【推荐1】Farmer John and Farmer Bob were neighbors. For more than 30 years, they had been getting along very well.

Then their good relationship broke. It began with a small thing, then bitter words, and then weeks of silence. One morning Farmer John woke up to find a stream between the two farms. “It must be Bob,” John thought.

Then one day there was a knock on John’s door. He opened it to find a carpenter(木匠) standing at the doorway.

“I’m looking for a few days’ work,” the carpenter said.

“I do have a job for you,” John said. “Look across the stream at that farm. That’s my neighbor Bob. He dug a stream between the two farms. I want you to build a fence—an 8-foot fence. I don’t want to see his place or his face any more. I don’t have such a neighbor!”

The carpenter said, “I think I know what to do, sir, and I’ll be able to do a job that pleases you.”

Farmer John helped the carpenter get the materials ready and then he was off for the day. About sunset when the farmer returned, the carpenter had just finished his job. The farmer’s eyes opened wide. There was no fence there at all!

It was a bridge! And the neighbor, Bob, was coming across, with his hand outstretched(伸出). “Hi, John! You’re quite a fellow to build this bridge!”

Then they met in the middle, taking each other’s hands. “I’m terribly sorry for what I have said and done. We should be good to each other,” said Farmer Bob.

Then they turned to see the carpenter, who was ready to go. “No, wait! Stay a few days. I have a lot of other jobs for you,” said Farmer John. “I’d love to stay,” the carpenter said, “but I have more bridges to build.”

1. Just before the carpenter came, John and Bob ________ each other.

A．didn’t speak to	B．were friendly to
C．often fought with	D．never had bitter words with

2. Farmer John asked the carpenter to build a fence because

A．he wanted to protect his farm	B．he didn’t want to do it himself
C．he wouldn’t like to see Bob	D．he wanted to find him something to do

3. What does the sentence “You’re quite a fellow to build this bridge!” mean!

A．John was great to build this bridge.

B．John was not good at building bridges.

C．John was foolish to build such a bridge.

D．John should build the bridge earlier.

4. What do you think of the carpenter?

A．shy.	B．wise.
C．proud.	D．careless.

5. What is the best title for the passage?

A．What a Big Fence!	B．Farmer and Bridge
C．Three Kind Men	D．A Fence or a Bridge

【推荐2】Traveling through time

As children, we dream of growing older; when we are older, we dream of being children. We let our lives pass us by because we have yet to learn that the harder you yearn for time, the faster it passes. This is how my story begins.

In October of my freshman year, I took an accidental trip down memory lane. One day after school, I decided to take the long way home, I needed time to think. So off I went, walking through the grass. That was how I came to find a gap in the fence lining the school property. I passed through this gap and followed the treeline until I found myself in the far fields behind the neighborhood.

Suddenly, I remembered it was here through the fence between the school and the fields that I watched older kids having their high school graduation ceremony. In cap and gown (长袍), they stood in the middle of the field. They looked like they were having the most fun I had ever seen anyone have; they looked free.

Years later, I walked through that field on my way home from that same high school. The soccer nets were long gone, and the paint lines had washed away with the rain, but there it was, just as I remembered it. The old field felt like a moment trapped in time, a long-forgotten memory. Here I was, standing in between my past and my present and trying so hard to figure out just how all of those years had passed me by so quickly. The gap in the fence seemed like a distinct line between my years. A doorway between 5 and 15.

I’ve since given this place a name, Tempus Illud, a place between places. I try to take the long way home at least once a month now. Sometimes, when I cross that bridge, I see that younger version of myself. She is so young and so desperate to speed up time. I see her peering through the fence at those graduates in the cap and gown, and she’s wishing she could be just like them. She, too, could feel so free that she might just grow wings and fly away. Now I’m preparing to wear the cap and gown in a few short months. But this time, I wish to leave time to its own devices.

The harder you yearn for time, the faster it passes you by. So I no longer yearn. The passage of time is inevitable, and you can’t avoid it, but you can appreciate it. James Taylor sings, “The secret of life is enjoying the passage of time… Nobody knows how we got to the top of the hill, but since we’re on our way down, we might as well enjoy the ride.”

1. How did the author feel when she saw the older kids’ graduation ceremony?

A．Jealous.	B．Curious.
C．Admiring.	D．Unconcerned.

2. What is the significance of Tempus Illud to the author?

A．It honors her best childhood memory.

B．It bridges her past, present and future.

C．It shows the miracle of frozen time.

D．It symbolizes high school graduation.

3. Which of the following is the closest in meaning to the underlined expression “leave time to its own devices” in paragraph 5?

A．Keep calm, and carry on.	B．Whatever will be, will be.
C．Seize the day.	D．The best is yet to come.

4. What is the author’s main purpose in writing the article?

A．To suggest that time brings the truth to light.

B．To show that tough times never last.

C．To explain how time changes everything.

D．To share her changing attitude toward time.

【推荐3】I stopped to watch my little girl busy playing in her room. In one hand was a plastic phone, and in the other hand was a toy broom. I listened as she spoke to her make-believe (假装的) little friend.     1     She said, “Suzie’s in the corner because she’s been behaving badly. She didn’t listen to anything I said.” In the comer I saw her baby doll all dressed in pink. It was obvious she’d been put to sit alone and think.

    2     She continued, “I’m fed up. I just don’t know what to do with her. She cries whenever I have to work. She never lets me do the things that I just have to do. She tries to help me with the dishes. And she doesn’t know how to fold towels.     3     I have lots of work to do and a big house to keep clean. I don’t have the time to sit and play. Don’t you know what I mean?”

That day I thought a lot about making some changes in my life.     4     I hadn’t been paying enough attention to my dear daughter. I’d been caught up in responsibilities that increased throughout the years.

But now my attitude has changed. I’ve seen the world in a different light through my little darling’s eyes. So let the cobwebs (蜘蛛网) have the comers and the dust rule the floor. I’m not going to worry about keeping up with them anymore.     5     We are granted only one childhood, and we will never get another.

A．I don’t have the time to teach her.

B．Her innocent words cut me like a knife.

C．My daughter was the only child in the family then.

D．I’m going to fill the house with memories of a child and her mother.

E．My daughter continued her “conversation” as I sat down on the floor.

F．And I’ll never forget the words she said, even though they were imagined.

G．What a pity it is for me to treat her like that, for I am they person she trusts

【推荐1】Living and dealing with kids can be a difficult job these days, but living and dealing with parents can be even more complex.
If I have learned anything in my 16 years, it is that communication is very important. With any relationship, you need to let other people know how you are feeling. If you are not able to communicate, you drift apart (疏远). When you are mad at your parents, or anyone else, not talking to them doesn’t solve anything.
Communication begins with the concerns of others. It means that you can’t just come home from school, go up to your room and ignore everyone. To keep a good relationship, you must keep communication, even if it’s just by writing a note.
When dealing with parents, you always have to make them feel good about how they are doing as a parent. If you are trying to make them see something as you see it, tell them that you’ll listen to what they have to say, but ask them politely to listen to you. Yelling or walking away only makes the situation worse.
This is an example: one night, Sophie went to a street party with her friends. She knew she had to be home by midnight after the fireworks, but she didn’t. She was late getting home. Her parents were mad at first, not giving Sophie a chance to explain why she was late. Later, they kept calm and listened to her. Communication is the key factor here. If Sophie’s parents had not been willing to listen, Sophie would have been in a lot of trouble.
1. In the writer’s view, dealing with parents is __________.

A．more difficult	B．easier
C．more uninteresting	D．more interesting

2. What is the main idea of the second paragraph?

A．The importance of friendship

B．To make your feeling known to others

C．The importance of communication

D．The disagreement between generations

3. Which is the key to a happy relationship?

A．Children should always obey their parents.

B．They should be equal.

C．Parents play the leading part.

D．Both make the opposite know their anger.

4. What does the example in this passage prove?

A．Sophie’s parents are willing to listen to her.

B．Sophie is very polite to her parents.

C．Sophie did well in explaining her being late.

D．Communication is the solution to misunderstanding.

【推荐2】阅读理解。
阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项 （A 、B 、C 和 D ）中，选出最佳选项。     
The world is filled with smart, educated and gifted people. We meet them every day. A few days ago, my car was not running well. I pulled it into a garage and the young mechanic fixed it in just a few minutes. He knew what was wrong by simply listening to the engine sound. I was amazed. The sad truth is that great talent is not enough.
I am constantly shocked at how little talented people earn. I heard the other day that less than 5 percent of Americans earn more than $100,000 a year. A business consultant who specializes in the medical trade told me how many doctors and dentists struggle financially. It was this business consultant(顾问)who gave me the phrase, “They are one skill away from great wealth.”
There is an old saying that goes, “JOB means ‘Just Over Broke(破产)”. And unfortunately, I would say that the saying applies to millions of people. Because schools do not think financial intelligence is intelligence, most workers “live within their means”. They work and they pay the bills. Instead I recommend that young people seek work for what they will learn, more than what they will earn.
When I ask the classes I teach, “How many of you can cook a better hamburger than McDonald's?” almost all the students raise their hands. I then ask, “So if most of you can cook a better hamburger, how come McDonald's makes more money than you?” The answer is obvious: McDonald's is excellent at business systems. The world is filled with talented poor people. They focus on perfecting their skills at building a better hamburger rather than the skills of selling and delivering the hamburger.
1. The author mentions the mechanic in the first paragraph to show that       .

A．he is just one of the talented people

B．he is ready to help others

C．he has a sharp sense of hearing

D．he knows little about car repairing

2. The underlined part in the third paragraph can be best replaced by “       ”.

A．spend more than they can afford

B．do in their own way

C．live in their own circle

D．live within what they earn

3. Why do talented people earn so little according to the author?

A．They don't work hard enough.

B．They lack financial intelligence.

C．They don't make full use of their talents.

D．They have no specialized skills.

4. The main purpose of the author is to tell us       .

A．how young people can find a satisfactory job

B．what schools should teach about finance

C．why so many talented people are poor

D．how McDonald's makes much money

【推荐3】A British friend told me he couldn't understand why Chinese people love eating sunflower seeds (葵花子) as a snack so much. “I've met a lot of older Chinese and many have a crack in their front teeth; I believe that's from cracking the seeds,” he said.

I had never noticed the habit, but once he mentioned it, I suddenly became more aware. I realized that whenever I'm watching TV or typing a report, I always start mindlessly cracking sunflower seeds. My friend doesn't like sunflower seeds, and, to him, it seems unnecessary to work so hard just to get one small seed.

When we were young, the whole family would usually get together for Chinese New Year. Then, we all lived close to one another, usually in a small city, and sometimes even neighbors would go door - to - door on Chinese New Year's Eve to check out what every household was making.

I remember my parents would be in the kitchen cooking. In the living room, a large table would already be laid out, complete with a fancy tablecloth, ready - made dumpling fillings, and dishes full of candy, fruits and sunflower seeds.

Some of the dishes were to be offered to our ancestors later, while others were for neighbors and children to eat before the evening feast. I must have learned how to crack sunflower seeds back then.

I don't think it's right to criticize one's choice in food or eating habits, no matter how strange they may seem.

It's not only in China. When I went abroad, I found people had all sorts of strange habits when it came to food. In Denmark, they put salted red fish on bread and eat it for dinner, no matter how much it ruins their breath. They think it's a delicacy, and ifs connected with their culture. I think it's a wonderful tradition.

1. When did the writer become aware of her habit of cracking sunflower seeds?

A．She had a crack in her front teeth.	B．Her British friend reminded her.
C．She realized when she was watching TV	D．She typed a report about seeds.

2. What does the writer prove by mentioning Chinese New Year?

A．The traditions of celebrating it disappear.

B．Children can eat delicious food on that day.

C．The families would get together for it.

D．Eating sunflower seeds is related to it.

3. What can we infer from the passage?

A．One kind of food doesn't necessarily suit everyone.

B．It is good to form healthy eating habits.

C．Eating habits come from a certain culture.

D．Changing your eating habits will change your life.

【推荐2】In the summer of 2015, Brian Peterson and his wife Vanessa had just moved to Santa Ana, California. Outside the couple’s fourth-floor apartment, a homeless man was often yelling (叫喊) on the street corner, sometimes keeping them awake at night. Peterson would pass the man on his way to his job as a car designer, but they never spoke.

One day, Peterson was relaxing in his living room, reading a book about the power of love in action, when his quiet was influenced by the homeless man. Inspired (赋予灵感) by the book’s message, Peterson made an unexpected decision: He was going to go outside and introduce himself.

In that first conversation, Peterson learned that the man’s name was Matt Faris. He’d moved to Southern California from Kentucky to look for a job in music, but he soon fell on hard times and ended up living on the street for more than twenty years. “It was the strangest thing to me,” Peterson thought of their first conversation. “I saw beauty on the face of a man who probably hadn’t had a shower in close to a year. And his story, the life inside of him, moved me.” And even though Peterson, a graduate of the Cleveland Institute of Art, hadn’t picked up a paintbrush for about eight years, he found himself asking if he could paint Faris’s portrait (肖像). Faris said yes.

Peterson’s connection with Faris led him to form Faces of Santa Ana, a nonprofit (非营利的) organization focusing on befriending and painting portraits of homeless people. Peterson sells the portraits with the owners’ permission and puts the earning into the organization, which helps many poor people.

1. What can we learn about Peterson from paragraph 1?

A．He moved to California alone.

B．He learned a lot about the homeless man.

C．He helped the homeless man to be a car designer.

D．He was influenced by the homeless man sometimes.

2. Why did Peterson decide to introduce himself to Faris?

A．He wanted to ask Faris to keep quiet.

B．He hoped to paint a portrait for Faris.

C．He planned to share a book with Faris.

D．He was inspired by the book he was reading.

3. What happened during the first conversation between Peterson and Faris?

A．Peterson shared a photo with Faris

B．Peterson was touched by Faris’s story.

C．Peterson told Faris about his bad luck.

D．Peterson offered to take Faris to have a bath.

4. Which of the following can best describe Peterson?

A．Brave.

B．Proud.

C．Caring.

D．Honest.