【推荐1】Mark Smith and Jarryd Haines are good friends. The two boys from Sydney have known each other for most of their lives. Both of them enjoy playing Australian football.

A few years ago, when Mark was nine, he developed brain cancer. The disease robbed the boy of his sight, part of his hearing and his ability to play his favorite sport. However, throughout the years, Jarryd remained his closest friend. They still share their love of Australian football. And they still enjoy talking about the Sydney Swans, their favorite team.

Two weeks ago, I took my seat at Sydney Cricket Ground to watch the Swans. The old stadium was crowded with fans. Shortly into the second quarter, heard some great commentary(实况报道） from a boy. Play by play, Jarryd was bringing the game to life. I turned and saw him. Mark was sitting next to him.

Although he cannot see anymore, Mark still loves the Swans very much. Usually, he goes to the stadium and listens to the commentary on the radio. However, in the second quarter of that match, the radio system broke down. That was when his friend Jarryd stepped in.

I hardly looked at the Swans and Buddy, the team’s star player. Instead, I was focusing on Jarryd and Mark. “What’s happening now, mate?” Mark asked. “Don’t worry. Mark,” Jarryd replied. “Okay. Buddy’s got it. Will he go for it? He’s going for it! It’s his tenth goal! Buddy is on fire!” Mark listened carefully. He was lost in the magic of Australian football brought to life by his friend.

Sports can be competitive. However, they can also allow us to share wonderful moments with others, may they be close friends or perfect strangers. Here, Jarryd and Mark have moved me, and perhaps some other spectators（观众）, with the best commentary.

1. Why didn’t Mark play Australian football any longer?

A．He took up new hobby.

B．He lost his sight .

C．He was unable to play it because of his disease.

D．His favorite team-the Sydney Swans lost the game.

2. What did Jarryd do for Mark at the stadium?

A．He helped him step into the stadium.

B．He made Buddy score his tenth goal.

C．He was lost in the magic of Australian football.

D．He provided commentary for him when the radio system failed.

3. Which of following words best describe Jarryd?

A．Generous and active.	B．Considerate and patient.
C．Diligent and ambitious.	D．Competitive and smart

4. What is the text mainly about?

A．A lively commentary.	B．The Swans and Buddy.
C．An Australian football match.	D．The precious friendship between two boys.

【推荐2】The pounding（重击声）was driving Edward crazy. A new neighbor had just moved into the apartment below him. The newcomer was deaf, or seemed to be, because he played his stereoloud enough for the whole building to hear.
On the first day he heard the stereo rocking over, Edward marched downstairs and politely told the newcomer that his stereo was too loud. He asked the new tenant to turn the volume down and keep it down as long as he lived in the building. The tenant appeared surprised and embarrassed, and said, “Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t realize it was that loud.”
So, Edward returned upstairs, feeling good, because he had taken a stand and politely let the newcomer know that loud music was not going to be tolerated. The next day all was quiet, and Edward continued to be pleased with himself. The following day, Edward thought it must be Fourth of July, because a marching band was playing on his street. In fact, it was the new neighbor who was playing his music loud again.
Edward was not one to repeat himself, feeling that each time you repeated yourself, you diminished the value of your words. So, he did what he always did with rude neighbors－grinand bear it. Eventually, they would move away. What else are you going to do?
In Los Angles a year ago, a woman had complained to her upstairs neighbor that he was playing his drums too loud and too often. The drummer repeatedly ignored her. One day the woman walked upstairs and shot the drummer in the head and his girlfriend in the chest. The woman was sentenced to prison for 20 years.
The dead drummer won’t bother anyone with his drums, but the woman might be wishing now that she had learned to grin and bear it. If she were still living in her apartment, she could always move. When you’re in prison, you don’t have that option.
1. The man living below where Edward lived was               .

A．a deaf man	B．the owner of the house
C．a tenant	D．an old neighbor

2. What did Edward always do with rude neighbors?

A．Grinning and bearing it.

B．Persuading them to stop repeatedly.

C．Shouting them to dead.

D．Moving away from the rude neighbors.

3. The woman killed her neighbor because               .

A．he ignored her advice repeatedly

B．she could not stand his playing the guitar too loud

C．she could not put up with him any longer

D．he played the drums too often

4. The author writes the last paragraph to prove that               .

A．being in prison means the loss of freedom

B．grinning and bearing it is the best policy

C．Edward should follow the example of the woman

D．the woman was right to kill her neighbor

【推荐3】John and Mary had a nice home and two lovely children. John had just been asked to go on a business trip to another city for several days and Mary would go with him too. They hired a reliable woman to care for their children and returned home a little earlier than they had planned.

As they drove into their hometown, they found a home on fire. After having a look, Mary said, “Oh well, it isn’t our fire. Let’s go home.” But John drove closer and said, “That home belongs to Fred Jones who wouldn’t be off work yet. Maybe there is something we could do.”

John noticed an old lady screamed to him, “A children! Get the children!” John grabbed (抓住) her by the shoulder saying, “Get a hold of yourself and tell us where the children are!” “In the basement,” cried the lady.

In spite of Mary’s disagreement, John soaked (浸湿) his clothes and ran to the basement which was full of smoke. He found the door and grabbed two children. As he left he could hear some more cry. He sent the two badly frightened children into the waiting room and asked how many more children were down there. The told him two more and Mary grabbed his arm and screamed, “John! Don’t go back! It’s dangerous! That house will fall down in any second!”

But he shook her off and went back. It seemed a very long time before he found both children and started back. As he climbed up the endless steps the thought went through his mind that there was something strangely familiar about the little bodies next to him, and at last when they came out into the sunlight and fresh air, he found that he had just rescued his own children. The baby-sitter had left them at this home while she did some shopping.

1. The old lady screamed to John to       .

A．ask him to get away from the fire

B．ask for his help to save the children

C．ask him to rescue her from the fire

D．ask him to take out valuable things from the fire

2. What was Mary’s response to John’s action?

A．She disagreed with it.	B．She supported it
C．She was unconcerned about it.	D．She misunderstood it.

3. What was the house like before John went back once again?

A．It was clean.	B．It was burned down.
C．It was dangerous.	D．It was under repair.

4. Which of the following can be concluded from the story?

A．Two heads are better than one.

B．Where there is a will, there is a way.

C．Helping others means helping ourselves.

D．God helps those who help themselves.

【推荐1】While I was growing up, I often heard my teachers say, “Oh, Tina is gifted in algebra.” While watching the Olympics, my parents would say to me, “Look, Jessie. These gymnasts are born with such ability!” Statements like these made me believe people were born with certain talents and if they didn’t have a particular one at birth, then they never would. Therefore, I rarely focused on algebra. Nobody told me that if you keep trying and trying, one day a difficult task will seem easy.

Actually, I learnt this from my young daughter, Samaya. One day, I was finishing some paperwork and I said, “Oh no, how could I have made that mistake!” Samaya immediately said. “Mum, don’t worry. Mistakes make your brain grow bigger.”

Actually, we all need to be reminded that mistakes or failures are just fine and that they are a huge part of growth and success. However, the regular belief is the opposite. We must correct this with our children. We must encourage them to make mistakes because that means they are trying out new ideas.

Billionaire Sara Blakely, founder of the shapewear business Spanx, has seen many failures. She made a living by selling fax machines for seven years. Knocking on many doors and making a lot of mistakes was a journey she calls educational. Sara Blakely owes her risk-taking skills to the weekend talk she had with her father.

As a child, her father would ask her the same question every weekend. “What did you fail at this week, Sara?” He did not care how high her scores were. He wanted to know what she had tried but failed at. When she told him about her failures and mistakes, he would give her a high five. He was reprogramming her mind to believe that mistakes and failures are fine.

So go ahead and ask yourself and your children, “What did we fail at this week?”

1. What prevented the author from making efforts in algebra?

A．She wasn’t interested in algebra.	B．She thought she was not talented.
C．She thought algebra was useless.	D．She was not allowed to learn algebra.

2. What does the underlined word “this” in paragraph 3 refer to?

A．Keep trying is necessary.	B．Failure is a path to success.
C．Mistakes are not acceptable.	D．Encouragement is significant.

3. Why did Sara’s father keep asking her the same question?

A．To rebuild her mindset.	B．To keep her from failures.
C．To know what she hadn't tried.	D．To prevent her getting high scores.

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

A．A Secret to Success	B．A Method of Education
C．The Magic of Mistakes	D．The Power of a Fixed Mindset

【推荐3】I work as the reception manager at my hotel.

A booking came in a few weeks ago with a note attached that a guest would be travelling with her deaf father. This note helped us in preparing for their arrival. As they would be here for a number of days, his daughter wanted to make his trip to Ireland as smooth as possible.

Upon seeing this note and knowing I would be the one to check them in, I decided to learn some very basic sign language. I greeted the guest in my usual fashion, asking for the surname on the booking. Once I heard the name，I immediately realized who was standing in front of me.

I had been learning for two weeks how to say: “Welcome to Ireland. My sign language is terrible, but please, if you need anything during your stay, just let me know and we will help you.”

I smiled at the father and daughter in front of me. Turning to the father, I greeted him in ASL (American Sign Language) and began the bit I had learned for him. His daughter broke down crying and told me I was sweet. But the father just smiled and was so happy. Honestly, seeing his reaction was enough for me. It was absolutely worth the last few weeks of learning basic ASL.

Sadly, I wasn’t working the day they checked out, but they left a gift for me, a small box with some chocolates and a book on ASL. Inside was a note saying: “Thank you very much for what you did. My father has been in amazing spirits from the time you checked us in and insisted we get you a gift before we left. You have no idea how much this meant to my father and me, and we can’t thank you enough. You've made his trip very special with one simple gesture.”

I cried for a solid five minutes when I came into work the next day and found this gift in my locker.

1. The daughter left a note when booking the hotel in order to __________.

A．ask for special service for herself

B．give some useful advice to the hotel

C．express gratitude to the hotel manager

D．make her father’s trip more comfortable

2. Seeing the father’s reaction during check-in, the author probably felt __________.

A．thankful

B．satisfied

C．disappointed

D．regretful

3. From this passage, we can know that __________.

A．the author made the daughter’s check-out smooth

B．the author was deeply moved by an unexpected gift

C．the daughter cried for five minutes before they left

D．the daughter asked the author to learn sign language

【推荐1】By the time she turned 18, Liz had attended twelve schools in as many years. She had lived in shelters and in parks but never in a permanent residence for more than a few months. She had been laughed at by students at a dozen schools who considered her “different”.

Homeless since early childhood, Liz struggled all her life to hide her circumstances from teachers and fellow students. However, academics proved to be a way for her to find confidence in herself again. For instance, at the age of 9, she placed in the 99th percentile on a state exam, and her teacher Oprah told her she was “gifted”. From that moment forward, Liz decided to do whatever it took to keep herself in that category. “I was so proud of being smart and I never wanted people to say, ‘You got the easy way out because you’re homeless, ‘” she said“ I never saw it as an excuse. ”

By the second year of high school, she realized that she could not succeed in getting the education she dreamed of without getting help to go beyond what her current school could offer. She talked to teachers who helped her apply for summer community college classes and scholarships. And in 11th grade, when she enrolled at Jefferson High School, she decided to complete the rest of her school career there—a decision that meant taking a bus each morning at 4 a. m. and not getting home until 11 p.m.

Her perseverance and hard work paid off, however. When she poured the story of her life into her Harvard University college application, she was accepted.

Once Liz felt ready to tell her story, it won her notice not only from college admissions boards but also from the news media. Now as a successful student at Harvard, Liz continues to use the lessons of her extraordinary life to help and inspire other students.

1. What made Liz different in the eyes of her classmates according to paragraph 1?

A．Her talent.	B．Her hard work.
C．Her homelessness.	D．Her school performance.

2. How did Liz rebuild her confidence?

A．By settling in a permanent home.	B．By getting help from her teachers.
C．By socializing with other students.	D．By finding her passion for studying.

3. What can we learn about Liz?

A．She quit school to support her family.

B．She was criticized by Oprah on her show.

C．She shares her stories to encourage others.

D．She has been declined by Jefferson High School.

4. Which of the following best describes Liz?

A．Humorous.

B．Strict.

C．Reliable.

D．Determined.

【推荐2】I wanted to share the story of someone in my community. Alex and I have been pretty good friends for years. He was raised in a pretty abusive home, and grew up with major depression and anxiety. He talks about his story all the time to help other teens. Alex has truly changed his life around to help other people and we are all so glad for that.

He started an organization to help homeless people. He has teens from across the world mail him stories of hope or funny pictures that they drew and he goes around and gives homeless people those things along with food or something. They love receiving drawings and letters because they feel great knowing that someone took time to do that for them.

Alex also wrote a book to inspire teens. He wants other teenagers to see what he’s gone through so they feel inspired to make a change in their lives. Alex is an extremely inspirational person and this book will help teens in similar situations as Alex was in.

Alex has won three awards for everything he did. He won an inspirational people’s award through a local organization; he won the Youth Service America’s everyday hero award and he won a Canadian awesome award. He’s changing lives and he really deserves these awards. Alex’s latest accomplishment is the start of the National Youth Internet Safety and Cyber Bullying Task Force. I can’t believe how many families he’s affected. It’s so much work just to help people he doesn’t know but Alex loves it.

I believe that young stars are not just singers and actors. I believe they are also the youth changing our world. There are not many teens that choose to change the world around, but Alex is definitely one of them.

1. Which of the following best describes Alex?

A．Ambitious and successful.	B．Patient and amazing.
C．Encouraging and selfless.	D．Outgoing and generous.

2. In which section of a newspaper may this text appear?

A．Your Voice.	B．Campus Life.
C．News Express.	D．Magic World.

【推荐3】It-s the universal cry of parents. "Get a job! " Soliman's mother told Soliman on the second day of his college breaks.
After years of delivering furniture for his mother'-s store, he knew many people had things they wanted to get rid     of. If he borrowed his mom's truck, he could make a little money by carrying away their garbage.
One night,   Soliman came up with a name for his new business - College Hunks Hauling Junk.   He advertised the next day, and within hours, his phone rang.   He asked his friend Friedman to help.   They made $ 220 in three hours by cleaning out a woman-s garage.   Soliman and Friedman earned $ 10,000 that summer.   But the two weren't readyto become full- time garbage mcn after graduation.   "We were trained to finish college and get a good job," says Soliman, who first worked at a research firm.   Friedman became an economic analyst.
After working for the firm and the company for a while, both of them changed their minds. They quit their jobs and restarted their business, but had trouble finding a bank willing to lend them money.   "Within months," says Friedman, "we were pretty upset. "
At last, one bank risked lending them $ 50,000.   At first, they lost money.   One customer asked them to deal with a dozen garbage cans filled with construction garbage. They measured the job by volume instead of by weight and charged just $ 130.   "The cans were so heavy that it took us two and a half hours," says Soliman, "And it cost us more than $ 250 to carry the load. "
However, the tough experience taught them a lesson. They reduced the cost of unloading by recycling metals and electronics. Just four years later, they ran a nationwide company that earned $ 3 million in 2014. " I figured if Nick and I failed, we'd learn more from failing than from not trying at all," says Soliman.
1. What does Soliman find when helping to deliver furniture?

A．Some parents want their kids to work at college breaks.

B．Many families have things they don't want to keep.

C．His mom's truck works well in carrying heavy furniture.

D．It's hard to make money by carrying away the garbage.

2. What makes Soliman think of starting his new business?

A．His working experience in his mother's store.

B．His strong desire to make use of the garbage.

C．His hatred for people's throwing away things.

D．His much available time at college breaks.

3. How did Soliman and Friedman cut the cost of the company?

A．By filling the cans with more garbage.

B．By measuring the job by volume.

C．By reducing the working hours.

D．By recycling something useful.

4. Which of the following can be learned from the passage?

A．Easier said than done.

B．Nothing succeeds like success.

C．Two heads are better than one.

D．Nothing is impossible to a willing heart.