【推荐2】Sports are the base of my life, next to my mother who raised me when my dad left us. I have been into sports since I was six years old. I have known many coaches and heard hundreds of their tips, but they usually focused on drills to develop my skills and reach the next level of play.

When I was in Senior Two, I met the new school basketball coach, Brian Pawloski. I thought I was certain to be selected for the school team since I had been in it the year before. I showed up to the tryouts (选拔赛) and put out about 90% effort since I thought I’d make it with no problem. That was a big mistake.

Brian Pawloski is the hardest-working coach I have ever met. He didn’t expect 100% effort, he expected 200% effort. One example: he once made us do 40 suicide drills for the 40 lay-ups (投篮) we missed in a game. Some think this is crazy, but it isn’t. After this conditioning practice, as we were getting a cup of cold water to drink, I said, “Coach that was the best practice I ever had.” I was completely sincere. This man was and is the person who influenced me most at my high school. He expects us to be excellent not just on the court but in the classroom. If I am not working on basketball, I am reading a book that he thinks will help us better understand life’s challenges, including Wooden, Coach, and The Screwtape Letters.

In the first two years I slacked off, not putting forth my full potential. Now, unlike the coaches of my youth, this man was interested in how he did off the court. He always made sure I kept up with my studies and was able to be trusted. I can honestly say that no other coach has given me so much advice on how to succeed in basketball, but more importantly, in life. My school is lucky to have such a great person to teach, coach and influence their students. I will always remember my high-school basketball days as one of the hardest times I have ever worked in my life not only in basketball but in my growth as an individual.

1. Different from other coaches, Coach Brian ________.

A．trained the team to the edge of death

B．expected the team to do well in their studies

C．asked the team to do more reading than training

D．concentrated on skill training

2. The underlined phrase “slacked off” in the last paragraph probably means ________.

A．made less effort	B．paid no attention
C．showed no interest	D．had less passion

3. In the author’s eye, Coach Brian is ________.

A．professional and serious	B．skilled and cruel
C．hardworking and honest	D．strict and helpful

【推荐3】A university in southwest China’s Chongqing City set up a reading room as part of a campaign (活动) that stops students from taking their mobile phones with them in case the device distracts (使分心) them from concentrating on their studies.

Reportedly a student named Hu Xiaopeng participating in the campaign studied 530 minutes without using his mobile phone. Unlike Hu, another one picked up his mobile phone in less than 20 minutes. “Having seen many students use their mobile phones in the library, a habit that shortens their study time and negatively impacts their learning, we decided to open this reading room,” said Zhang Shuran, the person responsible for the project at the university.

Zhang added that students can keep their phones in appointed bags with numbers on them. The hags are placed on a desk near the door of the reading room. “Staff members at the reading room will check the phones when there’s a call,” said Zhang, adding that they will inform students when their parents or teachers call them, but will not tell students if an unknown person is calling or when there is a text message. Based on the time students hand in their phones when they come to the reading room and the time they get them back when they leave the room, Hu Xiaopeng from College of Animal Science and Technology of the university set a record of the longest time. Hu spent 530 minutes studying without using his phone. Though feeling somewhat surprised, Hu said, “It’s bad to keep mobile phone with you when you are reading or studying.”

The campaign has attracted nearly 200 students since it was launched a week ago. Some Internet users praised the campaign. One user named Liu Jingchang said, “It’s good. I don’t bring my phone when going to the library in case I get distracted.”

1. Why is the reading room opened in Chongqing City?

A．To prevent students using mobile phones in the library.

B．To help students focus on their studies.

C．To prevent the mobile phones from being stolen.

D．To encourage students to read more books.

2. What can we infer from Paragraph 3?

A．The bags are on the desk near the students.

B．The time when the mobile phones are put in the bags is recorded.

C．The student will be informed if a stranger calls him.

D．Hu Xiaopeng thinks the campaign is a bad idea.

3. What is the attitude of the students toward the reading room?

A．Cautious.	B．Supportive.
C．Doubtful.	D．Anxious.

4. What is the best title for the passage?

A．New methods to attract students to read

B．The harm of mobile phones

C．A student studying nearly nine hours without using the mobile phone

D．Students are encouraged to study with their mobile phones

【推荐1】Tired of the busy and chaotic life in Las Vegas, Nevada for nearly ten years, my family and I decided to slow things down. We wanted to lead an environmental-friendly life.

None of us felt that this could be accomplished where we were living and we all agreed that a move to the country would be great for everyone.

Before long we set about looking for a home in Yucca, Arizona, a very small town of less than 1, 000 people. When I called to inquire about the property, I was informed that there was no electricity available in the area. What? No electricity? I almost denied the idea immediately. But what better way is there to go green? After giving it a second thought, we decided to put in an offer and moved in on Thanksgiving Day.

When we first moved to the property, we did some remodeling (改造) and stayed in our motor home. We were faced with real challenges at the time, which just made us work harder. We slowly got things fixed and moved into the house after 38 days.

While living here for the past four months has been a big adjustment, there are many benefits to living off the grid (电线). I think one of the most educational lessons is teaching my kids the importance of conservation. They used to take water, power and gas for granted. We started taking quicker showers, turning off the water while brushing our teeth. What’s more, we are also trying to make other changes which include reducing the amount of trash we generate by recycling, growing our own organic vegetables and re-purposing things that we would normally throw.

Overall, going off the grid has been great for our family. I hope that once my kids move out of the house, they will keep the habits that they have learned by living off the grid.

1. What caused the family move to a remote town?

A．The financial trouble.	B．The popular trend.
C．The desire of a green life.	D．A discounted property.

2. What’s the author’s first reaction to the property with no electricity?

A．Satisfied.

B．Astonished.

C．Relieved.

D．Disappointed.

3. What have the kids acquired from the new lifestyle?

A．The awareness of saving.	B．The pleasure of a modern life.
C．The skills of classifying trash.	D．The techniques of cooking vegetables.

4. What can be inferred from the text?

A．Leading an eco-friendly life is urgent.

B．A family has managed to live a simple life.

C．A green lifestyle has sprung up nationwide.

D．Getting off the grid made no difference to people.

【推荐2】Growing up, Arielle Rivera, a North County High School student, watched her father work his way through the ranks of the Metropolitan Police Department in Washington, DC. Although finally he was successful, Arielle said she saw her father had to work harder than others around him to advance, because he didn't have a college degree. Seeing this resulted in Arielle's becoming a great student. She said she wanted to be successful more easily, unlike her father's struggle.

Arielle has joined in the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics magnet program at North County. This selective program requires students to go through an application process and makes selections based on their middle school performances. Since her arrival at the high school, Arielle has impressed her teachers and classmates with her good performances of study, as well as her character.

Toula Patti, Arielle’s teacher, has known her for three years. She describes the teen as "always having a smile on her face". "She does everything to perfection," Patti said, "She's just amazing."

Patti also noted how willing Arielle is to help her school. She said, "She's always helpful to the students and the teachers. She'll come around at the beginning of the year and ask if we need help in setting up the classrooms.”

Helping others is at the heart of Arielle's interest in the engineering and medical fields. She found herself loving serving her community when she began volunteering at a food bank four years ago. She said, “Feeling that I'm possibly making lives of the food bank's people a little easier is part of why I love community services.”

Inspired by her volunteering experiences, Arielle, who is president of her schools National Honor Society, created service opportunities for the group, including volunteering at food banks and organizing clothing drives. Arielle also works weekly at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory and Anne Arundel Medical Center.

1. What does the underlined word "this" in Paragraph 1 refer to?

A．That her father had no college degree.

B．That her father became a successful person.

C．That lack of education made her father’s life harder.

D．That she had a bad relationship with her father.

2. What do we know about the program at North County?

A．It is available to everyone	B．It is managed by Arielle
C．It mainly focuses on community service	D．It requires applicants' middle school performances.

3. What made Arielle create service opportunities for her group?

A．Her love for healthy food.	B．Her experience of volunteering.
C．Her interest in college courses.	D．Her teacher's encouragement.

【推荐3】One of Britain's bravest women told yesterday how she helped to catch suspected police killer David Bieber—and was thanked with flowers by the police. It was also said that she could be in line for a share of up to £ 30,000 reward money.

Vicki Brown, 30, played a very important role in ending the nationwide manhunt. Vicki, who has worked at the Royal Hotel for four years, told of her terrible experience when she had to steal into Bieber's bedroom and to watch him secretly. Then she waited alone for three hours while armed police prepared to storm the building.

She said： “I was very nervous. But when I opened the hotel door and saw 20 armed policemen lined up in the car park I was so glad they were there. ”

The alarm had been raised because Vicki became suspicious （怀疑的）of the guest who checked in at 3 pm the day before New Year's Eve with little luggage and wearing sunglasses and a hat pulled down over his face. She said： “He didn't seem to want to talk too much and make any eye contact. ” Vicki, the only employee on duty, called her bosses Margaret, 64, and husband Stan McKale, 65, who phoned the police at 11 pm.

Officers from Northumbria Police called Vicki at the hotel in Dunston, Gateshead, at about 11:30 pm to make sure that this was the wanted man. Then they kept in touch by phoning Vicki every 15 minutes.

“It was about ten past two in the morning when the phone went again and a policeman said 'Would you go and make yourself known to the armed officers outside?' My heart missed a beat. ”

Vicki quietly showed eight armed officers through passages and staircases to the top floor room and handed over the key.

“I realized that my bedroom window overlooks that part of the hotel, so I went to watch. I could not see into the man's room, but I could see the passage. The police kept shouting at the man to come out with his hands showing. Then suddenly he must have come out because they shouted for him to lie down while he was handcuffed （戴上手铐）

1. Vicki became suspicious of David Bieber because ______ .

A．the police called her

B．he looked very strange

C．he came to the hotel without luggage

D．he came to the hotel the day before New Year's Eve

2. Vicki's heart missed a beat because ______.

A．the phone kept ringing

B．she would be famous

C．the policemen had already arrived

D．she saw 20 policemen in the car park

3. The whole event probably lasted about ______ hours from the moment David Bieber came to the hotel to the arrival of some armed officers.

A．6

B．8

C．11

D．14

4. David Bieber was most probably handcuffed in ______.

A．the passage	B．his room
C．Vicki's bedroom	D．the top floor room