【推荐1】“Be proud of what you do,” my father always told me, “whether you are a boss or a cleaner.” When I was 15, I got a summer job in a hospital. I was told that my duties would include sweeping floors. I smiled and remembered Dad's words. Even though my job was the lowest, it made me feel excited. I saw it as a challenge because it was my first job. I learned to be on time and tried to do everything well. In return, I was treated with respect by doctors, nurses and patients. Each morning I imagined that the dirty dishes would make patients more sick if I were not there to wash them clean. After breakfast was done, I started sweeping the floors of all patient rooms and cleaning the toilets. Though I was tired, I wanted the job to be done well. Hearing people say “That young boy really does a good job”, I was filled with pride.

Working in the hospital taught me that being proud of one's job is important. It does not matter whether the job is sweeping floors or managing a large business. Through every job I have ever had, my father's words have always stayed with me. I was a good cleaner, and now I'm a good manager. I think Dad would be proud of me all the time.

1. The writer's first job was a ________.

A．boss	B．manager
C．cleaner	D．doctor

2. Which of the following didn't the writer do in the hospital according to the passage?

A．Washing dishes.	B．Looking after patients.
C．Cleaning toilets.	D．Sweeping the floor.

3. When the writer was in the hospital, he________.

A．worked hard	B．wasn't tired
C．made the patients sick	D．did everything

4. From the passage we know that ________ .

A．the writer's father always stayed with him

B．the father didn't like the writer's first job

C．the writer wasn't proud of his first job

D．the father's words encouraged the writer to do everything well

【推荐2】My love for libraries blossomed when I joined the public library.

From the age of 8, I was allowed to walk from my home to the downtown library, housed above the police station.

Once the librarian gave me my first membership card, I could enjoy a range of books, which started with Little House in the Big Woods.

I was addicted instantly, and this love of libraries and reading would change my life, allowing me to one day create a safe space for high-school kids, too.

By the time I was in high school, I could read the authors that we were studying in class, including Charles Dickens, Mark Twain and Emily Bronte. During the summer months，I got caught up in Gone with the Wind and Anna Karenina.

When I studied English literature at university, I thought it was time to build my own library. For the next 40 years, I continued to collect books. Until one day, I realized that all my books had become a part of the house，like wallpaper.

Toward the end of my teaching career, I became a teacher-librarian at my old high school where I had first learned English literature. This position resumed（恢复）my love and appreciation for libraries. I never forgot how wonderful it was to be surrounded by books.

I had a generous budget for my classes, so I searched for novels that would interest my teenage audience and hopefully spark（激发）a love of books. Fantasy, science-fiction, graphic novels --- I bought almost any type of book that my students wanted to read.

I bought sofas and comfortable chairs，turning the library into an inclusive （包容的） public space, safe for everyone.

In doing so, I realized that the library isn't just a place to do research. They are, in fact, places that offer an opportunity to engage with the past, present and future. All that is required is a tiny bit of curiosity. Libraries are places that should be full of life. They help us adjust to the world and their doors must be kept open to everyone---for free！

1. What does the underlined word “blossomed” in the first sentence mean?

A．Shaped.

B．Produced.

C．Developed.

D．Appeared.

2. What does the author think of a library?

A．It is the only place for readers to do research.

B．It is a place for people to learn English literature.

C．It is a place for people to be more inclusive.

D．It is a place that offers an opportunity to be better selves.

3. What can be a suitable title for the text?

A．More Than Just Books	B．Being Addicted to Books
C．Building an Inclusive Public Space	D．Buying Any Kind of Book

【推荐3】The playing field is never even or equal. Your skills and attitude play a major role in the outcome. Knowing what you can do to have an advantage can make the difference between success and failure.

My kids tell me it's unfair to play with the big children. I tell them that's right. Unfairness is a good thing. There is more to be gained by the effort when things seem unfair. It is true that many things in the world are unfair. But unfair things usually can be a boon to you. For example, the early bird catches the worm. It is unfair that the bird that sleeps in misses out on breakfast but it is nice to know that if it gets up early it is sure to get the worm.

I always try to explain to my kids that complaining about how unfair something is will get them nowhere. Instead, make the most out of it and get on the other side of it. Once you do that you are in the advantage. Above all, you have to focus on gaining that unfair advantage and in order to do that, build your inner strength, When you empower （武装） yourself, you are gaining skills or abilities, confidence and self-esteem （自尊）.

You should look at your place in the world. Where do you want io be financially, spiritually, emotionally, and physically ? You are creating your own story when you empower yourself.

You can build all the advantages that you need to live the life that you want. If you haven't yet, you need to make a list of all the things you want to experience in your new life. This will help you focus on building advantages so that you never have to say that it's Not Fair. When you do this then you will be able to realize that unfairness is a good thing and you will want to teach those around you to see unfairness in this way too.

1. What does the underlined word "boon" in Paragraph 2 probably mean?

A．Something that is very terrible.	B．Something that is very helpful
C．Something that is very kind	D．Something that is very scared

2. What can we infer from the example of the playing field used by the author?

A．The author wants to introduce his topic

B．The author wants to support his opinion

C．He wants tell us that having an advantage is needed

D．He wants to show skills and attitudes are important in playing games

3. What is the best way to deal with unfairness according to the author?

A．Just accept it.	B．Thy to change it.
C．Simply ignore it.	D．Make good use of it.

4. You are told to look at your place in the world in order to ________.

A．make yourself better	B．be proud of yourself
C．have more confidence	D．know others' advantages

5. What is the text mainly about?

A．The way to live a happy life.	B．The right attitude to unfairness.
C．Being patient enough to succeed.	D．Staying calm when treated badly.

【推荐1】Japan has made a lot of noise in recent years about removing the traditional view that women should stay at home while men go out to work. So it was shocking when，on August 7th，Tokyo Medical University (TMU)，a distinguished medical school，admitted marking down the test scores of female applicants to keep the ratio of women in each class below 30%.

Their defence was that women are more likely to drop out to marry and have children. To judge female applicants to medical school purely on their academic performance would leave Japan with a shortage of doctors，they said. The admission has caused outrage.

“Doctoring has long been a male field. But it is not the only one. Discrimination is common in banks and trading firms，where stamina(耐力) and loyalty，qualities somehow associated with men，are prized，” says Mari Miura，a political scientist at Sophia University. All this embarrasses a government that has promised to make women “shine”. The policy seems based on the need for more workers rather than on genuine concern for women.

Shinzo Abe，the prime minister，says he wants to bring millions more women into the workforce to make up for a labour shortfall caused by its ageing and declining population. In the field of politics，the record under Mr Abe’s premiership(首相任期) is disappointing. Just two members of his 20-strong cabinet are women，including Seiko Noda，in charge of women’s rights. Ms Noda，who makes little secret of her ambition to beat Mr Abe in a leadership contest next month，has just published a book called Grab the Future，her public declaration for pulling Japan into line with “global standards”. She has almost no chance of winning.

1. According to the passage, what has aroused the public’s shock and rage in Japan?

A．Women being more likely to drop out of school to marry and have children.

B．TMU putting a lower grade on female applicants to keep a low percentage of women in each class.

C．TMU judging female applicants to medical school merely on their test score.

D．Japan tending to abandon the traditional view that women should stay at home while men go out to work.

2. What do we know about Seiko Noda?

A．She is quite likely to win the leadership contest.

B．She is the only female member in Abe’s cabinet.

C．She never fails to show her ambition in public.

D．Her newly released book Grab the Future is a bit hit.

3. What does the passage mainly talk about?

A．Discrimination against women in careers in Japan is a big concern.

B．Professions like banking and trading are tailored to men.

C．Shinzo Abe performed poorly in dealing with labour shortfall.

D．Doctoring has long been a male field in Japan.

【推荐3】Smartphones, tablets and smart watches are banned at school for all children under 15 in France. Under the ban students are not able to use their phones at all during school hours, including meal breaks.

“I think it’s a good thing. School is not about being on your phone,” Paris mum Marie-Caroline Madeleine told AFP. “It’s hard with kids. You can’t control what they see and that’s one of the things that worries me as a parent.”

There is no law like this in Australia, but some Australian schools have banned phones. McKinnon Secondary School in Victoria introduced a total ban in February and Principal Pitsa Binnion said this has been a success. McKinnon students still have a Chromebook to use in every class for day-to-day learning but they're not allowed to use social media. Ms. Binnion said at first “teachers cheered and students moaned (抱怨),” but now they’re seeing the positives (优势). “They come to school and they’re not allowed to use phones at all during the school day, including lunch breaks,” she said.

“It’s been wonderful as for students communicating with each other at lunchtime and not looking at their screen,” Ms. Binnion said. She also leads by example and doesn’t use her mobile phone in school. “I think anyone can do it if we’ve done it.”

Not everyone agrees with the bans. Western Sydney University technology researcher Dr. Joanne Orlando wrote in online magazine The Conversation earlier this year that Australia should not ban phones in schools because it’s important to educate kids to live in the age they are raised in. “A good education for students today is knowing how to use technology to learn, communicate and work with ideas,” she wrote. “Banning students from using smartphones is a 1950s response to a 2020 state-of-play.”

1. Why did Madeleine welcome the ban?

A．Teachers find it hard to control kids.

B．Kids behave badly nowadays.

C．School is for studying.

D．Her kids depend too much on phones.

2. What can we learn about the ban in McKinnon Secondary School?

A．Students can now see the good of the ban.

B．Some teachers were against it at first.

C．Students can use their phones at lunch breaks.

D．Teachers have stopped using phones at school as well.

3. What does Dr. Joanne Orlando think of banning phones in schools?

A．It will disconnect parents and kids.

B．It will cause kids to communicate less.

C．It will make education go back 60 years.

D．It will prevent kids being tech-minded.