【推荐1】“I Went Skydiving at 84!”

As a young girl growing up in the 1930s, I always wanted to fly a plane, but back then it was almost unheard of a woman to do that. I got a taste of that dream in 2001, when my husband arranged for me to ride in a hot air balloon for my birthday. But the experience turned out to be very dull. Around that time, I told my husband that I wanted to skydive. So when our retirement community announced that they were having an essay competition and the topic was an experience of a lifetime that you wanted to have, I decided to write about my dream.

In the essay, I wrote about my desire to skydive, stating that George Bush Sr. did it at age 80. Why not me? I was just 84 and in pretty good health. A year went by and I heard nothing. But then at a community party in late April 2009, they announced that I was one of the winners. I just couldn’t believe it. Inspired by this, I decided to realize my dream, even though some of my family members and my doctor were against it.

On June 11, 2009, nearly 40 of my family and friends gathered in the area close to where I would land while I headed up in the airplane. My instructor, Jay, guided me through the experience. The plane was the noisiest one I had ever been in, but I wasn’t frightened-I was really just looking forward to the experience. When we reached 13,000 feet, Jay instructed me to throw myself out of the plane. When we first hit the air, the wind was so strong that I could hardly breathe. For a second I thought, “What have I gotten myself into?” But then everything got calmer. We were in a free fall for about a minute before Jay opened the parachute (降落伞), and then we just floated downward for about five minutes. Being up in the clouds and looking at the view below was unlike anything I have ever felt—much better than the hot air balloon. I was just enjoying it.

Skydiving was really one of the greatest experiences of my life. I hope other people will look at me and realize that you don’t stop living just because you are 84 years old. If there’s something you want to experience, look into it. If it’s something that is possible, make it happen.

1. What happened to the author in 2001?

A．She flew an airplane.	B．She entered a competition.
C．She went on a hot air balloon ride.	D．She moved into a retirement community.

2. The author mentioned George Bush Sr. in her essay to ______.

A．build up her own reputation	B．show her admiration for him
C．compare their health condition	D．make her argument persuasive

3. How did the author feel immediately after she jumped out of the plane?

A．Excited.

B．Scared.

C．Intense.

D．Regretful.

4. What did the author enjoy most when she was skydiving?

A．The beautiful clouds.	B．The wonderful view.
C．The company of Jay.	D．The one-minute free fall.

【推荐2】She turned up at the doorstep of my house in Cornwall. No way could I have sent her away. No way, not me anyway. Maybe someone had kicked her out of their car the night before. “We're moving house.” “No space for her any more with the baby coming.” “We never really wanted her, but what could we have done? She was a present.” People find all sorts of excuses for abandoning an animal. And she was one of the most beautiful dogs I had ever seen.

I called her Goldie. If I had known what was going to happen, I would have given her a more creative name. She was so unsettled during those first few days. She hardly ate anything and had such an air of sadness about her. There was nothing I could do to make her happy, it seemed. Heaven knows what had happened to her at her previous owner’s. But eventually at the end of the first week she calmed down. Always by my side, whether we were out on one of our long walks or sitting by the fire.

That’s why it was such a shock when she pulled away from me one day when we were out for a walk. We were a long way from home, when she started barking and getting very restless. Eventually I couldn’t hold her any longer and she raced off down the road towards a farmhouse in the distance as fast as she could.

By the time I reached the farm I was very tired and upset with Goldie. But when I saw her licking （舔) the four puppies I started to feel sympathy towards them. “We didn't know what had happened to her,” said the woman at the door. “I took her for a walk one day, soon after the puppies were born, and she just disappeared.” “She must have tried to come back to them and got lost,” added a boy from behind her.

I must admit I do miss Goldie, but I’ve got Nugget now, and she looks just like her mother. And I’ve learnt a good lesson: not to judge people.

1. How did the author feel about Goldie when Goldie came to the house?

A．Shocked.

B．Sympathetic.

C．Annoyed.

D．Upset.

2. In her first few days at the author's house, Goldie________.

A．felt worried	B．was angry
C．ate a little	D．sat by the fire

3. Goldie rushed off to a farmhouse one day because she________.

A．saw her puppies	B．heard familiar barkings
C．wanted to leave the author	D．found her way to her old home

【推荐3】Our mother didn’t trust us, my sister and me, to manage our own appearance when we were young. As a result, there were rules, and trends were largely ignored.

A few years ago, I was home for a visit when my mom, now in her early70s, called me into her bedroom. We were about ready to leave for dinner. “I don’t know what to wear,” she complained from her seat. “You girls always look so good.”

I paused in the doorway and looked at her, wondering if I’d misheard. “What do you mean?” I asked her. “You know what to wear.”

“No,” she answered. “I don’t. Can you pick something?”

I was so surprised.

This was the same woman who, in 1989, told my younger sister she wasn’t allowed to leave the house wearing a pair of ripped (有破洞的) jeans; the same woman who, in high school, called me while I was out at a party to ask if my hair was up. “You look better with it down.” she told me before I could answer.

I realized, suddenly, that my mother—always so strong—not only wanted my opinion, but needed my care.

I pulled a pair of blue jeans from the closet and a light blue sweater from her drawer. “Wear this with your black shoes.” I told her. She did.

My mother certainly doesn’t need anyone to take care of her. In fact, she still cares for my grandmother who lives with her. But with that one question, my mother and I started the role reversal (改变) that happens with all parents and all children, from caregiver to receiver.

Now, if I’m visiting or we’re together, it’s rare for her to wear anything without checking with me first.

I’m still always a bit surprised by her admission of the uncertainty.

But every so often, it seems like she asks me just to be able to disagree with my answer and pick out something on her own. And when she does, I just tell her what I think of the way she looks. Sometimes it’s “great” and sometimes it’s “awful”.

1. When the author was young, she ________.

A．could never know what to wear

B．always wore trendy clothes and hairstyles

C．was not allowed to go to parties at night

D．had to pick her clothes according to her mother’s rules

2. The first time the author’s mother asked her for advice on clothes, she _______.

A．came to realize that her mother needed her care

B．was happy to do something for her mother

C．was worried that her mother was too old to live alone

D．had no idea what was suitable for her mother

3. When the author gives her opinion about clothes, her mother _______.

A．always accepts her suggestions happily

B．sometimes chooses to follow her own ideas

C．is often surprised by what the author says

D．still shows uncertainty about what to wear

4. The author wrote this article mainly to ________.

A．show what it is like to have a strict mother

B．remind readers to visit their parents often

C．show how the role of parents and their children can change

D．stress her mother’s great influence on her clothes and hairstyles.

【推荐1】It was a Sunday night. I circled the neighborhood a few times, looking for a place to park my car. Finally, I found one to the south of my house. It was behind a late-model Jeep. I tried to back into the space, but I failed to see the angles clearly. I heard it before I felt it, the sound of plastic on plastic, like a sheet of sandpaper along the surface of a painted piece of wood. I got out of my car to check the damage. My car was unharmed. However, there were two distinct lines on the Jeep.

Then I noticed a woman, walking her dog, who was now photographing me with her phone. “Hope you’re no planning to drive away,” she said quietly. Until then, I was annoyed with myself for having been careless, but now I was mad with her for taking my picture. How dare she, I thought. She had no respect for my privacy. And how dare she assume I would do the wrong thing? But soon I calmed down because I knew she wasn’t entirely incorrect. I’d made no decision to drive away without leaving ante (预付款) but I’d be lying if I said the idea hadn’t flashed across my mind. It was dark, and aside from her no one was watching. It happens all the time-the hit-and-run in the parking lot.

We all have those desires to behave selfishly, to go against the social contract; it is not the thought but what we do with it that counts. It is the commitment (承诺) to take responsibility, to care for one another, and to think about the greater good that makes this world a better place to stay. The choice to own up was left to me. I left a note with my name and phone number under the wiper blade (雨刮器) of the Jeep.

1. What happened to the author on that Sunday night?

A．He hit a parked car accidentally.	B．He got hurt in a car accident
C．He knocked down someone.	D．He failed to find a parking space.

2. Why did the author feel angry with the woman?

A．She blocked his view on purpose.

B．She spoke to him in a very rude way.

C．She refused to take responsibility for her fault.

D．She photographed him without permission.

3. What can be the best title for the text?

A．A Tragedy Happens in the Parking Lot

B．The Greater Good Makes the World Better

C．A Note Left Makes a Difference

D．Photographing without Permission Disrespects Privacy

4. What does the author intend to tell us through his story?

A．Everyone makes mistakes.	B．Apologizing sincerely matters.
C．Avoid conflicts with others.	D．Always do the right thing.

【推荐3】When I met him，I had a lot of anger inside me. I’ve lived my whole life in Spanish Harlem， but in my neighborhood，there are shoot-ups all the time. I know kids who have been shot or beaten up. I have friends who ended up in prison. I could have ended up that way，too，but Mr. Clark wouldn’t let that happen.
Mr. Clark worked long hours，making sure I did my work. My grades rose. In fact，the scores of our whole class rose. One day，he took our class to see The Phantom of the Opera，and it was the first time some kids had ever been out of Harlem. Before the show，he treated us to dinner at a restaurant and taught us not to talk with our mouths full. We did not want to let him down.
Mr. Clark was selected as Disney’s 2000 Teacher of the Year. He said he would draw three names out of a hat；those students would go with him to Los Angles to get the award. But when the time came to draw names，Mr. Clark said,“You’re all going.”
On graduation day，there were a lot of tears. We didn’t want his class to end. In 2001，he moved to Atlanta, but he always kept in touch. He started giving lectures about education，and wrote a bestsell -ing book based on his classroom rules，The Essential 55. In 2003，Mr. Clark took some of us on a trip to South Africa to deliver school supplies and visit orphanages(孤儿院). It was the most amazing experience of my life. It’s now my dream to one day start a group of women’s clubs, helping people from all backgrounds.
1. Without Mr. Clark，the writer _________.

A．might have put into prison

B．might not have won the prize

C．might have joined a women’s club

D．might not have moved to Atlanta

2. The Essential 55 is ___________.

A．a show

B．a speech

C．a classroom rule

D．a book

3. How many students’ names were finally drawn out of a hat by Mr. Clark？

A．None

B．Three

C．Fifty-five

D．All

4. In the passage, the writer intends to tell us that ___________.

A．Mr. Clark went to South Africa because he liked traveling

B．Mr. Clark helped to set up a group of women’s clubs

C．a good teacher can raise his or her students’ score

D．a good teacher has a good influence on his or her students

5. What is the writer’s attitude towards Mr. Clark？

A．He speaks highly of Mr. Clark.

B．He looks down upon Mr. Clark.

C．He doesn’t show his attitude towards Mr. Clark.

D．He takes a neutral(中立的) attitude towards Mr. Clark.

【推荐3】Four million children are caught up in the war in Syria. Thirteen-year-old Rabia is one of them. Tall and thin, she sits shaking in a yellow T-shirt at the Al Marj settlement, close to the Lebanese-Syrian border.

Home for Rabia was once a two-story house near Damascus. Now it is a tent shared with her nine family members. Rabia’s face is covered with dirt, and she is tired and cold. She has just finished work, picking up potatoes that fell from a truck. Her typical day starts at 4 a.m., and she works a double shift that lasts about 16 hours, putting potatoes into bags. The only choice for her is that she can choose the first eight hours or the second eight hours. For this, she gets paid about $8 a day.

Working means Rabia misses school. Back in her village, she was the best in her class and good at everything. Her favorite subjects were Arabic literature and math. But that was Rabia’s old life. It was the life before war, before her family moved five times to escape the bombs, before leaving behind her bedroom, her toys and her friends without packing a bag, before “half the people I know” were dead.

The old life was full of laughter with her sister, Wala. But Wala, 14, got married two days ago to an 18-year-old Lebanese. Rabia is happy for her sister. Life in the settlement is tough— the children have nowhere to play, the bathing is poor and sexual abuse is out of control. You can’t blame parents —often confused, illiterate (不识字的)and poor—who want to marry off their daughters. They fear for their safety. Increasing numbers of Rabia’s girlfriends are getting married. Once in rural Syria, a girl got married at 16. According to UNICEF, the age is now dropping to 12 or 13. It is no secret that Lebanese men want to marry Syrian refugee girls, who work hard and don’t ask for anything.

1. Where is the passage most likely to have been taken from?

A．A news report.	B．A book review.
C．A history book.	D．A travel magazine.

2. The underlined word “shift” in Para 2 probably refers to ________.

A．the extra task	B．the low pay
C．the potato factory	D．the working period

3. The writer’s purpose for writing Para. 3 is to ________.

A．present the dream of Rabia

B．show the damage of the war

C．predict the future of Syrian girls

D．compare the life before war and now

4. Which of the following can NOT be used to describe the life in the settlement?

A．No place for children to play.

B．Condition of bathing is poor.

C．Sexual abuse is under control.

D．Syrian refugee girls have to work hard.

5. Why are so many young Syrian girls getting married?

A．Their parents are worried about their safety.

B．They want money from the husband family.

C．They have no good friends to play with.

D．Their parents are confused, illiterate and poor.