【推荐1】Learn how to improve spoken English with our five quick tips.

Repeat the language!

Repeat words and sentences over and over again until you can say them really fluently.     1    The more you say it, the more it becomes fixed in your brain, and then later when you’re speaking, it’ll come out naturally.

    2    

First, write out in note form the story you want to tell, and then using those notes, practise telling the story. Now this story could be something that happened to you or from a magazine. Just choose whatever you want, and practise telling it.

Memorise language!

    3     You can do this by writing them out, or by speaking them out loud so that you’ll be speaking normally.

And the more you do this, the more they’ll stick in your mind.

Simultaneous (同步的) speaking!

Simultaneous speaking--it sounds difficult but it’s quite easy. And it’s something as easy as, you take an audio file(音频文件), and you listen along to it, and as you listen to it, you read it at the same time.     4     So, you’re trying to copy the intonation (语调), the pronunciation, the word stress(重音), and the sentence stress.

Practise forming questions!

Look at a sentence and see if you can change that into a question.    5    So, for example, when seeing the sentence, “She’s seen the film,” you need to change it into the question, “Has she seen the film?” And the more you do this, the more fluent and quicker you’ll get at making questions.

A．Listen to English!

B．Practise telling stories!

C．But you can read your coursebook or a magazine.

D．Try and remember as many phrases and expressions as you can.

E．Making questions is quite difficult if you haven’t been practising it.

F．For example, say “I went to the shops, I went to the shops” repeatedly.

G．And as you read it, you try to say it at the same time as the other person speaking.

【推荐2】These days, more and more Chinese people enjoy sending and receiving messages on the phone. It can help them to get the latest news and communicate with friends. But I think I should read more books besides the textbooks, the more, the better. It can open my eyes and improve my language skills. Of course, it can also help me to get good grades. Do you know how to read more and learn more? Here are some tips for you.

◆Clear your purpose for reading

Before you start reading, ask yourself why you are reading this book. Most people read for two main reasons, pleasure or knowledge. Clearing about your reading purpose can not only help you choose the books you really need to read, but also remind you why reading the book is important to you, so you will keep reading and complete the book faster.

◆Read only what you are interested in

No matter what you are reading, it is important to enjoy what you read. Your friends may tell you the books they love, but those books might not necessarily be the ones you enjoy.

◆Give up books that you don’t enjoy

You may have chosen books that you are interested in, and they are right to your purpose. But while you are reading them, there may still be some books that you don’t enjoy reading. Whenever you realize that you aren’t enjoying the book you are reading, give it up.Remember reading shouldn’t be a chore.

◆Set a reading goal

It is interesting that I read the books borrowed from libraries faster than those I buy. The reason is that the books I buy don’t have a due date! I don’t need to return those books.Having a reading goal helps you work out how much reading you need to do in a week or even a day.Before you read each book, ask yourself what time you need to complete this book.

1. According to the passage,the writer might be a 　　　.

A．teacher	B．doctor
C．student	D．scientist

2. Why do most people read books?

A．To get the latest news and communicate with friends.

B．For pleasure or knowledge.

C．To open their eyes and improve their language skills.

D．To get good grades.

3. What should you do when you find the book which you are reading is boring?

A．Keep on reading.

B．Set a reading goal.

C．Read the books your friends love.

D．Give up the book.

4. This passage mainly tells us 　　　.

A．how to read more and learn more

B．how to choose a good book

C．how to read faster

D．why we should read more books

【推荐3】FIRE-FIGHTING

How to fight a fire

Anyone who uses fire-extinguishers should know a few basic facts about how to make them work. This leaflet will tell you the most important things to remember if you have to put a fire out.

Water extinguishers

You can put most fires out with water extinguishers. However, you should not use water extinguishers if the fire involves electrical equipment or if it has been started by flammable (易燃的) liquids such as petrol.

As in all fires, make sure that the wind is behind you — if you do this, the smoke will blow away from you. Point the jet of water at the bottom of the fire and move it slowly higher.

Remember that you should only use extinguishers for small fires. If there is any danger of the fire spreading to anything that can explode, you should not try to put the fire out yourself. Instead, leave the building immediately, and call the fire brigade.

Foam (泡沫) extinguishers

You can use a foam extinguisher for fire caused by burning liquids such as petrol. Never point the jet directly into the liquid itself, as this may make it splash and spread the fire. Instead, try and point the extinguisher up into the air so that the foam goes up and falls on top of the burning liquid.

Whatever the kind of fire, do not stand up straight — if you can stay down, this will help you to avoid the smoke, and you may be able to get closer to the fire. Get out of the building at once if you think your escape route might be cut off by smoke or fire.

Carbon Dioxide (CO₂) extinguishers

Some fire extinguishers are filled with a gas called carbon dioxide. You can use these to put out fires which have been caused either by electrical equipment or flammable liquids. If the fire has been caused by electrical equipment, switch the equipment off and point the extinguisher straight at the fire. If the fire has been caused by a liquid like petrol, point the extinguisher at the nearest edge of the fire, and move it from side to side.

Remember, never stay in a building if it is dangerous to do so, or if the fire grows beyond your control. Make sure you are standing near an exit in case this happens.

1. Which of the following statements is NOT TRUE according to the passage?

A．You cannot put all fires out with water extinguishers.

B．In case of fire, stay down to protect yourself from the smoke.

C．If the fire might cause any further explosion, ask for professional help.

D．Foam extinguishers are for fires caused by electrical equipment.

2. What can be inferred from the passage?

A．Inappropriate use of fire extinguishers might make things worse.

B．You should stay in the building if your escape route is cut off.

C．Standing close to an exit will absolutely guarantee your safety in a fire.

D．Firefighting is a complicated job that can only be done by fire brigades.

3. Who is the potential target reader of this passage?

A．Fire fighters.

B．The general public.

C．College professors.

D．Young children.

【推荐1】Going to a friend’s house is very exciting. You may spend time with a friend and get to see where he lives, so remember to be polite.

When to arrive:

The first thing to remember is that when a friend invites you over, you need to arrive on time. If your friend tells you to come “around 3:00”, that means you can turn up a little bit after 3:00. Usually it is a good idea to arrive at the right time, but not ahead of time.

What to bring:

Often it is also nice to bring something to your friend’s house. This could be a box of chocolates for you two to share, or maybe a movie that you can watch together. You can also bring some flowers. A little gift is a nice way to show your friend that you are excited to be at his house.

How to greet:

When you visit your friend’s house, you may also meet his parents. You should tell them who you are and they may tell you their names. As a child, I went to visit my friend Paul. I called his parents by their first names John and Mary. But now I know it is more polite to call them Mr. or Mrs. Smith. This will show them more respect and then they may tell you to call them by their first names. Another way to show respect is to call them Madam or Sir.

It is a cool thing to visit a friend's house. Be polite to your friend and your friend's parents, and you will be invited again!

1. When should you arrive if you are told to get to your friend’s house at 5:00 p.m.?

A．4:30.

B．4:50.

C．5:05.

D．5:30.

2. When the writer was a child, he called his friend’s father ________.

A．Mr. Smith.

B．John.

C．Mary.

D．Paul.

3. Which of the following is the best title of the passage?

A．How to be a good visitor	B．How to greet people
C．What to bring to your friend	D．When to arrive at your friend’s house

4. The passage may be from________.

A．a notice on a wall

B．a letter to a friend

C．an article in a magazine

D．a news story in a paper.

【推荐2】The David J.Seneer CDC Museum uses award-winning exhibits and programs to educate visitors about the value of public health, and present vast accomplishments of CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention). The museum hosts about 90,000 visitors each year, and provides popular. educational programs for students and teachers.

Originally called the Global Health Odyssey Museum, it was set up in 1996 alongside CDC's 50th anniversary. In 2011, the museum was renamed the David J.Sencer CDC Museum, in honor of the longest serving director of CDC.

Strategic Objectives (目标)

·Support CDC's duty to prevent disease, injuries and disability and to encourage healthy lifestyles through all stages of life.

·Inform and educate people about public health, displaying its connection with their lives.

·Educate middle and high school students and families about epidemiology(流行病学) and the science of public health; encourage young people to consider careers in the field of public health.

·Make the case for CDC's commitment to participate in global solutions to international public health challenges.

Museum Information

·Hours: Monday — Wednesday & Friday: 9 am - 5 pm.

Thursday: 9 am - 7 pm.

Closed weekends & federal holidays.

·Location: 1600 Clifton Road NE Atlanta, GA 30329.

·Phone: 404-639-0830.

·Admission & Parking: Free.

· Government-issued photo 1D required for adults over the age of 18.·Passport required for non-U.S. citizens.

1. Which of the following is an objective of the CDC Museum?

A．To work on disease treatment.	B．To provide jobs for the young.
C．To educate people about public health.	D．To offer solutions to global issues.

2. When is the Museum open?

A．At 4 pm, Sunday.	B．At 8 am, Monday.
C．At 6 pm, Wednesday.	D．At 11 am, Thursday.

3. What is this text?

A．A short story of a director.	B．A program on epidemiology.
C．An introduction to a museum.	D．An advertisement for an exhibition.

【推荐3】It is quite apparent that competition surrounds every aspect of human life whether in the United States or the Amazon rainforest. Without it we would not have grown into primates (灵长类动物) . Or we would probably still be struggling to sharpen a bronze tool while crawling around on four legs in search of meat. Without competition, Columbus wouldn’t have discovered America and Edison would never have invented the light bulb.

Friendship, like all relationships between two people, involves competition. It isn’t competition in a traditional sense because there are no goals to be scored and no prize. Perhaps the ecological definition --- the simultaneous (同时) demand by two or more organisms for limited environmental resources, such as nutrients, living space, or light --- better explains it.

As in nature, high school life is governed by a set of laws, similar to a shortened version of Darwin’s theory of evolution, overpopulation, and competition. There is an abundance of high school students and to distinguish them, ranking and categorizing (分类) take place. In high school, friendships learn to coexist with competition even though at times the relationship is rough. In fact, in some circumstance, competition is too much of a burden for a friendship to bear, causing it to fall apart. College admission is the final high school objective. Four years of hard work is to achieve good grades, and a student’s fate is determined not only by these achievements, but by the records of thousands of other seniors trying to achieve a similar recognition.

Nevertheless, by necessity, competition between students exists in all aspects of high school life. It sets and improves the standards in everything from sports to schoolwork. A healthy, friendly competition can have only benefits, but when it becomes too fierce, jealousy (妒忌) can tear friendships apart. Yet, despite all this, without competition, we would be lost.

1. What does the ecological definition mainly explain?

A．How to win the competition.	B．What competition exactly is.
C．What the result of competition is.	D．How friends compete with each other.

2. According to the writer, what causes the high school students to compete?

A．They know the laws of nature well.	B．Friendship is a burden for them.
C．The number of them is too large.	D．They are divided into different groups.

3. Which best describes the relationship of friendship and competition?

A．Friendship is always based on competition.

B．Competition is a result of lost friendship.

C．Competition is terribly harmful to friendships.

D．The degree of competition is vital to friendship.

【推荐1】Aava Whistler Hotel

Star Ratings：★★★

Location: Whistler

Rooms：192

Stay at the Aava Whistler Hotel and experience a great vacation．The Aava Whistler Hotel is within minutes from over a hundred shopping malls, and restaurants．It also has a great number of recreational facilities, including swimming, diving and even skiing．Hotel services include 24-hour reception, laundry and room service．Guests can stay in cozy rooms equipped with air conditioning, bathroom and television．From CN￥496 per night．

Best Western Cairn Croft Hotel

Star Ratings：★★★

Location: East Lundy's Lane

Room：166

Relax and unwind at the Best Western Cairn Croft Hotel．This resort-style hotel is located just minutes from the airport．At this hotel, guests can enjoy a large number of recreational facilities, including children's activities, sightseeing and a swimming pool．Business travelers can also take advantage of spacious meeting and banqueting facilities for hosting corporate events．All rooms come with basic amenities（便利设施）．From CN￥439 per night．

Clarion Hotel& Suites Downtown Montreal

Star Ratings：★★★

Location: Montreal．

Rooms：266

Conveniently located just 20 minutes from the airport, the Clarion Hotel& Suites Downtown Montreal is a moderately-priced three-star hotel that provides services to both business and leisure travelers．The Clarion has spacious meeting facilities and modern business centers for business travelers．It has a sauna and a whirlpool where guests can relax．All rooms come with basic amenities, including cable TV and a kitchenette．From CN￥553 per night．

Delta-Bow: Valley Hotel

Star Ratings：★★★

Location: Calgary

Rooms：398

The Delta Bow-Valley Hotel is located a couple of blocks north of Olympic Plaza, east of James Short Park, and north-east of the Petro-Canada Centre．Apart from business and recreational services such as a business center, a fitness center and a restaurant, all rooms in the Delta come with a mini-bar and in-house movies．From CN￥1, 227 per night．

1. What do all four of the hotels have in common?

A．They all have three-star ratings．

B．They all have the same number of rooms．

C．They are all close to the airport．

D．They all provide a room with a mini-bar．

2. Which hotel offers facilities for children's activities?

A．Aava Whistler Hotel

B．Clarion Hotel & Suites Downtown Montreal

C．Best Western Cairn Croft Hotel

D．Delta Bow Valley Hotel

3. If you want to go diving or skiing you can stay at _______________．

A．Aava Whistler Hotel

B．Best Western Cairn Croft Hotel

C．Clarion Hotel & Suites Downtown Montreal

D．Delta Bow Valley Hotel

4. Which of the following do all rooms in Clarion Hotel & Suites Downtown Montreal have?

A．They all come with a mini-bar and in-house movies as well as laundry．

B．They all come with basic amenities, including cable TV and a kitchenette．

C．They all come with the basic amenities, including a swimming pool．

D．They all come with skiing facilities, fitness rooms and saunas．

5. Who will be interested in Delta Bow Valley Hotel?

A．People who are fond of swimming, skiing and sightseeing．

B．The family or travelers who will hold a big birthday party．

C．The companies which are preparing the annual conference．

D．Those who enjoy watching films while drinking in the room．

【推荐2】This is always a busy time of year, but please don’t forget to recycle as much as you can.

Put in Your Recycling Bins: Greetings cards and envelopes Cardboard --- this includes all the boxes your presents came in but please remove any plastic packaging. Cans and tins --- empty food tins and drink cans. Plastic bottles --- all plastic bottles including fizzy drinks and cider bottles, as well as milk, shampoo, cleaning and washing-up liquid bottles. Newspapers and magazines --- don't forget to recycle the TV listings, yesterday’s newspapers.

Christmas trees can be recycled in your fortnightly Garden Waste Collection Service as long as they are small trees chopped into pieces no bigger than 3 inches or 75mm in diameter. For disposal of larger trees please take these to your local Household Waste and Recycling Centers. Please note the Garden Waste Collection Service is suspended between 26th December and 6th January.

Glass bottles and jars --- empty wine bottles can be taken to the bottle bank together with beer bottles and pickle （泡菜）jars. Clothes and shoes --- don't throw your old clothes away, and take them to your local clothing recycling bank.

Please Do NOT Place in Your Recycling Bin: Gift wrap --- Christmas gift wrapping does not contain much paper. It is often layered with foil（箔纸）and plastic which can’t be recycled. Plastic carrier bags --- please do not put your recyclables in these as it makes it difficult to sort the contents. Drinks cartons --- owing to the costs and environmental impacts associated with transporting these, it is more cost-effective to recycle them right here. Plastic Packaging--- Although plastic packaging may have symbols which suggest it can be recycled, it is made of different types of plastic and there are no cost-effective ways to recycle it at present.

1. What should we do before putting the cardboard into recycling bins?

A．Taking out the gifts.	B．Separating it from plastic packages.
C．Emptying the packages.	D．Collecting the boxes.

2. Why shouldn’t we put plastic packaging into recycling bins?

A．Because it can’t be recycled at present.

B．Because the symbols on it advise us not to do so.

C．Because it is made of different types of plastic.

D．Because cost-effective ways to recycle it have not been founded.

3. What can we learn from the text?

A．The Christmas is the season for recycling.

B．All empty bottles can be put into the recycling bins.

C．There is a recycling center for the old clothes and shoes.

D．Christmas trees must be kept for future use.