【推荐1】Father was diagnosed with brain cancer during the second half of my senior year. It is a time when all the big events in a girl’s life are happening. However, though in poor condition, father managed to be present at every occasion. His doctor said that by focusing on all my future events, it helped my dad live longer. I guess so because nine days after my high school graduation, my father died.

For the next week after his funeral, I didn’t leave my room or even to shower. Finally, my mom stormed in and said, “Megan, get up. I have something for you to read.” My father’s doctor had sent my mother a letter. It contained the typical “I am sorry for your loss” sentences. But this letter was far from typical. I could physically see the pain this loss had caused him. In his letter, he wrote about how my father inspired him to change his life and the way he worked. He expressed his desire to become a person like my father, who cared more for the people around him and put everyone else first.

After I finished reading it, I decided to live my life. I went outside and got a job as a summer camp advisor. I worked from dawn to dark every day that summer. I gave everything I had to the kids and slowly they helped to heal(治愈) me without even realizing what they were doing.

My summer mirrored parts of the life my father led in his last few days. I had spent the summer months giving myself to children. It was not the senior summer I had always imagined. It wasn’t all about me. I had learned the final lesson my father was teaching me, that in order to lead a rich and happy life, you must learn how to give yourself to others. By helping them you really are helping yourself.

1. The doctor sent the author’s mother a letter mainly to ________.

A．encourage the author’s mother to live a happy life

B．appreciate the author’s father’s influence on him

C．mourn the author’s father’s death

D．show typical concern for the family

2. What do we know about the author’s senior summer?

A．She got a job as her father had expected.

B．She gained quite a lot while helping the kids.

C．She worked hard every day to forget her father.

D．She spent it the way she had always wanted.

3. Which word can best describe the author’s father?

A．Fearless.

B．Generous

C．Cautious.

D．Selfless.

4. Which of the following could be the best title for the passage?

A．Dad's Final Lesson	B．My Senior Summer
C．My Father's Death	D．An Important Letter

【推荐2】When people hear that I’m the youngest person to row solo across the Atlantic Ocean, they all have the same question: How did a 22-year old woman row a 19-foot boat for 70 days through high winds and crashing waves? Well, the biggest   difficulty for me wasn’t physical. By the time I decided to do the ocean row, I had already biked 3,300 miles cross-country, run across the Mojave Desert, and swum the 325-mile length of the Allegheny River. No, the tough part would be mental: How would I handle the loneliness, the boredom of the vast sea?
I set off on January 3, 2010. I set my sights on getting past the quarter-way mark, which would take about 20 days.
Day 20, January 22, was gray and cloudy. __________________________________________________
I was suffering from terrible loneliness. I hadn’t seen landing over two weeks. Every day was beginning to feel the same. Eating, rowing, sleeping, watch the sky, watch the ocean.
Then, around sunset, I saw something move on the horizon. They were dolphins! They circled my boat. Suddenly I felt so grateful. They had come to help me celebrate, just when I needed them. I rowed at full strength for the next 20 minutes with the dolphins around. By the time we went our separate ways, I was no longer lonely. Better yet, I knew I would be okay.
I did make it, all 2,817 miles. I hit the coast of Guyana, South America, on March 14, after 70 days and five hours at sea. My ocean row raised $70,000 for the Blue Planet Run Foundation, which funds drinking water programs around the world. I know some athletes spend the entire journey imagining the end, and that helps them get through. But for me, the secret is to focus on the moment, where you experience the personal growth—those moments of awareness of being connected to the sun, the weather, and the waves. And, on the best day of my life, those dolphins, which freed myself from terrible loneliness.
1. Which is the step taken as part of preparation for the tough row?

A．swimming the 325-mile length of the river

B．answering the same question raised by people

C．running 3,300 miles cross-country

D．biking across the Mojave Desert

2. What does the underlined part mean?

A．I didn’t have any chocolate bar for energy.

B．I wasn’t in the mood to celebrate my first goal.

C．It’s a pity not to celebrate my passing the quarter of the way

D．It’s a pity not to treat myself to a chocolate bar on Day 20.

3. What can be implied from the last two paragraphs?

A．Imagination was an effective way to help me get through.

B．The Blue Planet Run Foundation helped me a lot.

C．The dolphins accompanied me to reach my destination

D．The unexpected dolphins swept away my loneliness

4. Which can be the best title of the passage?

A．The day I stopped being lonely

B．The only challenge for a 22-year old

C．How to overcome loneliness at sea.

D．How to row alone across the Atlantic

【推荐3】Gordon Brown was born in Scotland in 1951.His childhood was a brilliant success because of his intellectual strength.He was accepted into middle school at 10.At 16 he became the youngest student at Edinburgh University.
“At that time, he was a lucky boy, good at almost everything,” said his old friend Murray Elder.However, setbacks (挫折) fell on the brilliant boy.After a rugby injury, he became blind in his left eye.Before long, similar symptoms (症状) developed in his right eye.“I lay in the hospital bed in total darkness, uncertain about my future,” said Brown.
Looking back into the past, Brown didn’t complain about his bad luck.He even said: “One door closes; you can’t play rugby any more, so you focus on other things.”
Brown was interested in student politics in university, which helped a lot in his political career later in life.
In 1997, Brown was made Chancellor of the Exchequer (财政大臣).He has succeeded in giving the country a high rate of employment and the longest period of economic growth in its history.
Compared with his successful career, Brown’s family life is full of downs.He lost his first daughter ten days after her birth.His one-year-old youngest son has a deadly disease.“These accidents make me appreciate my life more,” he said.
1. Gordon Brown was successful in his childhood because he _____.

A．was very intelligent

B．went to middle school at 10

C．played rugby very well

D．became the youngest student at Edinburgh University

2. When Gordon Brown looked back on the past, he _____.

A．still had hope for the future

B．wished that he had not played rugby

C．believed that his door was closed

D．felt very sad about his misfortune

3. Which of the following is TRUE about Gordon Brown?

A．He didn’t like politics in university.

B．He became Chancellor of the Exchequer at 48.

C．He did a good job to improve the national economy.

D．He didn’t do well for the country’s employment.

4. From the last paragraph, we learn that Brown’s family life _____.

A．is as successful as his career.

B．is full of accidents

C．makes him upset about his life

D．is filled with good luck

【推荐1】When Jack, my husband, and I drove past a fire station with a sign reading, “Are you ready for the next storm?” Our area had just been in the path of Hurricane Irma, causing downed trees and outages. We were stuck in the dark and cut off from the outside world.

We have had our share of storms in the past years — a snowstorm and other heavy snows that knocked down trees, sometimes up to a week at a time. Those days in a cold house weren’t fun, but we learned so much from those early storms, things that made later storms easier to bear.

Now we have stored up flashlights, lanterns and candles. We bought a battery-operated radio to keep up with the news. We stocked up on batteries so that we’d have plenty for extended power failures. We make sure our grill (烤架) is ready and its tank is full, and we purchase food that can be easily prepared and then cooked or heated on the grill. And we don’t forget to buy emergency chocolate! We have book lights to read in the dark. We keep our car gas tanks full and have emergency cash on hand.

We’re ready for the next storm, but we wouldn’t have learned to do all those things if we hadn’t encountered a storm in the past. The same is true spiritually. Those little storms in our lives are never fun, but they prepare us for the big storms — the big trials — that will come our way. They can teach us some valuable lessons.

Are you ready for the next storm? Now is the time to get ready, not when the storm arrives.

1. Which can replace the underlined word “outages” in paragraph 1?

A．Traffic accidents.

B．Power failures.

C．Natural disasters.

D．Bad weather.

2. What is the third paragraph mainly about?

A．The importance of storing up daily goods.	B．The experience of dealing with housework.
C．The items the author bought for her daily life.	D．The preparations the author made for emergency.

3. What does the author think of experiencing the past storms?

A．It was instructive.

B．It was satisfactory.

C．It was unbearable.

D．It was destructive.

4. What can we learn from the author’s story?

A．Strike while the iron is hot.	B．Take precautions before it is too late.
C．Kill two birds with one stone.	D．Where there’s smoke, there’s fire.

【推荐2】My love for libraries blossomed when I joined the public library.

From the age of 8, I was allowed to walk from my home to the downtown library, housed above the police station.

Once the librarian gave me my first membership card, I could enjoy a range of books, which started with Little House in the Big Woods.

I was addicted instantly, and this love of libraries and reading would change my life, allowing me to one day create a safe space for high-school kids, too.

By the time I was in high school, I could read the authors that we were studying in class, including Charles Dickens, Mark Twain and Emily Bronte. During the summer months，I got caught up in Gone with the Wind and Anna Karenina.

When I studied English literature at university, I thought it was time to build my own library. For the next 40 years, I continued to collect books. Until one day, I realized that all my books had become a part of the house，like wallpaper.

Toward the end of my teaching career, I became a teacher-librarian at my old high school where I had first learned English literature. This position resumed（恢复）my love and appreciation for libraries. I never forgot how wonderful it was to be surrounded by books.

I had a generous budget for my classes, so I searched for novels that would interest my teenage audience and hopefully spark（激发）a love of books. Fantasy, science-fiction, graphic novels --- I bought almost any type of book that my students wanted to read.

I bought sofas and comfortable chairs，turning the library into an inclusive （包容的） public space, safe for everyone.

In doing so, I realized that the library isn't just a place to do research. They are, in fact, places that offer an opportunity to engage with the past, present and future. All that is required is a tiny bit of curiosity. Libraries are places that should be full of life. They help us adjust to the world and their doors must be kept open to everyone---for free！

1. What does the underlined word “blossomed” in the first sentence mean?

A．Shaped.

B．Produced.

C．Developed.

D．Appeared.

2. What does the author think of a library?

A．It is the only place for readers to do research.

B．It is a place for people to learn English literature.

C．It is a place for people to be more inclusive.

D．It is a place that offers an opportunity to be better selves.

3. What can be a suitable title for the text?

A．More Than Just Books	B．Being Addicted to Books
C．Building an Inclusive Public Space	D．Buying Any Kind of Book

【推荐3】Do you suppose Darwin, one of the greatest scientists of all time, really did fools’ experiments? Or did he do experiments that were so simple and basic that other people just thought they were foolish?

Sometimes, people think they already know the answer to a question or the solution (解决办法) to a problem. Sometimes, they really do know an answer or a solution, but without thinking they are important.

Charles Darwin didn’t settle for (满足于) just thinking he knew something. And, he believed all things could be important however simple they seemed to be.

Suppose you drop sheets of paper that are of exactly the same size and shape. If you drop them at the same time in the same place, they will fall in the same way. Now make one of the sheets of paper into a tight (紧的) little ball and let it drop along with the other sheets. What happens? You have done an experiment that is so simple that you might think it couldn’t be worth anything.

But this simple experiment is important. It explains part of our present-day understandings of physics and ideas that were worked out long ago by Galileo and Newton. And these understandings set aside some of ancient Greek physics.

A scientist sometimes stops to look at very simple things and to think very hard about them. Even the simplest idea, which we might think is foolish, can shake the foundations of science.

1. The passage tells us that Charles Darwin ________.

A．was a great English scientist

B．didn’t get on well with others

C．thought even the simplest thing was important

D．always liked doing the experiments that others thought difficult

2. The phrase “set aside” in paragraph 5 most probably means “________”.

A．throw away

B．put to use

C．realize

D．store up

3. In the scientists’ eyes, sometimes the very simple things may ________.

A．tell us everything of our life	B．shake the foundations of science
C．discover the truth of the nature	D．help them finish the experiment

4. The author of the passage tries to ________.

A．draw our attention to everyday happenings around us

B．draw the conclusion that basic sciences are simple things

C．prove that two sheets of paper always fall at the same speed

D．prove that only Charles Darwin, Galileo and Newton are the greatest scientists.

【推荐1】While Charlotte Uhlenbroek loves the adventure, she is also glad to be back in “civilization”, at least for the moment.

She’s just finished filming a TV series called Jungle——a 19-week job that involved her exploring the dense jungles of the Congo, the Amazon and Borneo. She says that it was fascinating, but daunting as well. So what was her most challenging experience? “Definitely climbing an 80-metre-high tree in Borneo, when I’m scared of heights! I had to keep going up and up, when a voice inside me was saying, ‘Down! Down!’ I kept thinking the ropes were going to break and send me down below.”

And “down below” was where the bugs were——clinging, stinging, sucking beasts. Apart from the usual mosquitoes, in the Amazon rainforest she was troubled by sand-fly bites. “I’ve had some horrible bites but these really are the itchiest (痒的) bites I’ve ever had. At one stage, I counted 70 bites on one arm,” she says. “Just as annoying were the sweat bees in the Congo. They try to drink the sweat on your face and even the tears from your eyes. The most disgusting thing, though, was try to pull the leches (水蛭) off your skin. The more I pulled, the more they stretched and the tighter their jaws clung to my leg. I kept shouting, ‘Get them off!’ and the film crew kept saying, “Just one minute... this makes a really good shot!”

Back in London, what has she been enjoying since her return to “civilization”? “I’ve been having lots of nice, long showers,” she says. “In the Congo, the possibility of using up our water supplies was always a worrying thought. And I find that when I’ve been in hot, uncomfortable conditions for a while, the things I look forward to more than anything else are being with my family and enjoying my favourite meal.”

1. Why does Charlotte explore the jungles?

A．She enjoys taking adventures.

B．She wants to challenge herself.

C．She takes part in shooting a TV series.

D．She is interested in the jungle bugs.

2. What can we learn about Charlotte’s experience in the jungles?

A．She climbed tall tee with the help of ropes.

B．She once had 70 bites by the sweat bees in the Congo.

C．The mosquito bites were the worst bites she’d ever had.

D．The film crew helped her to get the leches from her leg.

3. What does Charlotte miss most when she was in the jungles?

A．Nice and long showers.	B．Her family members.
C．Her comfortable bed.	D．Her favourite snacks.

4. What can be the best title for the text?

A．The TV Series ---- Jungle	B．Explore the Amazon Jungle
C．Return to the Age of Civilization	D．What a Jungle Journey!

【推荐2】Does your local high school have a student newspaper? Only 1 in 8 of New York’s public high schools has student newspapers – and many of those are published just a few times a year. A few more are online, which can leave out poorer schools.

Rebecca Dwarka, an 18-year-old senior who works for her student paper said, “Facebook is the new way of finding out what happened. Nobody wants to actually sit down and read a whole article about it. This makes a ‘whole article’ sound a little like a long sentence in lonely places.”

I am not nostalgic(怀旧的) about high school student newspapers and never worked for mine. I put out what was then called a personal magazine with a group of friends because we wanted to write about peace, war and rock and roll without school officials warning us not to make jokes about the local officials.

School newspapers are in decline because students now find out what happened on social networking websites. This is a little discouraging because it proves that for millions of Americans, journalism is becoming a do-it-yourself thing. Every citizen can be a reporter.

When something happens, we look for social media messages. Facebook posts and Tweets have become the means by which citizens and reporters can prove, deny (否认), pass on stories and express opinions without the press’ challenging, researching or slowing the message.

But truly good journalism is a craft, not just a blog post. It requires seeing something carefully and it uses an eye for details to help prove a larger view. And even journalism that gives an opinion tries to be fair. If school newspapers begin to disappear, I hope there are other ways for students to learn that.

1. What can we infer from Rebecca’s words?

A．Students like reading detailed articles.

B．Facebook is the quickest way of spreading news.

C．School newspapers are becoming unpopular.

D．Long sentences are becoming popular in lonely places.

2. What does the underlined word “decline” in paragraph 4 mean?

A．Fall.	B．Popularity
C．Increase	D．Failure

3. What should good journalism do according to the author?

A．Ignore some details.

B．Spread a message quickly.

C．Act as blog posts in modern times.

D．Give an opinion in a fair way.

4. Which opinion does the writer intend to express in this passage?

A．Social media is becoming more and more important.

B．Everyone can become a reporter at present.

C．Social networking brings about new journalism.

D．High school newspapers shouldn’t be replaced by social media.

【推荐3】This holiday season, holiday shoppers can for the first time send festive greetings that contribute to protecting rather than destroying our evergreen world. The beautiful e-card can be sent via TreeGreetings, available at http://www. TreeGreetings. com.

Each $8.95 TreeGreetings e-card comes with a virtual tour of the actual location where the gift tree will be planted along with a full-color, personalized planting certificate. The greetings feature musical slide shows with nature photography and inspirational messages.

“Our cards exemplify the spirit of holiday giving,” said Alan Shamir, founder and CEO of Your True Nature Inc., which markets TreeGreetings electronic products. “Our customers can give back to the Earth by contributing to reforestation while sharing holiday goodwill with friends and family.” TreeGreetings offers a full range of e-cards to celebrate any occasion including birthdays, weddings, anniversaries, new homes, congratulations, Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, and Father’s Day.

Individuals and organizations can easily send personalized TreeGreetings to their entire holiday lists at quantity-discounted rates, and distribution on a selected date can be scheduled days, weeks, or months in advance.

Gift trees are planted and cared for by well-established, reliable non-profit organizations including the internationally recognized Trees, Water & People, which has planted 1.2 million trees in Central America, and Plant-It 2020, a foundation created by singer John Denver in 1992.

After having received a Magnolia tree for his 11th birthday, Shamir gained a lifelong appreciation for the value and joy of receiving a living growing gift. He said, “My tree and I ‘grow up’ together! It has been such a valuable and important part of my life that I want to give others the experience of having a tree planted for their special occasions.”

1. What will happen if you buy a TreeGreetings e-card?

A．You will be presented with a gift.

B．You’ll receive a photograph with music.

C．You can determine the type of gift trees.

D．You’ll know where the tree will be planted.

2. What can we infer from Para. 3?

A．TreeGreetings e-card brings high profits.

B．TreeGreetings e-card does prove popular.

C．TreeGreetings e-card helps protect the Earth.

D．TreeGreetings e-card deserves to be stored.

3. What do we know about John Denver from the 5th paragraph?

A．He has a high fame worldwide.

B．He must be possessing a big farm.

C．He founded Plant-It 2020 himself.

D．He’s abandoned singing completely.

4. Why did the author mention Shamir’s 11th birthday?

A．To show it has a lasting influence on him.

B．To emphasize he didn’t get gifts ever before.

C．To call on people to value teenagers’ growth.

D．To collect data for his support for the project.

【推荐1】You can’t see your sleeping pet’s brain waves, but its behavior can tell you when your cat might be dreaming. If you watch closely, you’ll see that as she falls asleep, her breathing becomes slow and regular with her body still. She has entered the first stage of sleep, called slow-wave sleep. After about 15 minutes you’ll notice a change in her breathing, Her eyes move under her closed lids, her paws twitch (抽动) and she flicks (轻拂) an ear. She has entered dreaming. Although she twitches and makes little grunting noises, messages from her brain to the large muscles in her legs are blocked, so she can’t run about. She is in a state of “sleep paralysis (麻痹)”.

Michel Jouvet, a French scientist, interrupted their sleep paralysis. Even though they were completely asleep, the dreaming cats began to run for balls that Jouvet couldn’t see and arched (成弓形) their backs at unseen enemies. He figured he was watching them act out their dreams! Obviously, the dreaming cats seemed to be practising important cat skills: following, catching, and fighting.

In another study, Matt Wilson recorded rats brain waves while they learned mazes (迷宫). One day, he left the brain-wave-recording machine on while the rats fell asleep. The pattern of brain waves in the sleeping rats matched the pattern from the maze so closely that Wilson could figure out exactly which part of the maze each rat was dreaming about!

Many researchers now think that in both people and animals, one purpose of dreams is to practise important skills and figure out recent learning. This may explain why so many people dream about fighting and escaping, skills that were probably important to our ancestors, and why dreaming affects our ability to learn.

Do all animals dream? From looking at the brain waves of sleeping animals, how often animals dream seems to be tied to body size. Cats dream about every 15 minutes, mice every 9 minutes, and elephants every 2 hours. And though cows and horses usually sleep standing up, they only dream when lying down.

1. What does Michel Jouvet find in his study?

A．The dreaming cats are practising their important skills.

B．The dreaming cats are in a state of body paralysis.

C．The eyes of dreaming cats move while bodies are still.

D．The dreaming cats suddenly wake up and run for the ball.

2. What can you learn from the passage?

A．Dreaming a lot can help humans learn more.

B．Learning mazes is the basic skill for cats to learn.

C．Fighting and escaping are not important skills for ancestors.

D．Rats also dream to work out their recent learning.

3. Which animal may dream most frequently?

A．Dogs.	B．Rats.
C．Cows.	D．Elephants.

4. How does the author develop this passage?

A．By making comparisons.	B．By using figures.
C．By telling stories.	D．By showing facts.

【推荐2】Chelsea Peddle is a death doula: one of dozens of professionals in Canada who provide emotional and practical guidance for people near death and for their families. She earned her certificate at Dawson College, in Vancouver, but was originally set on this path at age 15 when her father died of an aggressive brain tumor. The experience had initially left Peddle with a crushing fear of illness and death. “I know what it’s like to feel lost and to not know what benefits and resources are available,” she says, “or even how to be with someone who’s dying.”

About half of Peddle’s clients today are in palliative（缓解的）care. Many are undergoing treatments, such as chemotherapy, for terminal illnesses. Every one of them is simply trying to wrap their head around the process of dying. She acts as a sounding board, directs them to resources, and helps them cope with the big emotions that come with knowing you’re going to die. “Sometimes there’s a sense of unfairness,” she says, “but a lot of the time there’s also this amazing level of acceptance.”

Facing death is often harder for the families. One of Peddle’s clients, for example, was recently caring for her sick mom in the U.S., living away from her family in Victoria, B.C., Canada, and felt guilty and conflicted for wanting the whole thing to be over already. Peddle helped her process those tough feelings and release the shame she was holding. “She had no idea that it was an entirely normal way to feel,” Peddle says. “She was so relieved that it didn’t make her a horrible person and that she wasn’t alone.”

During the pandemic, Peddle has had to figure out new ways to do her job: she can’t sit by a client’s bedside or visit their homes. Instead, she’s learned to build a level of trust and communication over camera sessions. At the same time, she’s noticed more people facing the inevitable case of death, creating advanced care plans and wills. “The veil on death has been pulled back,” she says. “The fact that death can visit anybody, regardless of their age, is more apparent now.”

1. When did Peddle have the idea to start the career?

A．After graduation at Dawson College.

B．When she helped a client faced with death.

C．When her father died of a terminal illness.

D．After her father recovering from a brain tumor.

2. Why did Peddle’s client that was caring for her mom in the US feel guilty and shame?

A．Her desire for her mother’s recovery from the illness.

B．Her plan of travelling back to Canada.

C．Her family living far away from her at that time.

D．Her expectation of her mother coming to the end of life soon.

3. In what way does Peddle carry out her job during the pandemic period?

A．Through emails.	B．Via voice communication.
C．By online video.	D．By a driving-through visit.

4. What does the underlined word “inevitable” mean?

A．unavoidable.	B．unexpected.
C．uncomfortable.	D．unpleasant.

【推荐3】Get outside and play!

There's nothing like enjoying your favorite sport on a summer day. This summer you take your game to a whole new level!

Soccer Camp

Coach Paul directs the Soccer Camp. The camp is full of a large amount of fun. The program remains a favorite among a majority of parents and children because of Paul’s encouraging and educational coaching style. Campers may choose to attend it.

Baseball Camp

Sessions focus on ball control skills. All skill sessions and games will be played on the turf field(草坪运动场)to ensure a smooth and fast playing surface. If you want to join it, you must make a call ahead of time.

Track and Field Camp

Each day, campers learn healthy warm—up techniques. During morning exercises, campers choose to participate in the 100m, 200m, 400m, 800m, or hurdle events.

Lacrosse (曲棍球)Camp

The boy’s and girl’s camps run at the same time,focusing on their specific rules and playbooks of the game. They do not play each other and wear different training clothes. Young players learn best. Campers will also play with the protective equipment. At the end of the camp, players get assessment from different coaches.

1. Why is Soccer camp so popular?

A．It has a great coach for training.	B．It includes flexible training hours.
C．It offers varieties of training activities.	D．It provides different events.

2. Which camp do you need to phone in advance?

A．Soccer Camp.	B．Lacrosse Camp.
C．Baseball Camp.	D．Track and Field Camp.

3. What do players receive after the Lacrosse Camp?

A．Some books.	B．Coaches’ assessment.
C．Sports uniforms.	D．Protective equipment.