【推荐1】“It was all his own idea, ” says Pat Peters, the 38-year-old wife of Palo Alto, California high school football coach Bob Peters, 39. Bob had just drawn up a “motherhood contract” --a document stating that for 70 days this summer he would take over the care and feeding of the couple’s four children, plus all household chores. Although he didn’t even know how to make coffee when he signed, he was quite confident. (He thought the experience would make a nice book.)
After 40 of the 70 days, he was ready to give up. “I was beaten down, completely humbled（挫败的）,”   admits Peters. Three weeks later he spoke to the local press, stating, “Not only is motherhood a difficult task, not only is it never-ending, it is an impossible job for any normal human being.”
Bob and Pat were high school sweethearts. After they were married in 1960, she worked as a secretary to help put him through university. Since then Bob has been the football and wrestling coach at Palo Alto’s Cubberley High while Pat raised the kids. Then two years ago Pat went back to work as a secretary at Cubberley. “I had been around children so much,” she sighs, “I couldn’t talk to a grown-up.” She continued to run the household, however----until Bob signed the contract, therefore, she decided to relax and enjoy it.
Although Peters had consulted with his school’s home economics teachers and the head of the cafeteria, his meals were sometimes a disaster. “I tried to slip the butter I’d forgotten under the eggs after they were frying, ” he says. For the last three weeks, the family ate out a lot—sometimes having Macdonald’s hamburgers for lunch and dinner.
As for housekeeping, a home economics teacher had told Bob that a room always looks clean if the bed is made. “I found an easier way-I shut the doors, ” he says. Soon the kids were wearing the same clothes for a week. “I made them wear their shirts inside out, and when we went to pick up Pat at work they turned them right side out so they would look clean.”
Now that Bob has publicly admitted he was wrong, he is routinely sharing the child-raising and household tasks with Pat. The tentative（暂时的） title of his book about the summer is taken from something he shouted at the kids one day.
1. The couple signed the contract because _______.

A．Pat complained a lot about her doing the housework all by herself

B．Bob loved taking care of children and wanted his wife to have a good rest

C．they agreed that husband and wife should share household tasks

D．Bob thought it easy to take care of the family and wanted the experience for a book

2. It was agreed that if Bob failed to keep to the contract, he would have to _______.

A．pay a certain amount of money

B．admit publicly he was wrong about motherhood

C．say sorry to his wife Now that Bob has publicly admitted he was wrong, he is routinely sharing the child-raising and household tasks with Pat.

D．do all the housework for years

3. What can we learn about Pat Peters?

A．She was hard-working and selfless.

B．She was pretty and kind-hearted.

C．She was tired of the child-raising and household tasks.

D．She did not love Bob any longer.

4. Which of the following can best end the news story?

A．“Wait till your mother gets home!”

B．“My experience of being a mother.”

C．“I’m proud of you all, my dear!”

D．“Motherhood: an impossible job for anyone.”

【推荐2】How to Make Friends at a New School

Starting with a new school can be difficult. Everything seems to be different, and you don’t even know where to go for your own classes.     1     However, if you use these skills, you can quickly turn some of those strangers into friends.

Be yourself

    2     If some people don’t accept you, they’re not the kind of friends you need. People often stay together because they have similar interests. For example, someone who does a lot of sports may make friends with those who also run or swim a lot.

    3    

Remember to be nice to the people you meet at your new school. If you think that you will say something that may make them feel sad, do not say anything and just nod your head if they talk to you. Also, remember to be as helpful as possible!

Believe in yourself

A smile goes a long way. When you walk in the halls, don’t keep your eyes on the floor. Raise your head and make eye contact with other people.     4     Introduce yourself. Tell them your name and where you’re from.

Remember people’s names

You like it when people use your name, and so do other people.     5     Besides, ask them in a kind way if they have a nickname. You’d be surprised how often this may come in handy.

A．Be friendly to others.

B．Making new friends can be hard, too.

C．Join after-school activities like

D．Never change what you are to try and fit in.

E．If you see someone you know, smile or say “Hi”.

F．People may become angry if you just begin by saying ”Hey“ each time.

G．Don ‘t sit at the back of the classroom where other people don’t notice you!

【推荐3】"Sorry, but I don't agree with you ..."This is usually followed by unbearable silence and angry tears. I've always found it difficult to disagree with someone, because I don't want to lose a friend. I've found it even harder to accept it when someone disagrees with me, because my ego（自尊心）is hurt.

Before the other person gets a chance to explain why she disagrees with me, my usual response would be," If you aren't able to see my point of view, then what you think isn't worth my time or consideration, either." But now I've come to realize that when a friend disagrees with me, sometimes she is simply saying, "I don't agree with the way things are done." She still respects me as a person, and is only pointing out a better way to look at a matter. However, there may be times when my friend disagrees with me because I'm against the truth. That's when need to listen to what she says.

I've learned that one way to help my friend is for me to be open and honest with the other to voice my thoughts and listen to the other carefully. While we can't control how a person will respond to our views, we must learn to disagree with our friends in love. We will never feel that we are better than the other person.And that will help us to be less emotional, and more objective in the way we express our opinions.In the same way, we can also stay open to feedback（反馈）from others,knowing that our friends may be correcting us in love.

Good friendships build each other up, sometimes through disagreements and honest opinions. Though I don't like being disagreed with, I'm starting to see the value of such disagreements.

1. The author has found it difficult to disagree with someone because       .

A．he is a friendly person	B．he usually hides his ideas
C．he has no mind of his own	D．he wants to keep the friendship

2. When a friend disagreed with him,the author used to       .

A．be unhappy	B．argue with the friend
C．break up with the friend	D．explain things calmly

3. The author will listen to a friend when       .

A．he is against the truth	B．he doesn't tell the truth
C．he is respected by a friend	D．he does things in the wrong way

4. What does the author mainly talk about in the text?

A．How to keep friendship.	B．How to avoid hurting a friend.
C．How to express disagreements.	D．How to deal with disagreements.