Paragraph 1, we learn that when we are young,_________.

A．life is full of joy

B．life is easy for us

C．we know we can stay young forever

D．we sometimes can’t do things we like

2. When the author was young, she was forced by her parents to________.

A．take music lessons

B．turn gains into pains

C．look back on hardships

D．live a successful life by suffering a lot

3. What can be inferred from the last paragraph?

A．Growing pains are necessary for us to grow up.

B．We all have to experience growing pains.

C．A little hard work and sweat are harmful to us.

D．Life without fear is a better choice for us.

【推荐1】Saving money for the future is one of the great passions of wealthy people. The rich are getting richer because of the way they spend their money and successful habits of controlling their expenses. Warren Buffett is considered one of the most successful investors (投资者) in the world and his money totals over $105.2 billion as of November 2021. Well aware of the benefits of saving money, he is not fond of buying expensive things and always practices spending money wisely.

Did you know that Mark Zuckerberg, one of the youngest billionaires and co-founders of Facebook, is a great saver? His wedding was held in the backyard in Palo Alto, California, rather than in a fancy five-star hotel. During the couple’s honeymoon in Italy many people saw them eating in McDonald’s. This guy is still wearing ordinary T-shirts to work every day. Saving money is important to him to grow his wealth and grow it quickly. He uses extra money to put into other businesses and investments. With your savings you can immediately start investing. However, if you are overspending your income, there is no money left for investment.

“The man with extra money controls circumstances and the man without it is controlled by circumstances.” said Henry Buckley. Saving money for the future gives you protection for unexpected circumstances. You don’t know what will happen to you over the next days or weeks. If you lose your job, you can still survive while looking for a job because you have your savings. You will not stress out if there is an emergency because you have money to spend.

And living below your means can give you plenty of room to save. You can use your savings to pay off your house loan early. You can also pay down your debts from friends, family and even other lenders. The bigger you have saved, the earlier you can achieve debt-free life. Also, people who are fond of saving money for the future can retire early. These are the people who are thinking about their future dream life without pressure after 10 years or 20 years.

Saving money for the future is essential. Today will not be the same as tomorrow. You don’t know when the rainy season will come. Every day is full of surprises, and to be ready for uncertainty, save now for your future.

1. What does the example of Warren Buffett explain?

A．The rich get richer and the poor get poorer.

B．The rich are not much into expensive things.

C．Saving money can help us buy more expensive things.

D．Saving money helps increase our wealth.

2. Why did Mark Zuckerberg hold his wedding in his backyard?

A．He was not a generous man although he was rich.

B．He had to save money for his honeymoon with his wife.

C．He wanted to save money to expand his business.

D．He wanted to improve his skill of saving money.

3. What does the underlined part in the fourth paragraph probably mean?

A．Spending according to your habit.

B．Saving money for tomorrow’s uncertainty.

C．Saving money for living better in the future.

D．Spending less than you can afford.

4. Which benefit of saving money is NOT mentioned in the passage?

A．It makes you feel safe when an emergency happens.

B．It helps you achieve a debt-free life early.

C．It leads you to live a high-quality life.

D．It allows you to quit the stressful work early.

【推荐2】In the winter of 1985, my hometown, Buffalo, experienced a blizzard (暴风雪)— not an uncommon occurrence for the region. But this was a big one, and the city’s mayor, Jimmy Griffin, was at pains to persuade people to stop trying to go about their business as conditions worsened. He urged Buffalonians to “relax, stay inside, and grab a six-pack of beer,” which must be the best advice in an emergency situation.

There’s something cartoonish about the threat of a blizzard, in which nature’s anger assumes a fluffy (蓬松的) form and tries to kill you. It’s meteorologically (气象学上) similar to getting attacked by the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man. And yet, it does kill, through car accidents and heart attacks and other misadventures, usually involving people trying, unwisely, to do something.

Mr. Griffin, therefore known as Jimmy Six-Pack, understood this. The Snow Gods reserve special hatred for those who don’t respect their ability to bring human activity to a standstill. The snow cares not for your deadlines or your happy hour plans. It wants only to fall on the ground and lie there. And it wants you to too.

Needless to say, you should. A snowstorm rewards indolence and punishes busy bees, which is only one of the many reasons why it’s the best natural disaster.

Time has partly buried my childhood memories of Buffalo’s mighty blizzard of 1985, but I still recall the great drifts (雪堆) that climbed over houses, the spectacle of a world made surprisingly new. It’s a vision that often comes back to my mind every now and then, as we face the terrible prospect that a climate changed by human appetites — the future winters, damp and snow-less, may well await us. So let us all now pause, perhaps over a six-pack, and bear witness as the climate changes us.

1. The writer mentions the mayor of Jimmy Griffin in order to________.

A．introduce a proper way to deal with blizzards

B．appreciate his contribution to the city’s development

C．highlight how the climate worsened in his term

D．explain why blizzards were not uncommon in Buffalo

2. The underlined word “indolence” is closest in meaning to ________.

A．anger

B．diligence

C．intelligence

D．laziness

3. It can be inferred from the last paragraph that the writer feels_______ the possible winters.

A．shocked by

B．amazed at

C．pleased with

D．unhappy about

4. Which of the following might be the best title for the passage?

A．Blizzard: a Thing of the Past.	B．In Case of a Snowstorm: Do Nothing.
C．What Will the Future Winters Be Like?	D．Witness to Climate Change.

【推荐3】Like many other five-year-olds, Jeanie Low of Houston, Texas, would use a stool (凳子) to help her reach the bathroom sink. However, the plastic step-stool she had at home was unstable and cluttered up the small bathroom shared by her whole family. After learning of an invention contest held by her school that year, Jeanie resolved to enter the contest by creating a stool that would be a permanent fixture in the bathroom, and yet could be kept out of the way when not in use.

Jeanie decided to make a stool attached to the bathroom cabinet door under the sink. She cut a board of wood into two pieces, each about two feet wide and one foot long. Using metal hinges (铰链), Jeanie attached one piece of the wood to the front of the cabinet door, and the second piece to the first. The first piece was set just high enough so that when it swung out horizontally from the cabinet door, the second piece would swing down from the first, just touching the ground, and so serving as a support for the first piece of the wood. This created a convenient, strong platform for any person too short to reach the sink. When not in use, the hinges allowed the two pieces of wood to fold back up tightly against the cabinet, where they were held in place by magnets (磁铁). Jeanie called her invention “the Kiddie Stool”.

Jeanie’s Kiddie Stool won first place in her school’s contest. Two years later, it was awarded first prize again at Houston’s first annual Invention Fair. As a result, Jeanie was invited to make a number of public appearances with her Kiddie Stool, and was featured on local TV as well as in newspapers. Many people found the story of the Kiddie Stool inspiring because it showed that with a pair of observant eyes, anyone can be an inventor.

1. According to the passage, why did Jeanie Low invent the Kiddie Stool?

A．The old stool wasn’t tall enough for her.

B．She was invited to enter an invention contest.

C．Other five-year-olds had problems reaching the sink.

D．The plastic stool was not firm and often got in the way.

2. What is the design of Jeanie’s Kiddie Stool like?

A．The platform is supported by two metal hinges.

B．The two wooden pieces swing from left to right.

C．The wooden pieces are kept in place by hinges and magnets.

D．The Kiddie Stool will swing out only when the cabinet door opens.

3. What are the characteristics of Jeanie’s Kiddie Stool?

A．Steady and convenient.	B．Fragile and single-use.
C．Conventional and portable.	D．Foldable and recyclable.

4. What message does the passage convey?

A．What is suitable is the best.

B．Success comes from failure.

C．Necessity is the mother of invention.

D．Genius is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration.

【推荐2】Recently whenever I turned on my computer or my mobile phone, news about the great effect of Hurricane Harvey on thousands of people caught my eye. I saw many unfortunate events. However, there was also lots of bright news that showed the goodness of mankind. As a reporter, I reported many human interesting stories when doing my job. That’s why the story about the guys in a bakery caught my eye.

When the workers at a Mexican bakery chain in Houston were trapped inside the building for two days, they didn’t sit there feeling sorry for themselves. They used their time wisely after flooding caused by Hurricane Harvey. While waiting for the eventual rescue, the four workers decided to make as many loaves of bread as possible for people around the neighborhood. They talked to their manager about their plan over the phone and the manager agreed.

The flood water rose in the street outside. They took advantage of their emergency power supply to bake bread. They used more than 4,200 pounds of flour (面粉) to create hundreds of loaves and sheets of sweet bread. Although the water kept rising, they continued baking to help more people. By the time the manager managed to get to them, they had made so much bread that they took the loaves to lots of emergency centers across the city for people affected by the floods.

The store manager, Brian Alvarado, said, “They’ve done more than they should have done. And what they had done has lit a light for people. I feel lucky to have them work in the bakery.”

Whenever a disaster breaks out we should stay hopeful and take positive action to save ourselves and help others. Our acts of kindness will make a big difference to the people in the world as well as the world itself.

1. Why did the story in the bakery draw the author’s attention?

A．Because it showed the goodness of mankind.

B．Because it made the author interested in baking.

C．Because it changed the author’s attitude to his job.

D．Because it showed the effect of Hurricane Harvey.

2. What did the bakery workers do after flooding caused by Hurricane Harvey?

A．They just complained for what happened.

B．They eventually helped people get out of water.

C．They made homeless people live in the bakery.

D．They offered to make bread for their neighbors.

3. What does Brian Alvarado think of the four workers?

A．They were lucky.	B．They were his pride.
C．They were experienced.	D．They were his hope.

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

A．A Popular Mexican Bakery Chain in Houston.

B．Wait for the Eventual Rescue in a Big Disaster.

C．All the Disasters Caused by Hurricane Harvey in Houston.

D．Bake Bread to Make a Difference to Face Hurricane Harvey.