【推荐3】A group of chickens that would have been killed are now at the heart of a community food sustainability (可持续性) project.

14 hens have been adopted (收养) and now live at Roehampton Students’ Union’s Growhampton project based at Roehampton University. Now they are looked after by workers and volunteers as part of a project that aims to encourage everyone to think about sustainability.

Hillary Nevyjel, Chicken Care and Biodiversity Assistant, said, “We have long seats by the cage and when you sit with the chickens, they really cheer you up. You can just forget about everything and we get a lot of messages that they have helped students manage things successfully. We allow visits, so we have lots of people walking past them in the morning and families visiting at the weekend. The hens are popular with everyone.”

Alongside the chicken cage, the Growhampton project includes a café built from former shipping containers (集装箱), where eggs from the hens are sold. Volunteers and workers at the site work with outside organizations to help convey the message about food sustainability.

Hillary said, “We try to work not just with the university’s students but also the wider local community, such as youth projects and elderly groups who come to attend meetings about learning to grow their own food.”

Students, workers, and the community volunteer to take care of the chickens and it’s a great way for everyone to learn more, not just about hens but also about where food comes from.

“Food sustainability is becoming more important and people are beginning to realize that. Lots of visitors who come to our site take that message away with them and are encouraged to try growing their own at home,” Hillary said.

1. What is the purpose of the project?

A．To save hens from being killed.	B．To promote food sustainability.
C．To be aware of food sources.	D．To raise funds for a community.

2. How do the hens help the university students?

A．Their spirits have been lifted.	B．They have been responsible.
C．Their independence increases.	D．They have made new friends.

3. What does the underlined word “convey” in Paragraph 4 probably mean?

A．Acquire.

B．Notice.

C．Spread.

D．Understand.

4. What can we learn about the project from the last two paragraphs?

A．It is well received.	B．It needs to be more creative.
C．It is fairly costly.	D．It takes ages to see results.

【推荐1】Rhubarb was very friendly. Whenever someone came to the house, she was always happy. We had an older dog named Willie, and it was important that Rhubarb get along well with him. She wanted to play, but was very respectful to Willie and left him alone when he was tired. Willie was not well and died about a year later, but I believe Rhubarb helped him keep going for longer.

But the interesting thing about Rhubarb was that she never barked. She would sometimes get excited when she saw a chipmunk(花栗鼠) and make a little crying sound, One hot night when she was about 4 years old, we went to bed with the windows open and the doors unlocked. At about 3 a.m. ,1 woke up to the sound of Rhubarb barking. I woke Donald and we got out of the bed.

Rhubarb was coming toward us quickly. We turned on the lights and noticed the door to the kitchen was open. Then we saw the door leading into the house from the garage was also open. We locked all the doors immediately, and we did not get any sleep that night.

The next day we noticed there were cigarette ashes(烟灰) on the floor. I called the police to report a break-in. I told them nothing had been taken, but they sent a police officer over to talk with us anyway. While he was here, we found out some local homes had been burglarized over the weekend. Most people lost their wallets and purses.

My purse was right next to the door, but Rhubarb had scared the robber(盗贼) away before he could steal it. Rhubarb lived to be almost 12, but that night was the only time she barked. Fortunately, she never saw the need to warn us of any other danger. We loved her like a member of the family.

1. We can learn from the first paragraph that________

A．Willie was good at communicating	B．Rhubarb and Willie fought at times
C．Rhubarb treated Willie well	D．Willie was lonely before his death

2. Why did Rhubarb bark on the hot night?

A．There was a break-in.	B．She saw a chipmunk.
C．She got excited.	D．The doors were closed.

3. What’s the meaning of the underlined word “burglarized” in Paragraph 4?

A．Found.

B．Refused.

C．Helped.

D．Stolen.

4. What made the author feel fortunate?

A．Rhubarb scared the robbers away.

B．Rhubarb saw no other danger needed to warn us.

C．Rhubarb became a member of her family.

D．Rhubarb barked once in her entire life.

5. According to the passage, which of the following cannot be used to describe Rhubarb?

A．Kind.

B．Brave.

C．Strong.

D．Friendly.

【推荐2】Gary McKee, a 53-year-old from England, completed a challenge that many might never dare to try—365 marathons in 365 days.

In 1997, McKee found his father had cancer—which was disastrous for his family. "One word sort of turned our world upside down,” McKee told Fox News Digital of the impact on his family. After losing his father in 2003, McKee wanted to do something in memory of him, which is why he took the challenge to run 365 marathons in 365 days. He became a fundraiser for Macmillan Cancer Support. His goal was to raise about $1.2 million by the end of that year.

On January 1st, 2022, the challenge officially began—and McKee was on his way to running 9, 563 miles. “There was always an air of excitement because you didn’t know who was going to be outside running with you,” McKee said. He would run his course each morning before going to work starting at 8 a. m. Then, halfway through the year, a previous injury started to bother him, so he had to change his start time to 6 a. m. to manage his pace. While the injury could have dampened his spirits, he said he saw the slower pace as a “blessing”, as it allowed more people to run alongside him.

“People will often challenge, ‘How are you going to do that?’ What they mean is they don’t believe that you can. My question then is, ‘How am I not going to do it? You tell me why you think I can’t.’ There is always more reason to do something than there is not to do it. “His entire community supported him for the full year by either joining him on the road or cheering him on from the sidelines. However, it was his family’s support that encouraged him the most and helped him “rest easy”.

By the time Gary McKee got to the end of his run, he had raised over $1 million.

1. Why did Gary McKee start the marathons?

A．To honour his father.	B．To raise money for the poor.
C．To keep a healthy body.	D．To found Macmillan Cancer Support.

2. Why did Gary McKee adjust his start time?

A．Because he wanted more people to join him.

B．Because he was influenced by his old injury.

C．Because he expected to run a longer distance.

D．Because he wanted to balance his work time and running.

3. What can we learn from the words of Gary McKee in paragraph 4?

A．He was always confident about himself.

B．He thought others’ question was reasonable.

C．He thought everyone could achieve their goals.

D．He wasn’t accustomed to following others’ advice.

4. Which word can best describe Gary McKee?

A．Independent.	B．Humorous.
C．Caring.	D．Determined.

【推荐3】Growing up, my grandparents bought a second home amongst a small forest in Arkansas and would bring me there every single summer. I would spend a lot of time outside there following my grandfather around while he did yard work. We would collect cool-looking rocks and refill the hummingbird feeders.

I always remember my grandparents calling me over to the window when a deer family was in the yard or a few hummingbirds were at the feeders so that I could watch them. I would explore around in the yard by myself sometimes to look for interesting rocks and if I was lucky I would find a turtle. If I did find a turtle, my grandfather would put it in the kiddy pool for me to observe for a few minutes. I was always amazed by these creatures. After I finished observing the turtle, my grandfather would pick it back up and return it to the bush I found it in. I would watch in amazement as it slowly stuck its legs out and crawled back under.

I always felt very at peace at my grandparents’ home. It was quiet and full of interesting natural things I never got to see in Illinois. They disturbed the land around them as little as possible and didn’t see it as nuisance (令人讨厌的东西), rather a beautiful view.

As Aldo Leopold, an American scientist, puts it, we should take the time to appreciate and observe the natural world around us. When we do this, we find it brings us happiness and has a great value beyond just that of resources. Conservation of the natural world is important in that we are dependent upon it for life. We cannot worsen such a bountiful provider at such a rate in which it will never return to anything like what it once was. Our experiences with nature are what will drive us to reach this conclusion, if only everyone took the time to really involve themselves in it.

1. What does the writer mainly talk about in Paragraph 2?

A．His interest in rocks and animals.

B．His connection with natural world.

C．His daily routine in summer vacation.

D．His close relationship with Grandparents.

2. What does “a bountiful provider” refer to in the last paragraph?

A．Nature.	B．Illinois.
C．The small forest.	D．Grandparents’ home.

3. What is the writer most likely to get across?

A．Past experiences should be treasured.

B．Nature offers man a journey of discovery.

C．Quality time with family is of great value.

D．Into the nature, you will know how precious it is.

4. In which forum would you most likely find the text?

A．Family Matters	B．On the Road
C．At One with Nature	D．Nature in Words

【推荐1】When I volunteered as a social worker at a domestic violence shelter in a developing country, I imagined the position for which my university experience had prepared me. I imagined conducting intake interviews and walking around from organization to organization seeking support that the women would need to rebuild their lives. When I arrived, I felt as if I already had months of experience, experience gained in the hypothetical situations I had invented and subsequently resolved single-handedly. I felt thoroughly prepared to tackle the situation I assumed was waiting for me.

I arrived full of zeal. Within moments, my reality made a sharp break from which I had expected. The coordinator explained that the shelter’s need for financial self-sufficiency had become obvious. To address this, the center was planning to open a bakery. I immediately enthused about the project, making many references to the small enterprise case studies I had researched at the university. In response to my impassioned reply, the coordinator declared me in charge of the bakery. At that moment, I was as prepared to bake bread as I was to run for political office. The bigger problem, however, was that I was completely unfamiliar with the for-profit business models necessary to run the bakery. I was out of my depth in a foreign river with only my coordinator’s confidence to keep me afloat.

They say that necessity is the mother of invention. I began finding recipes and using the expertise of friends. With their help making bread, printing leaflets and making contacts, the bakery was soon running successfully. After a short time it became a significant source of income for the house.

In addition to funds, baking bread provided a natural environment to work with and get to know the women of the shelter. Kneading dough (揉面团) side by side, I shared in the friendly atmosphere of the kitchen, treated to stories about their children and the towns and jobs they had to leave behind to ensure their safety. Baking helped me develop strong relationships with the women and advanced my understanding of their situations. It also improved the women’s self-esteem. Their ability to master a new skill gave them confidence in themselves, and the fact that the bakery contributed to the upkeep of the house gave the women a sense of pride and the confidence that they had the capability to support themselves.

Baking gave me the opportunity to work in a capacity I had not at all expected, but one that proved very successful. Learning to bake gave me as much newfound self-confidence as it gave the women, and I found that sometimes quality social work can be as simple as kneading dough.

1. The primary purpose of the passage is to show how the author         .

A．was shocked by the reality

B．broadened the scope of her work

C．developed her abilities to run a for-profit enterprise

D．handled a tough situation in a developing country

2. The statement that the author arrived “full of zeal” indicates that she was         .

A．anxious and insecure	B．confident but uninformed
C．eager and interested	D．enthusiastic but incompetent

3. Why was the author initially enthusiastic about the idea of the bakery?

A．She considered it from a theoretical point of view.

B．She hoped to get a leadership position in the bakery.

C．She wanted to show her baking skills to her new coordinator.

D．She believed it is a good way to raise women’s self-esteem.

4. What did the last sentence (“Learning ... dough”) indicate?

A．The author underestimated her abilities to learn new skills.

B．The author derived benefit from her work by helping others.

C．The author lacked self-confidence as much as the women working with her.

D．The author found performing social work surprisingly easy with no education.

【推荐3】As I stood in line waiting to cash out at my favorite retail store, I studied the customer in front of me. She was young, maybe early twenties. But she already had a tired look to her. Her face looked drawn from exhaustion. Her thin, unbuttoned winter coat had seen those bad days. The items in her cart included the cheapest cuts of meat. Powdered milk, day-old bread, bargain soap, and inexpensive shampoo completed her purchases — well, almost.

“Next!” When the cashier finally told her the cost, the woman’s face paled. She opened a purse and began counting small bills and change. It was obvious she didn’t have enough, and she scanned her groceries to see what she could do without. One by one, she removed things, but she still came up short. She continued to discard much-needed goods while the cashier set them aside patiently. The child’s items remained in the cart, however.

The woman finally paid, and moved down to bag them. When my turn came, I moved forward and placed several items the woman had taken out, whispering “Separate bags, please” to the cashier. I wondered how I could sneak the extra things into the old cart she’d brought without being caught. My clerk solved the problem by “accidentally” rolling several oranges hard enough on the conveyer belt so that they flew past the lady and onto the floor.

“I’ll get those,” the woman offered kindly and ran to pick up the runaway fruit. I quickly put the two extra bags into her cart. Just as I put the second one in, I noticed a twenty-dollar bill peeking out that I had not placed in there.

“You put that money in there, didn’t you?” I accused the clerk with a laugh when I went to pay my bill. I was surprised when she shook her head. “No, it was her,” she replied, pointing to another woman.

My small, insignificant gesture had rippled to become a larger kindness than I ever could have imagined.

1. What can we infer about the customer in front of “me” in Paragraph 1?

A．She is a woman to think of others before herself.

B．She pretended to be poor to gain other’s sympathy.

C．Everything about her screamed hardship and need.

D．Everything she chose wasn’t what she truly needed.

2. What does the underlined word “discard” probably mean in Paragraph 2?

A．Handle.

B．Separate.

C．Test out.

D．Take out.

3. Why did the clerk roll oranges hard enough on the conveyer belt?

A．To do “me” a favor.	B．To train her skill.
C．To show her acting experience.	D．To help increase grocery sales.

4. What can be the best title for the text?

A．Kindness in Giving Creates Love	B．What Goes around Comes around
C．Being Happy Is Enough	D．More than a Coincidence