【推荐1】Once there was a piano player in a bar (酒吧). People came just to hear him play. But one night, a lady asked him to sing a song.

“I don’t sing,” said the man.

But the lady told the waiter, “I’m tired of listening to the piano.” I want the player to sing!” The waiter shouted across the room, “Hey, friend! If you want to get paid, sing a song!” So he did. He had never sung in public before. Now he was singing for the very first time! Nobody had ever heard the song Mona Lisa sung so beautifully!

He had talent (天赋) he was sitting on! He may have live in rest of his life as a no-name piano player in a no-name bar. But once he found, by accident, that he could sing well, he went on working hard and became one of the best-known singers in the US. His name was Nat King Cole.

You, too, have skills and abilities. You may not feel that your talent is great, but it may be better than you think. With hard work, most skills can be improved. Besides, you may have no success at all if you just sit on your talent.

1. Nat King Cole succeeded because ________.

A．the lady helped him a lot	B．he caught the chance
C．he continued to play in the bar	D．he stopped playing the piano

2. The words “sit on” in the passage probably mean _______.

A．fail to realize	B．forget to use
C．try to develop	D．manage to show

3. From the story we know if you have some talent, you should _______.

A．hide it and wait	B．ask others for help
C．pay no attention to it	D．work hard to improve yourself

4. Which is the best title for the passage?

A．Sing in the Bar	B．Achieve Success in Life
C．Never Lose Heart	D．Find Your Hidden Talent

【推荐2】One of the greatest contributions to the first Oxford English Dictionary was also one of its most unusual． In 1879， Oxford University in England asked Prof．James Murray to serve as editor for what was to be the most ambitious dictionary in the history of the English language． It would include every English word possible and would give not only the definition but also the history of the word and quotations （引文） showing how it was used．

This was a huge task， so Murrary had to find volunteers from Britain， the United States， and the British colonies to search every newspaper， magazine， and book ever written in English． Hundreds of volunteers responded， including William Chester Minor． Dr． Minor was an American surgeon who had served in the Civil War and was now living in England． He gave his address as "Broadmoor， Crowthorne， Berkshire，" 50 miles from Oxford．

Minor joined the army of volunteers sending words and quotations to Murray． Over the next 17 years， he became one of the staff's most valued contributors．

But he was also a mystery． In spite of many invitations， he would always decline to visit Oxford． So in 1897， Murray finally decided to travel to Crowthorne himself． When he arrived， he found Minor locked in a book-lined cell at the Broadmoor Asylum （精神病院） for the Criminally Insane．

Murray and Minor became friends， sharing their love of words． Minor continued contributing to the dictionary， sending in more than 10，000 submissions in 20 years． Murray continued to visit Minor regularly， sometimes taking walks with him around the asylum grounds．

In 1910， Minor left Broadmoor for an asylum in his native America． Murray was at the port to wave goodbye to his remarkable friend.

Minor died in 1920， seven years before the first edition of the Oxford English Dictionary was completed． The 12 volumes defined 414 825 words， and thousands of them were contributions from a very scholarly and devoted asylum patient．

1. How did Dr．Minor contribute to the dictionary?

A．He helped Murray to find hundreds of volunteers．

B．He sent newspapers, magazines and books to Murray．

C．He provided a great number of words and quotations．

D．he went to England to work with Murray．

2. Which of the following best describe Dr．Minor?

A．Brave and determined.	B．Cautious and friendly.
C．Considerate and optimistic.	D．Unusual and scholarly.

3. What does the text mainly talk about?

A．The history of the English language．

B．The friendship between Murray and Minor．

C．Minor and the first Oxford English Dictionary．

D．Broadmoor Asylum and its patients．

【推荐3】I was hungry because after a full day of exploring the German town, I ate only a pizza. I’m comfortable travelling through a country where I don’t speak the language, but I would almost rather go hungry than sit in a restaurant eating alone.

After wandering around the town for hours, I finally chose an Italian restaurant that seemed friendly enough. I know I like traditional German food, but a plate of spaghetti for only six euros (欧元) was not to miss. So I nervously entered. As I stood there, I noticed all the happy families and friends eating together. The hostess found a small table for me next to the front entrance.

“Great,” I thought, “now people can look at this friendless traveller as they enter.” Then I started to wonder how many of the customers might mistake me for the hostess and how much this would interrupt my meal. Then a woman, whose name is now lost to memory, invited me to have dinner with her and her family. I couldn’t believe it! This was the German friendliness I had read about.

I walked to their table. I can be quite shy when talking to new people. I also started to wonder how this would work. The meal began awkwardly. The woman’s two children mostly stared at me.

Fortunately, the parents spoke enough English and I knew a little German. I came into this restaurant afraid of eating alone and I ended up happily.

1. The author chose an Italian restaurant instead of a German one probably because ________.

A．the author didn’t like German food

B．the food in the Italian restaurant was cheap

C．the Italian restaurant was popular in the town

D．the German restaurants in the town were closed

2. When invited to have dinner with the family, the author was ________.

A．happy

B．angry

C．disappointed

D．surprised

3. We can conclude from the passage that the author ________.

A．couldn’t speak any German

B．was outgoing and enjoyed talking to people

C．had an enjoyable dinner with the family

D．didn’t like to travel in a foreign country

4. What’s the author’s purpose of writing the passage?

A．To share her experience in Germany.

B．To encourage readers to travel in Germany.

C．To explain why Germans are friendly.

D．To express thanks to the German family.

【推荐1】In my childhood, my parents never shared their worries in economy, instead choosing to let us have a carefree childhood. But I knew, as children often do, that there were times they went without and that they couldn't afford certain things my friends had.

Back in those days, hot lunch was a luxury for the wealthier kids, and hot-lunch buyers sat separately from the students who brought cold lunch. My brothers and I brought lunch from home every day. We would look on longingly as the rich kids proudly sat down with their steaming plates of chicken or fish, cold milk, and a piece of cake.

I never said anything, but my first grade teacher, Mrs. Caruso, must have seen the yearning (渴望) in my eyes. One day she quietly pressed a note into my hand and whispered, “Give this to your mother.”

I skipped home and gave my mom the note. She read it and smiled. “Well, Mrs. Caruso said because of all your hard work, she wants to buy your lunch tomorrow.” The next day, I proudly carried my plate of chicken across the dining hall and took my seat at the hot-lunch table. Honestly, the food wasn't as great as l had imagined, but I was pleased to be there and felt honored to be a part of the group.

I don't know why Mrs. Caruso took a shine to me. Maybe she also grew up in a family that struggled. Maybe she knew what it was like to feel just a little less than everyone else. Somehow, even with her quiet charity, she never made me feel ashamed. She just made me feel loved and important. Thanks to her, I learned that I had just as much right as anyone to sit at the hot-lunch table.

I don't remember what Mrs. Caruso looked like anymore, but I sure do remember how she made me feel. I've never lost that feeling—of being important to someone and being protected by her. After all these years, I'm still grateful to that wonderful teacher.

1. What kind of life did the author have when he was a child?

A．His parents couldn't afford to send him to school.

B．He suffered from hunger every day.

C．He could get whatever he wanted.

D．His family was poor but he was well protected by his parents.

2. Why did Mrs. Caruso treat the author according to him?

A．Because he worked very hard.

B．Because she and his mother were close friends.

C．Because he didn't like the home-prepared cold food.

D．Because she noticed he longed to have a taste of it.

3. What did the author think of the lunch?

A．It was the most delicious food that he had ever had.

B．It tasted worse than his cold food.

C．He was greatly encouraged by it.

D．He knew how the rich lived from it.

4. Which of the following can best describe Mrs. Caruso?

A．Kind.

B．Hard-working.

C．Humorous.

D．Patient.

【推荐3】My brother and I were driving home together and having a heated conversation. Because of this distraction, brother took a wrong turn. Unfortunately, the wrong turn took us towards a bridge and we had no way to turn back. Unwillingly, my brother paid the bridge fee and drove on. He clearly felt down about the mistake and the needless waste of $4.

We eventually reached an exit. As we took it, my brother noticed a young guy standing nearby trying to phone someone. I was busy trying to figure out which way we went next but my brother pulled over and asked the guy if he needed any help. And he did. He had a flat tire and needed a wrench to get it off.

My brother gave him a wrench, and then helped him change the tire. We started getting to know the young man. He said that this has been a bad week for him; earlier he had gotten into a car accident and now this tire on his way home from work. But he called us. “A breath of fresh air”, and kept thanking us because he really would have been stuck if we hadn’t come along.

After we had finished the job he thanked us again and pulled out $20 and tried to give it to us. “No”, I said. “We were never supposed to even get on that bridge, we took a wrong turn. But now we know why we did. It was to help you. Thank you for turning our mistake into a chance to serve.”

1. Why was the author’s brother upset at first?

A．Because he took a wrong way.	B．Because he had a conversation.
C．Because he met with an accident.	D．Because he quarreled with the author.

2. What trouble was the young guy faced with then?

A．Losing his way.	B．One broken tire.
C．Poor repair skills.	D．A series of bad luck.

3. What can be inferred from the last paragraph?

A．They failed to remove the tire.	B．The author felt easy in the end.
C．The young man realized his mistake.	D．The author accepted the young man’s money.

4. What is the theme of the passage?

A．A friend in need is a friend indeed.	B．A good act will be doubly paid off.
C．Help a young guy out on the bridge.	D．Turn bad situation into positive energy.