【推荐1】请认真阅读下列短文，并根据所读内容在文章后表格中的空格里填入一个最恰当的单词。注意：每个空格只填1个单词。请将答案写在答题卡上相应题号的横线上。

Mother of all relationships should not be overbearing

When a controlling mother finds that her rebellious son wants to free himself from her clutches and start his own life, what happens? Well, she might just lose it and swallow him.

This happened in Bao, the Chinese-centric film that claimed Best Animated Short at the 9lst Oscar Awards. Directed by China-born Canadian director Domee Shi, Bao tells the story of a Chinese steamed bun, or baozi, that comes to life and cries like a baby just before a woman is about to eat it. The lonely Chinese housewife, whose husband is always busy with work, regards the baby baozi as her substitute son. As time passes, it grows up and decides to leave home with its blonde girlfriend. That’s exactly when the controlling mom swallows it up whole out of frustration.

The short film actually reflects the condition of the director herself and of most Chinese families.

In China, "widow-style childcare" describes many Chinese mothers’ ending in recent years. The term describes a bitter social reality: Once the child is born, the father disappears. He would work, drink all night, or do anything except help his wife take care of their child. As a result, the mother would throw herself completely into raising the child, without having a life of her own. She needs to know where her child is every moment, what he or she is doing whenever possible— even if the child has attained adulthood. She can be bossy, anxious and seemingly unreasonable. She represents many Chinese mothers of today.

Believe me, such an unnatural relationship can harm both mother and child. When one grows up, he or she may find it difficult to fit in with society. As for the mother, she would feel lonely as long as her child is not around, which may lead to depression and other psychological problems.

Then what is the best model for mothers and children to get along? I’d proudly introduce my mom. When I was a child, she cared for my safety, studies and daily life like every other mother. But her love wouldn’t drown me. After I grew up and went to college, she wouldn’t interfere in my life—because she had already taught me to distinguish good from bad. I don’t need to worry about her as she has her own life—loves yoga, cooking, and even started to learn English when she was 40. Now she hangs out with her foreign friends from time to time just like teenagers.

I believe this is a healthy mother-child relationship—as the two are independent individuals. Indeed, the mother needs to take care of her child. But instead of providing the fish, it is more important to teach one how to fish. Thus when the child grows up, both have their own life, and do not become attached to each other. A mother is not supposed to control her child for life. By doing so, she would only be pushing her son or daughter away from her because nobody wants to live in a prison made of love.

But the film has a happy ending. The woman finds that it was only a nightmare. I do hope that all mothers who lean too heavily on their children wake up from this dream, so that they would live happily ever after.

In the movie: Bao	the father	He     1     little time for the family for the sake of work.
	the mother	She regards baozi as her substitute son.
	the end	The frustrated mother swallowed up baozi. Luckily, it is nothing but a     2    .
In     3     life	the father	He tends to be     4     from the family, never bothering to take care of the child.
	the mother	She     5     her own life for her son; she attempts to     6     on all her son’s whereabouts.
The possible harms	for the child	It will be difficult for the child to get     7     for the adulthood and the society.
	for the mother	When the child is not around,     8     may lead to depression and other mental problems.
Conclusion	Mothers and children should have their     9     life.     10     over child's life would only push the child away.

【推荐2】Last month my mother moved into a nursing home. This came after years of witnessing the worsening of her cognitive abilities and changes in her personality, all thanks to life-sucking frontotemporal dementia (FTD).

My mom is going to lose her ability to speak, have trouble forming complete thoughts and sentences, and eventually forget how to do things she loved, like cook and read.

But despite all of her inabilities, when I walked in on her having dinner with the rest of the women that make up the dementia floor of the nursing home, I didn’t think she belonged.

It wasn’t until I spent three days there bonding with those women that I realized what scared me the most-she did fit in.

If you were an outsider looking at these women, you’d pity them. You’d think it was cruel that our bodies could turn on us in this way. You’d think it was sad that their families have put the burden of taking care of them on someone else. You’d want to intervene.

You’d want to give the lady eating mashed potatoes with her hands a spoon, you’d want to peel the orange for the lady who’s eating it like an apple, you’d want to scold the lady who forgets to flush the toilet and wash her hands after using the bathroom.

I did all those things to my mother. But when I see her in an environment that lets her be herself, it somehow seems okay.

Learn to love them unconditionally. It’s easier said than done, but if she loved me after giving her hell for making me come home by 10 p. m. on Fridays, I can love her even if she forgets my name.

1. What frightened the author most?

A．Her mother adapted to the nursing home.

B．She had to look after her mother.

C．Her mother suffered from FTD.

D．She lived with those women at the nursing home.

2. Which of the following can best replace the underlined word “intervene”？

A．Amaze.	B．Interrupt.
C．Permit.	D．Explore.

3. What was the final decision of the author?

A．She let her mother alone.

B．She took care of her mother at home.

C．She sent her mother to hospital.

D．She let her mother stay at the nursing home.

4. What’s the author’s attitude towards her mother?

A．Mean.	B．Selfish.
C．Grateful.	D．Honest.

【推荐3】What is a family? Why does it matter? What does it teach us that we can’t learn on our own? These questions seem especially relevant in the holiday season when it is often our tradition to gather as families and celebrate together.

My mother was one of twelve children. As they grew up, married and had children of their own, most of them lived near enough to gather for holidays at my grandparents’ home in a small town in the mountains of North Carolina.

I don’t recall getting many gifts from them .I remember the sense of belonging, of being part of something that assured me I was loved and not alone.

I delighted in the laughing, playing and fighting with my crazy cousins. I watched my granddad and uncles sit on the porch, rain or shine, smoking and joking, arguing about politics and trying to solve the problems of the world. I listened to my grandmother, mother and aunts stir (搅拌) pots on the stove and talk about their lives, hopes, dreams and disappointments, and gossip about any sister who failed to show up.

The food was always plentiful and delicious-country ham, sweet potatoes, green beans, biscuits and my grandmother’s banana pudding. But for me, the food was never the highlight. The highlight was simply being together. A family.

However, they’re all gone now. My parents and grandparents, my aunts and uncles have left this world for the next. My cousins are scattered here and there. And yet the memories linger, along with the love that we shared.

I treasure those memories and the things they taught me. They told me that families aren’t perfect, but they prepare us to find our way in an imperfect world. They made me realize that all families are crazy in their own particular ways.

My husband and I are growing a new family, while keeping close to the surviving members of the families. It’s a beautiful blend (混合) of kindness, traditions, nurturing (养育) and friendships, which grows year after year.

I hope this holiday season will fill you with lovely memories of the family that raised you, and surround you with all the people who mean “family” to you now.

1. What do we know about the author’s family according to the article?

A．She didn’t get on well with her cousins.

B．Her grandpa and uncles were politicians.

C．Her family delighted in their gatherings.

D．The female members liked to show off.

2. The author appreciated the gatherings mainly because _______.

A．there was a lot of inviting food

B．special gifts were selected thoughtfully

C．they brought the family closer together

D．she got to see relatives who seldom visited

3. What does the underlined word “linger” in paragraph 6 probably mean?

A．Disappear.	B．Remain.
C．Increase.	D．Fade.

4. What did the author learn from her family?

A．Good families should live together.

B．Imperfect families may help us adjust to the world.

C．Memories of perfect families deserve treasuring.

D．It’s necessary to create crazy family traditions.

【推荐2】Look carefully and you’ll find musicians at the top of almost any industry. The television broadcaster Paula Zahn(cello) and the NBC chief White House correspondent Chuck Todd (French horn) attended college on music scholarships; Both Microsoft’s Mr. Allen and the venture capitalist Rogar MeNamee have rock bands. Lorry Page, a co-founder of Google, played saxophone in high school. The former World Bank president James D. Wolfensohn has played cello at Carnegie Hall.

The connection isn’t a coincidence. I know because I asked. I put the question to top-flight professionals in industries from tech to finance to media, all of whom had serious (if often little-known) past lives as musicians. Almost all made a connection between their music training and their professional achievements.

Will your school music program turn your kid into a Paul Allen, the billionaire co-founder of Microsoft (guitar)? Or a Woody Allen(clarinet)? Probably not. These are outstanding achievers. But the way these and other visionaries (有远见的人) I spoke to process music is interesting.        

But the key question is: why does that connection exist? Paul Allen offers an answer. He says music “establish your confidence in the ability to create.” He began playing the violin at age 7 and switched to the guitar as a teenager. Even in the early days of Microsoft, he would pick up his guitar at the end of marathon days of programming. The music was the emotional analog (类比) to his day job, both of them show his different creativity. He says, “something is pushing you to look beyond what currently exists and express yourself in a new way.”

For many of the high achievers I spoke with, music functions as a “hidden language,” as Mr. Wolfensohn calls it, one that enhances the ability to connect different or even opposite ideas. When he ran the World Band, Mr.Wolfensohn traveled to more than 100 countries, often taking in local performances (and occasionally joining in on a borrowed cello), which helped him understand “the culture of people”.

Consider the qualities these high achievers say music has sharpened: cooperation, creativity, discipline and the capacity to coordinate (协调) conflicting ideas. All are qualities obviously absent from public life. Music may not make you a genius, or rich, or even a better person. But it helps train you to think differently, to process different points of views - and most important, to take pleasure in listening.

1. The reason why the author quote so many outstanding people as examples in the first paragraph is

A．to prove the popularity and the charm of music

B．to prove all winners are musicians before

C．to encourage kids to choose school music program

D．to prove the connection between success and music

2. What question did the author put to top-flight professionals?

A．Are success related to music or not?

B．Why do you choose music training?

C．What’s the benefit of learning music?

D．Why do you give up the career as a musician?

3. Which of the following is true?

A．Everybody knows those well-known people are musicians before.

B．Musicians exist in all industries.

C．Music can certainly make you become a better person.

D．Music helps Mr. Wolfensohn have a better understanding of the different culture.

4. The main idea of this passage is that

A．many musicians are found at the top of almost any industry

B．music plays an important role in achieving success

C．music can provide a new way to express yourself

D．music is an absolute necessity for everyone

5. The author develops the passage mainly________

A．by classification

B．by comparison

C．by example

D．by process