【推荐2】I once met a well-known botanist at a dinner party. I had never talked with a botanist before, and I found him very interesting. I sat there absorbed and listened while he spoke of unusual plants and his experiments (he even told me astonishing facts about the simple potato). I had a small indoor garden of my own—and he was good enough to tell me how to solve some of my problems.

As I said, we were at a dinner party. There must have been a dozen other guests, but I broke an important rule of politeness. I ignored everyone else and talked for hours to the botanist.

Midnight came. I said good night to everyone and departed. The botanist then turned to our host and said many nice things about me, including that I was a “most interesting conversationalist”.

An interesting conversationalist? I had said hardly anything at all. I couldn’t have said anything if I had wanted to without changing the subject, for I didn’t know any more about plants than I knew about sharks.

But I had done this one thing; I had listened carefully. I listened because I was really interested. And he felt it. Naturally that pleased him. That kind of listening is one of the best ways to show respect to others, and it makes them feel great too. “Few human beings,” wrote Jack Woodford in Strangers in Love, “can resist the sweet effect of rapt attention.” I went even further than that. I was “sincere in my admiration and generous in my praise”. I told him that I had been hugely entertained and instructed. I told him I wished I had his knowledge. I told him that I should love to wander the fields with him. What’s more, it was all true.

And so I had him thinking of me as a good conversationalist when, in reality, I had only been a good listener and had encouraged him to talk.

1. From Paragraph 1, we can learn that the writer__________.

A．was deeply moved by the botanist’s talk

B．was amazed by what he was hearing

C．was not in a comfortable situation

D．behaved politely and properly

2. Which of the following does the writer describe as a rule of politeness at dinner parties?

A．Avoiding discussions about politics and religion.

B．Listening carefully to what another guest says.

C．Arriving and leaving at the appropriate time.

D．Giving attention to all those in attendance.

3. The underlined expression “rapt attention” in Paragraph 4 is closest in the meaning to__________.

A．full understanding	B．strong interest
C．great uncertainty	D．little curiosity

4. According to the writer, which of the following is an important characteristic of a good conversationalist?

A．Listening attentively and encouraging the other side to continue.

B．Encouraging the other side by sharing his/her own opinions.

C．Promising a future meeting for more communication.

D．Expressing respect by nodding his/her head.

【推荐3】As a child I was one of the 125 people at our family get-together for New Year. These days we were a much smaller group in Belle Valley, Ohio. I insisted on acting as hostess and wanted to bring back the joy I’d felt at my childhood New Year that filled with love.

As family members arrived at the hall, I handed each one of them a numbered card and said, “Time for the alphabet (字母表) game.” “What kind of game is that?” one of my great-grandchildren asked. “Well,” I said, “who’s got number one?” A cousin raised her hand. “Tell us something you never forget,” I said. “Something that begins with the letter A.” My cousin smiled. “Apple pie!” she said. Great-granddaughter Mindy was next. “B,” she said. “I am impressed by Buckeye Country.” “Cookies!” Number 3 shouted.

Until N umber 17, “The next one’s a challenge,” I said. “Who’s got 17?” Ryan, my son, slowly raised his hand. “Q,” he said. “Quaker City Carnival (狂欢节).” The room went silent. “It’s one of the oldest traditions in Ohio,” Ryan said. “Grandma and Grandpa met there. That’s where they fell in love. That’s where this whole thing started. This whole family.” Ryan looked around the room, making eye contact with everyone. “We wouldn’t be here celebrating New Year together if it wasn’t for Quaker City Carnival.”

The room burst into laughter and was full of love. “This is the best New Year we’ve ever had,” a great-grandson said to me secretly. Whatever their New Year would look like when they grew up, they’d remember this one. And for me, I had an unforgettable New Year to treasure—a memory where love started with the letter Q.

1. Why did the author want to organize the alphabet game?

A．To enjoy the family get-together.

B．To share moving stories with family.

C．To act as the hostess of the New Year party.

D．To experience long-lost New Year happiness.

2. Based on the game rule, which word will you give if you get number 23?

A．Teddy Bear.

B．Yogurt.

C．Watermelon.

D．Steak.

3. Why did Ryan’s story make the family members laugh?

A．It was connected with their family roots.	B．They understood the meaning of love.
C．They knew their grandparents better.	D．It brought a tradition back to them.

4. Which can be a suitable title for the text?

A．A Letter Full of Love	B．A Traditional New Year Game
C．A Family Custom at New Year	D．A Love Story About the Carnival

【推荐2】I always felt sorry for the people in wheelchairs. Some people, old and weak, cannot get around by themselves. Others seem perfectly healthy, dressed in business suits. But whenever I saw someone in a wheelchair, I only saw a disability, not a person.Then I fainted (晕倒) at Euro Disney due to low blood pressure.This was the first time I had ever fainted, and my parents said that I must rest for a while after First Aid. I agreed to take it easy but,as I stepped towards the door, I saw my dad pushing a wheelchair in my direction. Feeling the colour burn my cheeks, I asked him to wheel that thing right back to where he found it.

I could not believe this was happening to me. Wheelchairs were fine for other people but not for me, as my father wheeled me out into the main street, people immediately began to treat me differently.Little kids ran in front of me, forcing my father to stop the wheelchair suddenly. Bitterness set in as I was thrown back and forth. “Stupid kids ... they have perfectly good legs. Why can’t they watch where they are going?” I thought. People stared down at me, with pity in their eyes. Then they would look away, maybe because they thought the sooner they forgot me the better.

“I’m just like you!” I wanted to scream. “The only difference is that you’ve got legs and I have wheels.

People in wheelchairs are not stupid. They see every look and hear each word. Looking out at the faces, I finally understood: I was once just like them. I treated people in wheelchairs exactly the way they did not want to be treated. I realised it is some of us with two healthy legs who are truly disabled.

1. Facing the wheelchair for the first time, the author      .

A．felt curious about it

B．got ready to move around in it right away

C．thought it was ready for her father

D．refused to accept it right away

2. The experience of the author tells us that      .

A．life is the best teacher

B．people often eat their bitter fruit

C．life is so changeable that nobody can predict

D．one should never do to others what he would not like others do to him

3. Which is the best title for this passage?

A．How to Get Used to Wheelchairs

B．Wheelchairs Are as Good as Two Legs

C．People with Two Legs Are Truly Healthy

D．The Difference Between Healthy People and the Disabled

【推荐3】I was in the fifth grade and had just moved to Westminster from London when I met Ms. May. Most of my teachers seemed to ignore me; I was one more student among hundreds. Ms. May, however, took a special interest. “You can write,” she said, explaining that she wanted to move me into the honors English class. So did I.

A decade later, when my first novel was published, I went back to Ms. May’s classroom, handing her a copy of my book. “And I wrote this for you.” Ms. May began to cry happily. She’d been considering early retirement, she said, because she felt she wasn’t having enough of an effect on her students. I didn’t know how to make Ms. May understand what she’d done for me: It was because of her that I fell in love with Shakespeare. I learned how to compose an essay. It was her belief in me that gave me the confidence to become a writer. Now I felt I owed her. I told her to forget her idea, and she did.

Fifteen years later, when I heard that she was finally ready to retire, I attended her going-away party. All Ms. May needed to do was say a few words thanking her colleagues for coming. Instead, she stood up and made an exciting speech that began like this, “Those of you are always complaining (抱怨) that kids have changed and that it’s harder to teach these days. You’re getting old and lazy. These kids haven’t changed. You have! Do not give up on these kids!”

When she finished her talk, everyone clapped hands! I went up to Ms. May and gave her a big hug. She smiled with tears rolling down her face. I came to realize that she would miss her teaching life.

1. How did most of the author’s teachers treat him when he was in the fifth grade?

A．They helped with his writing.

B．They paid little attention to him.

C．They took a special interest in him.

D．They encouraged him to make speeches.

2. What do the underlined words “her idea” in Paragraph 2 refer to?

A．Retiring earlier.	B．Influencing others.
C．Becoming a writer.	D．Publishing a book.

3. Why did Ms. May make an exciting speech?

A．To stress the important roles of teachers.

B．To leave a deep impression on her colleagues.

C．To inform people of necessary education reform.

D．To call on her colleagues not to give up on their students.

4. What’s the author’s attitude towards Ms. May?

A．Worried.	B．Regretful.
C．Appreciative.	D．Sympathetic.