【推荐1】I walked into my daughter's room as she was working on a science project. Normally,I would have been pleased about such a sight. But this time, her project involved much sand. While she'd put sheets of plastic under her work area, the sand was spreading all over our new floor.

My daughter felt my displeasure and began to defend herself. "I used sheets of plastic!" she responded irritably. I responded more angrily, "But the sand is gettlng all over ! "

"Where else am I supposed to do it?" she shouted.

"Why didn't she admit that she had done something wrong?” I thought to myself. I felt my fear, thinking of what her life would be like in the future if she couldn't realise her mistakes?

My fear was translated into more anger, this time about how important it was to admit mistakes. We had a quarrel. She said something disrespectful to me and raised her voice.

I wished this had never happened before. But my daughter and I were in embarrassment and felt terrible.

So I thought that I needed a good way to respond to my daughter. So I went to my wife and asked how I should have handled it.

"Sweetie, " she said, role-playing in the conversation with my daughter, "there's a lot of sand here and we need to clean it up before it destroys the floor. How can I help you?"

That's really a great way to deal with it: first identify the problem, next state what needs to be done and then offer to help. It's simple, right?

1. Why did the author feel displeased at the sight?

A．The daughter's project involved much sand.

B．The daughter worked too long on the science project.

C．The daughter put sheets of plastic under her work area.

D．The daughter spread the sand all over the new floor.

2. What's the author's fear in Para. 4?

A．He was worried about his daughter' future life.

B．The new floor was covered with sand everywhere.

C．The daughter was angry with him.

D．The author didn't know how to handle the situation.

3. Which words can best describe the author?

A．Indifferent and cold.	B．Understanding but worried.
C．Pleased and relaxed.	D．Annoyed but modest

4. Which of the following best states the theme of the passage?

A．Learn to deal with problems calmly and wisely.

B．Working on science projects does good to people.

C．Conduct Role-play in the conversation

D．Communicate with children patiently

【推荐2】I must have always known reading was very important because the first memories I have as a child deal with books. There was not one night that I don't remember mom reading me a storybook by my bedside. I was extremely inspired by the elegant way the words sounded.

I always wanted to know what my mom was reading. Hearing mom say," I can't believe what's printed in the newspaper this morning," made me want to grab it out of her hands and read it myself. I wanted to be like my mom and know all of the things she knew. So I carried around a book, and each night, just to be like her, I would pretend to be reading.

This is how everyone learned to read. We would start off with sentences, then paragraphs, and then stories. It seemed an unending journey, but even as a six-year-old girl I realized that knowing how to read could open many doors. When mom said," The C-A-N-D-Y is hidden on the top shelf," I knew where the candy was. My progress in reading raised my curiosity, and I wanted to know everything. I often found myself telling my mom to drive more slowly, so that I could read all of the road signs we passed.

Most of my reading through primary, middle and high school was factual reading. I read for knowledge, and to make A's on my tests. Occasionally, I would read a novel that was assigned, but I didn't enjoy this type of reading. I liked facts, things that are concrete. I thought anything abstract left too much room for argument.

Yet, now that I'm growing and the world I once knew as being so simple is becoming more complex, I find myself needing a way to escape. By opening a novel, I can leave behind my burdens and enter into a wonderful and mysterious world where I am now a new character. In these worlds I can become anyone. I don't have to write down what happened or what technique the author was using when he or she wrote this. I just read to relax.

We're taught to read because it's necessary for much of human understanding. Reading is a vital part of my life. Reading satisfies my desire to keep learning. And I've found that the possibilities that lie within books are limitless.

1. According to Paragraph 3, the author's reading of road signs indicates___________

A．her unique way to locate herself	B．her eagerness to develop her reading ability
C．her effort to remind mom to obey traffic rules	D．her growing desire to know the world around her.

2. What was the author's view on factual reading？

A．It would help her update test-taking skills.

B．It would allow much room for free thinking.

C．It would provide true and objective information.

D．It would help shape a realistic and serious attitude to life.

3. The author takes novel reading as a way to___________.

A．explore a fantasy land	B．develop a passion for leaning
C．learn about the adult community	D．get away from a confusing world

4. What could be the best title for the passage？

A．The Magic of Reading	B．The Pleasure of Reading
C．Growing Up with Reading	D．Reading Makes a Full Man

【推荐3】Is there anything more important than health? I don’t think so. “Health is the greatest wealth,” wise people say. You can’t be good at your studies or work well when you are ill.

If you have a headache, toothache, backache, earache or bad pain in the stomach, if you complain of a bad cough, if you run a high temperature and have a bad cold, or if you suffer from high or low blood pressure, I think you should go to the doctor. The doctor will examine your throat, feel your pulse, test your blood pressure, take your temperature, sound your heart and lungs, test your eyes, check your teeth or have your chest X ­rayed. After that, he will advise some treatment, or some medicine. The only thing you have to do is to follow his advice.

Speaking about doctor’s advice, I can’t help telling you a funny story. An old gentleman came to see the doctor. The man was very ill. He told the doctor about his weakness, memory loss and serious problems with his heart and lungs. The doctor examined him and said there was no medicine for his disease. He told his patient to go to a quiet place for a month and have a good rest. He also advised him to eat a lot of meat, drink two glasses of red wine every day and take long walks. In other words, the doctor advised him to follow the rule: “Eat with pleasure, drink with pleasure and enjoy life as it is.” The doctor also said that if the man wanted to be well again, he shouldn’t smoke more than one cigarette a day. A month later the gentleman came into the doctor’s office. He looked cheerful and happy. He thanked the doctor and said that he had never felt a healthier man. “But you know, doctor,” he said, “it’s not easy to begin smoking at my age.”

1. The writer thinks that ________.

A．health is more important than wealth	B．work is as important as studies
C．medicine is more important than pleasure	D．nothing is more important than money

2. The doctor usually tells his patient what to do ________.

A．without examining the patient	B．after he has examined the patient
C．if the patient doesn’t take medicine	D．unless the patient feels pain

3. From the last sentence of the passage, we learn the man ________ before the doctor told him not to smoke more than one cigarette a day.

A．was a heavy smoker	B．didn’t smoke so much
C．didn’t smoke	D．began to learn to smoke

4. The underline part means_____________.

A．he was feeling better than ever

B．he was feeling worse than before

C．he wasn’t a healthy man

D．he will be well again

5. Which of the following is NOT true?

A．The doctor usually tests his/her blood pressure when a person is ill.

B．The man told the doctor he couldn’t remember things.

C．The man thanked the doctor.

D．The man didn’t follow the doctor’s advice.

【推荐1】My first book had been rejected by every major American publisher. My first agent, wasn’t communicating. My dream of a life as a successful author was in tatters.

“It isn’t going to happen,” I said to my friend. “And I have to accept it.”

“If you lose faith in your product, no one else will have faith in it,” she told me.

And, I knew she was right. But, how could I believe in myself when I hit a wall at every turn? I knew I had a good product. The book featured interviews with world-famous people who had learned how to succeed and lead—the hard way. It had information that could help other people. As a consumer, I would have loved that book because it had the great wisdom I so desperately needed. And, their stories made for good reading. I had a good book. What I didn’t have was a publisher. I had to find a way to get that book sold and on the shelves. But, how?

The hardest challenge was forcing myself to do battle again. I had to find the strength to believe in myself when it seemed like no one else believed in me. When I hit a wall, I usually need to get more information to figure out what is going wrong. So, I did some research and found out that my initial vision for the book-where all the interview subjects got their own chapters-wasn’t marketable to big publishers because that format does not sell tons of books. What I had to do was recognize, restructure and rewrite.

I needed an agent. There are thousands of agents. Surely one of them was right for me. So, I started sending out query（询问）letters. Within a week, I had a dozen agents who wanted the book. I chose the one who I thought would believe in me and my dream. She did get me my choices of publishers.

Hard won Wisdom wound up being a best-selling book. But, it almost never was.

1. Which can best replace the underlined part “in tatters” in Paragraph 1?

A．Great.	B．Ruined.
C．Strange.	D．Cherished.

2. How can the author’s first book be described?

A．It is very theoretical.	B．It contains many love stories.
C．It is about a well-known person.	D．It is quite useful for many people.

3. Which part of the mentioned book was changed by the author?

A．The cover of it.	B．The main content.
C．The structure of it.	D．The introduction part.

4. What does the author’s story tell us?

A．Never give up.	B．Easier said than done.
C．Every man has his faults.	D．Never judge a book by its cover.

【推荐3】It was his final climb to reach the highest summit on all seven continents. When Christopher Kulish finally reached Mount Everest’s 29,035-foot peak, he joined a group known as the “Seven Summits Club”. But the 62-year-old Colorado lawyer died suddenly Monday after returning to the first camp below the mountain’s summit. He’s the second American to die in the past week after reaching Everest’s highest point. His family believes the cause was a heart attack.

Last week, 55-year-old Donald Cash died just after reaching the Everest peak. He also had reached the highest point on all seven continents. Including Christopher and Cash, at least 11 people have died on Mount Everest this year.

The deaths come among reports of overcrowding on the popular mountain. The Nepali government granted a total of 381 permits to climb Everest this year, a number that doesn’t include guides who are on the mountain as well. For some climbers, that traffic has meant longer wait time—some told the Himalayan Times the wait has exceeded two hours between the last camp and the peak. “When there’s a crowd, being a more experienced climber won’t help you,” Mountaineer O’Brien, who has also climbed the seven summits, said. “When a climber is stuck in that traffic, their body is starting to deteriorate (恶化) and the descent is often harder than the climb.”

“There’s no simple explanation for the string of deaths,” climbing expert Alan Arnette said. “Weather is one factor causing overcrowding. Meanwhile, the cost to climb Mount Everest has decreased, which means more people are making the journey.”

Still, Christopher was no beginner. His family said he’d been mountain climbing for five decades. He arrived at the base camp nearly two months before his climb so he could give himself time to adapt to the conditions.

His brother, Mark Kulish, described being a lawyer as a “day job” for Christopher. Climbing was his passion.

1. What made longer wait time on Mount Everest?

A．Lacking guides.	B．Overcrowding.
C．Bad weather.	D．Getting Government’s permission.

2. Why did Christopher arrive at the base camp so early before climbing?

A．To wait for his friends.	B．To learn about the mountain.
C．To clear the traffic jam.	D．To adapt to conditions earlier.

3. What do we know about Christopher?

A．He joined the “Seven Summits Club” at the base camp.

B．He has reached the highest point on all seven continents.

C．He died from a heart attack below the Mount Everest’s peak.

D．11 people following him died after reaching the Everest peak this year.

【推荐1】Ida Nelson was relaxing herself in her sister’s sauna (桑拿室) when she heard the sound of a small airplane circling the nearby airport.

It was 11: 30 at night in a remote village with a population of 70, and, as she told the newspaper reporter, “Any time a plane flies over that late, you know something is wrong.” Nelson and her sister leaped out of the sauna, ran to the window, and saw the problem — the airports runway lights were out. Nelson threw on some clothes, jumped into her jeep, and floored it to the airport, where she found a local pilot trying to turn on the lights manually.

“Normally, if you push the button 10 or 15 times, the lights will just light up,” Nelson told the reporter. Not this time. Meanwhile, she and the pilot learned of the plane’s urgent mission — it was a helicopter, there to transport a seriously ill local girl to the nearest hospital, 280 miles away in another city.

Nelson had a plan. Driving her jeep to the end of the runway, she shone her headlights on the road for the plane to follow. Great idea, but it wasn’t enough. More light was needed, so a neighbor called nearly every home in the village — 32 of them.

Within 20 minutes, 20 vehicles arrived at the airport, many of the drivers still in pajamas. Following directions from the helicopter pilot, the cars lined up on one side of the runway. The helicopter made its final approach and, guided by the headlights, landed safely. The young patient was loaded onto the aircraft, and the plane immediately took off again. Her illness was never publicly known, but she has since been recovered.

Without them, the girl might not have made it. However, for Nelson, it was only a small deed.

1. What problem did the helicopter encounter?

A．Its lights went out by accident.

B．It made noise as it ran out of fuel.

C．It didn’t arrive at the scheduled time.

D．It could not spot the runway at night.

2. What does the underlined word “urgent” in paragraph 3 probably mean?

A．instant

B．normal

C．final

D．impossible

3. What can we conclude from the passage?

A．The girl has been in the hospital since her illness was reported.

B．The creative thought and the sense of duty of Nelson led to the final landing.

C．The villagers gathered so quickly because they were awake and ready to help.

D．The helicopter was to transport the girl from the local hospital to another one.

4. What does this passage want to tell the readers?

A．No way is impossible to courage.

B．A friend in need is a friend indeed.

C．A small act of kindness makes a big difference.

D．Where there is a wisdom, there is effectiveness.

【推荐2】阅读表达：

When Dan Shaw gets up from the sofa in his home, Cuddles is never far away. When he wants to go outside, he doesn’t take Cuddles out for walk—Cuddles takes him for a walk. Cuddles is clearly no ordinary family pet. It is a two-foot-high miniature horse and serves as the guiding eyes of Shaw, who is blind.

When Shaw lost his sight, his wife suggested he apply for a guide dog. Shaw, an animal lover, said he couldn’t bear to part with a dog (which usually lives about eight to ten years) and get used to a new one, perhaps several times in his life.

Then Shaw heard of a program about the tiny guide horses. He learned that the horse possess many qualities that make them an excellent choice for guiding people. They are clean friendly, smart and have great memories. They can be trained to remain calm in noisy and crowded places. Best of all, they live for 25-25years, which would enable Shaw to have the same guide companion for most or all of his life.

Shaw immediately applied to be and was accepted as the first person to receive a guide horse. The instant he met Cuddles, he knew he was making the right choice. Then he began his training.

Through training ,Shaw and Cuddles learned to find way on busy streets, step over curbs (便道沿儿) and find elevator buttons. Cuddles even demonstrated (显示)its ability to step in front of Shaw and block him, to prevent him from walking into a dangerous situation. The little horse also expertly led Shaw through busy shopping malls. They got along without any difficulties. Now Shaw is confident that Cuddles will change his life for the better.

1. What’s the meaning of the underlined word “miniature” in Paragraph 1?(No more than 2 words)
____________________________________________________________
2. Why didn’t Shaw want to choose a dog as his guide? (No more than 15 words)
_______________________________________________________________
3. What does Paragraph 3 mainly tell us? (No more than 10 words)
_______________________________________________________________
4. How does Shaw feel about his future life with the help of Cuddles? (No more than 10 words)
_______________________________________________________________
5. What animal would you like to keep as a pet at home? Please give your reasons. (No more than 20 words)
_______________________________________________________________

【推荐3】Quietly sitting there reading, I found myself suddenly listening to the train guard’s announcements (通知). Train travelers will surely agree that when the guard (列车长) makes an announcement, whether it’s the recorded message or the guard’s message, few people listen to it, because it’s often quite dull or hard to understand. This one was different. I noticed that other passengers appeared to be listening, too. Not only that, everyone was smiling!

Why was so much attention being paid to this message? As best I can recall the guard said something along these lines, “Good Morning Ladies, Gentlemen and Children, this is the 7: 35 a.m. from Penrith to Central and you’ll be pleased to know that we are right on time. And what a lovely morning it is in Sydney today. The sun is shining, birds are singing, and all’s right with the world. I trust you have a great day wherever you’re going. Thanks for catching my train this morning and I hope to see you again soon.”

Quite a few people (obviously previous strangers) started talking to one another about the guards excellent message and how good it had made everyone feel. I started thinking about this, and then I found the young guard and said “Were you the guard on the 7: 35 a.m. from Penrith?” The guard seemed a bit stunned at first, replying, “Yes, yes.” “Well, I really appreciate your announcement. Thank you for your extremely good message, which gave me and the other passengers such a good start to the day. Please keep doing it.” I said.

There are two messages for me in what happened that day. Firstly, when people are happy in their work, it shows in what they do and say. Secondly, the story attaches much importance to the benefits that accumulate (积累) from thanking people for something they’ve done, particularly when it’s not expected. Can you imagine the conversation that guard would have when he got home?

1. Why do few train travelers listen to the announcements?

A．The messages are unattractive.

B．The guard’s voice is not clear.

C．They usually feel sleepy.

D．They are absorbed in books.

2. What does the underlined word “stunned” in Paragraph 3 mean?

A．Patient.	B．Frightened.
C．Surprised.	D．Excited.

3. What might the guard talk about with his family when he got home?

A．The beautiful weather.	B．The recorded message.
C．The train from Penrith.	D．The unexpected appreciation.

4. Which of the following can be the best title for the text?

A．An Intelligent Guard.

B．A Boring Train Story.

C．A Different Train Announcement.

D．A Lovely Morning in Sydney.