【推荐1】Wu Dajing created a world record of winning the short-track speed skating men’s 500 meters for China’s first gold medal of the 2018 Pyeongchang Olympics. He is the first Chinese man who has won a short-track gold medal in the Winter Olympic Games.

In 2004, at the age of ten, Dajing entered the Jiamusi short-track speed skating amateur (业余的) team. Before 4 o'clock, he got up with his ice knives and rode his bike to face the cold wind and the outdoor ice rink (溜冰场) which was 30 degrees below zero.

After coming to the national team, Dajing quickly realized the difference of racing level between top players and him. He felt so upset, so when training again, he took the computer and asked someone to help him record some videos. After the training, he watched the videos again and again, made a summary, and then compared them with the winners’ videos in the competitions to study the details and skills.

So in the second part of the 2012 season, Dajing got the chance to play for the national team for the first time. Dajing won a silver medal in the 500m in the Sochi Winter Olympics in 2014, and since then, he has won 10 men’s 500m races in the World Championships and the World Cup.

Three years from now, the Beijing-zhangjiakou Winter Olympics will be the next stage for Dajing. “Three years is neither short nor long. I just need to make several small goals and then finish them step by step.” he said. Life is the same, on the way to success, once you’ve made up your mind, just keep doing and never give up.

1. When did Wu Dajing win the gold medal in the Winter Olympic Games?

A．In 2018

B．In 2014

C．In 2013

D．In 2012

2. How did Wu Dajing make great progress in skating skills?

A．By taking skating as an amateur hobby.

B．By watching many videos for enjoyment.

C．By managing to join in the national team.

D．By keeping practising and improving himself.

3. According to the text, what kind of person is Wu Dajing?

A．educated and active	B．gifted and easy-going
C．determined and confident	D．hopeful and generous

4. What is the best title for the passage?

A．Ways to Win Gold Medals	B．The Great Success of Wu Dajing
C．Men’s short-track Speed Skating	D．The Pyeongchang Winter Olympics

【推荐3】Lynn Colwell is a mixed-media artist in Redmond, Washington. In grade school, a teacher told her that she had no artistic talent and Lynn believed her. However, in 2015 when she retired, she hoped to have a new interest and began to take year-long online painting class.

"It blew me away," she says. She started painting striking portraits of women's faces, combined with short messages of hope almost every day. In five years, she's completed about 1,000 paintings.

Lynn gives her paintings away. She started with friends, but that only went so far. Then she read about a movement called Art Abandonment, which encourages artists to leave their art in public places for anyone to pick up. That gave her the idea of putting her work into the hands of strangers through Facebook.

Nearly every day, Lynn posts a painting on her Facebook page. The first person who responds saying they're interested in it has 24 hours to make a donation of $ 25 or more to their favorite nonprofit or an individual in need. Then the painting is theirs. Lynn doesn't' ask for proof(证明). She trusts that the people who want her paintings share her ideas.

Five years later, she's still amazed at the results. Her paintings have raised more than $ 57,000 for nonprofits such as animal rescue centers, homeless shelters as well as for people who have lost their jobs. Sometimes Lynn hears that a painting helped someone at the moment they needed it most. "That give me chills," she says.

To be a part of Lynn Colwell's art-for-a-cause effort, send her a friend request at facebook.com/lynncolwell. Then keep an eye out for a painting that speaks to you. Lynn personally approves each request, so she asks for your patience. Also, she spends most of her time in her art studio-there's painting to be done. "I wake up every day and can't wait to get started," she says.

1. Why did Lynn take an online painting class?

A．Her teacher once praised her.	B．She desired to change her life.
C．She needed another hobby.	D．This kind of class charged little.

2. What's the purpose of Art Abandonment?

A．To encourage artists to donate.

B．To make the public love paintings.

C．To tell strangers to be kind to others.

D．To improve the atmosphere of public places.

3. How can a stranger get one of Lynn's paintings?

A．By getting familiar with Lynn.

B．By working voluntarily in a nonprofit.

C．By contacting Lynn on her Facebook page.

D．By donating at least $ 25 to someone in need.

4. Which of the following words can best describe Lynn?

A．Narrow-minded.	B．Kind-hearted.
C．Far-sighted.	D．Selfish.

【推荐1】John von Neumann was the oldest of 3 children of a banker, and his speed of learning new ideas and solving problems stood out early. At 17, his father tried to persuade him not to become a mathematician because he might lead a poor life being a mathematician, and he and his father reached an agreement, and von Neumann went to study chemistry. In 1926, at 23, he received a degree in chemical engineering and a Ph.D. in mathematics. From then on, mathematics provided well enough for him, and he never had to turn to chemistry.

In 1930, von Neumann visited Princeton University for a year and then became a professor there. His first book was published in 1932. In 1930, the Institute for Advanced Study was formed, and in 1933 he became one of the 6 full-time professors in the School of Mathematics (Einstein was one of the others).

World War Ⅱ (1931 — 1945) hugely changed von Neumann’s areas of interest. Until 1940 he had been a great pure mathematician. After 1940, he became one of the best mathematicians who put mathematical theories into practice. During the last part of the war he became interested in machines and made several fundamental computing contributions. After the war, von Neumann continued his work with computers, and was generally very active in government service. He received many awards, was president of the American Mathematical Society and was a member of the Atomic Energy Commission. He died of cancer in 1957.

Von Neumann made several great contributions and any one of them would have been enough to earn him a firm place in history. He is remembered as one of the greatest minds of the 20th century.

Von Neumann really is a legend in his own time, and there are a number of stories about him. His driving ability is a part of his legend. He reported one accident this way: “I was driving down the road. The trees on the right were passing me in an orderly fashion at 60 miles per hour. Suddenly one of them stepped in my path.”

1. What did von Neumann’s father believe according to the text?

A．A mathematician couldn’t earn a lot of money.

B．A mathematician needed a good memory.

C．Von Neumann had the ability to learn two subjects at the same time.

D．Von Neumann had the gift for solving problems at a high speed.

2. When did von Neumann publish his first book?

A．At the age of 25.	B．At the age of 26.
C．At the age of 29.	D．At the age of 32.

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

A．Strong.

B．Small.

C．Famous.

D．Weak.

4. Which of the following can best describe John von Neumann according to the last paragraph?

A．Calm.

B．Brave.

C．Intelligent.

D．Humorous.

【推荐2】Most of us know about the Nobel Prize, especially the Nobel Peace Prize, but few of us know anything about the man who set them up. His name was Alfred Nobel. He was a great scientist and inventor himself. Besides, he had a big business. His business may surprise you. He made and sold explosives (炸药). His companies even made and sold weapons. Isn’t this something that surprises you? The man who made money from weapons should set up the Peace Prize?
Though Alfred Nobel had a lot of money from weapons, he hated war. He hoped that there would be no war in the world. He was one of the richest in Europe. When he died in 1896, he left behind him a lot of money and his famous will. According to his will, most of his money was placed in a fund (基金). He wanted the interest (利润) from the fund to be used as prizes every year. We know them as the Nobel Prizes. The Nobel Prizes are international. Alfred Nobel wanted the winners to be chosen for their work, not the country they came from.
Alfred Nobel had given his whole life to his studies and work and to the benefits of mankind. He made money all by his own efforts, but he left the world share his wealth. His inventions and wealth stay with the world for ever.
1. Alfred Nobel did the following EXCEPT ________.

A．choosing the winners of Nobel Prize

B．making and selling weapons

C．setting up the Nobel Prize

D．making and selling explosives

2. Nobel wanted to set up the Nobel Peace Prize because ________.

A．he made enough money

B．he hated war

C．he wanted to get more interest from the fund

D．he liked to live in a peaceful world

3. Nobel Prizes come from ________.

A．all Nobel’s money in the fund

B．all Nobel’s money in his company

C．all the interest from the fund

D．some of the interest in the fund

4. Which statement of the following is Right according to the passage?

A．Nobel set up his company to sell clothes.

B．Most of Nobel’s money was used for the world wars.

C．Nobel Prizes are only for some people from some special countries.

D．Nobel worked hard in his life and saved lots of money for the world to share.

【推荐3】Neumann was the oldest of 3 children of a banker, and his speed of learning new ideas and of solving problems stood out early. At 17, his father tried to persuade him not to become a mathematician because he may lead a poor life being a mathematician, and so Neumann agreed to study chemistry as well. In 1926, at 23, he received a degree in chemical engineering and a Ph. D. in mathematics. From then on, mathematic provided well enough for him, and he never had to turn to chemistry.
In 1930, Neumann visited Princeton University for a year and then became a professor there. His first book was published in 1932. In 1933, the Institute for Advanced Study was formed, and he became one of the 6 full-time people in the School of Mathematics (Einstein was one of the others).
World War II hugely changed Neumann’s areas of interest. Until 1940 he had been a great pure (纯粹的) mathematician. During and after the war, he became one of the best mathematicians who put mathematics theories into practice. During the last part of the war he became interested in computing machines and made several contributions. After the war, Neumann continued his work with computers, and was generally very active in government service. He received many awards, was president of American Mathematical Society and was a member of the Atomic Energy Commission. He died in 1957 of cancer.
Neumann really was a legend(传奇) in his own time, and there are a number of stories about him. His driving ability is a part of this legend. He reported one accident this way: “I was driving down the road. The trees on the right were passing me in an orderly fashion at 60 miles per hour. Suddenly one of them stepped in my path.”
1. According to the text, Neumann’s father believed that __________.

A．a mathematician needed a good memory

B．a mathematician couldn’t earn a lot of money

C．Neumann has a gift for solving problems at a high speed

D．Neumann had the ability to learn two subjects at the same time

2. How did World War II affect Neumann?

A．He lost interest in chemistry.

B．He realized the importance of engineering.

C．He began to research how to put mathematics into practice.

D．He left college and served at the government department.

3. Which of the following is true of Neumann?

A．He had three children.

B．He died from an accident.

C．He received many awards in his life.

D．He and Einstein were classmates in Princeton University.

4. From the last paragraph, we can infer Neumann was ________.

A．humorous

B．calm

C．intelligent

D．brave

【推荐1】As a schoolboy, Arthur Conan Doyle would sit under a sycamore tree (西卡莫树) in his garden and dream of the stories he would write. Under the tree, in an Edinburgh suburb, the world’s most famous detective novels were finally created.

Now, after more than 170 years, the tree has finally had to be cut down. But its famous links are to be kept, with the wood being made into a violin to celebrate Conan Doyle and his most famous literary creation Sherlock Holmes. The great detective solves many of his cases while playing the violin in his drawing room.

The house in Liberton, in which Conan Doyle was brought up, is now a special school—Dunedin School. The teachers and pupils of the school, upset about the tree being cut down, have decided to make an instrument using the stump (树桩). So they let Steve Burnett, a self-taught craftsman, make a violin based on a design in about 1740. Although the finished instrument is priceless, Dunedin School has no intention (意图) of allowing it to gather dust in a glass box. Instead, it may be used by pupils in music lessons. The school also hopes to change the remains of the tree stump into a sculpture to honour Holmes.Mr. Burnett said,“It is a great honour to think Conan Doyle probably played under the tree as a boy. It will be a unique instrument.”

The violin will he played at the 150th anniversary of Conan Doyle’s birth.

1. What can we know from the first paragraph?

A．Conan Doyle is a native American who likes sitting in his garden

B．Conan Doyle created the most famous detective novels in the world

C．A sycamore tree in an Edinburgh suburb is Conan Doyle's favourite

D．Conan Doyle used to like to write novels under the tree in his garden

2. When Sherlock Holmes solves cases, he             .

A．usually draws pictures

B．likes playing the violin

C．drinks coffee with friend

D．makes violins of wood

3. The finished violin will               .

A．turn out to be useless

B．be donated to a charily

C．be used by pupils in music lessons

D．be kept in a glass box

4. What does the passage mainly talk about?

A．Why and how a special violin was made

B．How Conan Doyle became a great writer

C．Conan Doyle and his detective novel Sherlock Holmes

D．How to celebrate the 150th anniversary of Conan Doyle s birth

【推荐2】Most of us know about the Nobel Prize, especially the Nobel Peace Prize, but few of us know anything about the man who set them up. His name was Alfred Nobel. He was a great scientist and inventor himself. Besides, he had a big business. His business may surprise you. He made and sold explosives (炸药). His companies even made and sold weapons. Isn’t this something that surprises you? The man who made money from weapons should set up the Peace Prize?
Though Alfred Nobel had a lot of money from weapons, he hated war. He hoped that there would be no war in the world. He was one of the richest in Europe. When he died in 1896, he left behind him a lot of money and his famous will. According to his will, most of his money was placed in a fund (基金). He wanted the interest (利润) from the fund to be used as prizes every year. We know them as the Nobel Prizes. The Nobel Prizes are international. Alfred Nobel wanted the winners to be chosen for their work, not the country they came from.
Alfred Nobel had given his whole life to his studies and work and to the benefits of mankind. He made money all by his own efforts, but he left the world share his wealth. His inventions and wealth stay with the world for ever.
1. Alfred Nobel did the following EXCEPT ________.

A．choosing the winners of Nobel Prize

B．making and selling weapons

C．setting up the Nobel Prize

D．making and selling explosives

2. Nobel wanted to set up the Nobel Peace Prize because ________.

A．he made enough money

B．he hated war

C．he wanted to get more interest from the fund

D．he liked to live in a peaceful world

3. Nobel Prizes come from ________.

A．all Nobel’s money in the fund

B．all Nobel’s money in his company

C．all the interest from the fund

D．some of the interest in the fund

4. Which statement of the following is Right according to the passage?

A．Nobel set up his company to sell clothes.

B．Most of Nobel’s money was used for the world wars.

C．Nobel Prizes are only for some people from some special countries.

D．Nobel worked hard in his life and saved lots of money for the world to share.

【推荐3】A Hero Born, the first volume of famous Chinese martial arts novelist Jin Yong's Legends of the Condor Heroes, was on Thursday published in English for the first time.

British publishing house MacLehose bought the rights to the book five years ago and commissioned the translation work to Anna Holmwood, a professional focused on Chinese-English literary translation, to translate the work. After years of hard work, the 400-page translation priced at 14.99 pounds (20.8 U.S. dollars), finally hit bookstores. "I feel very excited and a little nervous also of course. It is a big moment for me personally, "Holmwood told Xinhua from her home in Sweden." If you are a fan of Lord Of. The Rings and are looking for the next best thing, A Hero Born is definitely the book for you," Waterstone, one of Britain's biggest chain bookstores, said on its website.

Jin Yong is the pen name of Louis Cha, 93, who now lives in Hong Kong. He is one of the bestselling Chinese authors alive with over 300 million copies of his works sold in the Chinese-speaking world. Despite their popularity, only few of Jin Yong's martial arts novels have been translated into English. The Legends of the Condor Heroes, one of his most well-known works, covers the Song Dynasty and features hundreds of characters, telling a story full of gravity-defying kungfu, treachery, loyalty and love.

Holmwood, who has also translated works by other contemporary Chinese authors, said she became very involved in the details and admired Jin Yong's brilliant writing. "It is like I becomes captured in the world and the writing and it doesn't let me go," she said. Having studied history and Chinese at university, Holmwood spent many years in China. As a fan of Chinese classical poetry and literature, she recommended Jin Yong's novels to a book agent in 2012. "It was mainly because of the quality of the writing and also because of his status in Chinese culture. The publisher in Britain was very excited to see there was such a big beloved author who still hadn't been translated into English, at least not by a trade publisher," she recalled. She said translating Jin Yong was a big challenge in some ways, not only because of the specific culture, references and historical figures, but also because she knew it was going to attract a lot of attention.

"Of course it does make me nervous that the translation will be read against the original in a way that most translations don't. So I have taken on the task with a humble heart," she said.

The Times called the book she translated "hugely entertaining" and selected it as Book of the Month.

1. What can we learn from the passage?

A．A hero Born is considered as successful as Lord of The Rings.

B．Anna Holmwood has translated most of Jin Yong's brilliant novels.

C．Jin Yong's Legends of the Condor Heroes was published on Thursday.

D．With the pen name Louis Cha, Jin Yong is among the best-selling Chinese authors.

2. What's the attitude of Holmwood towards Jin Yong?

A．Grateful

B．Indifferent

C．Admiring

D．Critical

3. What's the meaning of the underlined word "commissioned" in the second paragraph?

A．advocated

B．appointed

C．distributed

D．begged

4. Where is the test probably taken from?

A．A book review

B．A news report

C．A magazine

D．A martial arts novel