【推荐2】A Powerful Team

This is a story of two friends — one is blind, the other has no arms. Although the two are “disabled”, they are a powerful team together. They have changed part of their village in North China’s Hebei Province into a rich, green forest. Their story began in 2000. Haixia was blind in his right eye. Wenqi lost his arms in an accident.

Neither could find a job, so they decided to team up. They rented (租) some poor land and began to plant trees.

Haixia and Wenqi never imagined that they would create an environmental paradise (天堂). Their forest now has over 10,000 trees, hundreds of birds and many other wild animals. It also saves the village from river flooding during the rainy season.

When the friends work together, they focus on their strengths not their disabilities. Their day begins at 7 a.m. Haixia carries Wenqi across the river to get to their work place. Since they cannot afford to buy young trees to plant, the two use branches (树枝) from trees. Haixia climbs to the tree-top and picks up the perfect branch. He then digs a hole and plants it carefully. Finally Wenqi waters the tree.

The two men don’t make much money but they are proud of themselves and they still work hard. As Wenqi says, “We stand on our own feet, so the fruits of our work taste sweeter.”

Neither Haixia nor Wenqi cares about money. As a team, they already have everything they need - a perfect pair of eyes, two strong hands, and the best friendship in the world!

1. Haixia and Wenqi decided to team up because ______.

A．Haixia wanted to help Wenqi	B．neither could find a job
C．they had the same interest	D．Wenqi asked Haixia to do that

2. During the rainy season, Haixia and Wenqi’s forest______.

A．makes the villagers become richer	B．increases the number of the tourists
C．saves the village from river flooding	D．provides more farmland for the village

3. What does the underlined word mean?

A．unhealthy bodies

B．weaknesses

C．things they lack

D．sadness in life

4. In paragraph 5, when Wenqi says “We stand on our own feet, so the fruits of our work taste sweeter”, he means that “______”.

A．they hope to make the forest even better	B．the fruits from their trees are very sweet
C．they are proud to depend on their own	D．they are able to do any difficult work

【推荐3】“You know, these cups bring to mind a tea quote I heard.” Mary’s aunt said.

She poured tea. There were four of them and there were four totally different cups on the table.

They took their tea cups.

“What quote?” Mary asked.

“Well, maybe I should rather say it is a story,” aunt said, “I heard that there was a wise teacher who took all his students for tea. They were surprised that all the cups on the table were different. Each of them took a cup and started drinking their tea, each looking at the cups of others. The teacher let them do that for a while and then said, ‘Do you notice your behavior? You are all looking at each other’s tea cup and I can see some of you with the broken ones are even envious(羡慕的) of the finer cups of others. Is this not so?’”

The students agreed, amused by their own behavior.

“You may have wondered why you all had different cups, but I put them here on purpose. You see they represent life itself. Life is like that tea and the cups are like the physical circumstances(状况) of your life. You all got the same thing in your cups — tea. And yet you can not truly enjoy it in your envy of another’s cup. It’s just the same with life. You forget to enjoy your own life when you concentrate on envying the circumstances of someone else’s life.

So now, close your eyes, and taste your own tea. Really taste it. And tell me — did it matter from which cup it came from?”

Aunt finished telling her short tea story and they all sat in silence for a while, tasting their tea. A sleepy fly buzzed(嗡嗡作响) past, a bird sang in the tree. And it really did not matter one bit from which tea cup they drank.

1. When the students found they had different tea cups, they_____________.

A．were satisfied with their own cup

B．were angry about the broken cups they had been given

C．asked the teacher to get new cups for them

D．were curious about the difference between the cups

2. According to the passage, by comparing the cups to the physical circumstances of people’s life, the teacher meant that people_______.

A．should try different ways of life

B．shouldn’t focus on envy others’ physical circumstances

C．can never change their physical circumstances

D．should work hard for a better life

3. In the passage the teacher’s message to the students was that _______.

A．life is hard and boring for everyone

B．it is strange to be envious of the lives of others

C．everyone should learn to enjoy his own life

D．people act differently in different circumstances

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

A．More than tea in a cup	B．The value of tea
C．Tea vs cup	D．Enjoying tea with a broken cup

【推荐1】Bill Gates was born in 1955. He grew up in Seattle, Washington. When he was young, he was good at science and maths. And he wanted to be a scientist.

Bill started to play with computers when he was 13. At that time, computers were very large machines. Once he was interested in a very old computer. He and some of his friends spent lots of time doing unusual things with it. In the end, they worked out a software program with the old machine. Bill sold it for 4,200 dollars when he was only 17.

In 1973, Bill went to Harvard University. He developed the Basic Language for the first microcomputer. In his third year, he left Harvard. Bill began his company in 1975 with his friend Paul Allen. They thought that the computer would be a very important tool in every office and in every home, so they began developing software for personal computers. They developed the software to make it easier for people to use computers.

In 1999, Bill wrote a book. In the book, he told people how computer technology could solve business problems in new ways. It was one of the best-sellers on The New York Times’ list. Bill Gates has many hobbies. He enjoyed reading very much. He also enjoys playing golf and bridge.

1. When did Bill begin to play with computers?

A．In 1968.

B．In 1966.

C．In 1965.

D．In 1972.

2. Bill wrote a book about _______.

A．how to do unusual things.

B．how to play computer games.

C．how to work out a software program.

D．how to solve business problems with the help of computers in new ways.

3. We can learn from the text that _______.

A．Bill worked for Microsoft before he went to Harvard University.

B．Bill sold his first software program for 420 dollars.

C．Reading is one of Bill’s hobbies.

D．Bill began his company in 1976 with his friend.

4. Which of the following is true?

A．Bill Gates developed the Basic Language for the first microcomputer.

B．Bill Gates enjoys playing computer games.

C．Bill Gates wrote many science books.

D．Bill Gates books are on the top of best-sellers.

【推荐3】We should never give up when we’ve challenged. The following three actresses have set a good example to us.

Sarah Jessica Parker

When Parker was little, she had to take up singing and dancing to help feed her big family.

Despite hard times, Parker’s mom encouraged her children’s interest in the arts. When Parker was 11 years old, the family took a trip to New York City, so Parker could audition (试演) for a Broadway play. The trip was a success—she and her brother were both cast, and then the family moved to New York. Parker continued to work hard and land roles, eventually becoming the title character of a famous TV show.

Emily Blunt

Before Blunt was nominated (提名) for Golden Globes and landing leading roles on the stage and big screen, she could hardly hold a conversation with her classmates: Between ages 7 and 14, Emily had a major stutter (口吃). But that all changed when one of her junior high teachers encouraged her to try out for the school play, which she thought was a totally unappealing (无吸引力的) thing at first due to the fact that she had such a hard time communicating. The teacher suggested she try accents and character voices to help get the words out and it worked. By the end of her teens, Blunt had overcome her stutter and went on to achieve the successful career she has now.

Shania Twain

Twain’s career actually began more out of necessity than raw ambition. Her mom and stepfather often couldn’t make enough to get by, so Twain started singing in bars to make extra money when she was just eight years old. She recalls her mother waking her up at all hours to get up and perform. Sadly, when she was 21, her mother and stepfather were killed in a car accident on the highway.

Twain put her career on hold to step in and take care of her younger brothers. Only when her youngest brother graduated from high school did she feel it was OK to head down to Nashville to pursue her career.

1. Why did Parker’s family go to New York City when she was 11?

A．Because a TV show was waiting for Parker.

B．Because Parker planned to learn the arts there.

C．Because Parker’s family wanted to travel there.

D．Because Parker could try out for a play there.

2. What was her first reaction when Blunt was advised to try out for the school play?

A．Excited.

B．Uninterested.

C．Angry.

D．Touched.

3. What did Parker and Twain have in common when they were young?

A．They helped support their family.	B．They had uncaring parents.
C．They wanted to become famous.	D．They had an unhappy childhood.

【推荐1】A beautiful and very successful actress was the star of a new musical show. Her home was in the country, but she didn’t want to have to go back there every night, so she rented (租用) an expensive flat in the centre of the city, bought some beautiful furniture (家具) and hired a man to paint the rooms in new colours.

It was very difficult to get tickets for her show because everybody wanted to see it, so she decided to give the painter two of the best seats. She hoped that this would make him work better and more willingly for her. He took the tickets without saying anything, and she heard no more about them until the end of the month, when she got the painter’s bill. At the bottom of it were the words “Four hours watching Miss Hall sing and dance,£3,” with this note： “After 5 p.m. I get fifteen shillings an hour instead of ten shillings.”

1. In the article, “Miss Hall” was the name of ________.

A．a place where people sang and danced	B．an unmarried woman
C．a hall	D．a street

2. The woman’s flat was situated ________.

A．near the city	B．near her home
C．in the middle of the city	D．by the side of the country road

3. The actress gave the painter two tickets, hoping he would ________.

A．be pleased	B．ask less money for his work
C．charge more money for his work	D．say a good word for her musical show

4. After the painter got the tickets from the actress, he ________.

A．sold them for £3	B．went to watch the musical show
C．paid £3 for them	D．was very thankful to her

【推荐2】There was once a professor of medicine, who was very strict with the students. Whenever he took the chair on the exam committee (委员会), the students would be in fear, for he was seldom pleased with the answers they gave. A student would be lucky enough if he or she could receive a good mark from him. At the end of the term, the students of medicine would take their exam again. Now a student entered the room and got seated before the committee. This student was a little nervous as he knew it would not be so easy to get through the exam at all.

The professor began to ask the student to describe a certain illness, his answer turned out to be OK.

Then the professor asked about the cure (治疗) for illness, and the student also answered just as right.

“Good,” said the professor, “and how much will you give the patient?”

“A full spoon,” answered the student.

“Now you may go out and wait for what you can get,” said the professor. At the same time the committee discussed carefully the answers the student had given. Suddenly the student noticed that there was something wrong with his last answer. “A full spoon is too much,” he thought to himself. Anxiously, he opened the door of the room and cried, “Mr. Professor, I've made a mistake! A spoon is too much for the patient. He can take only five drops.”

“I'm sorry, sir,” said the professor coldly, “but it's too late. Your patient has died.”

1. The student who finished his answers was asked to go out________.

A．to cure a patient	B．to wait for his mark
C．to think over his answers	D．to ask someone else to go in

2. We learn from the passage that________.

A．very few students receive a good mark from the professor

B．the student didn't give a right answer at all.

C．the students were not clever enough for the questions

D．the exam at the end of the term was most difficult

3. We can infer（推断） that the student who corrected his answer would________.

A．get a good mark

B．not get a good mark

C．be lucky enough to cure a patient

D．have no chance to go on with the study

【推荐3】Lauren Elizabeth Pirie Bath, until a few years ago, she was a chef, and a happy one at that time, but she wanted more out of life. She wanted to TRAVEL. At that time, Lauren discovered blogging and found that she took pretty good pictures. So she decided to post pictures on her blog. In less than 18 moths, there were over 200,000 people reading her blog! At first, Lauren only regarded it as a hobby, but companies started paying her to take photos and publish them. In 2013, she was determined to make her dream come true: to become Australia’s first professional photo blogger. It was a challenging job, but she did it. Now Lauren spends three weeks out of every month travelling and has over 464,000 fans following her online.

First visiting Western Australia for work in 2013, Lauren fell in love with northern WA and has been back six times. She has made over 140 work trips, but the best work trip ever was to Broome in the Kimberley region.

“It is extremely beautiful and I can experience the indigenous Australia there more than anywhere else. The Kimberley region, in particular, is unique and untouched.” She told the interviewer, and as a photographer, Lauren loves the bright light and amazing colours: red rocks, green plants, blue-green waters and blue skies.

To work full time in travel, she has to love nature and tries to take every opportunity to get outside and admire the natural world. She loves to photograph the rising sun, as well as enjoys photo graphing animals such as dolphins and kangaroos.

Lauren uses the photography to make an impact on people, especially when it comes to environmental issues. Today she has been photographing a crocodile swimming close to the boat the Kimberley Quest all day. When she posts the picture online, she will make a comment about how bad it is to feed wild crocodiles. This crocodile is used to passengers throwing food from boats and now she is becoming familiar with humans. Over time, this could make her a danger to people living to the area. If everyone can do something to make others aware of the problem, then that’s part of the solution.

1. What made Lauren decide to change her job?

A．She wanted to travel.

B．Companies paid her to take photos.

C．Many people read her blog in a short time.

D．She wanted more out of life.

2. Why does Lauren Bath love the Kimberley region so much?

A．Because its distinct and not damaged.

B．Because she loves the bright light and amazing colours.

C．Because it’s beautiful than anywhere else.

D．Because it makes Lauren Bath world-famous.

3. Which word can best take the place of the underlined word “indigenous” in Paragraph 3?

A．Lovely.

B．Native.

C．Fascinating.

D．Familiar.

4. What is the purpose of Lauren Bath posting the crocodile’s picture online?

A．To show her wonderful photographing skill.

B．To tell people the crocodile is in danger.

C．To call for more people’s love for animals.

D．To make people aware of the importance of environment protection.