【推荐2】A few years ago, I stood underneath a red overhanging cliff near my hometown. The weather was amazing. Deer chewed on the brown grasses by the river below. An eagle rode the wind. Townsfolk and visitors wandered in a nearby hot spring.

I was tied in, ready to climb. I was attempting to do a route first try, “onsight,” as we call it, which means I didn’t know what I was climbing into. It would have been a hard on sight for me to onsight hard climbs. You need clarity. No interference.

Just as I was about to climb, nerves in my body, which I hadn’t felt yet, said hello. That’s not good for any athlete. Desperate, I painted a coat of confidence on my inner walls of doubt. I visualized myself at the top, celebrating. “You can do this,” I firmly told myself. “If you believe, success is certain.”

It didn’t work. I fell near the top. Defeated, I lowered to the ground and realized powerfully that the desire to climb the route had kept me from doing it. My self-worth was bound together by my success or failure at that moment, and that set off a chain reaction: unnatural desire, pressure, performance anxiety, anticipation, a mind fascinated with the top but a body struggling below, bad decision-making, irregular movement, distraction, frustration. All in that order, too.

In a flash, I told myself that on my next attempt, success or failure was irrelevant. “Make one move at a time. That’s all.” I gave myself a pass from whatever would happen. It worked. I floated to the top with self-control and clarity.

That moment got me thinking. At some point, I framed this experience for myself in terms of simple mathematics. When I added determination, courage, self-confidence and desire, I failed. When I took away the desire for success, I improved. I enjoyed it more as well, which, as an athlete of 30 years, I didn’t think was possible. Eventually, I discovered the power of subtraction.

1. What can we infer from the author’s first attempt?

A．He managed to reach the top of the cliff.

B．He fully knew what he was climbing into.

C．He was confident in his own ability to get over obstacles.

D．He employed mental practice in order to overcome his nervousness.

2. What is the author’s purpose in writing Paragraph 4?

A．To list his shortcomings.	B．To give background information.
C．To describe a social phenomenon.	D．To explain the reason for his failure.

3. Which of the following can best describe the author?

A．Determined and sensible.	B．Optimistic and humorous.
C．Modest and conservative.	D．Aggressive and stubborn.

4. What is conveyed in the text?

A．Every dog has its day.	B．Sharp tools make good work.
C．Go into battle with a light pack.	D．Every cloud has a silver lining.

【推荐3】I was scared when a loud noise in my apartment woke me in the middle of the night. I rushed to turn on my bedroom light and discovered it was a cat.

Here’s the thing — I do not have a cat. And this was not the first time this particular cat had demanded my attention.

I immediately calmed down and realized my error —I had left a window open. I approached to entertain my house guest by giving her some treats and scratches under her collar.

Like so many others, I shifted from working in an office to working from home. Living alone can be separate from outside at the best of times. It was around the one-month mark of the lockdown when I heard a meow outside my window. Sitting outside on the grass was a long-haired, golden-colored cat. I opened the window, and this beautiful cat jumped into my home. Her short visit brightened my day.

A few days later, I heard a familiar meow. I saw a name tag on her collar: Mika. On this second visit, I also noticed Mika was cross-eyed, which only made her more lovely.

Over the next few weeks, Mika would stop by occasionally. Sometimes, she only stayed for a few minutes; other times, she would wander around my apartment much longer. Each visit brightened me. Mika even helped me connect with some new neighbors, who asked if Mika was my cat. Apparently, Mika visited them as well.

While the lockdown has been awful, I suspect I might not have ever met Mika if it had not happened. But perhaps she came by at this time because she sensed a need for connection on my part.

While dogs are said to be man’s best friend, a good cat can be everyone’s best friend.

1. What do we know about the cat from the first three paragraphs？

A．She used to go out at night.	B．She entered by the window.
C．She annoyed the neighbors badly.	D．She liked the author’s treats particularly.

2. How did the author probably feel during the lockdown？

A．Out of place.

B．Out of work.

C．Heart-broken.

D．Absent-minded.

3. What does the underlined word “it” in Paragraph 7 refer to？

A．The open window.	B．The lockdown.
C．A need for connection.	D．A stay with new neighbors.

4. What’s the main idea of the text？

A．He lives an unusual life.	B．He longs for a harmonious society.
C．Keeping cats is rewarding.	D．Befriending nice cats is worthwhile.

【推荐1】This is a story from 28 years ago. My dad was a used car salesman. Every Thursday night, he would head off to Shreveport, LA for an auction. Most of the time, I drove a car over there for him so he could sell it at the auction.
One day, I was riding with my dad when he noticed a hitch-hiker with a backpack. Without hesitation, he pulled the car over and offered him a ride. Dad asked him his name, and proceeded to talk to him about all sorts of things. Dad asked him where he was going. The hitch-hiker told him he was heading for the west. I can’t recall why but he told Dad a lot of things that had occurred to him and that persuaded him to make that decision . He talked about the tragic events that occurred to him several years before. He was low in spirits, but I could see that the hitch-hiker’s attitude was changing as someone was really listening to him.
We drove 45 minutes before the hitch-hiker got off. We pulled over and Dad told him to keep his head up and things would start looking up for him soon. He reached into his pocket and handed the hitch-hiker a twenty-dollar bill. The guy smiled. He nearly lit up right there on the cold, dark highway.
We drove on and my dad did not say a single thing. I was still completely amazed by what I had just witnessed. I was always told by everyone never to pick up a hitch-hiker and yet my dad did it every single time he saw one. While reflecting upon that story I came to understand that just one single kind act could change someone’s life, and I am sure that my father’s deed made that poor man’s day.
1. The underlined words “that decision” in Para. 2 refer to ___________.

A．catching the car	B．heading for the west
C．talking about his experiences	D．driving 45 minutes

2. What made the hitch-hiker become less upset?

A．The writer’s father offering him a free ride

B．The writer’s father really listening to him

C．The writer’s father agreeing to driving him to his destination

D．The writer’s father talking to him about all sorts of things

3. When his father helped the hitch-hiker, the writer ___________.

A．was deeply moved	B．strongly disagreed
C．admired his father	D．couldn’t understand

4. Which of the following words cannot be used to describe the father?

A．willing to help

B．easy-going

C．far-sighted

D．full of sympathy

5. The author wrote the text mainly to _________.

A．show his respect for his father

B．tell a story about his kind father

C．prove his father is the best teacher

D．advise people to learn from their fathers

【推荐3】Ten years ago, Kristin Schell and her husband and their four children moved to a new home in Austin, Texas. She had the gift of hospitality (好客的), so she tried to connect with her new neighbors by holding parties. But those activities required planning ahead, not to mention cooking and cleaning.

One day, Kristin needed backyard furniture for a party and bought a few picnic tables from Lowe’s. The delivery driver set one table down in her front yard by mistake, and Kristin couldn’t get the image out of her head. “After the party, I painted the table turquoise (墨绿色)—my favorite color—and left it in the front yard,” she says.

That turquoise table gradually became the place where Kristin and her kids hung out. They used to do activities at the kitchen table, while they now did out front at the picnic table. Neighbors began to stop by to introduce themselves and sit down for a chat. Construction workers in the neighborhood took their lunch breaks at the table. A babysitter walking by sat down to rest. A movement was born.

People often hesitate to invite others into their homes. They think their house is too messy, or not big enough. “Our perfectionism can cause us to miss out on the joy of connecting with others,” Kristin says. Her picnic table takes away the excuses and the pressure.

A decade after their Texas beginnings, thousands of Turquoise Tables exist in all 50 states and in13 countries around the world. Not all of them are actually turquoise. Texas Christian University in FortWorth has several purple tables, for example...“No matter what color it is, it’s a-friendship table,” Kristin says.

1. How did the table appear in Kristin’s front yard?

A．It was for her neighbours.	B．It was at Kristin’s request.
C．It was given away specially.	D．It was dropped off mistakenly.

2. What does paragraph 3 mainly tell us?

A．Who usually visited the yard.	B．Why people liked turquoise.
C．How the movement came about.	D．Where the family held parties.

3. Which words best describe Kristin?

A．Creative and talkative.	B．Welcoming and caring.
C．Considerate and organized.	D．Pleasant and humorous.

4. Why is Texas Christian University mentioned in the last paragraph?

A．To stress it has unique purple tables.

B．To suggest purple tables are also in need.

C．To explain why the color of tables is changed.

D．To indicate friendship matters more than color.

【推荐1】When I was about 12 years old, my older brother, James, smuggled (偷运) a BB gun into the house. Our parents had told us many times that we were not allowed to bring home guns or knives, even if they were just toys. Having any form of weaponry (兵器) in our home was strictly forbidden.

James brought me to his room. He opened his closet door and took out a shoebox that was buried beneath a heap of clothes. The BB gun was inside. I was immediately attracted by the shiny barrel (枪管).

“Can I shoot it, James?” I asked, hopefully.

“No way,” James said, taking it from me and putting it back.

One day, when no one was home, I went into James’ closet and took it out. For some incomprehensible reason — I have no idea what I was thinking — I went to the front window of the second floor in our row house. I cracked the window open. I pointed the gun outside and shot. I quickly shut the window and looked outside secretly.

In a matter of seconds, old Mr. Schlosberg came out of his grocery store. He looked back at his store window. He looked up the street. He looked down the street. Then he looked straight across to our house.

Thankfully, James made it home before Mother or Father.

As he stepped through the door, I could hear old Mr. Schlosberg call his name. “James, James,” he called. “Come here, son.”

After several minutes, James ran back across the street and into the living room. I had retreated into the kitchen. “Alma!” he screamed. “Get out here! You cracked Mr. Schlosberg’s window with my BB gun!”

“Oh, please, James,” I begged. “Don’t let him tell Mother. She will hit my bottom real good!” James sighed. He wiped my tears and went back across the street to Mr. Schlosberg’s. I don’t know what James said to that man, but there was never a mention of the incident again.

Years later, I found out James had used the money he got from his newspaper route to pay for Mr. Schlosberg’s cracked window. He only got one cent for every paper he delivered. He managed to pay back the debt just before he went off to fight in World War Ⅱ.

Since that day, I have never touched a gun: a BB gun, a water gun, a real gun, or any other type.

1. Why was the gun hidden in the closet?

A．The gun was too expensive.	B．The family had only one gun.
C．The law didn’t allow anyone to have a gun.	D．The parents didn’t allow a gun to appear at home.

2. The word “retreated” in the middle of the passage is closest in meaning to “_____”.

A．rushed happily	B．moved excitedly
C．wandered unhurriedly	D．escaped quietly

3. What did Alma expect from James after he shot Mr. Schlosberg’s window?

A．To deal with the problem.	B．To talk with his parents.
C．To throw away the gun.	D．To tell the truth.

4. Which of the following best describes James as a brother?

A．Responsible and strict.	B．Brave and determined.
C．Responsible and caring.	D．Naughty and determined.

5. The best title of the passage is ______.

A．A Warmhearted Brother

B．A BB Gun

C．A Cracked window

D．An Incident

【推荐2】Five years ago, I was sent to a better middle school. For me, everything there was new and strange. After I had been there for two months, there was an important test in the middle of the term. It covered all my courses. In that test, I didn’t get a good grade, but most of my classmates got an A or A’.
It made me upset for a long time. I felt everything in the world was changing. I thought my classmates were all better than me. During those days I was very unhappy.
One day, my aunt, after talking with my teachers, talked to me. She told me to think about what I had done in the past and what I should do in the future. I was shocked by her words. I thought about what I had done during the past months, and I found I had done nothing to improve my grades. I thought I should work harder.
After that, I paid more attention to the teachers’ talking in the classes, and I asked my teachers or my classmates when I didn’t understand something. I studied very late at night when I met with difficult problems. Most of all, I came to understand the importance of taking notes in class. As a result, I did better in some tests.
About three months later, the most important test came at the end of the term. This time, I stood out not only in my class but also in the grade. From then on, I have tried to do my best when I do something because I know if I want something, I should work hard for it.
1. Why did the writer fall behind in the new middle school?

A．Because the teachers didn’t treat him well enough.

B．Because the subjects were becoming more difficult.

C．Because he hated the life in the new school.

D．Because he didn’t put his heart into study.

2. What did the writer’s aunt do to help him out?

A．She punished him for not working hard.

B．She helped him find out the reasons for his poor performance.

C．She forced him to work harder.

D．She asked his teachers to talk with him about his problems.

3. Which of the following studying methods helped the writer most?

A．Asking teachers for help when in difficulty.	B．Working deep into the night every day.
C．Making notes in class.	D．Listening to every word his teachers said.

4. What does the underlined sentence in the last paragraph mean?

A．The writer failed again in the exam.	B．The writer did very well in the exam.
C．The writer became the cleverest in the class.	D．The writer was very proud of his progress.

【推荐3】An Australian 3-year-old boy was described as a hero after saving his mum from an almost certain death by calling emergency services right after she collapsed because of an epileptic attack (癫痫发作).

Aiden McDonald amazed the doctors who arrived at Jeanine McDonald’s house 10 minutes after Aiden called 000. The boy was very calm and spoke to the doctors as his mother got into an unconscious state.

Sacha Lewis took the strange call and sent out an ambulance immediately. Aiden answered questions during the 19-minute call that made it clear it was a serious matter.

Lewis said, “He sounded worried and was telling me things like ‘Mummy is not awake’, so I got an idea that it was a fairly serious matter.”

This is part of the “conversation” they had:

“Can I talk to Mummy please?’,

“Mummy’s not well.”

“How old are you, sweetheart?”

“I got a duck.”

“Can I talk to Mummy?“

“1 can’t get my Mummy.”

“Where is she?”

“On the floor. Mummy’s had   a fit (昏厥).”

“Do you live in Kallangur?”

“We’ve got milk in the fridge and, um, (pause) I can’t find the ambulance (crying), Mummy, Mum …Mum …Mum …”

Mis. McDonald, who was making a cup of tea when she collapsed, was taken to hospital and allowed to leave the same night. “After hearing what he did I thought, no, that can’t be right,” Jeanne McDonald said “But I’m so proud.”

1. In Australia, people will call 000 when they ________.

A．are diagnosed with a serious illness	B．are looking for a job
C．are physically in a dangerous situation	D．arc attacked by robbers suddenly

2. Why did Sasha Lewis talk with Aiden on the phone so long?

A．She tried to comfort Aiden and calm him down.

B．She tried to get as much information as possible.

C．Aiden was too slow in speaking on the phone.

D．Aiden was too nervous to describe what was happening.

3. Jeanine McDonald received medical help about________ after she suddenly became unconscious.

A．10 minutes	B．20 minutes
C．30 minutes	D．one hour