【推荐2】In the sport of track and field, athletes compete not only with one another but against themselves, and in each race they try to achieve the new personal best.

For one Nebraska teen running in what would likely to be his final cross-country outing before graduating from high school, his personal best turned out not to be marking the fastest time but displaying the biggest heart.

Although it was a long shot when he came out from the starting position last Thursday, Brandon Schutt from Bellevue East High School knew if his time was good enough that day, he still had the potential to qualify for the upcoming state meet. A mile into the 3.1-mile race, however, Schutt realized he wasn’t going to be able to keep up the necessary momentum(势头). Rather than risking injury, he slowed to a comfortable pace that would allow him to simply get pleasure from the moment and the day.

Meanwhile, Blake Cerveny from Omaha Burke High School was running a very different kind of race. Aiming to beat his own personal record, after a fast start, he continued to push himself hard. With less than 400 meters to go, Cerveny’s legs cramped up (抽筋), but he didn’t give up. Cerveny rose from the ground and continued on, only to fall again after another 150 meters and again. About 100 meters away from the finish line, he lay curled on the ground. His legs had simply given out.

Before Cerveny’s dad could reach his son, Brandon Schutt was at his side to offer a helping hand. The two completed the final meters of the course. Schutt even made sure the injured runner crossed the finish line first, securing his opponent a faster time.

In today’s competitive world, while the emphasis in athletics is so often on breaking records, it is inspiring to see an athlete like Brandon Schutt.

1. What can we learn about Schutt at the beginning of the running?

A．He was confident to win the first place.

B．He was nervous about the coming graduation.

C．He was clear about his own strengths and weaknesses.

D．He was dissatisfied with the surrounding things.

2. Why did Brandon Schutt slow down after a mile?

A．To have a final push.	B．To enjoy the competition.
C．To help Blake Cerveny.	D．To examine his wounds.

3. What can we learn about Blake Cerveny in the race?

A．He was a person of determination.

B．He was generous to help others.

C．He didn’t cross the finish line.

D．He was affected by his physical disability.

4. What can be the best title of the passage?

A．The Love for Sports.	B．The Sport of Track and Field.
C．The Importance of Perseverance.	D．The Value of True Sportsmanship.

【推荐1】It has become a daily routine(常规) for the students on bus No.7 in Arlington, Washington to wave to the “grandma in window”.

Every day for the past five years, you could find the old lady Louise Edlen sitting at her dining room table having breakfast as the kids were passing by. But one day in early October this year she was not found sitting in her usual place.

The kids didn’t see their old friend for a few days. They got worried. Finally, they learned that she had suffered a stroke(中风). “It was kind of heartbreaking to us because she was always there in the past five years,” seventh-grader Axtin Bandewerfhorst said.

But she was upset and was obviously still thinking about the 20 boys and girls who passed by her home every day. The day after the bus driver Carol Mitzelfeld brought a bouquet of flowers from the students to Edlen, the kids looked out of the window to find a sign reading “Thank you”.

“That really made me happy,” 10^th-grader Cheyanne Holt said. “It shows how much we mean to her.”

So to welcome Edlen home from the hospital, they made her a sign of their own: a photo of the kids waving from inside the bus.

“Carol told us that a lot of times she even does not remember her daughter’s name, but she always remembers to wave to the kids on the bus,” Bandewerfhorst said. “That made me feel really special.”

Louise’s husband, Dave Elden, said, “The students’ daily move gives her something to look forward to every day.”

Elden has returned home, and is back to waving to the students every day.

1. When does the No. 7 bus pass Louise’s house?

A．In the morning.	B．At noon.
C．In the evening.	D．At night.

2. Where was the sign reading “Thank You” placed ?

A．In front of the hospital.	B．On the school bus.
C．At the gate of the kids’ school.	D．In front of the dining room window.

3. Louise felt upset in hospital because ___________.

A．she forgot her daughter’s name	B．the kids didn’t visit her
C．she couldn’t see those kids as usual	D．her illness made her suffer quite a lot

【推荐2】Jane got some terrible illness when she was four. After years of treatment (治疗), she finally became healthy.

Two years ago, while Jane was watching the Olympics, a dream came into her sweet little head — to be a swimmer.

She practiced hard and finally joined the local swimming team. The team practice, however, was a difficult start. She coughed for her first few weeks. Hearing her coughing heavily one night, I decided to pull her from it all. But Jane woke me up early the next morning, wearing her swimsuit ready to go! I told her she shouldn’t swim after a whole night’s coughing, but she just refused to rest at home.

From that day on, Jane kept swimming and didn’t miss any practice. She wanted to be the best swimmer someday.

My girl was growing and changing right before my eyes into this strong-minded person. There are moments when she felt upset of course — often she would be the last swimmer in the race. It was difficult for Jane to accept that she wasn’t a winner ever. But that didn’t stop her from trying.

Then came the final awards ceremony (颁奖仪式) at the end of the year. Jane didn’t expect any award but was still there for her friends. As the ceremony was nearing the end, I suddenly heard the head coach (教练) saying loudly, “The highest honor (荣誉) goes to Jane!”

It was the greatest moment of my daughter’s life. With all she had been through in her ten years, this was the hour of true success.

1. From Paragraphs 1-3, we can NOT know that ________.

A．Jane began to have a dream to be a swimmer two years ago

B．Jane finally joined the swimming team by practicing hard

C．coughing didn’t stop Jane from practicing swimming

D．Jane still received the medical treatment during the team practice

2. Jane felt upset when ________.

A．she missed swimming practice	B．her mother didn’t go to watch her practice
C．she lost her race	D．she didn’t get any award

3. In the author’s eyes, Jane might be very ________.

A．strong-minded and hard-working	B．careful and understanding
C．talented and serious	D．unlucky and unhealthy

4. What can we NOT learn from the passage?

A．Jane kept trying for her dream even when she had difficulty.

B．The author once wanted Jane to stop practicing swimming.

C．Jane finally became the best swimmer of the team.

D．The author might be very proud of her daughter at last.

5. The best title of the passage could be “________”.

A．The Last Swimmer

B．The Best Award

C．The Real Lose

D．A Girl’s Dream

【推荐3】Last summer, Katie Steller pulled off the freeway on her way to work in Minneapolis. She stopped at a traffic light, where a man was sitting with a sign asking for help. She rolled down her window.

“Hey!” she shouted. “I’m driving around giving free haircuts. If I go grab my chair, do you want one right now?”

The man looked to be in his 60s. He was balding, and missing a few teeth. As Steller liked to tell the story, he laughed, then paused. “Actually,” he said, “I have a funeral to go to this week. I was really hoping to get a haircut.”

Steller pulled out a red chair from her car and helped the man cut his hair immediately. After the work was finished, Edward looked in a mirror. “I look good!” he said.

Until last year, Steller had given such haircuts to people living on the margins(边缘) around the city. She was keenly aware of the power of her cleanup job.

“It’s more than a haircut,” she said. “I want it to be a gateway, to show value and respect, but also to get to know people. I want to build relationships.”

Steller knew that a haircut could change a life. One changed hers: As a teen, she suffered from a severe disease, her hair thinned drastically. Seeing this, her mother arranged for Steller’s first professional haircut.

“To sit down and have somebody look at me and talk to me like a person and not just an illness, it helped me feel cared about and less alone,” she said.

After that, Steller knew she wanted to have her own salon so she could help people feel the way she’d felt that day. Not long after finishing cosmetology school in 2009, she began what she now calls her Red Chair Project, reaching out to people on the streets. Her aim was that by doing some kind acts, others would be inspired to spread their own.

“Part of what broke my heart was just how lonely people looked,” she said. “I thought maybe I’d go around and ask if people want free haircuts. I can’t fix their problems, but maybe I can help them feel less alone for a moment.”

It all began with a belief in simple acts of kindness, such as a free haircut. “The way you show up in the world matters,” said Steller. “You have no idea what people are going to do with the kindness that you give them.”

1. How did Steller react to the man’s asking for help?

A．She paid no attention.

B．She offered a free haircut to him.

C．She sent a red chair to him as a present.

D．She told an interesting story to make him happy.

2. What did Steller mean by saying “It’s more than a haircut” in paragraph 6?

A．She thought it was a respectable job.

B．She had found more advantages for the job.

C．She considered haircut as a way to make friends.

D．She hoped her job could make a difference to others.

3. What did Steller expect from Red Chair Project?

A．To earn a lot of money.	B．To know more people.
C．To pass down the kindness.	D．To make herself stand out.

4. What would be the best title for the passage?

A．A Cut Above.	B．A Beautiful Salon.
C．The Good Belief.	D．The Miracle of Love.

【推荐3】阅读下面短文，按照要求完成阅读任务。

I used to be the silent type of person before my senior year in high school. But one thing that I have brought with me all the time is my sense of independence. I didn’t like others seeing the real me, thinking that they’d only judge what I had done and what I was doing critically. I didn’t want to get hurt. Maybe I was overly cautious. But more than that, I wanted to prove to those people who looked down on me that I could do things on my own.

But then, what happened in my senior year in high school changed everything. Being the President of a newly-founded club, a secretary of another one, an assistant of a laboratory and a student in the top section, I felt extremely tired sometimes. And what I finally got was a one-week hospitalization later due to a physical breakdown.

My mistake during that time was that I refused help from my members. I wasn’t tyrannical(专横的) in my term, but my motto “As long as you can do it, do it” made me feel more sleep as soon as I hit the bed, I didn’t say anything. And that was the roof of my physical breakdown.

However, when I got back to school, I saw my members doing their jobs successfully—not relying on me in many ways. And somehow, it made me realize the importance of cooperating with others. I learned that sometimes, I really couldn't make it on my own.

1. What was the author like before his senior year in high school?（no more than 5 words）
2. Why didn’t the author want others to see the real him?（no more than 15 words）
3. What does the underlined words refer to in Paragraph 3?（no more than 15 words）
4. What did the author find when he got back to school?（no more than 10 words）
5. What can you learn from the author’s story? Express it in your own words.（no more than 20 words）