【推荐2】Imagine possessing something that you loved so much. Imagine what it would feel like if you lost it. While that item may be something as simple as a doll, you would still feel very upset, but you could replace it with a new one. Now imagine losing something that you depend on for survival and cannot be replaced. That is what it would be like if we lost the natural environment around us.

Firstly, I believe the environment should be preserved because it supports human life. One of the largest examples is that we get all of our food and drinks in the environment. If the environment were to be destroyed beyond revival, then the human race would be over in months. Scientists have yet to find another planet with similar conditions to the Earth, and if it’s found, we don’t have the technology to get to that planet on time.

Secondly, I believe that the environment serves as an amazing educational tool for students. When I was in second grade, I had an absolute interest in animals. When we had a field trip to the Daggerwing Nature Center, I was very excited. When we got there, I could hardly believe what I was seeing. There was a bridge to get to the main building, and under the bridge was a small swamp(沼泽) with turtles, fish, and my personal favorite, alligators. I was so surprised that I almost ran into the tour guide. We walked into the building and saw various animals in their habitats. I was so inspired by this visit. Six years later, I have taken an animal behavior class for three weeks. Meeting by chance with the environment can inspire people, and if preserved it will continue to inspire people.

In conclusion, the environment is so valuable because it can’t be replaced, keeps us alive, and serves as a great educational tool.

1. The first paragraph leads to the theme of the text by______.

A．analyzing causes	B．presenting differences
C．showing similarities	D．describing a process

2. What does the underlined word "revival" in the paragraph 2 mean?

A．Health.	B．Activity.
C．Recovery.	D．Revision.

3. Why did the author take a class on animal behavior?

A．Because he thought it a promising subject.

B．Because he wanted to be an animal expert.

C．Because his teacher encouraged him to do so.

D．Because he was inspired by animals he once saw.

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

A．Which Planet Can Replace the Earth

B．Why the Environment Is So Important

C．What People Can Do to Stop Pollution

D．How People Should Protect the Environment

【推荐1】Growing up, I remember my father as a silent, serious man — not the sort of person around whom one could laugh. As a teenager arriving in America, knowing nothing, I wanted a father who could explain the human journey. In college, when friends called home for advice, I would sink into deep depression for what I did not have.

Today, at twenty-seven, I have come to rediscover them in ways that my teenage mind would not allow — as adults and as friends with their own faults and weaknesses.

One night after my move back home, I overheard my father on the telephone. These was some trouble. Later, Dad shared the problem with me. Apparently my legal training had earned me some privileges in his eyes. I talked through the problem with Dad, analyzing the purposes of the people involved and offering several negotiation strategies. He listened patiently before finally admitting, “I can’t think like that. I am a simple man.”

Dad is a brilliant scientist who can deconstruct the building blacks of nature. Yet human nature is a mystery to him. That night I realized that he was simply not skilled at dealing with people, much less the trouble of a conflicted teenager. It’s not in his nature to understand human desires.

And so, there it was — it was no one’s fault that my father held no interest in human lives while I placed great importance in them. We are at times born more sensitive, wide-eyed, and dreamy than our parents and become more curious and idealistic than them. Dad perhaps never expected me for a child. And I, who knew Dad as an intelligent man, had never understood that his intelligence did not cover all of my feelings.

It has saved me years of questioning and confusion. I now see my parents as people who have other relationships than just Father and Mother. I now overlook their many faults and weaknesses, which once annoyed me.

I now know my parents as friends: people who ask me for advice; people who need my support and understanding. And I’ve come to see my past clearly.

1. What was the author’s impression of her father when she was a teenager?

A．Friendly but irresponsible.

B．Intelligent but severe.

C．Cold and aggressive.

D．Caring and communicative.

2. Why did the author feel depressed when her friends called home?

A．She did not have a phone to call home.

B．Her father did not care about her human journey.

C．Her father was too busy to answer her phone.

D．Her father couldn’t give her appropriate advice.

3. After the author overheard her father on the telephone, ______.

A．he blamed her for impoliteness

B．he rediscovered human nature

C．he consulted with her about his problem

D．he changed his attitude towards the author

4. The author realized that ______.

A．her father had too many faults and weaknesses

B．her father was not as intelligent as she had thought

C．her father was not good at interpersonal relationships

D．her father placed too much importance in social activities

5. Which of the following is the best title of this passage?

A．My Parents as Friends

B．My Parents as Advisors

C．My Father as a Serious Man

D．My Father as an Intelligent Scientist

【推荐2】There were smiling children all the way. Clearly they knew at what time the train passed their homes and they made it their business to stand along the railway, wave to complete strangers and cheer them up as they rushed towards Penang. Often whole families stood outside their homes and waved and smiled as if those on the trains were their favourite relatives. This is the simple village people of Malaysia. I was moved.

I had always travelled to Malaysia by plane or car, so this was the first time I was on a train. I did not particularly relish the long train journey and had brought along a dozen magazines to read and reread. I looked about the train. There was not one familiar face. I sighed and sat down to read my Economics.

It was not long before the train was across the Causeway and in Malaysia. Johore Baru was just another city like Singapore, so I was tired of looking at the crowds of people as they hurried past. As we went beyond the city, I watched the straight rows of rubber trees and miles and miles of green. Then the first village came into sight, immediately I came alive; I decided to wave back.

From then on my journey became interesting. I threw my magazines into the waste basket and decided to join in Malaysian life. Then everything came alive. The mountains seemed to speak to me. Even the trees were smiling. I stared at everything as if I was looking at it for the first time.

The day passed fast and I even forgot to have my lunch until I felt hungry. I looked at my watch and was surprised that it was 3: 00 p. m. Soon the train pulled up at Butterworth. I looked at the people all around me. They all looked beautiful. When my uncle arrived with a smile, I threw my arms around him to give him a warm hug. I had never done this before. He seemed surprised and then his weather－beaten face warmed up with a huge smile. We walked arm in arm to his car.

I looked forward to the return journey.

1. The author expected the train trip to be________.

A．adventurous

B．pleasant

C．exciting

D．dull

2. The word “________” can best take the place of the underlined word “relish” in the second paragraph.

A．Choose

B．enjoy

C．prepare for

D．carry on

3. What did the author remember most fondly of her train trip?

A．The friendly country people.	B．The mountains along the way.
C．The crowds of people in the streets.	D．The simple lunch served on the train.

【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’ll 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. 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

2. 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

3. From the passage, we can learn that the writer was________

A．honest

B．careful

C．clever

D．funny

4. 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.