【推荐1】Avi Wortis, known simply as Avi, writes historical novels. Historical novels mix historical facts with story-tell-ing skills. These stories took place in the past. The main characters are not always real; they exist only in stories.

Avi decided to become a writer when he was a student in senior high school. This was quite a decision because he did not write well in school. He had a problem called dysgraphia, a writing disability. The problem caused people to spell words wrongly. Avi always enjoyed reading. He read many types of books as a child. Avi believed that reading is the most important activity for a person who wants to be a writer.

Avi also believes that strong characters make strong stories. He creates characters that can help to bring his ideas to life. His books often deal with questions about life. Writing stories lets him explore many sides of a subject. His favorite part is to make improvements in his writing. For him the hardest part is writing the first draft(草稿).

Avi's first book was published in 1970. He has since written more than 45 books. Most of them are for young-adult readers. Besides historical novels, he writes comedies (喜剧), short stories about adventures, animals and so on. The Fighting Ground, which was published in 1984, is an example of Avi's historical novels. This attractive story takes place during the American Revolutionary War.

1. We can learn from Paragraph 2 ________.

A．why Avi liked reading

B．how Avi became a writer

C．how Avi developed characters

D．why Avi decided to become a writer

2. We can learn from the text that Avi ________.

A．seldom changes his first drafts when writing

B．published his first story in 1984

C．believes in the importance of good characters

D．thinks reading is not important for writers

3. What is the author's purpose in writing the text?

A．To introduce a writer of historical novels.

B．To show how a historical novel is written.

C．To describe an important historical novel.

D．To discuss how to become a writer.

【推荐2】I grew up in Michigan and have loved boats since I was young. I’d go out on my dad’s fishing boat, and every birthday I’d get a miniature (微型的) boat with a viewing window. In Michigan, we’re surrounded by lakes and I soon discovered that I loved diving and even skipped school days for the beach.

Three years ago, I successfully put forward an idea of running glass-bottom boat tours to an investor. It started in 2018. My sons help out, manning the deck and phones. We head out on the Cheboygan River and Lake Huron, running five trips every day over summer. We sail past lots of places of significance, with a historian on board explaining the history. We often scan the river to see what we can find. Recently, we found the head of an axe (斧子) and a tricycle.

One weekend this year, I met a potential client. I thought I should find something to show him and managed to find a giant shell. Then I saw a green bottle on top of a fish bed which I picked up. I swam to my boat, took a photo and then opened the bottle. It was full of water and had paper inside. I unfolded the paper and saw the date-November 1926. We were all amazed. The note read: “Return this paper to George Morrow.” I was so excited to have found it.

We made sure to keep the paper safe. I kept the bottle. Before leaving the harbor, I posted a picture on my Facebook page and didn’t expect what followed.

The next morning, my phone blew up with messages. While I was driving home, I got a phone call from Michele Primeau. She told me she was George Morrow’s daughter. I didn’t believe her at first.   She said her dad would float notes in bottles when he went on vacation or hid them in walls when redecorating. She worked out he had posted this one on his 18th birthday.

In autumn, Michele came to visit. She brought some of his writing and the handwriting matched. She insisted I keep the message and the bottle.

It now sits in a display case in my shop. That Facebook post now has 87,000 likes.

In a hard year, the discovery has brought pure joy. For a scuba (水肺) diver, this feels like a lifetime achievement.

1. Who was on the summer trips with me in 2018?

A．An investor.	B．A historian.
C．Sons of a champion diver.	D．A potential client.

2. What does the underlined part “my phone blew up with messages” in Paragraph 5 mean?

A．I could eventually find my phone.	B．I surfed online for latest news.
C．My mobile phone broke down.	D．I received a load of messages.

3. How did the author know the paper in the bottle was from Michele Primeau’s father?

A．By visiting her father in person.	B．By matching the handwriting.
C．By having a video chat.	D．By making a phone call.

4. Which of the following is a suitable title for the text?

A．A message in a bottle	B．A special gift from a father
C．An amazing glass-bottom boat tour	D．A scuba diver

【推荐3】In my mind, there is a moving story about a skinny young boy who loved football with all his heart.

Practice after practice, he eagerly gave everything he had. But being half the size of the other boys, he got absolutely nowhere. Despite his hard training at all the games, this hopeful athlete sat on the bench and hardly ever played.

This teenager lived alone with his father, and the relationship between the two of them was very special. Even though the son was always on the bench, his father was always in the stands cheering. He never missed a game. This young man was still the smallest of the class when he entered high school. But his father continued to encourage him.

The young man loved football and was determined to try his best at every practice, and perhaps he’d get to play when he became a senior. All through high school he never missed a practice nor a game but remained a benchwarmer. Besides, his faithful father was always in the stands, always with words of encouragement for him. When the young man went to college, he decided to try out for the football team as a “walk-on”. Everyone firmly believed that he could never make the cut, but he did.

The news that he had survived the cut thrilled him so much that he rushed to the nearest phone and called his father. His father shared his excitement and was sent season tickets for all the college games. This persistent young athlete never missed practice during his four years at college, but actually he never got the real chance to play in a game.

It was at the end of his senior football season that the coach met him with a telegram. The young man read the telegram and he became totally silent. Swallowing hard, he mumbled to the coach, “My father died this morning. Is it all right if I miss practice today?” The coach put his arm gently around his should and said, “Take the rest of the week off, son. And don’t even plan to come back to the game on Saturday.”

Saturday arrived, and the game was not going well. In the third quarter, when the team was ten points behind, a silent young man quietly slipped into the empty locker room and put on his football gear. As he ran onto the sidelines, the coach and his players were surprised to see their faithful teammate back so soon. “Coach, please let me play. I’ve just got to play today,” said the young man. The coach pretended not to hear him. There was no way he wanted his worst player in this close play-off game. But the young man insisted, and finally feeling sorry for the kid, the coach gave in. “All right,” he said. “You can go in.” Before long, the coach, the players and everyone in the stands could not believe their eyes. This little unknown, who had never played before, was doing everything right. The opposing team could not stop him. He ran, passed, blocked, and tackled like a star. His team began to succeed. The score was soon tied. In the closing seconds of the game, this kid got a pass and ran all the way for the winning touchdown.

Finally, after the stands had emptied, the coach noticed that this young man was sitting quietly in the corner all alone. The coach came to him and said, “Kid, you were unbelievably fantastic! Tell me what got into you? How did you do it?”

He looked at the coach, tears in his eyes, and said, “Well, you knew my dad died, but did you know that my dad was blind?” The young man swallowed hard and forced a smile, “Dad came to all my games, but today was the first time he could see me play, and I wanted to show him I could make it!”

1. What does the underlined sentence “he got absolutely nowhere” mean?

A．He could never make his father see his performance clearly.

B．There was no coach to train him well enough to be a good player.

C．There was no chance of his becoming a top athlete in this sport.

D．He had no idea at all what kind of person he wanted to be in the future.

2. From the passage, we can infer that__________.

A．the young man’s father had a great positive influence on him

B．the young man’s coach played an important role in his growth

C．not until his father passed away did the young man train hard

D．the young man’s road to success in football was always smooth

3. Why did the young man return to the match on Saturday?

A．He planned to make money to cure his father of his blindness.

B．He thought he was much better than other players in his team.

C．He wanted to defeat the opposing team in this significant game.

D．He hoped his dead father could be proud of his performance.

4. What’s the best title of the passage?

A．A thrilling football match	B．Determined father and son
C．The power of dreams	D．The encouragement of a coach

【推荐2】Recently, my mother asked me to drop off some letters at the post office and pick up some stamps for her. Without giving it a thought, I took the letters and purchased her stamps.

A few days later, she mentioned that one of the letters I had mailed was missing a stamp, and asked me if I had put a stamp on it. She had remembered asking me to put a stamp on it, though I certainly had not heard her. So, unfortunately, it looked like the letter, which was a bill of course, would come back marked "Return to Sender for Insufficient Postage". A few days went by and I returned to the post office to pick up our mail. While I was there, I saw the postmaster and happened to tell him about Mom’s letter missing the stamp. I asked him to be on the lookout for it coming back. It was then that he told me his story. "You know," he said, "I immediately saw after you had dropped the mail off that your letter was missing a stamp. I also noticed that it was a bill for a credit card company. I thought to myself that you have always been kind to me and my partner, and I wanted to return the favor. So, to prevent your mother from getting charged a late fee from the credit card company, I took money from our change dish (extra pennies for folks who need one), and purchased a stamp for you."

When I heard it, I couldn’t believe it. What a blessing that was! I thanked him over and over again for putting the stamp on the letter for us. Then, I immediately dumped(倾倒) all the change out of my purse and into the penny dish in order to help others out in the future. When I got home, I was able to tell Mom the good news. This was kindness karma(因果报应) in action, I believe!

1. The letter was missing a stamp because the author__________.

A．forgot to buy a stamp for it	B．didn’t take enough money
C．ignored his mother’s reminding	D．was not asked to put a stamp on it

2. What does the underlined word "Insufficient" (in Paragraph 2) probably mean?

A．Lacking	B．Heavy.
C．False.	D．Hard.

3. What may happen if the mother’s letter comes back?

A．She will be fined by the post office.

B．She might be charged some money.

C．She may lose an important message.

D．She may have to give up her credit card.

4. It can be inferred from the last paragraph that the author __________.

A．didn’t believe what the postmaster said

B．thought the postmaster misunderstood him

C．gave the postmaster money to buy stamps.

D．thought highly of what the postmaster did

【推荐3】In 2005, Calvin Echevarria was on top of his game. He had two jobs, bought a house and was raising a 3-year-old daughter with his wife. But suddenly, it felt like it was all taken away. He could no longer work as a FedEx driver because he developed diabetic retinopathy (视网膜病) and was going blind.

Calvin at first worked on developing independent living skills like walking with a stick. But he wanted to learn more — like skills that would be useful for a job. That’s when he found Lighthouse Works in Orlando, a company that creates jobs for the visually impaired (受损的) and blind.

“Seven out of ten people who are visually impaired are not in the workforce,” said Kyle Johnson, president and CEO of Lighthouse Works. “And we knew some blind people are highly educated. And they’re very capable people, who want to work and contribute. So, we created Lighthouse Works to help them do that.”

Calvin works in the call center, where Lighthouse Works has contracts with several clients, including the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity. In his job, Calvin uses a system called JAWS to “hear” the computer he uses. The system reads the computer screen to Calvin in one ear as he listens to a customer call in his other ear.

He said what makes his call center job fun is that the person on the other end of the phone doesn’t even know he’s blind. And he said working in a fully accessible office space, with other visually impaired people who can relate to him, is an added benefit.

“It gives me a purpose. It makes me feel better because I can actually be proud of myself, saying, ‘I provide for my family,’” he said.

1. What can be learned about Echevarria before he got diabetic retinopathy?

A．He was the best worker in his company.

B．He was gifted at playing games.

C．He had to work hard to support his family.

D．He was satisfied with his life.

2. What is the purpose of Lighthouse Works?

A．To make more profits.	B．To do research on retinopathy.
C．To aid the visually impaired.	D．To educate the visually impaired.

3. What is the function of JAWS in Calvin’s job?

A．Making him “see” the computer screen.

B．Helping him hear the customer better.

C．Enabling him to locate customers easily.

D．Teaching him how to answer a customer.

4. Which of the following can best sum up Calvin’s story?

A．It’s never too old to learn.

B．When God closes a door, he opens a window.

C．A journey of one thousand miles begins with one step.

D．A thousand miles of walking is better than ten years of reading.

【推荐2】A six-year-old longing to keep a unicorn in her backyard figured she’d get the hard part out of the way first.

Last November, Madeline wrote a letter to the Los Angeles County Department of Animal Care and Control with a straightforward request. “Dear LA County, I would like your approval if I can have a unicorn in my backyard if I can find one. Please send me a letter in response.”

Director Mayeda replied two weeks later. The department does in fact license unicorns, she said, under certain conditions. Those include polishing the unicorn’s horn at least once a month with a soft cloth, feeding it watermelon at least once a week, covering it with only nontoxic and biodegradable sparkles and giving it regular access to sunlight, moonbeams, and rainbows. And, because unicorns are indeed very rare to find, the department is also giving Madeline a toy unicorn to keep her company during her search, as a token of appreciation.

“It is always rewarding to hear from young people who thoughtfully consider the requirements of providing a loving home for animals,” Mayeda wrote in the letter. “I like your sense of responsible pet ownership to seek permission in advance to keep a unicorn in Los Angeles County.”

Mayeda told the Washington Post that this is the first time the department has received a request for a license for a unicorn or any mythical creature. They were impressed with the first grader for wanting to ask permission in the first place, and doing her research to work out how to go about that. She and her colleagues deal with a lot of “life-and-death” issues on the job, whether that’s seeing cases of animal abuse or animals hurting people or making decisions about having to put down dangerous or sick animals. So Madeline’s letter has considerably brightened their spirits, and she is due to visit the department this week to discuss her unicorn license application. Safe to say, she’s in for a magical surprise.

1. Why did Madeline write the letter?

A．To apply to visit a unicorn.	B．To learn to provide animal care.
C．To ask permission to keep a pet.	D．To figure out how to find a unicorn.

2. What can we learn from Paragraph 3?

A．Madeline’s application was disapproved.

B．Assistance was given for Madeline’s search.

C．Madeline was presented with a live unicorn.

D．Requirements should be met for the license.

3. Which of the following best describes Mayeda?

A．Strict and serious.	B．Loving and thoughtful.
C．Sensitive and emotional.	D．Realistic and determined.

4. Why has the letter cheered up Mayeda and her colleagues?

A．It is the first application letter for a pet.

B．Madeline puts great effort into her dream.

C．Animal protection is a life-and-death issue.

D．The department often deals with tough issues.

【推荐3】It was one of the hottest days of the dry season. We had not seen rain in almost a month. The crops were dying. Cows had stopped giving milk. The streams were long gone back into the earth. If we didn't see some rain soon we would lose everything.
I was in the kitchen making lunch for my husband and his brothers when I saw my six-year old son, Billy, walking toward the woods. He was obviously walking with a great effort... trying to be as still as possible. Minutes after he disappeared into the woods, he came running out again, toward the house.
Moments later, however, he was once again walking in that slow purposeful long step toward the woods. This activity went on for over an hour: walking cautiously to the woods, then running back to the house. Finally, my curiosity got the best of me. I crept out of the house and followed him on his journey.
He was cupping both hands in front of him as he walked; being very careful not to spill the water he held in them. Branches and thorns slapped his little face but he did not try to avoid them. He had a much greater purpose. As I leaned in to spy on him, I saw the most amazing site.
Several large deer appeared threatening in front of him. But Billy walked right up to them. I almost screamed for him to get away. And I saw a baby deer lying on the ground, obviously suffering from heavy loss of water and heat exhaustion, lift its head with great effort to lap up the water cupped in my beautiful boy's hand.
I stood on the edge of the woods watching the most beautiful heart I have ever known working so hard to save a life. As the tears that rolled down my face began to hit the ground, they were suddenly joined by other drops... and more drops... and more. I looked up at the sky. It was as if God, Himself, was weeping with pride.
1. Why did the author follow her son?

A．Because there might be danger.

B．Because her son was doing a good deed.

C．Because she intended to help.

D．Because she was curious.

2. Which of the following statements is Not True according to the passage?

A．Rain was in great need.

B．Billy carried water with his small hands.

C．There were few trees in the woods.

D．Billy walked into the woods and then returned over and over again.

3. Which is the correct order of the development of the story?
① The author was moved to tears.
② Billy fed the water to the baby deer.
③ Billy walked towards the large deer.
④ It began to rain.
⑤ The author followed Billy into the woods.

A．③②⑤①④	B．⑤③②①④
C．④①③②⑤	D．⑤②①③④

4. At the end of the story, the author might experience different feelings Except that ________.

A．Billy was a pride

B．God was touched by Billy's activity

C．the rain should have dropped earlier

D．it was worthwhile to have given birth to Billy