【推荐1】A mother is devastated, crying, yelling all she can in that dark corner. There was nobody tohear her yell and not a soul to calm her, because outside her house is a long winding lonely road.The wind was at rest and the leaves didn't rustle, silence filling the air. Loneliness was alreadykilling her，but no one knows what made her cry.
Losing something you love with all your heart isn't really the pain you can ever overcome.Radha lost her baby, her only means to live. She saw her child getting killed and the accidentwas terrible. One lonely night, she was walking down the street to get a breath of fresh air withher child hugged tight in her arms.
The whole time she walked with her child in her arms. The only thing that worried her wasAryan's future. She was imagining and feeling every day of the child’s growth, and figuringwhat she would have in store for him. But who knows what's in store for us tomorrow? Life canchange in a second.
On that deserted road, were a few streetlights barely enough? It was this one light that couldbe seen from a distance, but as it came closer it got brighter and brighter. That light changedRadha's life into darkness forever. A speeding car came down that road. The driver came at aspeed of 110 kmph throwing beer bottles out of his half open window. He was definitely drunk,and the speed took everything in its path. Just then, there was a loud cry, and silence set in again.
But the mother wasn’t hurt. She opened her eyes, unable to focus her eyes, and didn’t seeAryan. After a few minutes when her sight cleared up she looked all over in a panic for her baby,but alas! ... The child hadn’t even seen life.
Simply, don't drink and drive. _________________________.
1. The word“devastated” in Paragraph 1 would probably mean____________ .

A．worried	B．scared
C．heart-broken	D．weather-beaten

2. Which of the following statements is TRUE of Radha?

A．She had expected much of Aryan.

B．She got her eyes injured in the accident.

C．She was hit by one bottle on the arm.

D．She had everything ready for Aryan's future.

3. The last sentence underlined implies that __________.

A．drunk driving is absolutely forbidden

B．drunk driving is certain to kill a lot of people

C．the driver killed Aryan and his mother

D．there is more than one victim (受害者) in a car accident

4. What would be the best title for the passage?

A．The Death of a Miserable Child

B．The Price for Another Man's Mistake

C．A Sad Mother on a Windy Night

D．Overspeeding from Drunk Driving

【推荐2】There are many people you are well advised to treat kindly: Your child’s teacher, your husband or wife, your boss and so on.

Until now, that best-behavior-required list has not included your Uber（优步） driver, or taxi drivers. Old thinking: Hey, they’re here to serve me. I don’t have to make a special effort to be nice to them.

Dangerously wrong.

A recent New York Times story told the educative tale of a Uber passenger, Hussein Kanji, who says he’s really not sure how he made his driver angry. All he knows is that his driver-generated rating(评分) went way down and the wait for a Uber car became hours instead of minutes.

Be careful, Uberians: If you’re feeling angry when you get into the back seat and you give your driver the silent treatment, your reputation may get damaged in the driver-generated ratings. If you’re among the people described as “generally negative” by one Uber driver, watch out.

Uber isn’t the only front on this battlefield. The ability to rate someone’s service is one of the successes of the Internet. It helps everyone weed out people with bad attitudes and worse habits.

These ratings should cut both ways. A while back, the auction(竞买) site eBay made many of its sellers angry when it started preventing them from giving negative ratings to buyers. Until then, sellers and buyers had threatened each other with negative reviews. Too many negative reviews could get you thrown off.

Then eBay shifted the balance of power to buyers. Sellers can still write a bad comment, but the overall rating cannot be anything but positive. Thus eBay has become a place where all is for the best. Think positive!

We know that being nice to people all day can be exhausting. We’ve also seen people who shout at those who don’t measure up to their expectations for service.

Uber is reportedly about to spread worldwide. It is a welcome competitor because it fits the needs of customers in a new way. We know Uber is a two-way street. But drivers who get too picky may end up with no passengers.

Everyone, behave!

1. Negative driver-generated ratings mean that ________.

A．Uber drivers will never serve those customers

B．drivers are too slow to pick up customers

C．customers have to wait for a longer time when using Uber cars

D．customers have done damage to Uber cars

2. The underlined phrase “weed out” (Para. 6) can best be replaced by _____.

A．hate	B．get rid of
C．value	D．win back

3. The example of eBay in the article is probably meant to show that ________.

A．in the Internet age, buyers have always had the advantage of ratings

B．the power of ratings should be given to both sides of a service

C．the main reason why eBay has become a successful auction site

D．controversy between customers and sellers has only come about recently

4. The author has written this article to ________.

A．show that when using Uber, your behavior directly affects the service you get

B．prove that giving and receiving bad ratings can influence your life

C．suggest that tools like Uber and eBay can reflect what kind of person you are

D．stress that both customers and service providers should be respectful and positive

【推荐3】Vehicles often come into conflict with other vehicles and pedestrians when their intended courses of travel intersect (交叉), and end up being in each other，s way. The general principle that establishes who has the right to go first is called “right of way”, or “priority”. It determines who has the right to use the conflicting part of the road and who has to wait. Signs, signals, markings and other features are often used to make priority clear.

A driver must yield (让) the right of way to other drivers:

● When approaching a YIELD sign. Slow down or stop to avoid a crash.

● Even after the light turns green when there are vehicles in the intersection.

● When approaching emergency vehicles using sounding or flashing sirens.

● After coming to a complete stop at an intersection where there is a stop sign or a flashing red signal. If there is no stop line, stop before the crosswalk.

● When making a left turn on a red light after a stop from a one-way street to another one-way street with traffic moving to the left. (See Figure A.)

● When two vehicles on different roadways arrive at a four-way stop intersection at the same time, the vehicle should yield to the vehicle on its right. (See Figure B.)

● When coming out of an alley, building, private road or driveway after coming to a complete stop. (See Figure C.)

● When crossing traffic at the end of a “T” road with no traffic control signs or signals. (See Figure D.)

1. What’s the purpose of the text?

A．To explain the law of right of way.

B．To illustrate traffic signs and signals.

C．To inform drivers of general traffic rules.

D．To introduce traffic rules to pedestrians.

2. Which is the right behavior according to the text?

A．Drive on once the light turns green.

B．Keep driving if there is no stop line.

C．Yield to emergency vehicles at any time.

D．Slow down when approaching a YIELD sign.

3. Which of the following description is TRUE according to the figures?

A．Figure A: B should yield to A.

B．Figure B: A should yield to B.

C．Figure C: A should yield to B.

D．Figure D: A should yield to B.

【推荐1】When you consciously keep thinking of something, your unconscious mind will somehow spontaneously(自发地) push that idea or issue back to the surface even when you are doing something else, because your unconscious mind accepts, stores and plays back everything that the conscious mind focuses on. The unconscious mind is like a “yes” person, agreeing, accepting and reminding.

Hence, your unconscious mind can respond positively or negatively, depending on how you have consciously conditioned it — by constantly thinking about something. For instance, if you keep telling yourself that it is very difficult to study English or that your English lecture is boring, then that thought will always crop up uninvited when you are chatting with someone or doing something else. That is how the unconscious mind works. Successful athletes who consciously, continuously and consistently focus on superior performance actually perform well because they are driven by their unconscious mind. It’s important to understand that whatever you consciously focus on, your unconscious mind will accept it. You need to think positively so that your unconscious mind will respond likewise. If you find yourself in a negative mood, discontinue that mood.

You must not hold a negative thought too long, or it will come back again and get more rooted in your system. Once you are in a negative system, it would take much more reprogramming to uproot the bad “trees” in your mind. You could have a full-grown negative “forest” in your mind — and that could take ages to uproot. So replace it with a positive thought. Affirm(强化) consciously, continuously and consistently your new positive image. Focus on the new trait visually and see yourself succeeding in it.

Review your behavior. Do you moan and groan too often? Do you talk like a loser? Are you small-minded, selfish and unforgiving? It’s time you consciously conditioned your unconscious mind to work in a positive manner.

1. What does the underlined phrase “crop up” in paragraph 2 probably mean?

A．Respond.

B．Arise.

C．Improve.

D．Occupy.

2. How does the author support his idea in paragraph 2?

A．By analyzing relevant statistics.	B．By describing his personal experiences.
C．By explaining causes.	D．By providing examples.

3. What can we infer from paragraph 3?

A．Positive thoughts can replace negative thoughts automatically.

B．Negative thoughts are obstacles to your academic performance.

C．It will take consistent efforts to get out of a negative system.

D．Negative thoughts result from your negative image in life.

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

A．Train Your Unconscious Mind

B．Uproot Your Unconscious Mind

C．Your Unconscious Mind Shapes Your Character

D．Conscious Mind Outweighs Unconscious Mind

【推荐3】Can a computer think? That depends on what you mean by “think”. If solving a mathematical problem is “thinking”, then a computer can “think” and do so much faster than a man. Most mathematical problems can be solved quite mechanically by repeating certain straightforward processes over and over again. Even the simple computers of today can be geared for that.

It is frequently said that computers solve problems only because they are “programmed” to do so. They can only do what men have them do. One must remember that human beings also can only do what they are “programmed” to do. Our genes “program” us the instant the fertilized ovum (受精卵) is formed, and our potentialities are limited by that “program”.

Our “program” is so much more enormously complex, though, that we might like to define “thinking” in terms of the creativity that goes into writing a great play or composing a great symphony, into developing a brilliant scientific theory or a profound moral judgment. In that sense, computers certainly can’t think and neither can most humans.

Surely, though, if a computer can be made complex enough, it can be as creative as humans. If it could be made as complete as a human brain, it could be the equivalent of a human brain and do whatever a human brain can do.

But how long will it take to build a computer complex enough to duplicate (复制) the human brain? Perhaps not as long as someone thinks. Long before we approach a computer as complex as our brain, we will perhaps build a computer that is at least complex enough to design another computer more complex than itself. This more complex computer could design one still more complex and so on and so on and so on.

In other words, once we pass a certain critical point, the computers take over and there is a “complexity explosion”. In a very short time thereafter, computers may exist that not only duplicate the human brain but far surpass it.

1. In what sense does the writer think that humans are programmed?

A．He thinks a man’s abilities are not limited, as a computer’s are.

B．Their characteristics, powers, etc. are fixed before birth.

C．In the sense that humans will always be superior to computers.

D．Computers must be operated by men, but man can operate by himself.

2. The writer mentions two kinds of “thinking”. They are________.

A．mathematical thinking and language thinking

B．writing thinking and composing thinking

C．mechanical thinking and creative thinking

D．none of the above

3. What does the “critical point” in the last paragraph refer to?

A．When one computer is itself clever enough to design a better one.

B．The point at which a computer is an exact copy of a human brain.

C．When a computer can be made as creative as we are.

D．When the computers destroy each other in an explosion.

4. The underlined word “explosion” in the last paragraph is closest in meaning to ________.

A．damage	B．noise
C．excitement	D．leap forward

【推荐1】My Favourite Books(原创)

Meg Wolitzer is an American novelist whose new book, The Female Persuasion, is out now, published by Riverhead Books.

Mrs. Bridge by Evan S.Connell

I can’t count how many copies of this book I have given to friends as gifts. I consider it a perfect novel, filled with wit and human tragedy in equal measure. The novel, published in 1959, takes place in the years leading up to the Second World War, and the title character is an upper-middle-class housewife living in Kansas City, Missouri. Connell’s brilliant and sad novel of a woman’s household life, social life, inner life, and continual need to rely on convention, is a pleasure to read.

The Member of the Wedding by Carson McCullers

The heroine of this beautiful novel from 1946, Frankie Addams, is only 12 years old, a tall girl whose brother is getting married. This is a classic coming of age story that doesn’t get talked about as often as it should. Upon re-reading it, I was reminded of how much it has to say about growing up and entering the world as an individual, but it also has powerful words in it about racism, spoken by the housekeeper, Berenice.

Charlotte’s Web by EB White

When I think of this marvellous book, I always remember that it was the first book I ever cried over. The fact that readers mourn the death of a spider is evidence of EB White’s ability to create characters so deeply that we feel for them as if we actually know them. Charlotte’s Web is all about empathy, as seen through the friendship between a spider and a pig.

1. When was Mrs. Bridge published?

A．In 1959

B．In 1990

C．In 1946

D．In 1957

2. Which book should have gained more attention according to Meg Wolitzer?

A．Mrs. Bridge	B．Charlotte’s Web
C．The Female Persuasion	D．The Member of the Wedding

3. What kind of book is Charlotte’s Web?

A．an adventure story	B．a fairy tale
C．a love story	D．science fiction

【推荐2】Most penguins died after a huge iceberg grounded near their habitat in Antarctica，forcing them to make a long way to find food, scientists say in a newly published study. The B09B iceberg, measuring about 100 square kilometers, grounded in Commonwealth Bay in East Antarctica in December 2010, the researchers from Australia and New Zealand wrote in the “Antarctic Science” journal.
The Adelie penguin population at the bay’s Cape Denison was measured to be about 160,000 in February 2011 but by December 2013 it had decreased to about 10,000, they said. The iceberg’s grounding meant the penguins had to walk more than 60 kilometers to find food, preventing their breeding attempts, said the researchers from the University of New South Wales’ ( UNSW) Climate Change Research Centre and New Zealand’s West Penguin Trust.
“The Cape Denison population could disappear completely within 20 years unless B09B relocates or the fast ice within the bay breaks out,”they wrote in the research published in. Fast ice is sea ice which forms and stays along the coast. During their survey in December 2013 , the researchers said “hundreds of abandoned eggs were noted, and the freeze-dried dead bodies of previous season’s little penguins lay everywhere on the ground.”
“It’s strangely silent,”UNSW’s Chris Turney , who led the 2013 exploration , told the“Sydney Morning Herald Friday”.“The ones that we saw at Cape Denison were terribly low-spirited , almost unaware of your existence . The ones that are surviving are clearly struggling. They can hardly survive themselves , let alone give birth to the next generation. We saw lots of dead birds on the ground.”
In contrast, penguins living on the eastern edge of the bay just 8 kilometers from the fast ice edge were full of vigour, the scientists said. The researchers said the study had important influence on the wider East Antarctic if the current situation of increasing sea ice continued. Sea ice around Antarctica is increasing, in contrast to the Arctic where global warming is causing ice to melt and icebergs to decrease. Scientists believe the growth in Antarctic sea ice is likely to be driven by changes in wind and local conditions before long.
1. What’s the main reason why the Adelie penguin population decreased?

A．Many Adelie penguins died from the cold weather in Antanctic.

B．They didn’t have enough time to give birth to and raise babies.

C．The iceberg’s grounding killed a number of Adelie penguins.

D．Adelie penguins lost their habitats so they couldn’t breed.

2. Which statement is correct according to the passage ?

A．The life of penguins in Cape Denison was very hard.

B．Penguins in Cape Denison were afraid of humans .

C．The sea ice in Antarctica is decreasing faster than before.

D．Human activities caused much damage to Cape Denison.

3. What does the underlined word “vigour”in the last paragraph mean ?

A．Trouble.

B．Food.

C．Energy.

D．Joy.

4. What’s the main idea of the passage ?

A．Global warming caused penguins’ death.

B．Iceberg harmed penguins’ life.

C．Penguins need more habitats.

D．Antarctic extreme weather caused penguins’ death.

【推荐3】EDGEWOOD ---- Every morning at Dixie Heights High School, customers pour into a special experiment: the district’s first coffee run mostly by students with special learning needs.
Well before classes start, students and teachers order Lattes, Sappuccinos and Hot Chocolates.Then, durning the first period teachers call in orders on their room phones, and students make deliveries.
By closing time at 9.20 a.m., the shop usually sells 90 drinks.
“Whoever made the chi tea, Ms. Schatzman says it was good,” Christy McKinley, a second year student, announced recently, after hanging up with the teacher.
The shop is called the Dixie PIT, which stands for Power in Transition. Although some of the students are not disabled, many are, and the PIT helps them prepare for life after high school.
They learn not only how to run a coffee shop but also how to deal with their affairs. They keep a timecard and receive paychecks, which they keep in check registers.
Special-education teachers Kim Chevalier and Sue Casey introduced the Dixie PIT from a similar program at Kennesaw Mountain High School in Georgia.
Not that it was easy. Chevaliver’s first problem to overcome was product-related. Should school be selling coffee? What about sugar content?
Kenton County Food Service Director Ginger Gray helped. She made sure all the drinks, which use non-fat milk, fell within nutrition (营养) guidelines.
The whole school has joined in to help.
Teachers agreed to give up their lounge (休息室) in the mornings. Art students painted the name of the shop on the wall. Business students designed the paychecks. The basketball team helped pay for cups.
1. What is the text mainly about?

A．A special educational program.

B．A best selling coffee.

C．Government support for schools.

D．A new type of teacher-student relationship.

2. The Dixie PIT program was introduced in order to ________.

A．raisemoney for school affairs

B．do some research on nutrition

C．supply teachers with drinks

D．develop students’ practical skills

3. How did Christy McKinley know Ms. Schatzman’s opinion of the chi tea?

A．She met her in the shop.

B．She heard her telling others.

C．She talked to her on the phone.

D．She went to her office to deliver the tea.

4. We know from the text that Ginger Gray _________.

A．manages the Dixie PIT programin Kenton Country

B．owns the school’s coffee shop

C．teaches at Dixie Heights High School

D．sees that the drinks meet health standards