【推荐1】Four Simple Keys to Transform Your Life
The Power of Choice．Every one of us makes countless choices every day．Every choice we make has an impact on our lives．Even insignificant choices can affect what we experience and how we feel．When hunger strikes, we can reach for a healthy, nutritious snack, or we can choose the sugar high of junk food．The more important the decision, the greater its effect．For instance, how do I act towards that person who treated me badly? Do I generally choose to be passive, or do I actively set clear intentions and create what I want in my life? Every choice we make, however big or small, affects us in some way．
How Do You Make Choices? If you are interested in living a richer, fuller life, there is a foundation upon which you can base all of your decisions which can make life better not only for you, but also for those around you．This foundation is to choose based on what's best for all．Imagine a world where every parent, spouse（配偶）, friend, teacher, business person, and politician truly did their best to choose what's best for all involved in every decision they made. We would certainly live in a more caring, supportive world．
It's the Intention．"But how do I know what is really best?" you might ask．The answer is simple．It doesn't matter．What matters is not the choice you make, but rather the intention beind your choice．What matters is that whatever decision you make, you are clear in your intention of choosing based on what's best for all．If it later turns out that you made what appears to have been a bad choice, there's no need for guilt．Knowing that you did your best to choose with a sincere desire for what's best for all, your conscience stays clear and open．This then allows you to more easily learn from your mistakes, and to live with a clear heart and mind．
What's Best for Me, Too! Choosing what's best does not mean you have to always sacrifice yourself for others．An overly(过度的) exhausted mother can lose her temper easily．Some time off for this mother might seem selfish, yet in the long run, it can help her to be a better mother to her children．So as we move through each day of our lives, let us remember to include ourselves as we do our best to choose what's best for all．
1. Which of the following is FALSE?

A．Whenever hunger strikes, we will reach for a junk snack

B．Every choice, however big or small, has an influence on us．

C．Even small choices affect how we feel．．

D．We make choices every day．

2. How should we make choices?

A．To be interested in a richer, fuller life．

B．To make life better for ourselves．

C．To imagine a world where everyone did their best．

D．To choose based on what's best for all．

3. Why does the author say, "What matters is not the choice you make, but rather the intention behind your choice．"?

A．Because the choice you make is not important．

B．Because you may have made a bad choice．

C．Because this allows you to stay clear and improve．

D．Because there is no need for guilt．

4. How to choose what is best for us?

A．We need to devote all our life to others．

B．We need to put away some time for ourselves．

C．We need to sacrifice ourselves for others．

D．We need to be selfless every minute．

【推荐2】In the past 24 hours, I have been gifted with two amazing opportunities for kindness. The first happened yesterday. On my way home I saw a small dog running across the very busy street. He ran into the neighborhood, so I went off in search of him hoping I could reunite him with his owners. After a cat-and-mouse game, he finally decided I was worthy of at least a little of his trust and came close enough to me for me to grab him.

After taking him to be scanned for a microchip, I learned that he had disappeared eight months ago from his owners who lived an hour and a half away. As I had some free time, I drove him back to his rightful owners. He and his human mommy were so glad to see each other! It gave me a good smile to end the year.

This morning my family and I went to a friend’s home to help her get things back in order. She was one of the unfortunate people whose home was recently destroyed by the Rowlett, TX tornado. Her home was a total loss. Our job today was to help her sort through the debris and find anything with actual value that she might want to take with her.

My husband helped to move furniture and other things to storage while our younger children helped clean up the yard. By the time we were done today, though there was no denying that the home had met with disaster, we had gone far to restore order from the chaos that had been there before.

My thought in entering the day was that our friend, who had been having trouble sleeping, was being affected by that chaos more negatively. I hoped that if we could give a hand, she would finally start to feel some sense of peace and allow herself the much-needed rest she so deserved. She posted on Facebook just a little while ago that for the first time she was sleeping at night. For me, that is the greatest gift I could give her. What a wonderful and deeply meaningful way to begin the year!

1. How did the author feel when she wrote the text?

A．Worried.	B．Satisfied.
C．Excited.	D．Concerned.

2. In the end the dog dared to come close to the author 　　　　.

A．because the dog loved to play with a cat and a mouse

B．because the dog lost his way in such a busy street

C．because the dog thought the author wouldn’t harm him

D．because the dog knew the author would take him home

3. The author and her family came to help her friend 　　　　.

A．as soon as the Rowlett, TX tornado left

B．after she knew her friend’s trouble

C．when she got a call from her husband

D．because she knew her friend was alone

4. After reading the message posted on Facebook 　　　　.

A．the author felt as if a big burden had been lifted from her mind

B．the author knew she would get a pretty good gift

C．the author encouraged her family to do kindness again

D．the author knew her friend got rid of sleep problems

【推荐1】“When I grow up, I want to be a runner.” These words are spoken by thousands of Kenyan children. 50 percent of the Kenyan top runners are members of Kalenjin, one minority race of the country. They make up less than two percent of Kenya’s population. This fact has puzzled sports scientists. They have spent considerable time and effort trying to answer one question: What enables the Kalenjin people to run so fast?

Although the question seems simple, finding the answer has proven to be difficult and controversial (有争议的). A team of Danish sports scientists spent 18 months and discovered the Kalenjins had remarkably slow heart rates even when running long distances. The Kalenjins live in high-elevation (高海拔) villages in the Rift Valley in western Kenya. People living at high elevations produce more red blood cells, which aid in the transport of oxygen throughout the body. Because the air is thinner and contains less oxygen at high elevations, the body produces more red blood cells. Scientists believe there is a connection between increased red blood cells and low heart rates and that both may enable high-altitude athletes to outperform those who train at low altitudes. The Danish scientists also studied the bodies of the Kalenjins and compared them to those of the Danes. They found that the Kalenjins have longer “birdlike” legs. The Kalenjins also have lower body mass indexes (a measure of body fat based on weight and height) and shorter bodies than Danish people.

As a result of the Danish study, some scientists made the conclusion that the Kalenjins possess what is called a “speed gene (基因)”. However, Kenyan runners were offended by this conclusion. They owed their success to hard work and endless hours of training.

Although the controversy over the “speed gene” remains unsolved, British runner Mo Farah’s experience offers an interesting perspective on the subject. In 2005, he realized he wasn’t meeting his potential as a runner. A group of Kenyan runners were training in England then. After he accidentally observed the Kenyans’ strict training routines and dedication to their sport, Farah said it was like a switch had been turned on in his head. He began eating healthy foods, going to bed early, and training harder than he had ever trained in his life. As a result, Farah’s running career exploded. He has won seven world and Olympic titles in the 5000m and regularly beats Kenya’s top runners!

Farah’s story proves what Kenyans have known all along. Regardless of genetics, their success would not be possible without hard work, dedication, sacrifice, and mental toughness. Their “secret” is simple. Train hard, run fast and never give up.

1. What interested the sports scientists?

A．Kenyan sports history.	B．Kanlenjins’ running ability.
C．Kanlenjins’ training methods.	D．Kenyans’ enthusiasm for sport.

2. According to Danish scientists, what leads to the Kanlenjins’ success?

A．Physical condition.	B．Hard training.
C．Healthy lifestyle.	D．Strong will.

3. What did Kenyan runners think of Danish research result?

A．Satisfactory.

B．Typical.

C．Unacceptable.

D．Important.

4. Why is Mo Farah’s story mentioned in the passage?

A．To show running methods count.	B．To encourage British athletes.
C．To prove effort pays off.	D．To support gene theory.

【推荐3】One summer night, a boy felt himself lifted from bed by his father. Dazed with sleep, he saw stars flashing across the heavens. “What is it?” the child whispered. “Shooting stars. They come every year in August.” Decades have passed, but I remember that night still, because I was the fortunate boy whose father believed a new experience was more important than an unbroken night’s sleep.

Some parents like my father have the gift of opening doors for their children. This art of adding dimensions to a child brings the reward: the marvelous moment when the spark bursts into a flame that will burn brightly on its own one day. At a Golf Association tournament, a ten-year-old girl played creditably. “How long have you been interested in golf?” someone asked. “I got it for my ninth birthday,” she said. “Your father gave you a set of clubs?” “No,” she said, “he gave me golf.”

I have a friend, a psychiatrist, who says there are two types of people: those who think of life as a privilege and those who think of it as a problem. The first type is enthusiastic and energetic. The other type is suspicious and self-centered. And he adds, “Tell me about your childhood and I can tell you which type you are likely to be.”

The real purpose, then, of trying to open doors for children is to build eager and outgoing attitudes, which is the most valuable legacy we can pass on to the next generation. But why don’t we work harder at it? Probably because sometimes we don’t have the awareness or the selflessness or the energy. And yet, for those of us who care what becomes of our children, the challenge is always there but the opportunities also come repeatedly. Many years have passed since that night. And next year, when August comes with its shooting stars, my son will be seven.

1. What do the underlined words “adding dimensions to” in Paragraph 2 mean?

A．Setting an example for.	B．Broadening the horizons of.
C．Providing attentive care for.	D．Narrowing the possibilities of.

2. Why does the author mention the girl in Paragraph 2?

A．To show parental impact on children’s passion.

B．To suggest hobbies always start from the small.

C．To highlight the importance of diverse experiences.

D．To prove true passion usually arises from the reward.

3. What will the author’s psychiatrist friend agree with?

A．One’s personality is related to childhood experiences.

B．Childhood experience determines adult happiness.

C．Parenting styles requires professional guidance.

D．Stability in upbringing builds confidence.

4. What can we infer from the last paragraph?

A．The author is always addicted to shooting stars.

B．It is a once-in-a-lifetime chance to motivate kids.

C．The author will go to see shooting stars with his son.

D．It is impossible to unlock kids’ potential without eagerness.

【推荐1】I would like to tell you a story about my uncle Theo. He is my oldest uncle, a tall, thin, grey-haired man whose thoughts are always on learning and nothing else. He is quiet, gentle and absent-minded and with about as much sense as a child where money is concerned. Well, he applied a post in Camford University. It was a very good post and there were hundreds of candidates who applied for it, and about fifteen, including Theo, were asked to be interviewed.
Camford is a very small town; there is only one hotel in it, and it was so full that they had to put many of the candidates two in a room. Theo was one of these, and the man who shared the room with him was a self-confident fellow called Adams, about twenty years younger than Theo, with a loud voice, and a laugh that you could hear all over the hotel. But he was a clever fellow all the same and had a good post in Iscaiot College, Narkover. Well, the Dean, who was the head of the department of the University, and the committee interviewed all the candidates; and as a result of this interview, the number of the candidates was reduced to two, Uncle Theo and Adams. The committee couldn’t decide which of the two to take, so they decided to make their final choice after each of the candidates had given a public lecture in the college lecture-hall. The subject they had to speak on was “The Civilization of the Ancient Summerians”; and the lecture had to be given in three days’ time.
Well, for these three days Uncle Theo never left his room. He worked day and night at that lecture, writing it out and memorizing it, almost without eating or sleeping. Adams didn’t seem to do any preparation at all. You could hear his voice and his laughter where he had a crowd of people around him. He came to his room late at night, asked Uncle Theo how he was getting on with his lecture, and then told him how he had spent the evening playing bridge, or at the music hall. He ate like a horse and slept like a log; and Uncle Theo sat up working at his lecture.
The day of the lecture arrived. They all went into the lecture hall and Theo and Adams took their seats on the platform. And then, Theo discovered, to his horror,   that typewritten copy of his speech had disappeared! The Dean said they would call on the candidates on the alphabetical order, Adams first; and the despair in his heart, Theo watched Adams calmly take the stolen speech out of pocket and read it to the professors who were gathered to hear it. And how well he read it! Even Uncle Theo had to admit he couldn’t have read it nearly so eloquently himself, and when Adams finished there was a great burst of applause. Adams bowed and smiled, and sat down.
Now, it was Theo’s turn. But what could he do? He had put everything he knew into the lecture. His mind was too much upset to put the same thoughts in another way. With a burning face he could only repeat, word for word, in a low, dull voice, the lecture that Adams had spoken so eloquently. There was hardly any applause when he sat down.
The Dean and the committee went out to decide who the successful candidate was, but everyone was sure what their decision would be. Adams leaned across to Theo and patted him on the back and said, smilingly, “Hard luck, old fellow, but after all, only one of us could win”
Then the Dean and the committee came back, “Gentlemen”, the Dean said, “the candidate we have chosen is Mr. Hobdell.” Uncle Theo had won! The audience were completely taken by surprise, and the Dean continued, “ I think I ought to tell you how we arrived at the decision. We were all filled with admiration at the learning and eloquence of Mr. Adams. I was greatly impressed. But, you will remember, Mr. Adams read his lecture to us. When Mr. Hobdell’s turn came, he repeated that speech, word by word from memory, though, of course, he couldn’t have seen a line of it before. Now a fine memory is absolutely necessary for this post; and what a memory Mr. Hobdell must have! This is why we decided that Mr. Hobdell was exactly the man we wanted! ”
As they walked out of the room, the Dean came up to Uncle Theo, who was so confused but so happy that he hardly knew whether he was standing on his head or heels; and as he shook Theo’s hand he said, “Congratulations, Mr. Hobdell! But, my fellow, when you are on our staff, you must be more careful and not leave valuable papers lying about!”
1. Which of the followings best describes Uncle Theo?

A．Good-mannered

B．Modest

C．Childish

D．Bookish

2. What do we know about the post at Camford University?

A．The applicants had to sit for an examination.

B．There was much competition for the post.

C．The post requires a lot of teaching experience.

D．The post offered quite high salary.

3. Adams did not bother to do any preparation because______.

A．he was quite familiar with the subject.

B．he knew the committee members well.

C．he had a well-thought-out plan.

D．he had full confidence in himself.

4. When Uncle Theo’s turn came, _______.

A．he felt so angry that he couldn’t see a word.

B．he felt so upset that he could not remember anything.

C．he had to put the same thoughts in another way.

D．he had to repeat the speech, word by word from memory.

5. When the committee went out to make a decision, Adams _______.

A．could not help feeling worried.

B．could hardly wait to show his joy.

C．felt sorry for Theo and tried to cheer him up.

D．felt ashamed and tried to chat with Theo.

6. Uncle Theo became successful because _______.

A．he had a better memory than Adams.

B．he was more experienced than Adams.

C．the committee knew he was exactly the man they wanted.

D．the committee knew Adams had copied Theo’s speech.

【推荐3】I went online to check if my pay was in my bank account. To my amazement, I discovered that not only had I been paid, a company I’d never worked for had also paid me! I knew I’d have been beside myself if my own salary was not in my account, so I tried to get the money back to the right person. It is easier said than done.

The bank couldn’t help as it wasn’t a bank problem. The human-resource department as the company that paid me was unable to help as I didn’t have enough details. I rang the bank again. Thankfully I had sympathetic call operator who gave me a name, so I again rang the company “Daniel” worked for.

I expected the bank would contact me to arrange to take the money from my account and repay Daniel. I heard nothing for a month and the money remained in my account when Daniel called, explaining he’d tried to get back his money but had been unsuccessful as neither the bank nor his company felt it was their error. He had rung to ask if I could speak to the bank, but after chatting for a few minutes we realized we could probably fix this problem ourselves.

We decided I would take the money from my account and he would pick it up from me. Due to my busy job I was unable to meet Daniel personally but he left me a lovely bottle of wine in exchange for what was rightfully his. I never had any intention of keeping Daniel’s pay, but red tape (繁琐手续)made it difficult to do the right thing. It all came down to two people being able to do what a huge bank and a large company couldn’t do — admit a mistake has occurred and fix it.

1. The underlined phrase “beside myself” in paragraph I probably means ______.

A．very fortunate	B．very angry
C．really thankful	D．at ease

2. What was the attitude of the author towards the extra money in his bank account?

A．He didn’t know what to do with it.

B．He felt lucky to get it.

C．He thought of keeping it for himself.

D．He wanted to return it to the right place.

3. Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

A．Daniel had been repaid when he called the author.

B．The author was to blame as he didn’t have enough details.

C．Neither the bank nor the company admitted their fault.

D．Daniel had the same name as the author’s.

4. How was the problem solved in the end?

A．The author and Daniel solved the problem themselves.

B．It cost Daniel a lovely bottle of wine to get back his money.

C．The author gave the money back to the company.

D．The call operator offered to solve their problem.