【推荐1】When my brother and I were young, my mom would take us on Transportation Days.
It goes like this: You can’t take any means of transportation more than once. We would start from home, walking two blocks to the rail station. We’d take the train into the city center, then a bus, switching to the tram, then maybe a taxi. We always considered taking a horse carriage in the historic district, but we didn’t like the way the horses were treated, so we never did. At the end of the day, we took the subway to our closest station, where Mom’s friend was waiting to give us a ride home—our first car ride of the day.
The good thing about Transportation Days is not only that Mom taught us how to get around. She was born to be multimodal (多方式的). She understood that depending on cars only was a failure of imagination and, above all, a failure of confidence—the product of a childhood not spent exploring subway tunnels.
Once you learn the route map and step with certainty over the gap between the train and the platform, nothing is frightening anymore. New cities are just light-rail lines to be explored. And your personal car, if you have one, becomes just one more tool in the toolbox—and often an inadequate one, limiting both your mobility and your wallet.
On Transportation Days, we might stop for lunch on Chestnut Street or buy a new book or toy, but the transportation was the point. First, it was exciting enough to watch the world speed by from the train window. As I got older, my mom helped me unlock the mysteries that would otherwise have paralyzed my first attempts to do it myself: How do I know where to get off? How do I know how much it costs? How do I know when I need tickets, and where to get them? What track, what line, which direction, where’s the stop, and will I get wet when we go under the river?
I’m writing this right now on an airplane, a means we didn’t try on our Transportation Days and, we now know, the dirtiest and most polluting of them all. My flight routed me through Philadelphia. My multimodal mom met me for dinner in the airport. She took a train to meet me.
1. Which was forbidden by Mom on Transportation Days?

A．Having a car ride.

B．Taking the train twice.

C．Buying more than one toy.

D．Touring the historic district.

2. According to the writer, what was the greatest benefit of her Transportation Days?

A．Building confidence in herself.

B．Reducing her use of private cars.

C．Developing her sense of direction.

D．Giving her knowledge about vehicles.

3. The underlined word “paralyzed” (in Para. 5) is closest in meaning to “_______”.

A．displayed

B．justified

C．ignored

D．ruined

4. Which means of transportation does the writer probably disapprove of?

A．Airplane.

B．Subway.

C．Tram.

D．Car.

【推荐2】The bus screamed to a stop in Nazareth, Israel. Five Australian backpackers boarded and struck up a conversation with me. They asked typical travelers’ questions — where was I going and why was I traveling alone? My plan was to travel with a friend of a friend, I explained, but when I called her that morning, she didn’t pick up and I had no other way to reach her. My stomach was in knots, but I decided to head out anyway, thinking I might run into her if I traveled to Tiberius, where we had planned to go together.

“Why don’t you travel with us?” one of the backpackers offered. They were experienced adventurers who would work for a few months, save, and then travel for as long as they could. Their current plan was to explore the Middle East and Europe in three months while working in London.

It seemed risky to travel with strangers, but my instinct said yes. For the next two weeks, I explored Israel with the backpackers and learned to trust my instincts in all types of new and interesting situations. When they hook a ride, I took the bus, but when they wanted to steal into the King David Hotel’s swimming pool, I led the way.

The world opened up to me because I chose to travel alone. I joined complete strangers, who become close friends. Years later, one couple from the backpacking group even flew from Sydney to Phoenix to be in my wedding. The trip was such a special experience that it gave me confidence in all areas of my life. Since then, I’ve backpacked alone across South Africa, sky-dived from 12,000 feet in New Zealand and even moved across the U.S. with no job lined up.

On my third day wandering in Israel with my new friends, I bumped into the woman I was supposed to meet. Though I was happy she was all right, I was grateful she hadn’t picked up the phone.

1. By “My stomach was in knots,” the author probably means she was .

A．sick of repeating routines	B．nervous of new situations
C．upset about the sudden change	D．sorry about the careless plan

2. Which of the following best describes the backpackers the author met?

A．Homeless but lighthearted.	B．Jobless and poorly educated.
C．Courageous but disrespectful.	D．Warmhearted and experienced.

3. What did the author’s instinct told her?

A．It might cause trouble to have a swim.	B．It could add excitement to get a free ride.
C．She would get along with the backpackers.	D．She ought to stay away from the backpackers.

4. What can be inferred from the passage?

A．The author thought it right to travel alone.

B．The author became a fulltime backpack traveler.

C．The woman missed the call in order to travel alone.

D．Most of the backpackers became the author’s lifelong friends.

【推荐3】Many Westerners have the idea that everyone in China knows how to do kung fu. This is, of course, a silly belief. But it is true that kung fu is a big part of Chinese culture.

Like most people from the West, I was first introduced to kung fu through Hong Kong action films. Stars like Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan made kung fu popular in the Western world. The flashy and impressive performances they gave in films like Rumble in the Bronx and Enter the Dragon made them household names in the U.S. and elsewhere.

However, my own personal interest in kung fu was actually inspired by a hip hop group. Wu－Tang Clan, founded in the early 1990s in New York City, is one of the most influential hip hop groups in history.

In their songs, they sometimes mention philosophical concepts that come from Wudang quan — a classic Chinese martial art from which they take their name — and Shaolin Temple. I was just a teenager when I first started listening to Wu－Tang Clan — little did I know that I would actually end up living in China later in my life!

I myself do not practice kung fu. However, the concepts behind it are quite interesting to me. There is a Bruce Lee quote that I often think of when I'm struggling with challenges in life. “Be formless, shapeless, like water,” he once said. By this, he meant that you should be ready to adapt to and change your attitudes or beliefs when you face difficulties. I think this is a good way to deal with life.

1. What does “a silly belief” in Paragraph 1 refer to?

A．China is most famous for its kung fu.	B．All Chinese people can do kung fu
C．Kung fu is a big part of Chinese culture.	D．Many Westerners admire kung fu.

2. What inspired the author's interest in kung fu?

A．Hong Kong action movies.	B．A TV program about kung fu.
C．A US hip hop group.	D．Kung fu stars in Hollywood.

3. What do we know about the Wu－Tang Clan?

A．They showed the author the way to live in China.

B．They taught the author how to do Wudang quan.

C．They performed Chinese martial arts in the U.S.

D．They have Chinese culture in their songs.

【推荐1】I never knew anyone who’d grown up in Jackson without being afraid of Mrs. Calloway, our librarian. She ran Jackson’s Carnegie Library absolutely by herself. SILENCE in big black letters was on signs hung everywhere. If she thought you were dressed improperly, she sent you straight back home to change your clothes. I was willing; I would do anything to read.

My mother was not afraid of Mrs. Calloway. She wished me to have my own library card to check out books for myself. She took me in to introduce me. “Eudora is nine years old and has my permission to read any book she wants from the shelves, children or adults,” Mother said.

Mrs. Calloway made her own rules about books. You could not take back a book to the library on the same day you’d taken it out; it made no difference to her that you’d read every word in it and needed another to start. You could take out two books at a time and two only. So two by two, I read library books as fast as I could go, rushing them home in the basket of my bicycle. From the minute I reached our house, I started to read. I knew this was extreme happiness, knew it at the time.

My mother shared this feeling of mine. Now, I think of her as reading so much of the time while doing something else. I remember her reading a magazine while taking the part of the Wolf in a game of “Little Red Riding Hood” with my brother’s two daughters. She’d just look up at the right time, long enough to answer — in character — “The better to eat you with, my dear,” and go back to her place in the magazine article.

1. Which of the following best describes Mrs. Calloway?

A．Quiet.

B．Strict.

C．Humorous.

D．Considerate.

2. What do the underlined words “this feeling” refer to in the last paragraph?

A．Desire to read.	B．Love for Mrs. Calloway.
C．Interest in games.	D．Fear of the library rules.

3. Where is the text probably from?

A．A guidebook.	B．An autobiography.
C．A news report.	D．A book review.

【推荐3】One day, when I was going to check in at an airport, I noticed there was a big problem. The counter person was telling everyone that all the planes were having problems and they would not be able to fly! And it was suggested that a bus would be provided to take us to Seattle. Everyone was worried, as we only had an hour and a half to make the connecting flight, and the bus was not even at the airport yet.

Finally, the bus pulled up, and the driver said, “They just pulled me out of bed after an all-night shift (夜班), and they expect me to get you to Seattle in time to catch your flight. Good Luck!”

Needless to say, everyone was in a really bad mood. I was loading my luggage into the bus and had slung (吊) my banjo over my back when the driver said, “What? Are you going to play that in my bus?” “Well, really did not plan on it,” I replied. “I was only kidding,” said the driver. But I started thinking about it, and I pulled out the banjo. A worried, angry woman said, “Well, what if I don't like it?” “Then tell me and I will stop,” I replied.

We drove off, and the tension (紧张) made the atmosphere in the bus horrendous! Then I started plucking (弹奏) the old song Blue Skies. In a few minutes, I noticed everyone was singing along. I started to sing, too, and before long, the whole bus burst into song.

One song led to another and everyone seemed to have a request. “Do you know You Are My Sunshine?” Everyone laughed and sang, with food passed around the bus, and before long, the airport was in sight.

The bus driver called, “We made it! We never would have done it without the help of our banjo player.” Shouts of approval rang through the bus. The driver said to me, “This was the best ride I ever had. Thanks for your music.”

A few weeks later, my mailbox was filled with letters from my new friends. Their letters reminded me of how, by reaching out with just a song, you can turn a very tense situation into a peaceful experience-a magical, musical bus ride.

1. What can we learn about the driver from his words in Paragraph 2?

A．He was glad to take those people to the airport.

B．He was late because he just returned from an all-night shift.

C．He thought it was hard to get those people to the airport in time.

D．He thought he was lucky to take those people to the airport.

2. When the author decided to play his banjo, ________.

A．the driver fully supported him	B．not all the passengers preferred that idea
C．all the passengers disliked that idea	D．the whole bus burst into song

3. The underlined word “horrendous” in Paragraph 4 can be replaced by _________.

A．changeable	B．strange
C．very bad	D．cheerful

4. What does this text mainly tell us?

A．A wonderful musical bus ride.	B．An unforgettable flight to Seattle.
C．A great banjo player.	D．The amazing friendship on a bus.