【推荐1】In 1974, after filling out fifty applications, going through four interviews, and winning one offer, I took what I could get ----- a teaching job at what I considered a distant wild area: western New Jersey. My characteristic optimism was alive only when I reminded myself that I would be doing what I had wanted to do since I was fourteen ------- teaching English.
School started, but I felt more and more as if I were in a foreign country. Was this rural area really New Jersey? My students took a week off when hunting season began. I was told they were also frequently absent in late October to help their fathers make hay on the farms. I was a young woman from New York City, who thought that “Make hay while the sun shines” just meant to have a good time.
But, still, I was teaching English. I worked hard, taking time off only to eat and sleep. And then there was my sixth-grade class ---- seventeen boys and five girls who were only six years younger than me. I had a problem long before I knew it. I was struggling in my work as a young idealistic teacher. I wanted to make literature come alive and to promote a love of the written word. The students wanted to throw spitballs and whisper dirty words in the back of the room.
In college I had been taught that a successful educator should ignore bad behavior. So I did, confident that, as the textbook had said, the bad behavior would disappear as I gave my students positive attention. It sounds reasonable, but the text evidently ignored the fact that humans, particularly teenagers, rarely seems reasonable. By the time my boss, who was also my taskmaster, known to be the strictest, most demanding, most quick to fire inexperienced teachers, came into the classroom to observe me, the students exhibited very little good behavior to praise.
My boss sat in the back of the room. The boys in the class were making animal noises, hitting each other while the girls filed their nails or read magazines. I just pretended it all wasn’t happening, and went on lecturing and tried to ask some inspiring questions. My boss, sitting in the back of the classroom, seemed to be growing bigger and bigger. After twenty minutes he left, silently. Visions of unemployment marched before my eyes.
I felt mildly victorious that I got through the rest of class without crying, but at my next free period I had to face him. I wondered if he would let me finish out the day. I walked to his office, took a deep breath, and opened the door.
He was sitting in his chair, and he looked at me long and hard. I said nothing. All I could think of was that I was not an English teacher; I had been lying to myself, pretending that everything was fine.
When he spoke, he said simply, without accusation, “You had nothing to say to them.”
“You had nothing to say to them”. he repeated.” No wonder they are bored. Why not get to the meat of literature and stop talking about symbolism. Talk with them, not at them. And more important, why do you ignore their bad behavior”? We talked. He named my problems and offered solutions. We role-played. He was the bad student, and I was the forceful, yet, warm, teacher
As the year progressed, we spent many hours discussing literature and ideas about human beings and their motivations. He helped me identify my weaknesses and strengths. In short, he made a teacher of me by teaching me the reality of Emerson’s words: “The secret to education lies in respecting the pupil.”
Fifteen years later I still drive that same winding road to the same school. Thanks to the help I received that difficult first year, the school is my home now.
1. It can be inferred from the story that in 1974 ________________.

A．the writer became an optimistic person

B．the writer was very happy about her new job

C．it was rather difficult to get a job in the USA

D．it was easy to get a teaching job in New Jersey

2. According to the passage, which of the following is most probably the writer’s problem as a new teacher?

A．She had blind trust in what she learnt at college.

B．She didn’t ask experienced teachers for advice.

C．She took too much time off to eat and sleep.

D．She didn’t like teaching English literature.

3. What is the writer’s biggest worry after her taskmaster’s observation of her class?

A．She might lose her teaching job.

B．She might lose her students’ respect.

C．She couldn’t teach the same class any more.

D．She couldn’t ignore her students’ bad behavior any more.

4. Which of the following gives the writer a sense of mild victory?

A．Her talk about symbolism sounded convincing.

B．Her students behaved a little better than usual.

C．She managed to finish the class without crying.

D．She was invited for a talk by her boss after class.

5. The students behaved badly in the writer’s classes because

A．They were eager to embarrass her.

B．She didn’t really understand them.

C．They didn’t regard her as a good teacher.

D．She didn’t have a good command of English.

6. The taskmaster’s attitude towards the writer after his observation of her class can be described as________________.

A．cruel but encouraging	B．fierce but forgiving
C．sincere and supportive	D．angry and aggressive

【推荐3】“Can’t stop loving you ...” My 3-year-old son was singing along with Phil Collins from his car seat. But I was not in the mood to sing along. My manager at the biotech company where I had been working for a bit more than a year had just told me that, in spite of my excellent performance, he did not foresee giving me more responsibilities in the near future. I was working part time so that I could spend more time with my young children, and he believed the career growth I sought required a full-time employee. The message hit me hard. But it brought on a change that, in the end, taught me the power of embracing opportunities, no matter where they come from.

My manager’s decision planted a seed of self-doubt. Was he right? Was I asking for too much? But I reminded myself that I had already proved I could be an effective scientist on a part-time schedule. A friend suggested that I reach out to senior managers about opportunities in other departments. At first, I resolutely rejected that idea. Didn’t he understand? I wanted to work on antibodies and nothing but antibodies! That was what I knew, where I felt I could add the most value. And yet, I did not want to leave this cool company just because of one unsupportive manager.

With little expectation that it would lead anywhere, I approached the three senior managers. One did not respond. One had nothing to offer. The third invited me to chat. He patiently listened to my story, asked what I was looking for, and then—in the blink of an eye—told me that I was welcome to join him in building a vaeeine research unit. I told him I knew nothing about vaccines, but he waved nonchalantly (不以为意地) and said, “You will learn. You are smart and willing to work hard. You will make it.”

This comfort was exactly what I had been looking for, but I was still shaken by my manager’s lack of confidence in me. Could I really handle a high-responsibility role in a completely new field?

A few sleepless nights later, I decided that taking a chance on the unknown was better than staying in a position that made me miserable. The worst thing thal could happen was that I would fail. But I already felt like a failure, so why not try it?

I soon discovered a new passion. My career path within the company opened up. I took on more responsibilities, developed new skills, expanded my scientific horizons, worked with great people, and led fantastic projects—all because of a change that had felt foreed on me. It had pushed me further than I was willing to go, further than I thought I could cope with, and taught me that when I step out of my comfort zone, I find my most creative, productive self.

1. The manager disagreed with the author on          .

A．whether she was effective	B．whether she was responsible
C．whether she should work part time	D．whether she could perform well

2. What can we learn about the author in paragraph 2?

A．She was in a dilemma.	B．She hated the manager.
C．She didn’t follow her friend’s advice.	D．She filed a complaint to senior managers.

3. What was the third senior manager’s attitude to the author?

A．Confident.

B．Skeptical.

C．Impatient.

D．Indifferent.

4. What can we learn from the passage?

A．We should work full time.	B．We should challenge the authority.
C．We should be academically motivated.	D．We should embrace opportunities.

【推荐3】It’s 4 a.m. on Monday when my colleague, Yi Bingkun, and I finished the night shift. It’s the 50th hour since our medical team arrived in Wuhan to help fight against the novel corona virus (新型冠状病毒). The situation here is far more grievous than what we imagined, with more suspected cases and an acute shortage of medical staff. We are here to bring them hope, but it seems that we assume more responsibilities.

The ward was almost overloaded during our first night shift and we continued to receive more patients. My colleague and I plunged into work without delay after wearing protective suits.

However, an emergency occurred when a patient went into sudden cardiac arrest when we had just changed shifts. Yi Bingkun rushed to give chest compressions to the patient to make his heart beat again and I called a doctor for help.

Though all rescue measures failed, the patient’s family, however, sent their gratitude to us. Their every single: “Thank you” made me feel warm and that the efforts we had made were worthwhile. But Kun brought me more warmth. I once asked him whether he felt afraid about the possibility of becoming infected when saving the patient. He told me that “Yes, I was really scared at the time because I do have my family and my kid. But I was more afraid that the life might disappear in front of me.” I really admire his courage. Our night shift should have been finished at midnight, but it ended at 3 a. m. that night. We found our clothes were wet after we took off protective suits. What is impressive is that my colleagues messaged us, asking why Kun and I didn’t come back with the clock pointing to 1 a.m., 2 a.m. or even 3 a.m. They urged us to let them know we were okay as soon as we came back.

The weather is really cold but we feel warm from the bottoms of our hearts. Come on, all my colleagues! Come on, Wuhan! Come on, China!

1. When did the medical team arrive in Wuhan?

A．On Saturday.	B．On Sunday.
C．On Monday.	D．On Tuesday.

2. What does the underlined word “grievous” mean in the first paragraph?

A．Puzzling.	B．Positive.
C．Satisfactory.	D．severe.

3. What can we infer about the patient?

A．He soon recovered from the illness.	B．He finally died of serious illness.
C．He was rushed to another hospital.	D．He was infected by a wild animal.

4. In the eyes of the writer, Yi Bingkun is________.

A．adventurous	B．lucky
C．brave	D．careless

【推荐1】Until late in the 20th century most Americans spent time with people of different generations. Now middle-aged Americans may not keep in touch with old people until they are old themselves.

That’s because we group people by age.We put our three-year-olds together in day-care centers, our 13-year-olds in schools and sport activities,and our 80-year-olds in senior citizen homes.Why?

We live far away from the old for many reasons.Young people sometimes avoid the old to get rid of fears of becoming old and dying.It is much harder to watch someone we love disappear before our eyes. Sometimes it’s got hard that we stay away from the people who need us the most.

Fortunately,some of us have found our way to the old.And we have discovered that they often save the young.

A reporter moved her family into a block filled with old people. At first her children were disappointed. But the reporter made banana bread for the neighbors and had her children send it and visit them. Soon the children had many new friends, with whom they shared food, stories and projects. “My children have never been lonely,” the reporter said.

The young, in turn, save the old. Once I was in a rest home (an organization where old people are cared for) when a visitor showed up with a baby, she was immediately surrounded. People who hadn’t gotten out of bed in a week suddenly were ringing for a wheelchair. Even those who had seemed asleep woke up to watch the child. Babies have an astonishing power to comfort and cure.

Grandparents are a special case. They give their grandchildren a feeling of security and continuity. As my husband put it “My grandparents gave me a deep sense that things would turn out right in the end.” Grandchildren speak of attention they don’t get from worried parents. “My parents were always telling me to hurry up, and my grandparents told me to slow down,” one friend said. A teacher told me she can tell which pupils have relationships with grandparents: they are quieter, calmer and more trusting.

1. Now in an American family, people can find that________.

A．children never live with their parents

B．not all working people live with their parents

C．old people are supported by their grandchildren

D．grandchildren are supported by their grandparents

2. Seeing a baby, the old people got excited because ________.

A．they had never seen a baby before

B．the baby was clever and beautiful

C．the baby brought them the image of life

D．the baby’s mother would take care of them

3. Why are some children quieter, calmer and more trusting?

A．Because they have relationships with their grandparents.

B．Because their worried parents ask them to act like that.

C．Because they have nothing to worry about.

D．Because their teachers ask them to act like that.

4. Which of the following can show the fact that the old often save the young?

A．The old can become friends of the children and the children may not feel lonely.

B．The old get excited when they see a baby.

C．The old can cure the young when they are sick.

D．Babies have an astonishing power to comfort and cure.

【推荐2】At work, Morgan Philpott cares for sick children. In his off-hours, the Australian nurse turns his attention to an equally unprotected group unwell koala. “They really run the risk of becoming extinct inside our lifetime,” Philpott said at an animal hospital on Sydney’s outskirts while helping

At work, Morgan Philpott cares for sick children. In his off-hours, the Australian nurse turns his attention to an equally unprotected group unwell koala. “They really run the risk of becoming extinct inside our lifetime,” Philpott said at an animal hospital on Sydney’s outskirts while helping treat a rescued koala affected with a disease.

Disease among the koalas, bushfires, drought, cutting down of forest, and loss of urban habitat are some of the many destructive forces that continue to threaten their survival. These forces, a government report warned in June, could make Australia’s symbolic animal extinct in New South Wales—the nation’s most populous state—by 2050.

The country’s worst summer of bushfires in a generation destroyed more than 11.2 million hectares, nearly half the area of the United Kingdom, putting the gray tree-hugging animals into the center of national conservation and a hot political issue. In New South Wales, at least 5,000 koalas were killed in the fires that burned 80 percent of the Blue Mountains World Heritage Area and 24 percent of koala habitat on public land, the government’s June report said.

New state laws have sought to limit the ability of farmers to clear land considered important for koala habitat, setting off a political debate between urban conservationists and people in the bush who wanted to manage their land. The rate of tree-clearing and I loss of habitats are behind all of the other factors that threaten them in those developed areas which include dog attacks and vehicle accidents said Kellie leigh. head of Science for wildlife. a nonprofit conservation organization.

1. Morgan Philpott is mentioned in paragraph 1 to ________.

A．introduce the topic	B．describe his job duties
C．stress the importance of koala rescue	D．excite readers interest in his work

2. New state laws have been made to ________.

A．free koalas from disease	B．allow farmers to clear land
C．protect habitats for koalas	D．prevent bushfires from happening

3. What can we learn from the passage?

A．Koalas affected with disease are well protected.

B．New measures to protect koalas have won nationwide support.

C．Bushfires are the most destructive force threatening koalas survival.

D．Many causes could lead to the extinction of koalas in New South Waies.

【推荐3】On a trip to India in 2012, Anirudh Sharma took a photo of a diesel generator (柴油发电机) blowing black soot (烟灰) against a white wall. That dark stain made Sharma, who was then a student in the Media Lab of Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), think seriously about pollution—and also about coloring matters, like ink.

The black ink we use in our pens or in inkjet printers is essentially from soot. The technical term for the substance is “carbon black”, and it is the powder that remains after burning coal or oil. The powder is mixed with other chemicals to turn it into smooth, flowing black ink.

“So, if you can do it with soot, can we do the same with air pollution?” Sharma explains. “The black ink in the pen you use is made by burning fossil fuels. But you shouldn’t need to burn new fossil fuels just to make ink. Fossil fuels are already being burned.” If he could find a way, he thought, to catch the soot that produced that stain on the wall in his photograph, he could not only reduce the amount of pollution released into the air, but also turn it into something new, or perhaps something beautiful.

In 2014, following the completion of his Master’s degree at MIT, Sharma returned to India to focus fully on developing what would become a product called AIR-INK, the first commercial ink made entirely from air pollution. He and his team built a lab in a small garage in Bangalore to create a device that could catch air pollution at the source, in engines or factory machinery.

They first developed a filtering device called Kaalink that consisted of a steel container that could be attached to an exhaust pipe. Now Kaalink can filter air pollution from almost any source, and turn it into soot, which is then processed to form ink that can be used in AIR-INK pens and markers. Each marker holds about 30 milliliters of AIR-INK, which is equal to approximately 45 minutes of diesel car pollution.

The inventor would like AIR-INK to have practical applications, like in inkjet printers in offices, newsprint, or textbooks. “We’ve set up industries for our comfort, but the environment has to bear the price of it.” Sharma explains, adding that AIR-INK isn’t a complete solution to the world’s pollution problem. “It’s a start, and it can inspire several others to start looking at new forms of waste that are lying outside, unused.”

1. What inspired Sharma to make ink out of air pollution?

A．A photo he took in India.	B．The lack of ink in his studies.
C．The serious pollution in the U.S..	D．His experiments in the laboratory.

2. What do we know about “carbon black”?

A．It is a useful kind of fuel.	B．It is the main air pollutant.
C．It is the key component of ink.	D．It is usually in the form of a liquid.

3. Which of the following is the correct order to make AIR-INK?

A．Soot→exhaust pipe→Kaalink→AIR-INK	B．Soot→Kaalink→exhaust pipe→AIR-INK
C．Air pollutants→soot→Kaalink→AIR-INK	D．Air pollutants→Kaalink→soot→AIR-INK

4. What can we infer about Sharma’s invention?

A．It needs more tests.	B．It is costly but practical.
C．It helps raise environmental awareness.	D．It has gained the admiration of other inventors.