【推荐1】By making positive changes in your life you can become better.     1    . Here are some quick and easy ways to help you become a better person.

Know your weaknesses.

    2    . For this you can ask a trusted friend or family member for help. Being unaware of your weaknesses makes it hard for you to improve. The successful people know where they aren’t strong and they use their strengths to make up for it.

Quit a bad habit.

Quitting a bad habit is good for you. It not only makes you a better person, but it makes you more confident. If you aren’t ready to quit your bad habits right away, start out with small steps.     3    .

Break up with negative thinking.

Do you always see the negative side of things?     4    . Negative thinking really makes you down mentally and physically. Trying to think more positively helps you reduce stress and requires you to stop making excuses.

    5    .

Showing other people that you care for them is a great way to be a better person. Small acts of kindness will make other people feel better and lift your spirits as well. Something just like buying a coffee for your classmates can make a huge positive impact on their and your day.

A．Treat others with kindness

B．Take good care of your life

C．Recognize what areas you are lacking

D．This can have a bad influence on your life

E．Therefore, it is obvious for everyone to become better

F．However, it may be tough sometimes to figure out how to do it

G．Find a trusted friend that can give you encouragement if you’re struggling

【推荐3】A year ago,I paid no attention to English idioms,though my teacher emphasized the importance again and again.But soon,the importance of English idioms was shown in an amusing experience.

One day,I happened to meet an Englishman on the road,and soon we began to talk.As I was talking about how I was studying English,the foreigner seemed to be astonished,gently shaking his head,shrugging his shoulders,saying,“You don’t say!”“You don’t say!” I was puzzled.I thought,perhaps this is not an appropriate topic.“Well,I’d better change the topic.” So I said to him,“Well,shall we talk about the Great Wall?By the way,have you ever been there?”“Certainly,everyone back home will laugh at me if I leave China without seeing it.It is magnificent(雄伟的,壮观的).” He was deep in thought when I began to talk like a tourist guide,“The Great Wall is one of the wonders in the world.We are very proud of it.” Soon I was interrupted again by his order,“You don’t say!” I couldn’t help asking.I said,“Didn’t you say you don’t say?” Hearing this,the Englishman laughed to tears.He began to explain,“‘You don’t say’ actually means ‘really’.It is an expression of surprise.Perhaps you don’t pay attention to English idioms.” Only then did I realize I had made a fool of myself.Since then,I have been more careful with idiomatic expressions.

1. A year ago,I paid no attention to English idioms because 　　　.

A．English idioms were too difficult to master

B．I cared little about the teacher’s instruction

C．my teacher didn’t emphasize the importance

D．I had no interest in English learning

2. The underlined word “amusing” means “　　　”.

A．interesting	B．important
C．terrible	D．lucky

3. When I first heard “You don’t say!”,I thought 　　　.

A．the Englishman was not interested in my English studies

B．the Englishman was only interested in the Great Wall

C．I had talked too much

D．I had to stop talking at once

4. We can learn from the second paragraph that 　　　.

A．the Englishman was leaving China without seeing the Great Wall

B．the Englishman wanted to see the Great Wall after I talked about it

C．the Englishman wanted me to act as his guide

D．the Englishman visited the Great Wall and thought it worth visiting

5. After the Englishman explained the idiom,　　　.

A．the Englishman made me a fool

B．the Englishman made a fool of himself

C．I felt very silly

D．I felt proud of my understanding

【推荐1】     We don’ t always get a second chance to achieve our dreams. But some people are lucky, like Matthew McConaughey. Once almost unknown, the actor has recently found himself back on the list of the best actors in Hollywood. His new movie Interstellar is just another sign that his career reinvention has been an incredible success. “The film relies on McConaughey’ s performance to hold together the emotional story of a father and his daughter against the background of space travel and the end of the world,”Forbes commented.
     But only years ago, the Texas native was often the butt of jokes（笑柄）about being too handsome. In 1993, after meeting with director Richard Linklater, McConaughey starred in Dazed and Confused. And a Hollywood career was born, mostly in romantic comedies. For a long time, the whole world believed McConaughey was just a handsome guy with comic talent.
     But McConaughey stopped starring in that type of movie, and began to use his looks differently. Slowly he built up his reputation as a serious actor. In 2013, McConaughey was offered to play an AIDS activist in Dallas Buyers Club. The role saw the normally muscular actor losing 50 pounds in order to appear sick. His performance won him an Oscar for Best Actor.
     The actor gave thanks to someone he has always looked up to as a hero during his Oscar acceptance speech. When he was 15, the actor said, he decided that his hero would be himself in 10 years. But 10 years later, he pushed the deadline ahead another decade. Then 10 years later, another decade.“My hero’ s always 10 years away,” he said. “I’ m never going to attain that. That keeps me with somebody to keep on chasing.”Or perhaps constantly chasing the chance to be his own hero has given him a second chance to follow his dreams.
1. Why was McConaughey often the butt of jokes in his early career?

A．He was limited to handsome roles.

B．He was unknown to the audience.

C．He played in romantic comedies.

D．He was handsome and emotional.

2. What role won Mc Conaughey an Oscar for Best Actor?

A．A caring father.	B．An AIDS activist.
C．A serious buyer.	D．A strong hero.

3. What can we learn about McConaughey？

A．He was born in Hollywood.

B．He has become a hero of his own.

C．He wasn’ t famous until recently.

D．He isn’ t content with his achievements.

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

A．McConaughey, a Romantic Comedian

B．McConaughey, a Man Making a Hit

C．McConaughey, a Man Daring to change

D．McConaughey, Handsome and Talented

【推荐2】I came to study in the United States a year ago .Yet I did not know the real American society until I was injured in a car accident because after the accident I had to see a doctor and go to court.

After the accident .my roommate called a doctor for me. I was very grateful and determined to repay him one day. But the next day, he asked me to pay him $200 for what he had done. I was astonished. He had good reason to charge me, he said. And if I wanted to collect money from the person who was responsible for my injury, I’d have to have a good lawyer. And only a good doctor can help me get a good lawyer. Now that he had helped me find a good doctor, it was only fair that I should pay him.

But every day I went to see the doctor, I had to wait about 50 minutes. He would see two or three patients at the same time, and often stop treating one so as to see another. Yet he charged me $115 each time. The final examination report consisted of ten lines, and it cost me $215.

My lawyer was all smiles the first time we met. But after that he avoided seeing me at all. He knew very well the other party was responsible for the accident, yet he hardly did anything. He simply waited to collect his money. He was so irresponsible that I decided to dismiss him. And he made me pay him $770.

Now I had to act as my own lawyer. Due to my inexperience, I told the insurance company the date I was leaving America. Knowing that, they played for time and I left without getting a cent.

1. The author’s roommate offered to help him because________.

A．he felt sorry for the author	B．he thought it was a chance to make some money
C．he knew the doctor was a very good one	D．he wanted the author to have a good lawyer

2. A good doctor is essential for the author to ________.

A．be properly treated	B．talk with the person responsible for the accident
C．recover before he leaves America	D．eventually get the responsible party to pay for his injury

3. The word “charge” in the third paragraph means_________ .

A．be responsible

B．accuse

C．ask as a price

D．claim

4. Both the doctor and the lawyer in this passage are very__________.

A．friendly

B．selfish

C．professional

D．busy

【推荐3】I was in the middle of a sweet dream when a noise startled me. Bam! Bam! It sounded like a hammer pounding on a tough nail. Bam! Bam! BAM! Who could be hammering at three in the morning? It must be Charlie again, making another invention.

Just as I was putting on my slippers and clothes, the noise changed. I sat at the edge of my bed and listened. Tick! Tick! Tick! It reminded me of my first wristwatch. Its regular pace had always helped me fall asleep.

I started dozing off, dangerously leaning to the left, when the ticking stopped. it was now replaced by a buzz, similar to the noise coming from a beehive in midsummer, only louder. I shivered. “I’m allergic to bees! Even just thinking about it or hearing a bee-like sound makes me swell.

“That’s it!” I should, now wide awake. “I can’t take it anymore!” I marched to the next apartment and knocked. My neighbor immediately opened the door. His curly brown hair was sticking up every which way. He wore baggy striped pants and a loose raspberry shirt.

“Hi, there, Lucy! What’s up?” he asked.

I pointed at my noiseless watch. “Do you know hat time it is?”

He grabbed my arm and glanced at my timepiece. “Oh, my! I didn’t realize it was that late. I’m busy working on a machine that can cure insomnia (失眠). It’s almost finished. You want to see it?”

I should have known. His last invention was supposed to annihilate bad smells, but it was powered by rotten eggs.

1. What made the author sleepy again?

A．His neighbor’s silence	B．The ticking sound
C．The coming of the bees	D．The smell of the rotten eggs

2. What was Charlie doing?

A．He was fixing a broken clock	B．He was inventing a wristwatch
C．He was working with the bees	D．He was making a new machine

3. How did Charlie feel when he saw the author?

A．Disappointed

B．Scared

C．Surprised

D．Annoyed

4. What does the underlined word “ annihilate” in the last paragraph mean?

A．Get rid of

B．Make use of

C．Give off

D．Tell apart

【推荐1】Gold Coast family holidays are always great fun whether you are from Australia or from abroad. There are beautiful beaches, adventure parks, nature parks and so much more.

There are so many sights to see here. It is a pity to drive in a car and you’ll miss a great part of it. Australia is home to many animals and birds that can only be seen when moving slowly and going into the areas that they live.

When you are on a bicycle, you have the advantage of being able to stop whenever you want to see an interesting animal or bird that you have never seen before. It is a quieter mode (方式) of transportation as well, so you might even be able to take a picture. When you are on the beach, you can breathe that clean air and view the beauty of the water and sand. It is a totally different experience from either simply sunbathing or passing it in a car.

There are many choices of hiring a bicycle to experience the Gold Coast attractions. There are stores that will fit a bike perfectly to your size. These bikes for both adults and children are in many styles and colors to please any taste. If you have ever wanted to try a tandem bike (双人单车), now is your chance, because they have those too.

A bicycle hire on Gold Coast is something that everyone should try at least once. This is a wonderful chance for anyone who likes to cycle and it is also a cheap way to travel with your family.

1. You’d better not drive in a car on Gold Coast because ______.

A．you will break the traffic rules	B．you will cause much noise
C．you can’t enjoy the beautiful sights well	D．you can’t drive into some parks

2. The underline word “fit” in the paragraph 4 means ______.

A．修理

B．健康

C．容纳

D．适合

3. What is paragraph 4 mainly about?

A．How to hire bikes on Gold Coast.	B．What kinds of bikes there are in stores.
C．What bikes are the most popular.	D．Who can hire bikes on Gold Coast.

4. What’s the author’s attitude towards a bike hire on Gold Coast?

A．He supports it very much.	B．He thinks it’s a personal choice.
C．He doesn’t like this way of traveling.	D．He thinks it’s only good for adults.

【推荐2】Is there a single word that motivates us more than “weekend”? It’s like the promise of a sweet future following what seems like a lifetime of hard work. It’s the spring our step that gets more energetic with each passing day until by Friday, we’re practically bumping our heads against the ceiling.

The trouble is that the weekend is a rip-off. You think you’re getting 48 hours of unconditional rest, but reality takes a discount. In fact, it takes most of Sunday. That’s when anxiety comes creeping（溜）in and another countdown begins: 12 hours until Monday. Sure, weekend is free time. But the mounting stress of an incoming Monday can erase any joy you might get from a Sunday evening.

That feeling is so common among the Monday-to-Friday crowd. There’s even more than one name for it: the Sunday Scary, or Sunday Fear Syndrome. Going from a countdown to the weekend to a countdown to Monday can be difficult. Even Monster.com, a website which specializes in connecting humans to the Monday-to-Friday cycle, admits it’s a problem. In a survey, Monster found that 76% of Americans have really bad Sunday night blues. For most people, Sunday is no holiday at all. It may all come down to the same problem. We can’t stop thinking about tomorrow. Even worse, we may develop some unhealthy coping strategies for that transition from weekends to Monday. Some might resist- staying up late, making use of every minute of a fleeting（短暂的）Sunday.

But why should Monday cast such a long and fearful shadow on our lives? Maybe it’s because the counter is reset, and the weekend, or happiness, seems at its furthest point. Like most of us, you have a tolerable（可容忍的）job, but don’ t much like the whole idea of working. There are plenty of ways to make Mondays a little less stressful. Most importantly, don’t leave any unsettled Friday business hanging over the weekend. So, clear the decks and tie up loose ends. Learn to seize the week rather than just the weekend.

1. What do we know about weekend in paragraph 2?

A．It doesn’t reduce people’s stress at all.	B．It doesn’t bring joy as expected.
C．It actually adds to people’s anxiety	D．It provides a good time to relax.

2. Why does the writer mention Monster.com in the text?

A．To support his idea.	B．To solve a problem.
C．To show its popularity.	D．To provide more information.

3. What does the writer think of the way most people spend the weekend?

A．Challenging.	B．Realistic
C．Practical	D．Unwise

4. Which of the following is the best title for the text?

A．Why Does Monday Take a Bite Out of Sunday?

B．Why Is a Countdown to the Weekend Difficult?

C．Why Does Monday Cast a Fearful Shadow on Our Lives?

D．Why Are People Stressed Out on Fridays and Saturdays?

【推荐3】Going on holiday not only makes you feel good while you're there --- you gain the health benefits for months, new research shows.
Jetting off to exotic destinations such as the Maldives cuts your blood pressure, helps you sleep better and bounce back from stress, it found. The benefits last at least a fortnight longer than the vacation and can be felt for months in some cases where it is claimed. Experts say workers should always take their full holiday entitlement each year --- as many as one in three don’t --- to get the benefits.
The study compared key health markers in holidaymakers visiting Thailand, Peru or the Maldives, with people who stayed at home and continued working. The average blood pressure of those on holiday dropped by six percent while the workers saw their blood pressure rise by two percent over the same period. The sleep quality of holidaymakers improved by 17 percent while that of the non-holidaymakers deteriorated by 14 percent.
The study also found the ability of vacationers to recover from stress --- known as the stress-resilience test --- improved by 29 percent. There was a 71 percent fall in stress resilience scores among workers. Tests showed a fall in blood glucose levels, reducing the risk of diabetes, trimmer waistlines and enhanced mood and energy levels, with the effects sustained for at least two weeks after returning home.
The Holiday Health Experiment was conducted by tour operator Kuoni and Nuffield Health, the UK’s largest healthcare charity.
1. According to the passage, how many people go on holiday?

A．One third.	B．Two thirds.
C．17 percent.	D．A quarter.

2. Which of the following can we infer from the passage?

A．The further you go, the better the benefits.

B．Most people like to stay at home during the holiday.

C．Holiday makers are more adaptable than non-holidaymakers.

D．The result of the study is mostly based on the description from the people involved.

3. The author intends to tell us that __________.

A．we have to go on holiday as much as possible

B．you’ll certainly get depressed if you don’t go on holiday

C．it is best to go to foreign countries like Maldives

D．we had better go on holiday for the benefit of health

4. The best title of the passage is ________ .

A．Health Benefits from Holiday

B．A Holiday Health Experiment

C．Health Problems of Having Holiday

D．Key Health Markers in Holidaymakers