【推荐1】My nephew Sam was the only child of the family. His parents proudly showed him off; his aunts and uncles tried to be the first to hold him. But later things changed.

Due to the need of my job, my family lived with Sam’s family for a short time. By this time, my daughter Sophie was almost 3, and was a remarkably intelligent little girl. She could sing children’s songs and recite little poems. Sophie’s aunts and uncles were fascinated by her sweetness. Sam, who was seven, had to tolerate this new little human, but wasn’t quick to give away his high position.

Sophie’s third birthday was about to be celebrated, and the family had gathered presents. We were all busy getting the party ready when we heard the sharp cry from Sophie. Instantly, a half dozen adults moved as one and found Sophie sitting on the ground crying. She might have fallen off the seat of her well-decorated chair. We picked her up, comforted her and dried her tears. Finally, she settled like a queen on the royal throne of the birthday girl.

Nine years later, we went camping. Around the campfire, Sam spoke. He spoke of the agony he had been feeling for almost a decade. With a deep sigh, he shared his secret. During Sophie’s 3-year-old birthday, a fire of jealousy came from the proud and depressive guy when his position had been taken away by Sophie. He had waited for his moment. And then it came as Sophie was going to sit on her birthday chair. How he delighted in hearing the sound of his competitor hitting on the floor and crying. Sam really apologized then; his voice was soft and sincere.

Though Sam was seven, he was old enough to feel jealous of his cousin and played his hoax.

As he grew older, he realized his mistake, and eventually apologized and laid his burden down.

1. What made Sam dislike Sophie at first?

A．His room’s being shared with Sophie.	B．Sophie’s ability of reciting poems.
C．Sophie’s remarkable intelligence.	D．His high position’s being threatened.

2. Why did Sophie cry on her birthday in the author’s family’s opinion?

A．Sam frightened her by shouting.	B．Sam envied and didn’t care about her.
C．She fell down from the chair.	D．She had a quarrel with Sam.

3. What’s the meaning of the underlined word “hoax” in paragraph 5?

A．Role.

B．Trick.

C．Game.

D．Secret.

4. How did Sam feel after he shared his secret?

A．Ashamed and relaxed.

B．Calm and peaceful.

C．Guilty and regretful.

D．Relieved but painful.

【推荐2】Nikola Tesla Long overshadowed in public memory by his onetime employer, Thomas Edison. Tesla(1856—1943) was a brilliant scientist and engineer who earned more than 700 patents. He is famous for developing alternating current, but his work also led to advances in wireless communications, lasers, X-rays, radar, lighting, robotics, and much more.

Tesla was born to Serbian parents in what is now Croatia, but he emigrated to the U. S. as a young man where he eventually became a naturalized citizen. Besides Edison, who later became his bitter rival, Tesla often worked with inventor George Westinghouse. In 1893, the pair demonstrated their advances in lighting and motors in the “White City” at the Chicago World’s Fair. In 1895, Tesla and Westinghouse developed the world’s first hydroelectric power plant, at Niagara Falls.

At the turn of the century, Tesla set up a laboratory called Wardenclyffe in the small community of Shoreham Long Island, where he conducted some of his most ambitious experiments. The building was financed by J P. Morgan and designed by acclaimed architect Stanford White.

The most prominent feature was Wardenclyffe Tower, also called Tesla Tower. a 187-foot-tall metal lattice tower topped with a big antenna that was intended to beam communications and even energy across the Atlantic. Tesla ran out of money while building the tower and was foreclosed on twice. As with his previous Colorado Springs lab, assets were sold to pay up his debts. In 1917, the U.S. government blew up the tower, fearing that German spies were using it in World War I. The metal was sold for scrap. For decades, the building was used for photo processing.

“The tower is long gone, but the three-quarter-length statue of Tesla unveiled last week is a fitting memorial,” said Alcorn, a retired teacher. “This is the last remaining Tesla laboratory anywhere in the world,” she said. “He inspires those who work hard but don't get recognition, and people are starting to recognize how important his contributions are.”

As a sign of that growing appreciation, Elon Musk’s start-up electric car company Tesla Motors was named after the visionary inventor in 2003.

1. We can infer from Para. 1 that Tesla belonged to those       .

A．who weren’t brilliant enough as an inventor	B．who worked hard but didn’t get recognition
C．who have worked only for one employer	D．who helped Edison to earn many patents

2. Why did the U. S government destroy the tower?

A．To treat it as a sign of Germans failure in WWI.

B．To stop it from being used for photo processing.

C．To get its metal for the material of war.

D．To prevent it being used by German spies in WWI.

3. Which of the following can be seen as a sign of growing appreciation towards Tesla?

A．An electric car company was named after him.	B．A new statue of him was built in Croatia
C．People collect money to rebuild Tesla Tower	D．A lab was opened as a museum to Tesla

4. The purpose of writing this passage is to        .

A．explain why a car company was named Tesla	B．introduce the achievements of tesla
C．inspire us to learn from a famous scientist	D．record the contribution made by Tesla in WWI

【推荐1】Alexis, 17, sat quietly in the passenger seat of her dad’s car, looking out of the window. Then a deer came into view about 200 yards in front of them. “Dad, there’s a deer there!” Alexis said.

As the car moved closer, Alexis heard a scream and saw an arm fly up near the deer’s head. Alexis realized the deer was attacking a woman. Sue, a 44-year-old mother, had been out for her morning run. The deer followed her and edged closer. “I knew I was in trouble,” Sue says. She went to pick up a stick for self-defense, and the deer charged. It lifted her with its antlers (鹿角) and threw her into the air. Sue could feel blood flowing down her leg.

When Alexis and her father pulled up, the deer was throwing Sue like a doll. Alexis looked into the woman’s terrified eyes, and before her father had even stopped the car, the teenager jumped quickly out of the car and ran toward the deer. “I was kicking it to get its attention,” she says. Then her father, who had followed his daughter, tried to push the deer away from the women.

Alexis helped Sue into the car, and then applied a piece of cloth to Sue’s injured leg. “We’re going to get you to a hospital,” Alexis said. Then she heard her father shout loudly. He had been knocked to the ground. Alexis took hold of a hammer from the car and ran to where her father lay on his back. She beat the deer’s head and neck, but the blows didn’t scare it away. “I was losing faith,” she says. “A couple more strikes, Alexis,” said her father. “You can do it.” Turning the hammer around, Alexis closed her eyes and beat the deer’s neck with all her strength. When she opened her eyes, the deer was running away. Alexis got in the driver’s seat and sped toward the nearest hospital.

1. What was Sue doing when she was attacked by the deer?

A．She was going to school.	B．She was taking exercise.
C．She was resting by the road.	D．She was watering plants.

2. What does the underlined word “edged” in paragraph 2 mean?

A．Changed.

B．Cut.

C．Moved.

D．Attacked.

3. What did Alexis do to save her father and Sue?

A．She pushed the deer away.	B．She hit the deer with her feet.
C．She drove the car to hit the deer.	D．She beat the deer with a hammer.

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

A．Brave.

B．Cruel.

C．Energetic.

D．Strong.

【推荐2】“Do you want to pick up your rocking chair?” A text message from a former colleague woke me from my daydreams when I was sitting in my grandpa’s oak chair having coffee.

For 17 years, I taught grade one and two, and my dreams as a teacher were tied to that rocking chair. It was a magical idea to have it in my class. Every day after breaks, the class would gather around and listen to the story I was reading. When the kids were close, they found the courage to share their stories, dreams and fears. The chair was part of my job, part of me.

Unfortunately, I became unwell and couldn’t keep teaching. I experienced severe depression and anxiety and was forced to leave the job. With my life as a teacher over, I needed a new path. And I didn’t have to look far.

My husband and I adopted one of my former students in 2017. The arduous work of parenting a child who came to us at 9 years old changed our lives in unexpected ways. It called on the part of me that learns to be a good mother. We spent countless hours snuggling up (依偎) with books-healing, bonding and solidifying our family. This gave me a new purpose.

I joined a support group of local moms. For about a year, I met with them weekly for walks or coffee.

We came together to share. Then I started giving and receiving help. I gave driving practice to a single mom with her learner’s license and received emotional support in return. I also took her son on hikes around the city. Another woman encouraged me to buy a stand-up board and gave me lessons on surfing.

My family, my books, finding a new purpose and belonging in a community — these are fulfilling the sense of self I used to prize as a teacher. I learned my identity doesn’t need to change. I’m still honoring those core values whether or not I’m working as a teacher.

And what about that rocking chair? I looked back at the text message. My answer was no, I do not need the chair. I’ll let it go to a new teacher.

1. What made the rocking chair special to the author?

A．It had a magical effect on stories.	B．It was a symbol of comfort.
C．It was given by her former colleague.	D．It represented her teacher identity.

2. According to the passage, the author adopted a former student to ________.

A．realize her dream of being a parent.	B．become a good teacher again.
C．explore new possibilities in life.	D．repay the student for his rocking chair.

3. What does the underlined word “arduous” in paragraph 4 probably mean?

A．Simple and dull.	B．Challenging and tiring.
C．Concrete and supportive.	D．Lovely and pleasant.

4. What did the author do in the support group?

A．She gave lessons to children.	B．She provided aid for people with depression.
C．She gained knowledge in driving and sports.	D．She offered and received support.

5. How does the author feel now?

A．More confident than before.	B．Equally content as before.
C．Thrilled about her new life.	D．Anxious to return to teaching.

【推荐3】       Is there anything more important than health? I don’t think so. “Health is the greatest wealth(财富),” wise people say. You can’t be good at your studies or work well when you are ill.
       If you have a headache, toothache, backache, earache or bad pain in the stomach, if you complain of a bad cough, if you run a high temperature and have a bad cold, or if you suffer from high or low blood pressure, I think you should go to the doctor.
       The doctor will examine your throat, feel your pulse, test your blood pressure, take your temperature, sound your heart and lungs, test your eyes, check your teeth or have your chest X-rayed. After that he will advise some treatment, or some medicine. The only thing you have to do is to follow his advice.
       Speaking about doctor’s advice, I can’t help telling you a funny story.
       An old gentleman came to see the doctor. The man was very ill. He told the doctor about his weakness, memory loss and serious problems with his heart and lungs. The doctor examined him and said there was no medicine for his disease.
       He told his patient to go to a quiet place for a month and have a good rest. He also advised him to eat a lot of meat, drink two glasses of red wine every day and take long walks. In other words, the doctor advised him to follow the rule: “Eat at pleasure, drink with measure and enjoy life as it is.” The doctor also said that if the man wanted to be well again, he shouldn’t smoke more than one cigarette a day.
       A month later the gentleman came into the doctor’s office. He looked cheerful and happy. He thanked the doctor and said that he had never felt a healthier man.
       “But you know, doctor,” he said, “it’s not easy to begin smoking at my age.”
1. The writer thinks that________.

A．health is more important than wealth

B．work is as important as studies

C．medicine is more important than pleasure

D．nothing is more important than money

2. The doctor usually tells his patient what to do ______ .

A．without examining the patient

B．after he has examined the patient

C．if the patient doesn’t take medicine

D．unless the patient feels pain

3. The underlined part means “_____ ”.

A．he was feeling better than ever

B．he wasn’t a healthy man

C．he was feeling worse than before

D．he will be well again

4. From the last sentence of the passage, we learn the man_____before the doctor told him not to smoke more than one cigarette a day.

A．was a heavy smoker	B．didn’t smoke so much
C．didn’t smoke	D．began to learn to smoke

5. Which of the following is NOT true?

A．The doctor usually tests his/her blood pressure when a person is ill.

B．The man told the doctor he couldn’t remember things.

C．The man thanked the doctor.

D．The man didn’t follow the doctor’s advice.