【推荐3】My Father, the Family Man

This year, my seasonal depression took me deeperssion the past, and a new portrait of my father came into my mind. He was a sometimes difficult, always determined man.

In my early memories, I was sitting at the kitchen table listening to my father yelling (叫嚷) about his challenges as an Italian immigrant. Back then, I couldn’t have known his pain as he struggled to find his footing in this new land.

“We left Italy to give you three girls more opportunities for a better life,” he said. “But we’d had a shaky start. The apartment your aunt had secured for us fell through at the last minute. It went to someone without children. So the five of us moved into your aunt’s living room.”

Bills mounted up. “And then I saw your mother’s face was as white as a sheet.” He said bitterly but soon stared down at the table to compose himself. “And the baby was crying. I worried that the houseowner would come knocking on the door.”

Dad jumped to the end of his story, “What more can I say? I went looking for a job. I found one.”

Armed with a few English phrases and determination, he’d walked for miles in a city he didn’t know, stopping at every hair salon, asking for a chance to show his skills as a hair stylist, his profession and passion. That’s what he’d been doing all day, supporting for his family.

Forty years later in Toronto, he sat at the table, asking if I thought he’d provided well for his family. I answered. His eyes watered. Mine did, too.

1. What did the author think of her father in the early years?

A．The father left Italy for a better job.

B．He was moved by his father’s story.

C．The father’s early struggle was in vain.

D．He didn’t realize his father’s difficulties.

2. What does the underlined word “compose” probably mean in paragraph.4?

A．Show off.

B．Cheer up.

C．Calm down.

D．Make up.

3. What can we learn from the passage?

A．The father had a big family to support.

B．The author’s eyes watered for her childhood.

C．The father and daughter misunderstood each other.

D．The father learned to be a hair stylist in Toronto.

【推荐2】HEROES IN YOUR EYES

Everyone knows the people who have helped to change the face of the world in recent years. From Bill Gates to Steve Jobs to Jack Ma, few would not recognize their names. However, those who work tirelessly behind the scenes often go unnoticed, in spite of their great achievements. If you know anyone who deserves to have their contributions recognized, we would love to hear from you! Let us know how these people have helped to make a difference in your eyes.

●The person I respect most is the geophysicist Huang Danian, who helped China to make many technological advance. Huang was a remarkable scientist. He had studied and worked in Britain for 18 years, but when he felt that his country needed him, he gave up his well-paid job and returned to China. Over the next seven years, Huang worked to develop many devices needed for deep-Earth exploration. Unfortunately, such achievements didn’t come cheap. Due to the frantic pace of his research, Huang was absent from his father’s funeral, and even his own cancer went undetected as he had no time to see a doctor. To sum up, Huang sacrificed everything for his research and I think more people should honour him.

(Zhang Keyu, Hubei)

●I want to tell everyone about two teachers on Changyu Island, Wang Kaiquan and Lin Zhujin. Few people know about this hometown of mine. The island is beautiful, but it’s quite isolated, and there aren’t many modern conveniences. In bad weather even our water and power supplies are unstable. People who have never been to our island are often surprised by this and find it hard to adjust. Many who live on the island dream of leaving. These two primary school teachers, however, have stayed on for 23 long years! They are the only teachers here, and they plan to stay for as long as there are children who need to attend school. I want to thank them, and let the world know about these teachers who work tirelessly every day for the sake of the children.

(Chen Xueyin, Fujian)

1. What quality do Huang Danian and the two teachers have in common?

A．Ambitious.

B．Dedicated.

C．Innovative.

D．Honest.

2. According to the text, which of the following is true?

A．The magazine wants readers to send in stories about admirable people.

B．Huang Danian kept working hard even he knew he came down the cancer.

C．Changyu Island is a beautiful and modern island.

D．The two teachers find it hard to adjust the life in Changyu Island and wanted to leave.

3. In which column will you see this article?

A．Economy.

B．Technology.

C．Culture.

D．Figure.

【推荐3】During his first years at Cambridge University, Stephen Hawking’s life was full of color. He felt as if the world was in his hands and he had a promising future. But to his surprise, his life changed. A rare disease stood in the way of his university life. When he went to see a doctor, he got the saddest news of his life. He had motor neurone disease (运动神经元病), a disease that causes the muscles to become weaker and ends in paralysis (瘫痪).

For someone in his 20s, with lots of promise and dreams, it was no doubt terrible news. What was worse, the doctor told him that the average life expectancy for people with his disease was no more than two years. In one moment, his world broke into pieces. But rather than feel sorry for himself, he made peace with life. He accepted that he wouldn’t live long, but he wanted to make his life brighter. He continued studying physics and later, as we know, he made great contributions to the field.

When he lived past the average life expectancy of two years, he surprised everybody. And more surprisingly, he lived for decades more. During those years, he got married and became a father to three children. On March 14, 2018, Hawking died in Cambridge, UK at the age of 76.

Stephen Hawking didn’t stop when he had difficulties. He contributed to the world with his strong will. He is seen as the greatest scientist since Albert Einstein. Without a doubt. his life was still colorful and meaningful.

1. What does the phrase “stand in the way of...” mean?

A．to walk in a special way	B．to try to stop something
C．to make one look like something	D．to help somebody do better in something

2. How did Hawking make his life wider?

A．He went to see the most famous doctor in the field.

B．He accepted that he should live peacefully.

C．He decided to help more people like him.

D．He tried to make the best of his life.

3. What do we know about the rest of Hawking’s life?

A．He never got married.	B．He adopted three children.
C．He went on studying physics.	D．He died at the age the doctor guessed.

4. Which of the following can’t be used to describe Hawking?

A．He was a great man with a strong will.	B．He gave up in the face of difficulties.
C．He lived a colorful and meaningful life.	D．He made great contributions to the world.