【推荐1】With more recognition than Halloween and less than Christmas, Valentine’s Day as an imported festival faces a dangerous situation in China, where it’s caught between forces of tradition and fashion. Valentine’s Day has a natural enemy in China. And it is not the Chinese equivalent, which falls on the seventh day of the seventh month on the lunar calendar, usually around half a year away from Feb. 14. It is the Spring Festival, also known as the Chinese New Year, that will influence the Feast of Saint Valentine.
The real disagreement between East and West probably took place over a century ago, when China’s door was forced open by Western powers and Chinese scholars supported westernization as a means to strengthenour nation’s ability to compete. The introduction of the solar calendarand Western measurements was both an acknowledgment of their influence and an effort to be accepted by the world order.       
For a full century, we have had two systems running in parallel. When it comes to the eventual outcome, practicality usually beats all other concerns. Laws can help, such as the three traditional festivals of Tomb Sweeping, Dragon Boat and Mid-Autumn gaining legal status in 2008 and giving every Chinese citizen a day off, but laws cannot push what people have no feelings for. So, the celebration or boycott of imported holidaysor homegrown ones should be no cause for worry. If they are irrelevant, no social media will change the public’s mind; and if they are accepted, there must be a need which they happen to satisfy.
Since we have no global Qin Shihuang to force one system on every country, we can always rely on a dual(双重) approach by which we share with the outside world on one hand but preserve our own ways of life on the other.
1. What does the author say about Valentine’s Day in China?

A．It is better received than Christmas.

B．It brings potential danger to people.

C．It becomes increasingly popular.

D．It happens to have a natural enemy.

2. The underlined word “equivalent” in the first paragraph refers to ________.

A．theChinese Valentine’s Day

B．theSpring Festival

C．fashion

D．custom

3. Which of the following can decide what to celebrate according to the author?

A．Laws.

B．Media.

C．Needs.

D．Tradition.

4. The author believes that ________.

A．the conflict between East and West causes more trouble

B．two different systems of festivals can co-existin China

C．westernization is a symbol of a nation’s competitive ability

D．homegrown festivals are more important than imported ones

【推荐2】Have you ever been in a situation where your name is spelled incorrectly on a Starbucks cup even after you spell out every single letter to the barista(咖啡师)？ What would you feel when a room freezes into a sudden silence as soon as you start talking — living with a foreign accent is difficult？

Recently a gentleman in his 40s noticed my accent, and asked me where I was from. Then he inquired about what I majored in and how long I’d been in the US to learn English. After a polite exchange, he said sympathetically that he couldn’t imagine how hard it was for me to deal with reading long English texts. Furthermore, he seemed genuinely puzzled to the fact that I learned to speak English “so well” in an African country. Usually I would have shown my defensive self, pointing out his ignorance and telling him how sad I felt that his education had failed him. But I didn’t.

Sometimes these everyday experiences can drive me crazy. I even think of trying to actively “sound American” as a way to escape the stereotypes(模式化观念) that people have. But if I practiced an American accent enough, would people actually focus on what I say rather than how I say it?

Actually, to speak in our accent itself is to tell a story of identity. My housemates and I come from seven different countries: Jamaica, USA, Gambia, Yemen, China, Ecuador and SA. None of us speak native-like English, but we understand each other perfectly and get along harmoniously. If we all sounded the same, I think that would be boring. Together, we make up a cocktail of beautifully crafted accents with seasoned experiences. None of us owes anyone an explanation about why we don’t sound like how you expect us to.

Accepting that people sound different and embracing them for that reason is important. We are a generation of different languages, dialects, and accents. The world is more and more diverse with various cultures, and if that means making extra efforts to understand someone’s accent and learning how to spell their name, that’s just how it’s going to be.

Deal with it.

1. What purpose do the two questions serve in the first paragraph?

A．To introduce the topic of the passage.	B．To share some unpleasant experiences.
C．To show it’s hard to live with an accent.	D．To express disappointment at the service.

2. What does the author probably do?

A．An English teacher.	B．An international student.
C．A Starbuck waiter.	D．A university professor.

3. How did the author probably feel after talking with the gentleman?

A．Ashamed.

B．Amazed.

C．Amused.

D．Annoyed.

4. Which of the following might the author most likely agree with?

A．Efforts should be made to get rid of accents.

B．We should speak the way we are expected to.

C．Acceptance of accents is needed in the society.

D．Education contributes to native-like English.

【推荐3】Steve and Yaser first met in their chemistry class at an American university. Yaser was an international student from Jordan. He was excited to get to know an American. He wanted to learn more about American culture. Yaser hoped that he and Steve would become good friends. At first, Steve seemed very friendly. He always greeted Yaser warmly before class. Sometimes he offered to study with Yaser. He even invited Yaser to have lunch with him.

But after the term was over, Steve seemed more distant. The two former(以前的) classmates didn’t see each other very much at school. One day Yaser decided to call Steve. Steve didn’t seem very interested in talking to him.. Yaser was hurt by Steve’s change of attitude. “Steve said we were friends,” Yaser complained. “And I thought friends were friends forever.” Yaser is a little confused.

He is an outsider(局外人) to American culture. He doesn’t understand the way Americans view friendship. Americans use the word “friend” in a very general way. They may call both casual acquaintances(熟人) and close companions(伙伴) “friends”. Americans have school friends, work friends, sports friends and neighborhood friends. These friendships are based on common interests.

American society changes rapidly. Studies show that one out of five American families moves every year. American friendships develop quickly, and they may change just as quickly. People from the United States may at first seem friendly. Americans often chat easily with strangers. They exchange information about their families, hobbies and work. They may smile warmly and say, “Have a nice day.” or “see you later.” schoolmates may say, “Let’s get together sometime.” But American friendliness is not always an offer of true friendship.

1. According to the text , what made Yaser a little confused ?

A．Steve’s inviting him to dinner	B．Steve’s studying with him
C．Steve’s cold attitude	D．Steve’s misunderstanding him

2. In Paragraph 4, what does the underlined word “ they ” refer to ?

A．American families	B．American friendships
C．People from the United States	D．Misunderstandings

3. Why do American friendships develop and change so quickly ?

A．Americans may not only call casual acquaintances but close companion “friends”.

B．American society changes rapidly, and the families move frequently.

C．Americans often seem friendly, and chat easily with strangers at first.

D．Americans think friendship means a strong lifelong relationship between two persons.

4. This text mainly tells us __________.

A．that people should not make friends with Americans.

B．that everyone needs friends.

C．the importance of keeping friendship.

D．how Americans view friendship.

【推荐1】Deisha walked up and down as she waited backstage. This would be her most important piano performance yet. At ten years old, she was the youngest performer in the recital (音乐演奏会). She had practiced playing her song more than 30 times that week. When she closed her eyes at night the music played over and over again in her head.

Now that the day had arrived. Deisha was not sure she was ready. She smoothed her hair and picked a piece of lint (绒毛) from the new dress that her mother had bought for her. She noticed that her hands were shaking. How could she play the notes of the song if her hands were shaking? She tried to concentrate on steadying (稳住) them, but they play only shook more.

Deisha’s piano teacher, Ms. Neal, walked up to speak to her. “I have something for you.” she said, putting a smooth black stone into Deisha’s hand. “It’s a special stone. There’s no other one like it in the world. You’ve practiced so much; you don’t need anything else.”

The stage lights reflected off the rock. “Thank you,” Deisha said.

When Deisha’s name was called, she rubbed the stone, stepped onto the stage, and played better than ever.

After her performance, she noticed that Ms. Neal had a whole bag of black stones. “Why did you say this one was so special?” she asked. The teacher responded, “Because, like your talent, it belongs only to you.”

1. Why did Deisha hear the piano music in her head at night?

A．She had practiced many times.	B．She wanted to remember the song forever.
C．She listened to the song every day.	D．She liked this piece of music very much.

2. Before the performance began, Deisha     .

A．was dissatisfied with her new dress	B．waited impatiently backstage
C．was too nervous to keep her hands steady	D．forgot the notes suddenly

3. According to the text, Ms. Neal thought that     .

A．Deisha was fully prepared for the recital

B．it was difficult to play the piano

C．it took talent to play the piano

D．Deisha owned many things

4. What does the writer want to show?

A．Practice leads to a perfect performance.	B．People are talented in their own way.
C．Rubbing a stone can bring good luck.	D．Performing in front of people is hard.

【推荐3】After graduating from Ontario College of Teachers, I became a teacher at a one-room country school in Aldborough Township.

That first day of school as a 19-year-old female teacher was a frightening experience. It was one thing to have graduated as a successful student; it was another thing to face a classroom of little faces that were waiting for the “new teacher”. I had a classroom of 21 children of different shapes and sizes. The youngest was five going on six and the eldest was 16.

There were two doors for entrance in my school, one for the girls, one for the boys and just inside each door was a chemical toilet — no outdoor equipment for us! The heat in the building was a wood-burning furnace (火炉) down in the basement. Looking after the furnace was one of my responsibilities. Luckily, I knew a bit about starting a fire, so the school didn’t burn down.

What I found most difficult was that a parent might take a child out of school for any reason. I had one Dutch family, whose father would keep the children out of school to help with the farm work. Finally, I got tired of this and sent an education officer to solve the problem. Needless to say, I was very unpopular with that father from then on, but the children came to school much more regularly!

In the classroom, the older students helped the younger ones with learning, as well as with putting on coats and hats. If someone’s lunch was forgotten, everyone shared a bit of their food. We were a family. We had good times and bad times, but we kept learning. Far beyond maths, social studies, reading, grammar and writing, we learned how to get along with each other.

I loved teaching at this small school and knew I was teaching the children about life as much as about subjects. I’d like to believe some students will have an effect on the world that will last long after I am gone.

1. Why did the writer feel her first day as a teacher frightening?

A．There were so many students in the class.	B．The situations were quite different.
C．There was no outdoor equipment.	D．The students were curious about her.

2. What do we know about the school?

A．It was badly equipped.	B．The playground was large.
C．It was once damaged by a fire.	D．The students were of similar age.

3. What was a headache for the writer?

A．A Dutch family hated her.

B．The students preferred farm work.

C．The education officer offered little help.

D．Some parents didn’t care about their children’s education.

4. What can be inferred from Paragraph 5?

A．They cared about each other.	B．They had an effect on the world.
C．They laughed away bad times.	D．They did well in almost every subject.