【推荐1】“They tell me that you’d like to make a statue of me — is that correct, Miss Vinnie Ream?”

The deep, gentle voice helped calm the nervous girl. Asking a favor of the President of the United States was no casual matter, especially for a seventeen-year-old girl.

“Yes, sir,” she replied, her dark eyes meeting his. “I wouldn’t have dared to ask you, but my teacher, Mr. Mills, says I am ready. I plan to make it in an admirable manner.”

President Lincoln smiled. “Painters, sculptors — they’ve all tried to make the best of this ordinary face, but I’m afraid there’ not much hope. What did you have in mind, Miss Ream? A bust (半身像)?”

Before Vinnie could say yes, the President hurried on, a shade of apology in his voice. “Of course — I shouldn’t have asked. A full-length pose would be much too big, a project for a young woman your size.”

Vinnie’s face turned red. She realized she looked like a child, with her tiny figure. “Small does not mean weak, sir,” she defended herself. “I was born in the country of Wisconsin. I’ve driven teams of horses and carried water. Making a full-length clay (黏土) figure would not exhaust my strength — and that is what I intend to do!”

The President’s eyes brightened at her show of spirit. “Sorry, madam, I have underestimated you as I didn’t know your background.”

But his smile faded as he rubbed his beard with bony fingers, in thought. “Miss Ream,” he sighed, “I’d like to let you do it, but as you know, we are in the middle of a war. How could I possibly take the time to pose for a sculpture now? I hardly have a minute to myself.”

Vinnie glanced around and noted the size of his office. “I work quickly,” she said. Her voice was soft but confident as she pointed to the corner near the windows. “If I were to bring my clay here and work for three hours every afternoon, I could complete most of the project while you are at your desk.”

The President seemed to consider her idea seriously. He got up and shook Vinnie’s hand warmly. “I’ve heard that you are a talented young woman, and I have found you charming and intelligent as well. I cannot make my decision immediately, but you will hear from me soon.”

The very next day, Vinnie received an invitation from the President.

1. What gave Vinnie confidence to make her request of President Lincoln?

A．Her aggressive personality.	B．Mr. Mills’s encouraging remark.
C．President Lincoln’s gentle voice.	D．Her interest in a challenging job.

2. How did President Lincoln first respond to Vinnie’s request?

A．Pleased.

B．Thrilled.

C．Regretful.

D．Doubtful.

3. Vinnie confirmed her ability to make a full-length statue by highlighting ______.

A．the heavy labor she had done before

B．her experience from other project

C．her innocent childhood in the country

D．the skill she picked up in Wisconsin

4. What message does the story convey?

A．A strong-willed soul can reach his goal.

B．Experience helps to promote excellence.

C．Ups and downs make one strong.

D．Devotion requires enthusiasm.

【推荐2】One Halloween a little boy and his friend went out for a fun night of trick-or-treating. At first everything was great. They were getting lots of candy as they went from house to house, but then they saw a house which they hadn't been to before. It was a very spooky(阴森森的)house. Being young and brave, they decided to go up to the door and knock. After all, scary houses might have the best candy!

As they walked up the long winding path, they saw things that scared them to the bone! They heard sounds that frightened them. Maybe they should turn back. But the little boys, being very brave, just wanted to see what was in that house, so they went on, not frightened by the things they heard or saw. As they slowly made their way up to the door, they imagined what might be inside. Maybe it would be a witch or maybe a ghost!

After knocking several times, the door slowly creaked(嘎吱作响)open. To their surprise, a monster slowly came out to greet them. They were so scared that they couldn't move! What could they do? Then the little boy had an idea. He said, "Trick or treat!" Then the big scary monster, much to the kids' surprise, reached over and brought out a huge bowl of the best candies they had never seen. Wow, the kids thought, this was great! It turned out that the house was decorated for Halloween, and the big scary monster was just wearing a costume, just like the kids. Since they were the only kids, and were brave enough to go to the scary house, they could take as much candy as they wanted.

1. This passage is_____________.

A．a funny Halloween story

B．mainly about two brave kids

C．mainly about a spooky house

D．mainly about the custom of Halloween

2. Why do you think the kids were brave enough to enter the strange house?

A．Because they were prepared for what would come to the door.

B．Because they expected to meet other trick-or-treaters inside.

C．Because they were curious about what was in the house.

D．Because they were anxious to get more and better candy.

3. It can be inferred from the passage that _____________.

A．the monster was afraid of the phrase "trick or treat"

B．the two kids were also wearing costumes

C．not all families prepared candy for brave kids

D．some other children had been to the house before the two kids

【推荐3】I am a taxi driver. One Monday morning, I had stopped at New York Hospital when I found a well-dressed man coming over. He was waving to me. I waited until he jumped into the taxi. “La Guardia Airport, please,” he said.

As always, I wondered about my passenger. “What do you do?” “I am working at the hospital.” For some unknown reason, I decided to ask for his help.

“Could I ask a favor of you?” He didn’t answer. “I have a son, 16. He’s doing well in school. He wants a job this summer. Is there any possibility that you might get him a summer job?” After a minute, he said, “The medical students have a research project. Maybe he could fit in. Have him send me his school records.” He searched his pocket and handed me a card.

That evening, I pulled the card from my pocket. “Robbie,” I said proudly, “This could be a summer job for you. Send him your school records.” He read it out loud, “Fred Plum, New York Hospital.” “Is this a joke?” he said in doubt. After I shouted and threatened (恐吓) to cut off his pocket-money, Robbie promised to send off his grades the next morning.

Two weeks later, when I arrived home, my son handed me a letter from Plum. He was to phone Plum’s secretary for an interview.

Robbie got the job. The white coat he wore made him feel more important than he really was. As high school graduation neared, Plum was kind enough to write letters of recommendation (推荐) for universities. At last, Robbie was admitted to New York Medical College.

It never happened to me that a stranger should change my son’s future.

1. The author threatened to cut off Robbie’s pocket-money probably because _________.

A．he was tired after a day’s work.	B．he didn’t earn enough money.
C．Robbie was unwilling to work.	D．Robbie didn’t believe what he said.

2. It can be inferred from the passage that Plum is _________.

A．patient and selfless.	B．generous and careful.
C．kind and helpful.	D．wealthy and handsome.

3. What message does the passage want to tell us?

A．A stranger may change your life.

B．One must be friendly to strangers.

C．A father should be responsible for his son.

D．Doctors may have a great effect on people.

【推荐1】There once was a master who went to India. In those times, people didn’t have the communications or airplanes or many kinds of transportation that we do now. So the master went to India on foot. He had never been to India before; perhaps he came from Persia. And when he got there, he saw a lot of fruit. In India they have plenty of fruit to sell, but much of it is expensive because they can’t grow much due to the water situation. So he saw one basket, a big basket of some very red, long fruit. And it was the cheapest in the shop, not expensive at all.

So he went up and asked, "How much per kilo?" And the shopkeeper said, "Two rupees." Two rupees in India is nothing; it’s like dirt. So he bought a whole kilogram of the fruit and started eating it. But after he ate some of it: Oh, my God! His eyes watered, his mouth watered and burned, his eyes were burning, his head was burning and his face became red. As he coughed and choked and gasped for breath, he jumped up and down, saying, "Ah! Ah! Ah!"

But he still continued to eat the fruit! Some people who were looking at him shook their heads and said, "You’re crazy, man. Those are chilies! You can’t eat so many; they’re not good for you! People use them as a condiment, but only a little bit to put into food for taste. You can’t just eat them by the handful like that; they’re not fruit!"

So the stupid master said: "No, I can’t stop! I paid money for them, and now I’ll eat them. It’s my money!"

And you think that master was stupid, right? Similarly, we sometimes do a lot of things like that. We invest money, time or effort in a relationship, business or job. And even though it’s been a long time, bitter experience tells us it won’t work, and we know there’s no more hope that things will change in the future —this we definitely know by intuition—we still continue just because we’ve invested money, time, effort and love into it. If so, we’re kaput in the brain. Just like the man who ate the chilies and suffered so much but couldn’t stop because he didn’t want to waste the money he’d paid.

So even if you’ve lost something, let it go and move on. That’s better than continuing to lose.

1. Which of the following is NOT the master’s reaction to eating the very red, long fruit?

A．His eyes and mouth watered and were burning.

B．His eyes, face and head caught a burning fire.

C．He coughed, choked and gaped for breath.

D．He jumped up and down, making loud noise.

2. Some passers-by’s attitude towards the master’s eating chilies is ______.

A．negative

B．supportive

C．enthusiastic

D．favorable

3. What is the writer’s aim of writing this passage?

A．To amuse us with a funny story of a stubborn master.

B．To warn us not to eat too much chilli at one time.

C．To encourage us to cherish what we already have.

D．To teach us to let go of losses and be positive.

【推荐2】By now, most of us have picked up at least one pandemic (疫情期间的) hobby. And there’s a seemingly common pandemic hobby trend: People who haven’t been able to go anywhere are making imaginary travel plans. Maybe you’re among those who have spent hours researching locations―even though you’re not actually planning to travel.

It turns out that you aren’t alone. People who seem to be interested in public safety recommendations are still planning trips they don’t intend to book. And, when I suddenly found myself addicted to an imaginary girls’ trip to Joshua Tree, I wondered whether this was a healthy distraction (注意力分散).

“It’s an escapist imagination,” said Regine Galanti, a psychologist, adding that there’s nothing wrong with escapism during a global pandemic.

On the one hand, distractions are often beneficial right now. We are a full year into living with COVID-19 as a pandemic, and that means you’ve probably had to navigate a range of emotions like discomfort, sadness, or even boredom. So any hobby that doesn’t harm anyone or endanger your well-being is probably a worthy attempt.

Even if vacation planning is your happy place, Dr. Galanti suggests you “actually think about what you’re trying to achieve.” Why? “Maybe what you’re saying is, I need a vacation from work,” Dr. Galanti explains. “Then take three days off even if you are not going anywhere. “When you figure out what you’re looking for, you might be able to find a small socially distanced adventure in your backyard or a quiet place. Vacation planning is a good way to spend some time, but there might be an even better way to get what you’re desiring.

Anyway, when uncertainty is all around us, creating things to look forward to isn’t a terrible idea. And when things are safer, you’ll have all your plans in place.

1. Why do people make imaginary travel plans during the pandemic?

A．To develop a new hobby.	B．To stay safe and sound.
C．To be distracted from reality.	D．To get ready for future travel.

2. Which of the following can replace the word “navigate” underlined in paragraph 4?

A．Express.

B．Balance.

C．Adapt to.

D．Deal with.

3. What is the writer’s attitude towards imaginary travel plans?

A．Objective.

B．Negative.

C．Supportive.

D．Unclear.

4. Which section of the newspaper does the text probably come from?

A．Economy.	B．Lifestyle.
C．Food culture.	D．Science and technology.