【推荐1】I remember that every Saturday night Mama would sit down by the kitchen table and count out the money Papa had brought home in the little envelope.

“For the rent.” Mama would say, counting out the big silver pieces.

“For the groceries.” Another pile of coins.

“Teacher says this week I'll need a notebook.” That would be my sister Christine, my brother Nels or me. Mama would put one or two coins to the side.

We would watch with anxious interest. At last, Papa would ask,” Is that all?” When Mama nodded, we could relax a little. Mama would look up and smile,” Good. We do not have to go to the Bank downtown.” We were all so proud of Mama's Bank Account. It gave us such a warm, secure feeling. No one else we knew had money in a big bank downtown.

I remember when the Jensens down the street were put out because they couldn't pay their rent. We children watched the big strange men carry out the furniture, ignoring the tears of Mrs. Jensens. “Might this, could this, happen to us?”

“We have a Bank Account.” Mama comforted me calmly, and suddenly I could breathe again.

Whatever happened, we always knew we still had the Bank to depend upon.

That was twenty years ago. Last year I sold my first story. When the check came, I hurried over to Mama's and put it in her lap.” For you, I said,” to put in your Bank Account.” I noticed for the first time how old Mama and Papa looked. Papa seemed shorter, and Mama's hair was silver now.

Mama fingered the check and looked at Papa.” Good,” she said, and her eyes were proud.

“Tomorrow,” I told Mama, “you must take it to the Bank.”

“You will go with me, Katrin? But...”Mama stopped for a moment and looked at me.

“There is no account,” she continued. “In all my life, I've never been inside a bank.”

And when I didn't-couldn't-answer, Mama said seriously. “It is not good for little ones to be afraid-to not feel secure.”

1. What can we learn about the family twenty years ago?

A．They lived downtown.	B．They were badly in debt.
C．They had money in the bank.	D．They were careful with money.

2. What happened to the Jensens made the children feel       

A．ashamed

B．disappointed

C．worried

D．amazed

3. What did Mama hesitate about at the end of the story?

A．How to comfort her child.	B．How to spend the money.
C．Whether to tell the truth.	D．Whether to go to the Bank.

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

A．My first check

B．Mama's Bank Account

C．Sense of security

D．Struggle for better life

【推荐2】I try to be a good father. Cook my kids good dishes, and take them to photo shoots. But compared with Dick Hoyt, I suck. Eighty-five times he’s pushed his disabled son, Rick, in marathons.

This love story began in Winchester Mass., 43 years ago, when Rick was strangled (缠住) by the umbilical cord (脐带) during birth, leaving him brain-damaged and unable to control his limbs (四肢). “He’ll be a vegetable (植物人) the rest of his life,” doctors told Dick and his wife, Judy, when Rick was nine months old. “Put him in an institution.” But the Hoyts weren’t buying it. They noticed the way Rick’s eyes followed them around the room.

When Rick was 11, they took him to the engineering department at Tufts University. Equipped with a computer, Rick was finally able to communicate. After a high school classmate was paralyzed (使瘫痪) in an accident, and the school organized a charity run for him, Rick said, “Dad, I want to do that.” How was Dick, a man who never ran more than a mile at a time, going to push his son five miles? Still, he tried. That day changed Rick’s life. “Dad,” he typed, “when we were running, it felt like I wasn’t disabled anymore!”

That sentence changed Dick’s life. He became obsessed with giving Rick that feeling as often as he could. They even decided to try marathons. “No way,” Dick was told by a race official. They weren’t quite a single runner, and they weren’t quite a wheelchair competitor. For a few years, Dick and Rick joined the massive field and ran anyway. In 1983, they ran another marathon so fast that they made the qualifying time for the Boston Marathon the following year.

Now they’ve done 212 triathlons and 85 marathons. “My dad is the Father of the Century,” Rick typed.

1. What does the underlined sentence in paragraph 2 mean?

A．The Hoyts didn’t believe it was true.

B．The Hoyts couldn’t afford any institution.

C．The Hoyts couldn’t deal with the situation.

D．The Hoyts had no money for their son’s treatment.

2. What’s discussed in the third paragraph?

A．Why Rick became paralyzed.	B．How Rick started running.
C．Why running changed Rick’s life.	D．How Rick communicated with others.

3. Which can be a suitable title for the text?

A．A boy with a rare disease	B．The greatest dad in the world
C．A tough road to marathons	D．Parents’ influence on children’s life

【推荐3】A few years after Mom died, Dad showed up for lunch wearing the soft smile that took over his face whenever he was thinking about her. “I’ve found these,” he said, handing me a bag. “She would have wanted you to have them.”

I opened the bag to find dozens of shells, each one bearing Mom’s handwritten words: Stone Harbor, N. J. — 8-98. They were pretty common, but to Mom, they were evidence of her endlessly magical life.

She was 61 when she collected these shells, already showing signs of the lung disease that would kill her the next year. Mom needed an adventure. She loved seashore. So we decided to take her to Jersey Shore.

As soon as I said “Jersey Shore”, she started to shout over and over again— “I can’t believe I’m going to New Jersey!”

Once we got to Stone Harbor, Mom acted like the town mayor, greeting everyone as if they were loyal constituents. And she spent hours collecting shells on the beach. The morning we left, I found her photographing every corner of her bedroom. “I don’t even want to forget this,” she said.

For a long time, Mom’s shells stayed buried in a drawer. Last month, I rediscovered them. I put them where I can easily to see them. One by one, the shells are finding a new place in my home. They remind me to live a life like my mother — who never lost her sense of passion.

1. The underlined word “them” in Paragraph 1 refers to             .

A．the bag the author’s dad found	B．the photos the author’s mom took
C．the shells the author’s mom collected	D．the words the author’s mom wrote

2. Why did the author’s mom greet everyone in the Stone Harbor?

A．She knew them very well.	B．She was very excited.
C．She wanted to make friends with them.	D．She was popular among the people there.

3. What do we know about the author’s mom?

A．She had a sense of adventure.	B．She passed away at the age of 61.
C．She was brought up in New Jersey.	D．She showed great enthusiasm for life.

4. We can infer from the last paragraph that the shells         .

A．remind the author of her mom’s attitude towards life

B．make the author think of her mom’s death

C．were taken out of the drawer for the purpose of decorating the house

D．were hidden in a drawer because they are very precious

【推荐1】When I had breast cancer I had to have chemotherapy (化疗). The hardest part of that entire experience was losing my hair. It was like having a tattoo(纹身) across my forehead that said “chemotherapy patient.” I am a very active and athletic person, so to have people looking at me with pity as if I was an invalid was very hard to take. Of course they never said anything, but if I got in an elevator. Everyone looked away because they didn’t know what to say. But I didn’t blame them.
The best compliment I ever received was when I was at work one day, wearing my scarf over my bald head, and a UPS guy came in to deliver a package. He looked me right in the eye and said, “So, are you on chemotherapy?” I said, “Yes, thank you for asking. You are the first person to actually acknowledge that fact.” It felt so good to be talked to like a “real” person, without any pity, just the facts. I asked him what made him decide to say something, and he told me that a woman he worked with had just gone through the same thing several months before.
I had some joke business cards that said my job title was “Supreme Commander of the Universe”, so whenever this same UPS guy came to deliver a package, he would also say, “Hey, Supreme Commander, how is it going?” Then my company moved to a new location, and since that time I hadn’t seen the UPS guy-Bryan- in probably two years.
I went to answer my door at home one day, and there was Bryan with a package. Small world. “Hey, Supreme Commander, long time no see!” he said. He sees so many people all day long, every day, delivering packages but he remembered me after two years. What a great compliment! Of course, I remembered him, too, because he was the only person who could see me during that time when I was “the invisible woman.”
1. Why did the author say “It felt so good to be talked to like “real” person”?

A．Because her friends didn’t realize the fact that she got sick before.

B．Because her friends didn’t want to talk with her since she had cancer.

C．Because her friends treated her as a patient.

D．Because her friends were afraid of infection.

2. What can be inferred from the third paragraph?

A．It was the author’s cancer that helped her to be remembered by a stranger.

B．The UPS guy had become a good friend of the author’s.

C．The guy was very polite.

D．The author didn’t want to be remembered for her cancer.

3. What was the author’s attitude towards her cancer?

A．Surprised.	B．Regretful.
C．Positive.	D．Depressed.

4. What is the main idea of the passage?

A．The author experienced something miserable after she had cancer.

B．The author got a great compliment that a stranger remembered for her cancer.

C．the author became strong and positive after she was ill.

D．The author recognized that she was not a normal person any longer.

【推荐1】When my son, Mark, was in the third grade, he saved all his pocket money for over three months to buy Christmas presents. The third Saturday in December Mark said he had made his list and had twenty dollars in his pocket.

I drove him to a nearby supermarket. Mark picked up a basket and went in while I waited and watched in the car. It took Mark over 45 minutes to choose his presents. Finally he came to the checkout counter and reached into his pocket for his money. It was not there! There was a hole in his pocket, but no money. Mark stood there holding his basket tears falling down his face.

Then a surprising thing happened. A woman came up to Mark and took him in her arms. “You would help me a lot if you let me pay for you” said the woman. “It would be the most wonderful gift you could give me. I only ask that one day you will pass it on. When you grow up, I would like you to find someone you can help. When you help others, 1know you will feel as good about it as I do now.”

Mark took the money, dried his tears and ran back to the checkout counter as fast as he could. That year we all enjoyed our gifts almost as much as Mark enjoyed giving them to us.

I would like to say “thank you” to that very kind woman, and tell her that four years later Mark went house to house collecting blankets and clothes for the homeless people in the fire. And I want to promise her that Mark will never forget to keep passing it on.

1. When did the story probably happen?

A．On Christmas Day.	B．Before Christmas Day.
C．On New Year’s Day.	D．After New Year’s Day.

2. When they got to the supermarket, Mark went in       .

A．with the writer	B．by himself
C．with the woman	D．with his friends

3. What happened to Mark in the supermarket?

A．His gifts were stolen.	B．He broke his basket.
C．He lost his money.	D．He lost his way.

4. Why did the writer want to say “thank you” to the woman?

A．Because she bought Mark a nice present.

B．Because she always paid money for others.

C．Because she collected clothes for the homeless.

D．Becausc she taught Mark to help people in need.

5. What’s the best title for this passage?

A．A big supermarket

B．A kind woman

C．A happy family

D．A wonderful gift

【推荐2】The morning had been a disaster. My tooth was aching, and I’d been in an argument with a friend. Her words still hurt: “The trouble with you is that you won’t put yourself in my place. Can’t you see things from my point of view?” I shook my head stubbornly—and felt the ache in my tooth. I’d thought I could hold out till my dentist came back from holiday, but the pain was really unbearable. I started calling the dentists in the phone book, but no one could see me immediately. Finally, at about lunch time, I got lucky.

“If you come by right now,” the receptionist said, “the dentist will fit you in.”

I took my purse and keys and rushed to my car. But suddenly I began to doubt about the dentist. What kind of dentist would be so eager to treat someone at such short notice? Why wasn’t he as busy as the others?

In the dentist’s office, I sat down and looked around. I saw nothing but the bare walls and I became even more worried. The assistant noticed my nervousness and placed her warm hand over my ice-cold one.

When I told her my fears, she laughed and said, “Don’t worry. The dentist is very good.”

“How long do I have to wait for him?” I asked impatiently.

“Come on, he is coming. Just lie down and relax. And enjoy the artwork,” the assistant said.

“The artwork?” I was puzzled.

The chair went back, suddenly I smiled. There was a beautiful picture, right where I could enjoy it on the ceiling. How considerate the dentist was! At that moment, I began to understand what my friend meant by her words.

What a relief!

1. Which of the following best describes the author’s feeling that morning?

A．Cheerful.	B．Unhappy.
C．Nervous.	D．Satisfied.

2. What made the author begin to doubt about the dentist?

A．The dentist’s agreeing to treat her at very short notice.

B．The dentist’s being as busy as the other dentists.

C．The surroundings of the dentist’s office.

D．The laughing assistant of the dentist.

3. Why did the author suddenly smile?

A．Because the dentist came at last.	B．Because the assistant kept comforting her.
C．Because she could relax in the chair.	D．Because she saw a picture on the ceiling.

4. What did the author lean from her experience most probably?

A．Strike while the iron is hot.	B．Have a good word for one’s friend.
C．Put oneself in other’s shoes.	D．A friend in need is a friend indeed.

【推荐3】Some time ago I discovered that one of my chairs had a broken leg. I didn't think there would be any difficulty in getting it repaired as there are a whole lot of antique (古董) shops near my home. So I left home one morning carrying the chair with me. I went into the first shop expecting a friendly reception. I was quite wrong. The man wouldn't even look at my chair.

The second shop, though slightly more polite, was just the same, and the third and the fourth, so I decided that my approach must be wrong, and I should try another way.

I entered the fifth shop with a plan in my mind. I placed the chair on the floor and said to the shopkeeper, “Would you like to buy a chair?” He looked it over carefully and said, “Yes, not a bad chair. How much do you want for it, sir?” “Twenty pounds,” I said. “OK,” he said, “I'II give you twenty pounds.” “It's got a slightly broken leg,” I said. “Yes, I saw that. It's nothing.”

Everything was going according to plan and I was getting excited. “What will you do with it?” I asked. “Oh, it will be easy to sell once the repair is done.” “I'll buy it.” I said, “What would you mean? You've just sold it to me,” he said. “Yes. I know but I've changed my mind. I am sorry. I'll give you twenty-seven pounds for it.” “You must be crazy.” he said. Then, suddenly the penny dropped. “I know what you want. You want me to repair your chair.” “You're right,” I said. “And what would you have done if I had walked in and said, ‘Would you repair this chair for me?’” “I wouldn't have agreed to do it.” he said. “We don't do repairs, not enough money in it and too much trouble. But I'll repair this for you, shall we say for five pounds?” He was a very nice man and was greatly amused by the whole thing.

1. We can learn from the passage that in the first shop the writer ________.

A．was rather impolite

B．was warmly received

C．asked the shopkeeper to buy his chair

D．asked the shopkeeper to repair his chair

2. What does the underlined word “approach” in Paragraph 2 refer to?

A．plan for dealing with things	B．way of doing things
C．idea of repairing things	D．decision to sell things

3. The expression “the penny dropped” in the last paragraph means the shopkeeper ________.

A．saw the writer's purpose	B．accepted the offer
C．changed his mind	D．decided to help the writer

4. From the passage, we can learn that the writer was ________.

A．honest

B．careful

C．clever

D．funny

5. Which of the following statements is true?

A．The writer wanted to sell his chair for 20 pounds.

B．It was very easy to repair the writer's broken chair.

C．The writer succeeded in getting his chair repaired at last.

D．The man in the first shop thought the chair was too old.