【推荐1】It was the festive season. Mom had baked some delicious cookies. Jam tarts were always my favorite and I had enjoyed myself to excess. Moreover, the refrigerator was well-stocked with chocolates and ice-cream so I helped myself to all the goodies. That night I woke up with an unbearable toothache. No amount of aspirin could stop the pain.

When morning arrived, I had to do the unavoidable - make an appointment with the dentist. My dental appointment was at 2 pm that afternoon, which was just another four hours away. The thought was enough to kill my interest in everything else. I had butterflies in my stomach. I arrived at the dental clinic an hour before the appointment.

After registering, I walked unenthusiastically towards a chair. I did not even bother to look at the other patients. Picking up a few magazines, I tried to read to get rid of my fear and pain, but I could not concentrate. All I was aware of was a terrible pain. The sight of patients coming out from the treatment room, with large pieces of gauze sticking out from their mouths, only seemed to worsen my pain.

One of my New Year resolutions was made while I was shifting restlessly in my seat. I vowed never to taste another jam tart or take a chunky bite of chocolate in the future.

When my name was finally called, I staggered into the treatment room. I heard the dentist greeting me, but I could not bring myself to respond to his greeting. The sight of the drilling equipment and the hypodermic syringes (皮下注射器) only increased my feelings of sickness. When the dentist asked me to take my seat and then open my mouth, I felt my heart pounding very fast. I was sure that I was going to get a heart attack.

The dentist informed me that it was best to extract the tooth. I nodded and opened my mouth and tried to think of other things. The next minute or so was one of the most terrifying moments of my life. I grabbed the dentist’s hands more than once. At first, he was quite taken aback and eyed me suspiciously. Then he warned me that he would have my hands tied if I were to repeat my antics. I did not think that he was joking!

Soon the pain gave way to a soothing sensation. When the dentist told me that the pain was all over, I could hardly believe my ears. After paying for the extraction, I walked out of the clinic confidently and headed for the nearest bus stop. I swore that this would be the first and the last time I stepped into a dental clinic.

1. What might be the reason for my not feeling well that night?

A．Too much fun during the day.	B．An upset stomach.
C．Unrestrained eating of goodies.	D．Overuse of aspirin.

2. What did I do to distract me from the toothache before I met the dentist?

A．Making an appointment with the dentist.	B．Trying to read some magazines.
C．Observing other patients.	D．Making my New Year wishes.

3. Which of the following is the closest in meaning to the underline word in the sixth paragraph?

A．rude behavior	B．natural behavior
C．dangerous behavior	D．interesting behavior

4. What lesson might the author have learned from this experience?

A．After a storm comes a calm.	B．Diet cures more than doctors.
C．Fear is often greater than the danger.	D．A fall into the pit, a gain in your wit.

【推荐1】Yesterday after work, the boss told me I was fired. When I walked along a riverbed sadly, I suddenly realized it was New Year’s Day, a day to start afresh.

I passed by a man holding his son, one or two years old. The baby’s face was in pure joy, and his innocent eyes were full of wonder. The simple sweetness of the baby made me moved.

Walking on, I saw a young couple repairing their bicycle. They smiled at me and said, “Happy New Year!” I smiled and wished them the same. It was a simple thing, but for a moment it brought me a sudden joy.

I kept walking, enjoying the cheerful singing of birds. With people around laughing out loud, an old woman immersed herself in her sewing. She didn’t seem either happy or sad. A feeling of timeless peace flowed through me and all fear of what the future might bring disappeared. I thanked her in my heart, and moved on.

As I reached home, I was filled with great thanks and hope for life, which took me a long time to find. Actually, happiness could be simple and easy. Now I knew whatever the New Year would bring, there would be joy and enough love to help me through the hard times we all had to face.

“Happy New Year!” I said to myself.

1. What did the writer’s boss tell him after work?

A．It was New Year’s Day.	B．He was fired.
C．He needed a day to relax.	D．He had a day off.

2. When seeing the little baby, the writer was moved by his ________.

A．age

B．laughing

C．innocence

D．crying

3. When the writer saw the young couple, they were ________.

A．repairing their bicycle	B．waiting for the writer
C．watching the passers-by	D．celebrating the New Year

4. How did the writer feel when he saw the old woman?

A．Lucky.

B．Hopeless.

C．Fearful.

D．Thankful.

5. What can we learn from the passage?

A．Greetings make people polite.	B．Happiness could be simple and easy.
C．Walking makes people energetic.	D．Friendship lies in getting together.

【推荐2】Night fell. A policeman was patrolling(巡逻) in his block when he noticed a man leaning against the doorway of a restaurant. “It’s all right here, officer, I’m waiting for a friend. 20 years ago tonight, I dined here with Jimmy Wells, my best buddy. I was to leave for the West the next day. We agreed to meet here again 20 years later.” said the man, striking a match to light his cigar. “Hope your friend comes around.” said the policeman, passing on along his beat.

20 minutes later a tall man in a long overcoat went directly to the waiting man. “Is that you, Bob?” he asked doubtfully. “Is that you, Jimmy Wells?” cried the man. “Oh!” exclaimed the new arrival. “It’s Bob! How has the West treated you, old sport?” “It’s given me everything. You’ve changed lots — so tall by two or three inches.” “I grew a bit.” “Doing well here?” “Moderately. Come on, let s go to my place and have a good talk. ”

The two hit the road, arm in arm, with one boasting his career in the West. At the corner stood a drug store, brilliant with electric lights. When they came into this glare, each of them stared at the others’ face.

The man from the West stopped and released his arm, “You’re not Jimy Wells. 20 years is not long enough to change a man’s nose from a Roman to a pug.”

“It sometimes changes a good man into a bad one,” said the tall man. “You’ve been under arrest for ten minutes, ‘Silky’ Bob. Chicago thinks you may have dropped over our way and wires us she wants to have a chat with you. Before going to the station, here’s a note to you from Patrol man Wells.”

The man unfolded the note, reading:

“Bob: I was at the appointed place on time. When you struck the match, I saw it was the face wanted in Chicago. Somehow I couldn’t do it myself, so I went around and got a plain clothes man to do the job. JIMMY.”

1. Why did Bob show up at the doorway of the restaurant?

A．Because he wanted to avoid being caught by the policeman.

B．Because he expected to taste the best food again in his hometown.

C．Because he tried to keep the appointment with his old friend.

D．Because he attempted to bring back the old memories in the restaurant.

2. How did Bob find out that the tall man was not the real Jimmy Wells?

A．By his height.

B．By his accent.

C．By his character.

D．By his nose.

3. According to the last three paragraphs, it can be inferred that__________.

A．Bob failed to recognize the false Jimmy Wells from start to finish.

B．Bob was likely to have committed a crime in the West.

C．Jimmy Wells did not turn up to meet Bob as appointed.

D．Jimmy Wells thought friendship with Bob mattered most.

4. What can be best used to describe Jimmy Wells?

A．Ambitious and considerate.

B．Hardworking and iron-minded.

C．Responsible and patient.

D．Straight and fair-minded.

【推荐3】Lucy Houk remembers the day four years ago when her fourth-grade classmates chose instruments to play in the school orchestra(管弦乐队). “Everyone else was picking instruments and having fun and I couldn’t pick one because I couldn’t really play any of them,” she said. She longed to play the cello(大提琴), but the cello requires two hands-one to hold the bow, the other to work the four strings.

Lucy, daughter of Lara Houk and Zak Houk, has one arm-her left-and only a partial right arm. She was born prematurely at 24 weeks with lots of problems. Lucy’s night arm is missing just below the elbow, but “Whatever she wants to do, we find a way to do it.” Lara said.

Lucy, an easy going eighth-grader at Highland Middle School in the Blackhawk School District, said, “I can tie my shoes. I can jump rope. But what I really wanted was to play the cello, but no one could think of anything to help me play it back then.”

Last winter, Eric Baker noticed Lucy. Baker, who joined the district two years ago, is the orchestra director for fourth through 12th grades. He collaborated(协作) with Dale Moll, a technology and engineering teacher at the high school, to find a way to make an adaptive bow holder that could be attached to Lucy’s elbow. While a student at Duquesne University, Baker took a class and attended a seminar on adaptive instruments for students with special needs, but never thought he’d have to apply what he learned-until he met Lucy.

“I hope more people don’t think because of their physical limitation that they can’t do something. There are so many ways to work around this kind of thing, especially with all the technology we have around these days,” Baker said.

The Highland teachers “went above and beyond their normal, average, everyday teaching job to do something special for Lucy and gave her an opportunity like every other kid,” Lara said.

Today, playing the cello with her classmates, Lucy feels like every other kid.

1. What upset Lucy when she was in fourth grade?

A．Having medical treatment with her elbow.

B．Being unable to play musical instruments.

C．Joining the school orchestra.

D．Being rejected by her classmates.

2. What are Lucy’s parents like?

A．They are confident of Lucy’s recovery.

B．They are proud of Lucy’s achievements.

C．They are anxious about Lucy’s future.

D．They are supportive of Lucy’s wishes.

3. What was beyond Baker’s expectations?

A．Becoming the orchestra director at Highland Middle School.

B．Meeting a student with physical disabilities.

C．Putting what he’s lamed in a seminar into practice.

D．Working with the technology and engineering teacher.

4. What did Lara think of the Highland teachers?

A．They went the extra mile at work.

B．They were skilled in teaching music.

C．They were devoted and gave Lucy lots of opportunities.

D．They would give enough attention to kids with special needs.

【推荐1】A Good Man from the Badlands Lives His Father’s Final Words

Tseringben had just lost his father. He told me, “    1    ” His dad’s final words instructed him to do good to others.

Tseringben’s father wasn’t educated but was wise. He didn’t attend school, but taught himself to read Tibetan. His mother is illiterate (文盲的). And neither of his parents learned Chinese.

“     2    ” Tseringben feels greatly proud. “Even when we were very poor, my family would share food and clothes with villagers who had even less.’’ He recalls. “My father always told me: ‘Tseriag, make the most of your chance to become educated. We’ll do whatever it takes to get you through school     3     But remember! Intelligence and wisdom aren’t necessarily the same. Kindness is the most important thing.’ These words transformed my young mind.”

Tseringben’s respect of education drove him to become a teacher. So he could provide children the same precious opportunity he got. He was teaching a class in Yushu’s remote Yege township when his brother called to tell him their father didn’t have long to live.

The father saw Tseringben enter the room. He tried to smile. He was so pale. He said, “There’s my son!” His weak voice faded away as he presented his final wishes to Tseringben.     4    

Upon graduating from university, Tseringben could have taken many comfortable jobs throughout the region. But remembering his father’s words, he volunteered for placement in the school with the poorest conditions authorities could find. “Even the people who lived in Yege called it no man’s land,” he told me.     5     But he has taught me many of the most important lessons about life — lessons he learned from his father.

A．My mom and dad both had great taste.

B．We’ll even sell our house if we have to.

C．He has taught me precious values in his class.

D．He told Tseringben to be wise and kind, and how.

E．The spiritual peak on which I’d stood was suddenly gone.

F．Tseringben has probably never thought of me as his student.

G．My mom and dad were the most sympathetic people I’ve met!