【推荐1】Rain beat against the window, matching my mood. I should have known that my new job at the hospital was too good to be true. Throughout the day, rumors (传言) warned that the newest employee from each department would be laid off. I was the newest one in the training department.

My boss appeared. “You probably know we’re cutting back,” he said. “Administration wants us to offer outplacement classes to help those employees find other jobs, showing them how to act in an interview, for example.” “Fine,” I answered unwillingly, not knowing what else to say.

I decided to go home early that day. In the hall, I met the lady who brought us cookies every Friday. She was a little woman with gray hair. Only her head and the top of her green apron (围裙) were visible over the cart (小车) loaded with cleaning supplies. At least she had a job!

At the final meeting, laid-off workers formed a line at the door. A colleague whispered, “I can’t believe our Cookie Lady is being laid off. We’ll miss her as much as we’ll miss her cookies.” When the colleague spoke to her in Spanish, I knew my classes would be useless for her and I realized how much better off I was than this poor woman.

I decided to do something for her. I wrote to a newspaper expressing how I felt about the unselfishness of the Cookie Lady who needed a job. A few days later, my article appeared in the newspaper and the Cookie Lady was allowed to stay in her position. On the same day, I received a letter, which seemed so unlikely that I read it twice. “An editor of a local magazine likes your piece and wants you to call her next time you’re looking for work…”

1. How did the author feel on that rainy day?

A．Nervous.

B．Excited.

C．Embarrassed.

D．Proud.

2. What was the author asked to do?

A．Take care of patients.	B．Leave earlier that day.
C．Help the laid-off workers.	D．Give up the job in the hospital.

3. How did the author help the Cookie Lady?

A．He offered her a high-paid job.	B．He gave her advice on job hunting.
C．He made her story known to others.	D．He taught her how to pass an interview.

4. What does the story tell us?

A．Good deeds have their rewards.

B．A friend in need is a friend indeed.

C．Little people can make a big difference.

D．Love brings more joy to people than work does.

【推荐2】When I first arrived in Terrassa, Spain, I was excited and nervous to start a new adventure in a country I love. The first few days seem so long ago now, trying to find a place to live, organising my timetable with the schools, meeting new people.

After a couple of weeks, the excitement started to fade, however, and homesickness started to set in. It wasn’t a powerful homesickness but enough to make me spend more than a few nights thinking about family and friends back home, wondering if I should be there with them.

All that started to change after meeting some new friends and spending good time with them, practising languages, eating together and seeing new places as a group. I suppose we should never forget how important it is to have good friends in your life, because they can make such a difference.

Coming back to Terrassa after visiting home for Christmas felt like returning to a second home, to a place that was mine with people I cared about. Things got even busier and more people came into my life; new friends, romance and a whole lot of good food flowed by in what seems to have been weeks, not months.

Now, looking forward, there are some decisions to make. Should I return home to Scotland and move on with life there or try to extend my time here, perhaps make it something permanent? To travel and visit other places is one of the most fulfilling things you can do in life. Experiencing other cultures, learning about the world, it’s such an important thing to do if you have the means.

My advice from my experience so far is to travel and try new things whenever you get the opportunity. You may find somewhere you were always supposed to be.

1. For what purpose did the writer go to Terrassa?

A．To settle there.	B．To study there.
C．To have a holiday.	D．To visit friends.

2. Which has the similar meaning as the underlined word “fade” in Paragraph 2?

A．die away	B．increase
C．deepen	D．set off

3. What made the writer less homesick?

A．Making new friends.	B．Learning a language.
C．Experiencing a new culture.	D．Going back home during Christmas.

4. What might the writer do next?

A．To leave Terrassa.	B．To travel and learn.
C．To extend his stay there.	D．To go back to Scotland.

【推荐3】Ellas’ story

My name is Ellas .I am a poor black worker in South Africa .The time when I first met Nelson Mandela was a very difficult period of my life .I was twelve years old . It was in 1952 and he had opened a black law firm to advise black poor people on their problems .

I began school at six . The school where I studied only two years was three kilometers away. I had to leave, because my family could not continue to pay the school fees and the bus fare .I could not read or write. After trying hard ,I got a job in a gold mine. This was a time when one had got to have a passbook to live in Johannesburg. Sadly I did not have this passbook because I was not born there and I was worried about whether I would be out of work.

The day when Nelson Mandela told me what to do and helped me was one of the happiest days of my life .He told me how to get the correct papers so I could stay in Johannesburg .I never forgot how kind he was and when he organized the ANC Youth League ,I joined it as soon as I could .He said:

“The last thirty years have seen the greatest number of laws stopping our rights and progress, until today we have reached a stage where we have almost no rights at all.”

It was the truth .Black people has no vote and could not choose who ruled them .The parts of town where they lived were places decided by white people .They could not get jobs they wanted .The places there they were sent to live were the poorest areas in South Africa .No one could grow food there .In fact as   Nelson Mandela said:

“…we were put in a position in which we had either to accept we were less important ,or fight the Government .We chose to attack the law .We first broke the law in a way which was peaceful ;when this was not allowed… only then did we decide to answer violence with violence.”

As a matter of fact, I do not like violence… but in 1963 I helped him blow up some government buildings .It was very dangerous because if I was caught I could be put in prison for years .But I was happy to help because I knew it was to realize our dream of making black and white people equal.

1 Read the text and answer the following questions.
1. When and where was the writer born?
_______________
2. What difficulty did he meet when he worked in a gold mine in Johannesburg?
_______________
3. why did Mandela organize the ANC Youth League?
_______________
4. What position were the black in and what did they do
_______________

【推荐1】Bria Neff, age 12, of Sioux Falls, South Dakota, has been named a winner of the Gloria Barron Prize for Young Heroes. Each year, the Barron Prize celebrates 25 uplifting, socially concerned young people from across the U.S. and Canada who have made a huge positive difference to people and the environment.

Bria founded “Faces of the Endangered” to protect endangered species through the sale of her artwork. She has sold over 250 paintings of endangered animals and given away more than $34, 000 to animal conservation (保护) groups. Bria has also published two educational coloring books; income helps support the zoo’s endangered species. She uses her website and Facebook page to present the challenges facing endangered animals, inspiring followers in 48 countries.

Bria began her work as an 8-year-old, when she won an art competition hosted by the International Fund for Animal Welfare. She was shocked to learn there are over 3,000 endangered species and decided to combine her enthusiasm for painting with her love of animals to show species in danger of extinction. She carefully researches each animal before painting it. “I hope I can inspire kids like me to believe they can do great things,” says Bria.

The Barron Prize was founded in 2001 by author T.A. Barron and was named after his mother, Gloria Barron. Each year’s 25 Barron Prize young heroes show the great diversity of America. They are female and male, and from various backgrounds. Many of them have focused on helping their communities and fellow beings; many others have focused on protecting the environment. “We need our heroes today more than ever. That is the purpose of the Gloria Barron Prize: to shine a spotlight (聚光灯) on these amazing young people so that their stories will inspire others,” says Barron.

1. Which of the following best describes Bria Neff?

A．Inspiring and responsible.	B．Honest and reliable.
C．Brave and hard-working.	D．Smart and patient.

2. What was the reason for Bria Neff ’s publishing two coloring books?

A．To show her gift for painting.	B．To help endangered animals.
C．To honor extinct species.	D．To make herself a hero.

3. What can be learned about the Barron Prize?

A．It was intended for all Americans.

B．It was named after a famous writer.

C．It concentrates on the education for young kids.

D．It encourages the young to make a difference to the world.

4. Where is this text most likely from?

A．A research paper.	B．A public speech.
C．A news report.	D．A history book.