【推荐1】Mark Twain was a great American writer, and he was also a famous speaker. He liked to tell funny stories to make people laugh. He also liked to play jokes on his friends.

Once Mark Twain was travelling with a friend of his. His friend lost his money, so he asked Mark Twain to buy a train ticket for him.

“But I don’t have enough money to buy two tickets,” said Mark Twain. His friend didn’t know what to do.

“You can hide under my seat when the conductor(列车员) comes to check the tickets,” Mark Twain said to him.

When the conductor came to check the tickets, Mark Twain gave him two tickets, one for himself and one for his friend. He said to the conductor, “My friend is a strange man. When he travels on a train, he does not like to sit on the seat. He likes to lie on the floor under the seat.” Everyone in the train looked at his friend under the seat and laughed.

1. Mark Twain was a writer and _______.        .

A．scientist

B．speaker

C．pianist

D．singer

2. The friend asked Mark Twain to buy a ticket for him because _______.

A．he was very poor	B．he forgot to buy one
C．he lost his money	D．he arrived too late

3. Where was the friend when the conductor came to check the tickets?

A．Under the seat.	B．Behind the door.
C．Under the train.	D．Behind Mark Twain.

4. From the story, we know that Mark Twain was a ______ man.

A．shy

B．strict

C．serious

D．funny

【推荐2】In a town there lived a little, beautiful and smart girl. Her name was Rose. Everyone was very brave, but she was scared of the doctor. One day, one of her teeth was moving. Her mom saw it. She said, "One of your teeth is moving, and you need to visit Doctor Tim."

Rose said, "No! I'm not going to the doctor."Mom said, "Don't worry. It's not wobbly(摆动的) we needn't go to the doctor at once." That made Rose feel better.

After five weeks, Rose forgot about her tooth but her mom didn't. She checked her tooth again and it was wobblier, so she said, "It's time to see the doctor."

Rose was scared but she had to do what her mom told her, so they went to see the doctor Tim. They had to wait in the waiting room.

When it was her turn, her heart was beating very fast. She went into Doctor Tim's room. He was smiling. She sat on the chair. Doctor Tim said, "Close your eyes." Rose closed her eyes, but just before Doctor Tim started, tears started coming down from her eyes. When she opened her eyes, she saw Doctor Tim holding her tooth, smiling. Rose smiled. Then Doctor Tim gave her a teddy bear. From that time Rose wasn't scared of doctors anymore.

1. At he beginning of the story, Rose was scared of________.

A．her mom

B．the doctor

C．her teeth

2. Rose forgot about her tooth after________.

A．five months

B．many years

C．five weeks

3. When it was Roses turn, Rose felt very________.

A．nervous

B．sad

C．excited

4. Which of the following is NOT true according the passage?

A．Rose mother asked Rose to see the doctor because of her moving teeth.

B．Rose mother was angry when Rose refused to see the doctor.

C．Everyone in the town liked Rose because she was a smart girl.

5. According to the passage, the doctor was a ________ man.

A．kind

B．brave

C．careless

【推荐3】Born and raised in Kunming in Yunnan province, Yin Jiongjie is the son of two musicians and grew up listening to music and watching music performances. His father bought lots of recordings and DVDs of world-renowned classical musicians and symphony orchestras to ensure that his only son had as much exposure to music as possible.

As a child, Yin learned to play the piano and the violin. Later, he gave up the latter and focused instead on the piano. Even then, he decided that he would become a conductor one day. “There can be over 100 musicians in an orchestra but there is only one conductor. The conductor is like the composer’s messenger, which is a magical experience,” he said.

When he was 14, Chen Lin and Chen Bing, two conductors from the Central Conservatory of Music came to Kunming to choose students. Yin’s father allowed him to perform for them. Standing on the stage of the theater at the Yunnan Arts University, Yin raised his baton (指挥棒) and demonstrated how he would conduct to a recording of Dvorak’s Symphony No. 9 From the New World. Ten months later, he moved to Beijing and enrolled at the Middle School Affiliated (附属) to the Central Conservatory of Music and later studied at the university under Chen Lin.

Since 2015, Yin has been chosen by the Central Conservatory of Music to participate in several master classes with conductors, among them South Korea’s Chung Myung-whun and Canada’s Yannick Nezet-Seguin. “There’s a huge gap between the training you receive in a conservatory and what is required of a professional conductor. The most basic thing is to build and expand my repertoire, and gain a deep understanding of each piece,” he says. “It is a skill that involves psychology, body language, knowledge of history, culture and music, and a sensitivity to everything that makes us human. And I have a long way to go.”

1. What can we learn about Yin Jiongjie from the first two paragraphs?

A．His father excels at classical music.	B．His father is a symphony conductor.
C．He kept playing the piano and violin.	D．He had a dream of being a conductor.

2. What does the underlined phrase “enrolled at” in paragraph 3 mean?

A．Visited.

B．Impressed.

C．Joined.

D．Applauded.

3. Which of the following is Yin’s idea according to the last paragraph?

A．Better late than never.	B．Rome wasn’t built in a day.
C．The early bird catches the worm.	D．When in Rome, do as the Romans do.

4. Which of the following best describes Yin Jiongjie?

A．Talented and generous.	B．Honest and trustworthy.
C．Determined and humorous.	D．Purposeful and hard-working.

【推荐1】A year ago, Joe Stilin spent the summer training for the Berlin Marathon. The professional proceeded 100-mile weeks in preparation, and his effort paid off, running a 2:17:15—a career-best on a record-qualified course.

This year, almost every racing opportunity was canceled among safety measures in response to the coronavirus outbreak. As a runner who succeeds on a full racing schedule, Stilin was taken aback by the sudden cancellations—but in the face of the upheaval, he used the summer to run for a purpose that went beyond personal achievement.

From May to September, the Olympic Marathon Trials qualifier participated in the One Wisconsin Running Challenge—a virtual(虚拟的) running fundraiser for local charities providing essential goods and financial support to those affected by the global pandemic(流行病).

Weeks after the marathon trials, most major sports competitions were cut off, including the Tokyo Olympics. But Stilin approached the change as an opportunity to steel himself on the stress-relieving benefits of running and use the miles of the One Wisconsin Running Challenge as a way to give back.

For the first time ever, Stilin left one day off in his weekly mileage this summer, which has been vital for recovery and his development as a runner.“That’s actually been a good lesson to learn,” Stilin said.“As someone who puts a lot of pressure on myself before competition, my goal is to remember to move forward next year when we get races back. I want to remember this summer when the pressure was off and we still worked hard, and the fitness came of its own accord(一致).”

“I think this year is breaking down a lot of people a little bit but also building them back up,” he said.“It’s forcing myself and everybody to get out of their comfort zone. Unfortunately, a lot of people are stressed, anxious, and maybe depressed. But I really think that when we heal from it, we’re going to be better for it.”

1. What does the underlined part “upheaval” mean in paragraph 2?

A．Danger.	B．Change.
C．Challenge.	D．Embarrassment.

2. What did Stilin do for the first time in his summer running?

A．Ran 100 miles a week.

B．Qualified for the marathon trials.

C．Helped those who unluckily got infected.

D．Rested one day a week on the racing schedule.

3. What does Joe Stilin suggest people do in the passage?

A．Take an active part in the virtual running.

B．Get rid of the comfort zone.

C．Cheer up and work hard.

D．Run for a purpose.

4. Which of the following can best describe Joe Stilin?

A．Kind and determined.	B．Courageous and calm.
C．Brave and experienced.	D．Ambitious and professional.

【推荐2】55-year-old Rob Kenney, who grew up without a father, has been doing his part to make a difference in the lives of kids today.

He created a YouTube channel, called Dad, How Do I, which aims to give youths the valuable lessons a father is meant to give. Launched only two months ago, his channel already has more than two million subscribers (订阅者). Rob teaches children and adults, many of whom are also without a dad, basic skills such as how to tie a tie, how to cook meals, how to repair a lamp and many more.

“I didn’t start this to make money,” Rob told his viewers. “I just thought I was going to help a few people... 30 or 40 subscribers... but it’s turned into a way more than that. And please don’t think I am only aiming this at young men. It is for anybody who feels that they need to learn something.”

Now that his channel has had such huge unexpected success, Rob plans to give his earnings to a number of international charities.

Many viewers have been touched by the warm words Rob shares in his videos. Such simple words, like “I love you”, “You’ve done a good job” and “I’m proud of you,” can have a deep impact on many children, even some adults. He starts each video with an enthusiastic “Hey, kids!”   — but Keiha Danaher said that she was a 33-year-old woman, and she answered back crying, saying, “Hi, dad!”

Rob’s childhood story makes him a role for the kids who watch his channel. By the age of 14, his parents had divorced. He had to move in with his elder brother and learn from the tough life experiences without parents in his life. But that didn’t prevent him from being a good father to his children. His experience shows his viewers that there is always opportunity in the face of difficulties.

1. Why did Rob Kenney create the channel Dad, How Do I in the beginning?

A．To cheer up those who feel upset.

B．To make some money to support his family.

C．To teach children and adults some useful life skills.

D．To offer youths advice on how to get on well with others.

2. What can we infer from Rob’s words in the third paragraph?

A．Rob’s videos are only intended for young men.

B．Subscribers are mainly made up of poor people.

C．The number of subscribers is larger than Rob expected.

D．Rob guesses there won’t be more people to subscribe his channel.

3. What does Rob plan to do in the future?

A．Make his videos more entertaining and instructive.

B．Help more children improve their intelligence.

C．Let more people have sympathy for him.

D．Donate the money he earns to charities.

4. Why are the viewers moved by what Rob shares in his video?

A．They think Rob is just like their real father to take care of them.

B．The words in Rob’s videos are warm and encouraging.

C．Rob’s experiences remind them of their own.

D．Rob’s attitude toward life is always positive.

【推荐3】It is a simple warehouse with no heat, and Flora Smith, a stylish girl in the United States, is buried herself in a bin full of apples. This isn’t exactly how I pictured meeting the famous girl, who grew up in the spotlight. But it is completely true. Dressed in skinny jeans,a soft cotton T-shirt and a simple coat for a day of hard work and heavy lifting, Flora shows no signs of being a fashion girl here. She’s too busy focusing her famously intelligent mind on the more significant goal of actually improving the world she lives in. And there’s no better way than to jump in and do it herself.

“Volunteer service is equally an opportunity for young women to really give themselves power, particularly when there are so many ways women are told they can’t do things,“ she tells me. After she and her team have bagged up more than 16,000 pounds of apples for local food rescue organizations, we sit down to chat. She adds, “If I can make as much difference as a man can, if I can even pack more apples than the man standing next to me, why shouldn’t I be able to do whatever I want to do? Volunteer service is a great way to prove not only what you can do for the world, but also what the world can expect from you. ”

In her mind, she is someone who is still trying to figure out if she can make a difference in the areas she really cares about. Flora jumps up to join a group photo of volunteers, kneeling on the concrete floor so the staff can squeeze into the shot.

Surrounded by people who would like to follow her to a freezing warehouse in New York City to make a positive impact, she seems to be exactly that person-a charming political lead-er with big dreams, like her father. After all, the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.

1. What does paragraph 1 mainly describe about Flora?

A．Her state of labor.	B．Her significant goal.
C．Her anxiety about hard work.	D．Her famously intelligent mind.

2. What does Flora say about volunteer service?

A．Its effect depends on sex.	B．Its quality is difficult to define.
C．It is more meaningful to women than men.	D．It has a good effect on individuals and society.

3. Which of the following can best describe Flora?

A．Sensitive and artistic.	B．Athletic and energetic.
C．Reserved and unemotional.	D．Determined and considerate.

4. What does the author seem to convey in the last paragraph?

A．Few volunteers follow Flora.	B．Apples are Flora’s favorite fruit.
C．Flora’s father plays a role in her life.	D．Flora has realized her political dream.