【推荐2】Even before my father left us, my mother had to go back to work to support our family. Once I came out of the kitchen, complaining, “Mom, I can’t peel potatoes. I have only one hand.”

Mom never looked up from sewing. “You get yourself into that kitchen and peel those potatoes,” she told me. “And don’t ever use that as an excuse for anything again!”

In the second grade, our teacher lined up my class on the playground and had each of us race across the monkey bars, swinging from one high steel rod(棒) to the next. When it was my turn, I shook my head. Some kids behind me laughed, and I went home crying.

That night I told Mom about it. She hugged me, and I saw her “we’ll see about that” look. The next afternoon, she took me back to school. At the deserted playground, Mom looked carefully at the bars.

“Now, pull up with your right arm,” she advised. She stood by as I struggled to lift myself with my right hand until I could hook the bar with my other elbow. Day after day we practiced, and she praised me for every rung I reached. I’ll never forget the next time, crossing the rungs, I looked down at the kids who were standing with their mouths open.

One night, after a dance at my new junior high, I lay in bed sobbing. I could hear Mom come into my room. “Mom,” I said, weeping, “none of the boys would dance with me.”

For a long time, I didn’t hear anything. Then she said, “Oh, honey, someday you’ll be beating those boys off with a bat.” Her voice was faint. I peeked out from my covers to see tears running down her cheeks. Then I knew how much she suffered on my behalf. She had never let me see her tears.

1. Which of the following expressions can be used most suitably to describe Mom’s attitude when she made the child peel potatoes?

A．Cruel.

B．Serious.

C．Cold.

D．Strict.

2. What does the sentence “I saw her ‘we’ll see about that’ look” in Paragraph 4 imply?

A．Mom believed every aim could be achieved if you stuck to it.

B．The race across monkey bars was not difficult enough for a child to give up.

C．Mom was determined to prove she herself was better than the teacher.

D．What the child had said brought Mom great attraction and curiosity.

3. When the child looked down at the kids, they were standing with their mouths open because ______.

A．they felt sorry for what they had done before

B．they were afraid the author might fall off and get hurt

C．they were astonished to find the author’s progress

D．they wanted to see what the author would do on the bars

4. The most probable conclusion we can draw after reading the passage is that ______.

A．the last incident was sad enough to make Mom weep

B．the child’s experience reminded Mom of that of her own

C．Mom could solve any problem except the one in the last paragraph

D．in fact Mom suffered more in the process of the child’s growth

【推荐3】Once a boy came to ask a fisherman how to become cleverer, because his mother always called him “foolish boy”.

“That’s easy,” answered the fisherman. “I know one way to make you become cleverer.”

“Really?”

“Of course. It is said a fish head is good for brain. If you eat one, you’ll become cleverer indeed. Pay only three pounds for one fish head.” The boy paid him three pounds and the fisherman cut off a fish head and handed it to him.

A raw (生的) fish head is not good—not even for a hungry boy to eat but the boy ate it up in two gulps (一口).

“Do you feel anything?” asked the fisherman.

“Not in my head,” said the boy.

The boy lay on the ground and thought. “One whole fish costs only two pounds. I had paid him three pounds for the fish head. Why couldn’t I have the whole fish for soup, a head for brain and one pound left over?” He jumped up and shouted at the fisherman. “You thief! You are fooling me!” The fisherman laughed, saying, “The fish head works now, you see.”

1. The boy ate up the raw fish head only in two gulps, because he __________.

A．took it as a good medicine	B．wanted to taste it
C．enjoy it	D．was a foolish boy

2. The boy came to the fisherman in order to __________.

A．buy a fish head

B．ask the fisherman a question

C．buy a whole fish

D．learn something about fish

3. The boy paid three pounds. He should have had __________.

A．a whole fish

B．a whole fish, a fish head and one pound back

C．a whole fish and one pound back

D．a fish head and one pound back

4. __________ helped the boy become cleverer.

A．A good meal	B．Nothing
C．The raw fish head	D．What had happened

【推荐1】Ian McKenna was in third grade when he learned that many kids at his Austin school weren’t getting enough to eat at home. He wanted to help, but local volunteer organizations turned him away, saying he was too young. So he decided to find his own solution. For years, he had been-gardening with his mother, and they often sent their vegetables to the neighbors. “I’m good at gardening,” says McKenna, now 16. “Why not plant a garden at school, so that kids in need could take food home?”

McKenna persuaded his school to set aside space for a garden; then he asked the community for donations of seeds and equipment. Other students donated their time. Within months, McKenna’s garden was producing lettuces, tomatoes and cucumbers for students and their families. Now, seven years later, McKenna’s Giving Garden project has expanded to five area schools in addition to his own backyard garden. For most of his gardening activities, McKenna wears the same T-shirt in different colors, with his personal motto on it: BEA GOOD HUMAN. To him, that means helping in any way you can, no matter what your age.

“Even a smile might change someone’s life,” he says. “It lets them know that they are important. It can make their day.”

When COVID-19 hit the U.S., MeKenna redoubled his efforts, cooking up to 100 meals to distribute (配送) to the hungry on the weekends. When social distancing meant that volunteers couldn’t work on community garden, he started offering online classes and a gardening hotline so families could grow at home. While gardening is his core focus, MeKenna says he is always looking for new ways to help the hungry.

1. What caused Ian’s decision to help the kids in his own way?

A．Being rejected by volunteer groups.	B．Being good at gardening.
C．His school’s support.	D．His mother’s suggestions.

2. What do we know about the Giving Garden project?

A．It helps students only.	B．It was started with many supports.
C．It is funded by schools.	D．It earns great profits every year.

3. Which of the following can best describe Ian?

A．Well-educated

B．Honest

C．Responsible

D．Caring.

4. What is the best title of the passage?

A．Ian McKenna, Growing a Food Project	B．Ian Mckenna, an Experienced Gardener
C．Giving Garden Project, a Challenging Task	D．Giving Garden Project, a Universal Solution

【推荐3】When Ariel Rojas rode her bike to Bay Wildlife Reserve in Queens, New York, last November, she planned to go hiking and bird-watching. A mile into her walk, she suddenly spotted a beautiful swan struggling near the water’s edge. Ariel, 30, who had worked at the Wild Bird Recovery Center in Manhattan knew that swans were likely to view her as a predator and attack her but as she approached this one, it didn’t move.

She was certain that the bird needed medical attention, so she covered her jacket over the bird’s head to keep it calm, gently picked it up but then a thought struck her: What should I do next? The nearest Wild Bird Recovery Center was across the East River and clear on the other side of town. How was she going to carry a 17-pound swan on her bike all that way? Luckily, some strangers driving by offered her, her bike, and the swan a lift to a nearby subway station. On the subway, no one seemed to be particularly bothered by the feathered passenger. “One guy,” said Ariel, “was sitting right in front of me on his phone. I don’t know if he even noticed there was a swan in front of him.”

Rojas called the center on the way, and Tristan Higgin, an animal-care manager, picked her up at the subway station and drove bird, bike, and Rojas to the facility. There, staff members determined that the swan might have heavy metal poisoning, caused by taking in weights used on fishing lines. The staff got the swan back up on her feet, She even made friends at the center—another injured swan. Sadly, even with all that loving care, the swan didn’t pick up. Two months after Rojas came to her aid, she passed away. It’s a disappointing ending, but the real story is just how far some people are willing to go to save a swan in the big city. In all, Rojas traveled two hours by foot, car, and subway while dragging her bike.

1. What does the underlined word “predator” in paragraph 1 mean?

A．A potential volunteer,

B．A likely audience.

C．A potential killer.

D．A likely helper.

2. According to the passage, which of the following statements is true?

A．It was easy for Ariel to carry the little swan.	B．The swan ran into her way and was hit.
C．Rojas sent the swan to the center all by herself.	D．The swan was kindly and lovingly treated.

3. Which of the following can best describe Rojas?

A．Kind-hearted and imaginative.	B．Caring and helpful.
C．Strong-minded and energetic.	D．Positive and creative. i

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

A．A Poor Swan Saved by Love.	B．A Volunteer Loving and Saving Birds.
C．Loving Honks to Save Swans.	D．A Poor Swan Surrounded with Love.

【推荐3】A few days ago, my husband, Russ, and I lost our house of 28 years to a California wild fire.

On that night, we had to leave our house and sleep in the back seat of our Ford. The next morning, we had to drive three and a half hours to find a hotel that had a room available. Only later, in the local newspaper, did we see photographs of the destruction. Our house had been consumed by the fire along with most of our neighborhood.

“How are we going to rebuild our house after this?” I thought, rounding a corner on the sidewalk on my walk back to the hotel. “Is it even possible?”

I noticed something up ahead—a pair of nickels, shining like precious jewels. They were just nickels, but they somehow felt special. I bent down and picked them up. If these were lucky coins, I could use all the luck I could get.

A few days later, I made a trip to the store to buy essentials. The enormous task of replacing everything we’d lost put a heavy weight on me. I was about to leave when I felt the urge to stop and turn my head to the right. I could hardly believe it—there on a shelf, was a nickel! “Okay, maybe this is more than luck,” I thought and put the nickel in my pocket.

I told myself that I had found the nickels just by chance. Then I found one next to my plate at a restaurant—on Thanksgiving, when I was missing our house more than ever. It seemed that a nickel appeared whenever my spirits sank.

Whenever I reached my breaking point, I’d find another nickel. In the grass at the park, or near the tire of my car in a parking lot. Once, my change for a quick lunch was given entirely in nickels. “I’m sorry,” the cashier said. “It’s all we have.” “It’s all I need!” I said.

One day, I was sitting at the desk when my phone rang. It was a real-estate agent I’d been working with. “I have a new listing,” she said. “When can we see it?”

A few hours later, Russ and I were following the agent down the driveway toward the house. I didn’t think long. Because there, in the driveway...

1. What can be inferred from the first two paragraphs?

A．The hotel was rather far away from their destroyed house.

B．The author took some photos of the destruction after the fire.

C．The couple saved most of their precious items from the house.

D．The couple spent the night sleeping in a temporary tent after the fire.

2. Where did the author find the first pair of nickels?

A．In front of the hotel.	B．Among the ashes of his house.
C．In the corner of the hotel room.	D．At the corner of the side of a road.

3. How did the author react to the cashier’s giving her change in nickels?

A．She laughed at the cashier.	B．She refused to accept them.
C．She expressed her satisfaction.	D．She threw them on the counter.

4. What might the nickels represent on the author’s mind?

A．Not only victory but also something else.	B．Not only fortune but also something else.
C．Not only strength but also something else.	D．Not only promotion but also something else.