【推荐1】Harry Potter, a pirate, a baseball player and a gentleman in a bowler hat — Logan Houghtelling turned into all of them, in class, and way before Halloween.

Life was difficult for the San Francisco Bay area teenager. He worried about his father, a firefighter who was battling wildfires, and missed his friends during the coronavirus pandemic. "I know other people are feeling like this. So, why don't I dress up and try to bring happiness to people? "

So starting in August, he set out to cheer up his classmates, his family and others who have come to wonder what he'll wear next for his classes on Zoom. One day, he popped up on screen in a toga （宽袍）；another day, he wore a cowboy hat and a Western shirt. In September, he wore the uniform of the Chicago Cubs. In October, he was Seymour Krelborn from Little Shop of Horrors. He even dressed up as a bottle of sriracha sauce（辣椒酱）. "I've had two teachers just stop in mid-sentence and start laughing, " the 15-year-old boy said. "I've had classmates text me like, 'What are you wearing today?

Most ideas come from Halloween costumes that he wore in previous years and clothes from around the house that he adapted with the help of his mother, Meredith, an elementary school teacher. "I've actually had friends who I’ve bumped into in the grocery store saying, 4 You haven't been posting his pictures lately. I look forward to his pictures every day, '" she said.

Houghtelling said that it's important to try to focus on the positive and help lift others up. “I think there need to be people who go out and bring people happiness, " he said. "More people need to do that. We just need to spread positivity. "

1. What's Houghtelling's purpose of dressing himself up?

A．To comfort his father.	B．To celebrate Halloween.
C．To make people happy.	D．To attract fans on social media.

2. Why did Hough telling's teachers suddenly stop talking on Zoom?

A．Because they were afraid of the coronavirus.

B．Because they were shocked by the sriracha sauce.

C．Because they were annoyed at Houghtelling's action.

D．Because they were amused by Hough telling's funny looks.

3. Which words can best describe Houghtelling?

A．Heroic and determined.	B．Friendly and generous.
C．Creative and optimistic.	D．Naughty and troublesome.

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

A．Teen changes roles during the pandemic

B．Teen dresses in costumes to cheer others

C．Homemade costumes prepared for Halloween

D．San Francisco boy stays positive by playing tricks

【推荐2】Many seniors feel pressured to go straight from high school to college, but Camden Olson, who graduated from the Latin School of Chicago in the US last year, didn’t give in. She decided to spend a gap year—taking a year off before college—raising a guide dog for Guiding Eyes for the Blind in Maine. The non-profit provides trained guide dogs for blind and visually-impaired people. “This is something I’ve always wanted to do,” Olson said.

It is becoming more and more popular among American teenagers to have a gap year. Some students use the year off to figure out what they want to do: travel the world or save money for college.

Olson is using her time to follow a passion she’s had since 7th grade. For years, she kept an eye on guide dog services until she came across the opportunity at Guiding Eyes. With support from her friends, family and teachers, Olson went for it. Olson’s volunteer work centers around Derby, a one-year-old black dog. “My job is to raise him to be well-mannered and socialized,” she said. “Guide dogs can’t be distracted (注意力分散的). They go everywhere with their visually-impaired owner. They give a blind person a lot of support, too.”

Of course, there’s an end in sight to Derby and Olson’s close bond. When Derby celebrates his own graduation, Olson will have to say goodbye to him. “No doubt there will be tears, but, if he passes, I will be so happy for him to become a working dog,” she said.

While some do not agree that gap years are a good choice, Olson said she’d seen major success. In fact, she’ll be attending Princeton University soon and is thinking about majoring in biology. “I think I’m already so much more mature than I was,” she said. “So many kids come back from gap years a lot more focused and prepared.”

1. Why did Olson decide to spend her gap year raising a guide dog in Guiding Eyes?

A．Her parents talked her into doing it.

B．It had been her dream for a long time.

C．Many of her peers had already chosen to do so.

D．It would help her to make her experienced in work.

2. According to Olson, guide dogs should ________.
a. not be easily distracted
b. be well-mannered and easy-going
c. know how to play some tricks on their owners
d. give visually-impaired people support
e. protect the blind people from all possible dangers

A．a, b, c

B．b, c, e

C．a, b, d

D．b, d, e

3. How will Olson feel when she says goodbye to Derby?

A．Sad but glad.	B．Quite happy.
C．Regretful and bothered.	D．Nervous and disappointed.

4. What does Olson think about the gap year?

A．It is not a good choice for students.

B．It makes people better prepared for the future.

C．Its negative side outweighs its positive side.

D．It makes sure of a student’s success at college.

【推荐3】I have come to southern Florida to see how licensed local snake hunters are helping the government cope with the recent explosion of invasive Burmese pythons (缅甸蟒蛇) that is destroying the region’s wildlife by eating almost everything—from squirrels to rabbits to foxes—in their path.

Thirty years ago, there were no Burmese pythons in Florida. Now most experts agree there may be as many as 100,000 to 200,000. And they’re reproducing at an alarming rate. The government has to pay to catch and kill the powerful snakes, which can grow to be 20 feet long, as thick as a telephone pole, and weigh over 200 pounds.

I’m with Tom Rahill, a python hunter, who has caught over 500 of the snakes over the last decade and become known as “the snake whisperer” for his success. As we walk along the river bank, I watch Rahill occasionally push a stick into the thick grass. As he looks for more signs, he tells me his stories and about special living habits of snakes.

Suddenly Rahill shouts, “SNAKE! There, slowly crossing the limestone road, is a Burmese python.” He rushes to the snake. It looks like a five-to-six-footer. Its thick, full belly indicates it must have killed and eaten recently.

Expertly, Rahill moves around the snake as it strikes out at him. He then grabs it with one hand firmly behind its head. I grab its tail firmly as the snake tries hard to wrestle itself away from me. Then, just as Rahill predicted, it poops (排便) all over me.

My pants are covered with smelly Burmese python poop. But I don’t care. We’ve finally bagged our python. Rahill and I high-five each other. He asks me if I want to keep hunting. I quickly tell him, “Let’s go!” As Rahill puts it, there are a lot more pythons out there.

1. Why does the government pay to catch and kill Burmese pythons?

A．Because few people dare to catch Burmese pythons.

B．Because Burmese pythons break the region’s ecological balance.

C．Because Burmese pythons are difficult to catch.

D．Because Burmese pythons are dangerous to people.

2. What do we know about Tom Rahill?

A．He is a licensed python hunter.

B．He is good at telling stories.

C．He knows how to speak to snakes.

D．He caught 500 pythons last year.

3. How does the author feel about hunting pythons with Rahill?

A．Guilty.	B．Disappointed.
C．Funny.	D．Excited.

4. What does the author mainly tell us in this text?

A．The dangerous situation of the wildlife in southern Florida.

B．The endangered Burmese python in southern Florida.

C．An experience of hunting the ecology-threatening Burmese pythons.

D．An experienced python hunter —Tom Rahill.

【推荐2】Larry was on another of his underwater expeditions(探险) but this time, it was different. He decided to take his daughter along with him. She was only ten years old. This would be her first trip with her father on what he had always been famous for.

Larry first began diving when he was his daughter’s age. Similarly, his father had taken him along on one of his expeditions. Since then, he had never looked back. Larry started out by renting diving suits from the small diving shop just along the shore. He had hated them. They were either too big or too small. Then, there was the instructor. He gave him a short lesson before allowing him into the water with his father. He had made an exception. Larry would never have been able to go down without at least five hours of theory and another similar number of hours on practical lessons with a guide. Children of his age were not even allowed to dive.

After the first expedition, Larry’s later diving adventures only got better and better. There was never a dull moment. In his black and blue suit and with an oxygen tank fastened on his back, Larry dived from boats into the middle of the ocean. Dangerous areas did not prevent him from continuing his search. Sometimes, he was limited to a cage underwater but that did not bother him. At least, he was still able to take photographs of the underwater creatures.

Larry’s first expedition without his father was in the Cayman Islands. There were numerous diving spots in the area and Larry was determined to visit all of them .Fortunately for him, a man offered to take him around the different spots for free. Larry didn’t even know what the time was, how many spots he dived into or how many photographs he had taken. The diving spots afforded such a wide range of fish and sea creatures that Larry saw more than thirty varieties of creatures.

Larry looked at his daughter. She looked as excited as he had been when he was her age. He hoped she would be able to continue the family tradition. Already, she looked like she was much braver than had been then. This was the key to a successful underwater expedition.

1. In what way was this expedition different for Larry?

A．His daughter had grown up.	B．He had become a famous diver.
C．His father would dive with him.	D．His daughter would dive with him.

2. What can be inferred from Paragraph 2?

A．Larry had some special right.

B．Larry liked the rented diving suits.

C．Divers had to buy diving equipment.

D．Ten-year-old children were permitted to dive.

3. What can be learned from the underlined sentence?

A．Larry didn’t wear a watch.	B．Larry was not good at math.
C．Larry had a poor memory.	D．Larry enjoyed the adventure.

4. What did Larry expect his daughter to do?

A．Become a successful diver.	B．Make a good diving guide.
C．Take a lot of photo underwater.	D．Have longer hours of training.

【推荐3】I was 15. She looked like she was over 70. But on that day, I think she understood me more than anyone else.

Walking into the church that Sunday was hard. I had never let anyone see me cry. But I knew I would cry that day. My grandfather was suddenly ill. The doctors said he might not live much longer. Everyone in my family was crying. Grandpa was the sweetest man in the world. Why was he leaving us?

There weren’t many people at church that day. One of them was an old lady sitting at the end of my row. She was smiling. I closed my eyes and prayed(祷告) for my grandfather to get better. Soon, my eyes were full of tears. I opened my eyes and saw a hand in front of me. It was giving me a tissue(纸巾).

The old lady was sitting next to me, smiling. She didn’t say a word. She just gave me a tissue and a smile. I tried to thank her, but only tears came out. Then she took my hand. I looked into her eyes. They were clear and blue, and they make me feel peaceful. Her smile said to me: I am with you. Everything will be OK. I closed my eyes again. When I opened them, she wasn’t there. I left the church but still couldn’t find her. I never saw her again.

My grandfather died the next week. We all cried a lot. But when I thought of that old lady’s warm smile, I felt a little better.

How did she know how I was feeling? I wish I could see her again, to say thank you.

1. The author went to church to _____.

A．pray for grandfather

B．ask the old lady for help

C．avoid being seen crying

D．thank the old lady

2. Whose hand does the underlined word “It” in Paragraph 3 refer to ______.

A．Grandfather’s	B．The old lady’s
C．The author’s	D．Father’s

3. What do we know about the old lady?

A．She knows the author.

B．She can’t speak.

C．She needs understanding.

D．She is very kind.

4. What made the author feel better after Grandfather died?

A．The old lady’s words.

B．The old lady’s smile.

C．The old lady’s eyes.

D．The old lady’s hand.