【推荐1】John H. Johnson was born in a black family in Arkansas City in 1918. His father died in an accident when John was six. He was reaching high school age, but his hometown offered no high school for blacks.

Fortunately he had a strong-willed, caring mother. John remembers that his mother told him many times, “Son, you can be anything you really want to be if you just believe.” She told him not to be dependent on others, including his mother. “You have to earn success,” said she. “All the people who work hard don’t succeed, but the only people who do succeed are those who work hard.”

These words came from a woman less than a third grade education. She also knew that believing and hard work don’t mean everything. So she worked hard as a cook for two years to save enough to take her son — then 15 — to Chicago.

Chicago in 1933 was not the promised land that black southerners were looking for, John’s mother and stepfather could not find work. But there John could go to school, and there he learned the power of words — as editor of the newspaper and yearbook of Du Stable High School. His wish was to publish a magazine for blacks.

While others discouraged him, John’s mother offered him more words to live by: “Nothing beats a failure but a try.” She also let him pawn (典当) her furniture to get the $500 he needed to start the Negro magazine.

It is natural the difficulties and failures followed John closely until he became very successful. He always keeps his mother’s words in mind. “Son, failure is not in your vocabulary.”

Now John H. Johnson is one of the 400 richest people in America — worth $150 million.

1. Why did John’s mother decide to move to Chicago? Because ________.

A．John’s father died in his hometown when he was very young

B．life was too hard for them to stay on in their hometown, while life in Chicago would be better for blacks

C．there were no schools for blacks in their hometown

D．John needed more education and he could go to school there

2. Which of the following is TRUE?

A．Chicago was the promised land for black southerners in 1933.

B．John’s mother worked hard as a cook to make their life better.

C．With the help of his mother, John got the money to start the Negro magazine.

D．Now John is the richest man in America.

3. What kind of woman was John’s mother? She was a ________.

A．strong woman with much knowledge

B．woman who would do anything for her son

C．woman with little school education but knew a lot about life

D．loving mother with different kinds of experience in life

4. The underlined sentence in the fifth paragraph means ________.

A．if you try, you will succeed in the end

B．a failure is difficult to beat, even if you try

C．a try is always followed by a failure

D．nothing but a try can help you out of failure

【推荐2】When it came to role models, Diana Ortiz said her mother, Marcia Dominguez, was the “hero”. Ms. Dominguez came to the United States from Cuba in 1979. She went to college and got a job as a social worker —   all the while raising three children in America mostly on her own.

“It was always school first，” Diana said, “My mom had us in a straight line. If we got out of line, she corrected us. She was a perfect woman. She was beautiful, she had the education and she had everything — but the illness took over. When I was 11, it frightened me to see how quickly my mother's health was ruined by cancer. A week before I turned 14, my mother died at age 50. I had tried to prepare myself, but on the first morning I woke up without my mother, the sense of loss was painful.”

Diana had not seen her father for five years, who refused to provide for her. Diana then entered the city's foster care system. She has spent about four years in foster homes.

Despite Diana's hard teenage years, the values her mother had planted in her mind inspired her to go after higher education. Since August 2010, she has been a fulltime student majoring in law. A public organization offers her tuition but she has part­time jobs to help people like her and earn more life experience. Her goal is a job in the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

For now, Diana works 20 hours a week as a cashier at Marshalls, earning D|S7.25 an hour. In November, she moved into her own public housing studio apartment on the Lower East Side. She pays D|S236 a month in rent. Although she is out of foster care, Diana has been speaking at workshops for foster youths. She emphasizes that nothing should get in the way of their success, not the trials of their lives or what they may have lost.

“I tell the young who have the similar experience like me, ‘Why are you going to let what happened to you affect you in the long run？’” Diana said, “ ‘Why are you going to sit there and feel sorry for yourself? You're wasting precious time.’ It is a message my mother would approve of. My mom taught me that everything is not given to you. You have to go out and get it.”

1. Which of the following words can be used to describe Ms. Dominguez?

A．Learned, independent and strict.

B．Positive, simple and graceful.

C．Hardworking, dependent and tough.

D．Kind, determined and lonely.

2. How did Diana grow up after her mother passed away?

A．She was provided for by a law institute.

B．She depended on foster care system.

C．She relied upon the people like her.

D．She supported herself by doing part­time work.

3. What made Diana go on with her education despite there are so many difficulties?

A．The sense of loss from her mother's death.

B．The eagerness to achieve success.

C．The deep influence of her mother's values.

D．The wish to win prizes to please her mother.

4. With provided tuition, Diana still works after school because she knows ________．

A．success comes with her own struggle and efforts

B．rich experience helps her find better jobs

C．her tuition will be increased sharply

D．nobody is perfect in the world

【推荐3】I hate Black Friday sales. It’s often a gathering of people who are here for many different reasons. Some are looking for a deal on that one item for their loved one, or perhaps themselves. Their intentions are completely unrelated to the festive time of the year.

It was several years ago when my wife asked me to meet her at the local department store on Black Friday morning. They had advertised a child’s bike that she wanted to purchase for our son. We stood with a very large crowd, waiting for the manager to blow the whistle. After a while the whistle blew, it was like throwing a bucket of small fish into a tank of sharks. I suddenly felt my wife’s hope was slim. I told her that if we obtained a bike, fine, but if we did not, I was OK with that too.

As the pile of bikes began to gradually decrease in size, I saw my polite opportunity to wrap my hands around the comer of one of the boxes. I lifted it up and suddenly felt some mild resistance. I looked up see one of the largest gentlemen I had ever seen in my life. Frightening was not the word to describe his presence. He wore lots of belts of metal studded leather around both arms and even his neck. Tattoos (纹身) were an obvious passion of his.

I started to give up the box but he gently pushed it back in my direction and back into my hands. He then directed it into my shopping cart. He looked at me, smiled, and said, “Merry Christmas.” My wife and I went to the checkout, paid for the bike and went home. All the way home I was thinking that this moment was by far the best gift I had ever received for Christmas. The kindness of a stranger broke all preconceived notions (预想) I may have had of stereotypes and prejudices.

1. How did the author feel when going into the store?

A．The crowd was like small fish.	B．They might not get the bike.
C．He was excited to do the shopping.	D．The whistle was blown too late.

2. What happened when the author was buying the bike?

A．He was scared by a man’s look at first.	B．A gentleman bought the bike for him.
C．A stranger helped him lift the box.	D．He gave up the bike he first touched.

3. What can we learn from the author’s experience?

A．Look before you leap.	B．Custom is a second nature.
C．Doing is better than saying.	D．Don’t judge a book by its cover.

4. What may be the best title for the passage?

A．Black Friday Sales	B．My son’s best bike
C．The best Christmas gift	D．A strange gentleman

【推荐1】The teacher who changed my life didn't do it by encouraging her students to stand on their desks, like John Keating in Dead Poets Society. Or by carrying a baseball bat through the balls, like Principal Clark in Lean on Me. She did it by telling me I was good at something.

When I met Ms. Shelia Spicer, I had just moved to Florida from Brooklyn. Most of my teachers seemed to look past me; I was one more student among hundreds. Ms. Spicer, however, took a special interest. “You can write,” she said. She wanted to move me into the honors English class（英语快班）. But because of scheduling problem, I couldn't transfer. So instead, Ms. Spicer told me to ignore everything she wrote on the blackboard later, just sit there and do the honors work.

A decade later, when my first novel was published, I went back to Ms. Spicer's classroom, handing her a copy of my book. "And I wrote this for you." Ms. Spicer began to cry. She'd been considering early retirement because she felt she wasn't having enough effect on her students. I didn't know how to make Ms. Spicer understand what she'd done for me. It was her belief in me that gave me the confidence to become a writer. I owed her.

Thirteen years later, I heard that she was finally ready to retire. I wanted to surprise Ms. Spicer at her going—away party, so I tried to come in under the table. I was hiding in a corner when one teacher called everyone's attention. Ms. Spicer stood up and delivered a speech that began like this: "For those of you complaining that kids have changed, and that it's harder to teach these days, you' re getting old and lazy. These kids haven't changed. You have! Don't give them up!"

When she finished her speech, the crowd applauded like a thunder. That was the woman I remembered! I realized that night that I was still, and would forever be, her student.

1. According to the text, when the writer just moved to the school, _____________.

A．he was paid special attention to

B．many teachers watched him

C．he was only a common student

D．teachers were attracted by him

2. Where was most of the writer's honors work done?

A．In Ms. Spicer's classroom.

B．In the honors English class.

C．At his own home.

D．In Ms. Spicer's office.

3. Why did Ms. Spicer cry when seeing the writer?

A．She couldn't control herself.

B．No students visited her for long.

C．No students were affected by her.

D．She was really moved a lot.

4. What is the purpose of the text?

A．To introduce Ms. Spicer.

B．To remember Ms. Spicer.

C．To look back on his past.

D．To surprise Ms. Spicer.

【推荐2】Foxes and farmers have never got on well. These small dog-like animals have long been accused of killing farm animals. They are officially classified as harmful and farmers try to keep their numbers down by shooting or poisoning them.
Famers can also call on the services of their local hunt to control the fox population. Hunting consists of running after a fox across the countryside, with a group of specially trained dogs, followed by men and women riding horses. When the dogs eventually catch the fox, the kill it or a hunter shoots it.
People who take part in hunting think of it as a sport. They wear a special uniform of red coats and white trousers, and follow strict rules of behavior. But owning a horse and hunting regularly are expensive, so most hunters are wealthy.
It is estimated that up to 100,000 people watch or take part in fox-hunting. But over the last couple of decades the number of people who are against fox-hunting, because they think it is   brutal(残暴的), has risen sharply. Nowadays it is rare for a hunt to pass off without some kind of conflict between hunters and hunt opponents (阻止者). Sometimes these incidents lead to violence, but mostly opponents discourage the hunt by misleading riders and disturbing the trail of the fox's smell, which the dogs follow.
Noisy conflicts between hunters and opponents have become so common that they are almost as much a part of hunting as running after foxes itself. But this year supporters of fox-hunting face a much bigger threat to their sport. A Labour Party member of Parliament(英国议会), Mike Foster, is trying to get Parliament to approve a new law which will make the hunting of wild   animals with dogs illegal. If the law is passed, wild animals like foxes will be protected under the ban in Britain.
1. Wealthy people in Britain have been hunting foxes to ______.

A．benefit the farmers	B．get entertainment
C．show off their wealth	D．limit the fox population

2. The opponents of fox-hunting often discourage the game by ______.

A．using violence

B．taking legal action

C．seeking help from farmers

D．confusing the fox hunters

3. A new law may be passed by the British Parliament to ______.

A．protect wild animals like foxes

B．control fox-hunting on a large scale

C．prohibit farmers from hunting foxes

D．standardize the behavior of fox-hunting

4. What can be inferred from this passage?

A．Limiting the fox population is unnecessary at all.

B．Killing foxes with poison is not allowed by the law.

C．Hunting foxes with dogs is considered cruel and violent.

D．Fox-hunting causes conflicts between hunters and farmers.

【推荐3】How to Feel Beautiful on the Inside

Public opinion may have some say in who is considered “beautiful” on the outside, but inner beauty takes on a whole other meaning.     1    . Learn what beauty means to you and have the confidence to live by your own rules starting today.

Ask yourself what beauty means to you. How do you define (定义) inner beauty? Is it a person who is always smiling? Someone who has kind words for everyone he meets? Or, is your definition of beauty more complex?    2    . Take a pen and a notebook and write down some words that help you describe inner beauty.

Have confidence in who you are. In addition to stressing your character strengths, you can apply other ways to feel more confident.    3    . This can be anything from making music to playing sports. Doing things you are good at builds self-respect.

Smile and laugh more.    4    , just arranging your face into a smiling expression can thoroughly change your mood. Smiles can lead to a more positive mood and a more hopeful attitude. It can not only make you feel beautiful inside, but also improve your outer beauty.

    5    . A reliable method of developing your own inner beauty is adopting the habit of seeing the beauty in everything. All around you, there are amazing people, places and things. Make an effort to slow down and acknowledge these daily.

A．Notice the beauty around you

B．When you want to get the feeling of confidence

C．Even if you don’t quite feel up to it at the moment

D．Besides, you should try to laugh as much as possible

E．Take a moment to reflect on what beauty means to you

F．It has more to do with your character than your appearance

G．Frequently take part in activities in which you perform well

【推荐1】We have two daughters: Kristen is seven years old and Kelly is four. Last Sunday evening, we invited some people home for dinner. I dressed them nicely for the party, and told them that their job was to join Mommy in answering the door when the bell rang. Mommy would introduce them to the guests, and then they would take the guests’ coats upstairs and put them on the bed in the second bedroom.

The guests arrived. I introduced my two daughters to each of them. The adults were nice and kind and said how lucky we were to have such good kids.

Each of the guests made a particular fuss over (过分爱护) Kelly, the younger one, admiring her dress, her hair and her smile. They said she was a remarkable girl to be carrying coats upstairs at her age.

I thought to myself that we adults usually make a big “to do” over the younger one because she’s the one who seems more easily to be hurt. We do it with the best of intentions (意图).

But we seldom think of how it might affect the other child. I was a little worried that Kristen would feel she was being outshone (使黯然失色). I was about to serve dinner when I realized that she had been missing for twenty minutes. I ran upstairs and found her in the bedroom, crying.

I said, “What are you doing, my dear?”

She turned to me with a sad expression and said, “Mommy, why don’t people like me the way they like my sister? Is it because I’m not pretty? Is that why they don’t say nice things about me as much?”

I tried to explain to her, kissing and hugging her to make her feel better.

Now, whenever I visit a friend’s home, I make it a point to speak to the elder child first.

1. The guests praised Kelly for carrying coats upstairs because of her ________.

A．beautiful hair	B．pretty clothes
C．lovely smile	D．young age

2. Why did Kristen feel sad and cry?

A．The guests gave her more coats to carry.

B．She didn’t look as pretty as Kelly.

C．The guests praised her little sister more than her.

D．Her mother didn’t introduce her to the guests.

3. What does the author want to tell us?

A．Parents should pay more attention to the elder children.

B．The younger children are usually more easily hurt.

C．People usually like the younger children more.

D．Adults should treat children equally.

4. What does the underlined expression “make a big ‘to do’ over” in Paragraph 4 mean?

A．Show much concern about.

B．Have a special effect on.

C．List jobs to be done for.

D．Do good things for.

【推荐2】Shark attacks in the screen are amazing. That’s because your actual chances of ever being attacked by a shark are mere one in 11.5 million. That’s roughly the same as your chances of winning an Oscar, which makes shark attack survivor, Mike Coots both incredibly unlucky and lucky: When Mike was 18, he lost his leg to a shark bite.

“I was attacked by a tiger shark in late October 1997. It was near my home on the island of Kauai — a typical fall morning with friends. The waves were really good, so nothing was stopping us.” That is until a large shark came right up under Mike and sank his teeth into Mike’s lower leg. As he tried to free himself, the shark bit down harder, shaking its head back and forth and tossing Mike around like a rag doll. Mike followed his instinct (本能): He struck the shark in the face, again and again until the shark released him. As Mike swam back into shore, he realized his lower right leg was gone. Mike’s friends rushed to his aid, and sent him to the hospital.

As soon as Mike was well, he did what many of us might consider unthinkable: he started riding the waves again, in fact, his first time back was near the site of his attack. But Mike was unshaken. Instead, he was curious — why was he attacked? His curiosity led him to research sharks, and Mike did learn something that would change his life: Humans are far more dangerous to sharks than the other way around.

His situation as a shark survivor empowered him to give sharks a voice, Mike says. He began working with the Hawaii state authorities (当局) to help pass a ban (禁令) on shark-derived products. “I partnered with other like-minded shark attack survivors and marine biologists, and we headed to Washington to urge (敦促) senators to create a nationwide bit! protecting sharks.”

1. Why does the author show the chances of being attacked by sharks?

A．To inform readers of some related knowledge.

B．To attract people to watch shark attacks in the screen.

C．To stress Mike’s unusual experience of the shark attack.

D．To show everyone has the chance of winning an Oscar.

2. How did Mike survive the shark attack?

A．By hitting the shark hard continually.

B．By swimming desperately to the shore,

C．By screaming loudly for his friends’ help.

D．By shaking its head up and down to get away.

3. What came to mind when Mike rode the waves again?

A．To overcome his fear of sharks.

B．To research on how sharks attack humans.

C．To find out the reason for his being attacked.

D．To prove humans are more dangerous than sharks.

4. What did Mike do to protect sharks?

A．He passed a ban on shark-derived products.

B．He created a nationwide bill in Washington.

C．He worked with the authorities to protect sharks.

D．He urged shark attack survivors to protect sharks.