【推荐2】Life seems long when we’re looking ahead, and so short when we’re looking back. That’s especially true for a mother. One day you’re holding a two-month-old baby, wondering if he’s ever going to stop crying. And the next day you’re seeing him off at college, wondering if he’s ever going to call you.

Where does the time fly? I want my children to grow up, but I don’t want to let them go. The grown children can be as much fun as little ones. Here are two examples:

When my father-in-law died, I called my younger son Nate to say I’d drive up to Yosemite, and we’d drive out the next day to attend the funeral. It was snowing when I stopped in the park. The next morning, Nate and I left early, only to get stuck behind a bus with a flat tyre, blocking the road. We sat for five hours in a blizzard (暴风雪) waiting for the road to be cleared. Meanwhile, Nate entertained me with jokes. I will never forget it.

A few years later, I flew to New York to visit my elder son Josh. That night, Josh began having pain in his right side. We took a cab to a hospital and he had an operation. Afterwards, I stayed for a week to take care of him. We watched movies and ate take-out meals. I will never forget it.

Being a mother doesn’t end when our children grow up. We still want to protect them, just as we did the day they were born. And grown children will always need a mother. At the same time, we’ll always need our grown-up children to make us laugh and keep us young and fill that place in our heart that only they can fill.

1. Why does the author feel that life is short?

A．Because she wants to express that time goes by very quickly.

B．Because she wants to show how hard it is for a mom to raise a child.

C．Because she wants to explain grown children are different from the little children.

D．Because she wants to describe the author’s anxiety when her children left home.

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

A．Protecting.

B．Widening.

C．Stopping.

D．Surrounding.

3. Why does the author mention her stay with Nate and Josh?

A．To describe the differences between her two sons.

B．To tell us how to communicate with different children.

C．To show grown children are wiser than little ones.

D．To prove both the grown and the little children are fun.

4. What does the author want to tell us from this article?

A．Grown children want independence instead of protection.

B．Communication is important for a mom and her children.

C．A mother’s love is selfless and forever.

D．A mother and her children will always need each other.

【推荐3】June 18 is the birthday of my late sister, Tanya. She would have been 49 years old this year, but that's increasingly difficult for me to imagine. She is frozen in time at 37.

Tanya died more than a decade ago and the wound left by her loss has healed into a scar (疤痕). It's a big scar. You can't know me for very long without discovering my scar. Trust me; if you haven't found it on your own, I will point it out to you. I want you all to know that she existed, and that she mattered.

When we first lose a loved one, we ask, “How will I live without you?” and wounds are open and weeping. We don't know how we'll cope with the pain. But then the wounds form scars, and we learn to live with our new skins.

“How can I remember you?” we ask.

So many people are hesitant to talk about my sister. It is as though mentioning her will remind me that she is dead, and upset my balance when I am so stable and happy. But I never forget my sister, not for a moment.

And so I love it when people mention Tanya's name. Occasionally, I come across one of her friends, and they casually bring up a memory, and it is like a gift.

So if you have friends who have lost loved ones, please don't avoid talking about their loved one. You won't remind them of their loss, because it is always there. They haven't forgotten their scar. They just don't point it out to you.

Instead, try to reassure (使安心) them their loved one is not forgotten. Ask questions about the deceased (逝去的）person's life. Keep them alive in the only way you can after a person is gone, with your words and your memories.

I love hearing from friends on my sister's birthday, It makes her present, despite her absence. It reminds us all that she was here. She walked this earth. She was loved, and she mattered. And on June 18,I embrace (欣然接受) my scar.

1. What does “it” in paragraph 2 refer to?

A．The death of the author's sister.

B．The author's sister's birthday.

C．The “scar" in the author's heart.

D．The author's love for her sister.

2. How does the author feel when people mention her sister?

A．She becomes upset about it.

B．She worries that she must defend her sister.

C．She doesn't know how to deal with it.

D．She is happy to be reminded of her sister.

3. What does the author advise us to do when talking to those who lost loved ones?

A．Avoid talking about the person who died.

B．Keep them company as long as you can.

C．Help them to forget their painful scars.

D．Talk with them about the person who died.

【推荐1】Rain beat against the window, matching my mood. I should have known that my new job at the hospital was too good to be true. Throughout the day, rumors (传言) warned that the newest employee from each department would be laid off. I was the newest one in the training department.

My boss appeared. “You probably know we’re cutting back,” he said. “Administration wants us to offer outplacement classes to help those employees find other jobs, showing them how to act in an interview, for example.” “Fine,” I answered unwillingly, not knowing what else to say.

I decided to go home early that day. In the hall, I met the lady who brought us cookies every Friday. She was a little woman with gray hair. Only her head and the top of her green apron were visible over the cart (小车) loaded with cleaning supplies. At least she had a job!

At the final meeting, laid-off workers formed a line at the door. A colleague whispered, “I can’t believe our Cookie Lady is being laid off. We’ll miss her as much as we’ll miss her cookies.” When the colleague spoke to her in Spanish, I knew my classes would be useless for her and I realized how much better off was than this poor woman.

I decided to do something for her. I wrote to a newspaper expressing how I felt about the unselfishness of the Cookie Lady who needed a job. A few days later, my article appeared in the newspaper and the Cookie Lady was allowed to stay in her position. On the same day, I received a letter, which seemed so unlikely that I read it twice. “An editor of a local magazine likes your piece and wants you to call her next time you’re looking for work …”

1. How did the author feel on that rainy day?

A．Nervous.

B．Excited.

C．Awkward.

D．Proud.

2. What was the author asked to do?

A．Take care of patients.	B．Leave earlier that day.
C．Resign from the hospital.	D．Help the laid-off workers.

3. How did the author help the Cookie Lady?

A．He offered her a high-paid job.	B．He gave her advice on job hunting.
C．He made her story known to others.	D．He taught her how to pass an interview.

4. Which proverb best suits the topic of the passage?

A．Good deeds have their rewards.	B．A friend in need is a friend indeed.
C．Little people can make a big difference.	D．Love brings more joy to people than work does.

【推荐2】Most people who ran the marathon last month spent days before resting up and days after recovering. But not Jacky Hunt-Broersma. In total, she ran 104 marathons in 104 days. If it’s confirmed by Guinness World Records, that would be a new world record. And she did it all with one leg and a prosthesis (假肢).

“Someone able-bodied had done it previously. I wanted to see if I could do it on a prosthetic leg and see what would happen,” she said. “I thought it would be a great way to inspire others to push their limits because I truly believe that we’re stronger than what we think. And I’ve been so pleasantly surprised that my body is held up, everything is held up and I’ve made it to 104.”

She actually did not pick up the sport until after she lost the lower part of her left leg in 2001 to a type of cancer called Ewing sarcoma. Runners using a prosthetic leg can’t use a regular one. They need a running blade (刀锋式跑步义肢). Hunt-Broersma has two, but she was only able to run with one because of the swelling she experienced in her left leg that made it impossible to connect to the other blade. But even with the pain that occurred, she has been able to put up with it and continued.

All together, Hunt-Broersma ran over 4, 385 kilometers. During that time she has had a lot of time to think and has learned a few things about herself. “It has taught me how strong one can be and how important absolute determination is. If you’re mentally strong, you can do anything,” she said. “And our bodies are just amazing ... This whole journey was impressive and super hard, but it’s told me how strong I can be as a person and how far I can push myself.”

1. Why did Hunt-Broersma decide to run marathons?

A．She wanted to set a new record.

B．She intended to challenge herself.

C．She was driven by her interest.

D．She was inspired by people like her.

2. What difficulty did Hunt-Broersma meet with?

A．She didn’t get professional training.

B．She found it hard to keep her balance.

C．She suffered discomfort in her left leg.

D．She couldn’t use regular running blades.

3. What message does the author express through the story?

A．Rome wasn’t built in a day.

B．Time works wonders.

C．A good beginning is half the battle.

D．Nothing is impossible to a willing heart.

4. What may be the author’s attitude towards Hunt-Broersma?

A．Annoyed.	B．Sympathetic.
C．Admiring.	D．Humorous.

【推荐3】Age has never been a problem for 16-year-old Thessalonika Arzu-Embry. After all, she’s already got her master’s degree.

The North Chicago-area teen started homeschooling at the age of 4. She began having an influence on others soon after. When she was 6 years old, she was an inspirational speaker at an organization called Tabitha House Community Service, which is for people who were forced to leave their homes because of earthquake, flood and other natural disasters.

At the age of 11, she graduated from high school and then earned her bachelor’s degree in psychology in 2013. She completed those classes online as she was traveling for church events and leadership meetings.

She doesn’t stop there, though. The teen plans to focus on aviation psychology (航空心理学) for her further study, a decision inspired by her father who is a pilot. She grew up around airplanes and took flights all the time. Her goal is to use it to help pilots deal with problems that could have deadly results once the plane takes off — a topic that has been in the news lately. For her, it’s a mix of two of her interests.

In her free time, Thessalonika enjoys playing tennis, swimming and being active in her youth group at church. She also has three self-published books, which are on her site. Jump the Education Barrier is written to help students finish college, and In the Future aims to help business owners with trends. Her third book The Genius Race is designed to help people to be talents in various areas of life.

1. Which of the following is TRUE about Thessalonika?

A．She majored in science and technology.

B．She gained her master’s degree at the age of 11.

C．When she was 6 years old, she started homeschooling.

D．In 2013 she got her bachelor’s degree through completing courses online.

2. What is her next plan according to the passage?

A．Major in aviation psychology.

B．Be active in her youth group at church.

C．Write another book to help people to be talents.

D．Deliver inspiring speeches for church events and leadership meetings.

3. Why does she write the book Jump the Education Barrier?

A．It aims to help people to be geniuses.

B．It is designed to arouse people’s awareness of psychology.

C．It is aimed to give students a hand to complete college.

D．The author hope to share her own experience with others.

4. What is the main idea of the text?

A．The secret to become a talent is to start schooling at an early age.

B．Thessalonika led a rather successful and meaningful life.

C．Homeschooling is a good way to educate children.

D．Three published books help people become masters in their fields.

【推荐1】It was one of those terribly hot days in Baltimore. Needless to say, it was too hot to do anything outside. But it was also scorching in our apartment. This was 1962, and I would not live in a place with an air conditioner for another ten years. So my brother and I decided to leave the apartment to find someplace indoors. He suggested we could see a movie. It was a brilliant plan.

Movie theaters were one of the few places you could sit all day and — most important — sit in air conditioning. In those days, you could buy one ticket and sit through two movies. Then, the theater would show the same two movies again. If you wanted to, you could sit through them twice. Most people did not do that, but the manager at our theater. Mr. Bellow did not mind if you did.

That particular day, my brother and I sat through both movies twice, trying to escape the heat. We bought three bags of popcorn and three sodas each. Then, we sat and watched The Music Man followed by The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance. We’d already seen the second movie once before. It had been at the theater since January, because Mr. Bellow loved anything with John Wayne in it.

We left the theater around 8, just before the evening shows began. But we returned the next day and saw the same two movies again, twice more. And we did it the next day too. Finally, on the fourth day, the heat wave broke.

Still, to this day I can sing half the songs in The Music Man and recite half of John Wayne and Jimmy Stewart’s dialogue from The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance! Those memories are some of the few I have of the heat wave of 1962. They’re really memories of the screen, not memories of my life.

1. In which year did the author first live in a place with an air conditioner?

A．1952	B．1962
C．1972	D．1982

2. What do we know about Mr. Bellow?

A．He loved children very much.	B．He was a fan of John Wayne.
C．He sold air conditioners.	D．He was a movie star.

3. Why did the author and his/her brother see the same movies several times?

A．The two movies were really wonderful.

B．They wanted to avoid the heat outside.

C．The manager of the theater was friendly.

D．They liked the popcorn and the soda at the theater.

4. What can we learn from the last paragraph?

A．The author turned out to be a great singer.

B．The author enjoyed the heat wave of 1962.

C．The author’s life has been changed by the two movies.

D．The author considers the experience at the theater unforgettable.

【推荐2】A couple from Miami, Bill and Simone Butler, spent sixty-six days in a life raft (救生艇)in the seas of Central America after their boat sank.

Twenty-one days after they left Panama in their boat, in Simony, they met some whales (鲸).“ They started to hit the side of the boat,” said Bill,“ and then suddenly we heard water. ” Two minutes later, the boat was sinking. They jumped into the life raft and watched the boat go under the water.

For twenty days they had tins of food, biscuits, and bottles of water. They also had a fishing line and a machine to make salt water into drinking water—two things which saved their lives. They caught eight to ten fish a day and ate them raw(生的).Then the line broke. “So we had no more fish until something very strange happened. Some sharks(鲨鱼) came to feed, and the fish under the raft were afraid and came to the surface. I caught them with my hands.”

About twenty ships passed them, but no one saw them. After fifty days at sea their life raft was beginning to break up. Then suddenly it was all over. A fishing boat saw them and picked them up. They couldn’t stand up. So the captain carried them onto his boat and took them to Costa Rica. Their two months at sea was over.

1. Bill and Simone were traveling _______ when they met some whales.

A．in a lake	B．in a river
C．in a sea	D．in a desert

2. After their boat sank, the couple _______.

A．jumped into the sea	B．heard water
C．watched the boat sail away	D．stayed in the life raft

3. When the fishing boat picked them up, _______ .

A．they stood up as quickly as possible

B．they climbed onto the boat easily

C．their life raft was in good condition

D．their two months at sea was over

【推荐3】Angela Erdmann aged 62, who lives in Berlin, never thought that one day she would received a letter from her grandfather who had been dead for 69 years. So she felt astonished and moved

More than 100 years ago, a young German man named Richard Platz put a message into a brown beer bottle, then threw the bottle into the Baltic Sea during a nature hike, Platz, the 20-year-old son of a baker, had no way of knowing that his message would survive more than a century.

Last month, some fishermen in the Baltic Sea pulled the old beer bottle out of the water, along with their catch. Inside they found a postcard, dated 17 May 1913, from Richard Platz asking for his message to be forwarded （转交） to his address ported in The local website. The fishermen thought it was such a miracle（奇迹） that it should be handed to the addressee（收信人）, They handed it in the International Maritime Museum in Hamburg. Researchers were then able to locate his granddaughter, Angela Erdmann. She visited the museum last week and was able to hold the bottle.

"That was a pretty moving moment. Tears rolled down my cheeks," she told German news agency. Erdmann also said she never knew her mother's father. who reportedly died in 1946 when he was 54 years old. But she said the discovery of his message had inspired her to find out more about him.

Some authorities believe that— at 101 years of age-it may be the world's oldest message in a bottle.

1. Which of the following shows the right order of what happened to the message?（       ）
a. Fishermen pulled the old beer bottle out of the water.
b. The bottle was thrown into the Baltic Sea.
c. Angela Erdmann got the message.
d. The message was sent to the International Maritime Museum.

A．b, d, a, c	B．c, b, d, a
C．b, a, d, c	D．c, a, b, d

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

A．Richard Platz's father was a baker.

B．Richard Platz died at age of 69.

C．Angela Erdmann was moved to tears by the message.

D．There was a postcard in the bottle.

3. We can infer from the passage that the fishermen and the researchers in the museum were very_______.

A．warm-hearted	B．hard-working
C．selfless	D．brave

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

A．The Story of a Fisherman and His Granddaughter

B．"World's Oldest Message" in a Bottle Arrived Home

C．How to Make a Message in the Bottle

D．A Message Can Last a Long Time