【推荐1】McCoy was looking for a safe place to do drugs when something clearly out of place caught his eye: a luxurious brown leather handbag.

McCoy, 36, could relate all too well. One of his few possessions, the sleeping bag he used in an abandoned house, had recently been stolen. Remembering how angered he’d been by his own loss, he resolved to return the purse to its owner.

He began right away, starting with the address on the bill found in the handbag. After traveling much of the day and finally approaching the address on the bill, he was stopped by a woman, who asked whether she could buy the purse. McCoy refused, saying he was searching for its owner. “But I am the owner,” the woman said. “That’s my purse.”

A month earlier, Kaitlyn Smith, 29, a sales representative for a medical device company, had woken up to find her apartment broken into and her purse stolen. Now she came across a tall, messy-looking man holding it tightly. She could instantly tell he wasn’t in good shape.

At Smith’s urging, McCoy told her his story. He’d been in charge of a landscaping business until 2012, when a car accident left him addicted to drugs.

Smith, amazed this stranger had gone to such great lengths to return her bag, asked whether there was anything she could do to help. “I’m a drug addict,” McCoy warned. “I don’t want to intrude on your life; I’m probably gonna let you down.”

Unafraid, Smith gave him her phone number, saying, “If you want to go to rehab (戒毒所), call me.” She then drove him back to his neighborhood and left, thinking that would be the end of it. Two days later, she got a call.

Smith realized that McCoy was serious about getting better, so she dug into her savings account and bought McCoy a plane ticket to Florida. While there, he would call her to let her know how he was doing. “We were getting to know each other,” Smith says. “His scared, desperate voice turned into a healthy, lively one.” After 28 days at a rehab program at Johns Hopkins Hospital, McCoy is drug-free. He lives at a residential recovery center in Baltimore, and a GoFundMe page set up by Smith has covered his rent, groceries, and incidentals. His life is back on track, all because one crime victim could understand another’s loss.

1. What drove McCoy to look for the owner of the handbag?

A．The urge to find a business partner.	B．The resolution to recover his sleeping bag.
C．His own unfortunate experience.	D．His anger over the poor living condition.

2. What was McCoy’s initial reaction towards Smith’s intention to help?

A．Enthusiasm.	B．Resistance.
C．Hostility.	D．Gratitude.

3. Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

A．McCoy was a victim of an identity theft.

B．Smith offered McCoy a ride home at his request.

C．McCoy looked unhealthy when he bumped into Smith.

D．Smith covered McCoy’s living expense in the recovery centre.

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

A．Drug-abuse Can Heal.	B．Lost and Found.
C．Mutual Communication Matters.	D．Good Deeds Repaid.

【推荐2】Forget about the “post-1995 generation”. Young people born in 1995 or later have another name in English—Generation Z.

Now entering adulthood and soon to join the workforce, Generation Z grew up in a special period of time—a time in which technology developed fast, social changes happened every day, the internet became universal and, sadly, so did global terrorism.

It is believed that Generation Z is the generation that is going to shape our future, which is why policy makers, sociologists and company leaders are trying their best to understand these young people.

So, what are Gen Z-ers really like?

Most people agree that the single biggest difference between Gen Z and other generations is how connected they are. This is a group of people who have been familiar with social media as soon as they were born. Social media has changed the way Gen Z-ers communicate with each other and how they get and understand information.

“We are the first true digital natives. I can almost create a document, edit it, post a photo on Instagram and talk on the phone, all at the same time,” said Hannah Payne, an 18-year-old student at UCLA, according to The New York Times. “Generation Z takes in information very fast and loses interest just as fast.”

It may be true that Generation Z-ers have a shorter attention span (注意力持续时间) than a goldfish, but since they grew up among social changes, they are more active in politics. According to the British Election Study, 58 percent of 18-to-24-year-old voted in the 2015 general election in the UK, a big jump from 38 percent in 2005.

Generation Z-ers are also culture creators. “Growing up with the internet has freed this generation from traditional cultural expression.” Wrote Grace Masback, a Huffington Post blogger and a Gen Z-er herself. According to Masback, these young people are no longer willing to let their creativity be limited by their parents of traditional rules. They watch videos and read news online instead of on TV, and they share their experiences on social media.

“We decide what kind of content we want to experience and choose how we experience it,” wrote Masback.

1. Which is TRUE about Gen Z-ers, according to the article?

A．Face-to-face communication is challenging for them.

B．Often doing many things at the same time affects their efficiency.

C．They don’t bother to think about the information they take in carefully.

D．They show more interest in politics than in other fields.

2. What can we infer from the last two paragraphs?

A．Gen Z-ers enjoy great freedom to express themselves.

B．Gen Z-ers enjoy teaching their parents about new cultural trends.

C．Gen Z-ers are against traditional culture.

D．Gen Z-ers are unwilling to obey their parents.

3. Which word can best describe the author’s attitude towards Generation Z?

A．Worried

B．Critical

C．Appreciative

D．Neutral(中立的)

【推荐3】   

Meet Ben Saunders: adventurer, athlete, motivational speaker. Ben, at the age of 23, was the youngest man to ski solo (单人滑雪) to the North Pole. He dragged a 180-kilogramme sledge (雪橇) over 1,420 miles through the worst Arctic conditions. This year, as well as planning a return to the Arctic, Ben plans to ski solo from the Antarctic coast to the South Pole and back in the autumn, carrying all his supplies on his sledge.

Ben Saunders was fired after persuading the firm to support his disorganized first adventure. “Everything that could go wrong did go wrong. We were attacked by a bear. We started running out of food. It was just desperate. And we didn't get to the Pole; we didn't get there, so we had no media interest. No one heard about it: no book deal, and no speaking. I was so unhappy.”

People said it was impossible for me to get to the Pole. I said, “No, I can get there,” and I did. Self-belief, I see it as being a bit like a muscle — it's my belief that the more you stretch (伸展) yourself the stronger it gets. If you never do anything that's uncomfortable or risky then your self-belief gets weaker. So that's one of the lessons I've figured out along the way. The thing that I've stretched and tested is my self-belief.

“My Antarctic adventure is just practicable and that's what is exciting to me. If I knew it was possible, if I knew I could do it without too much bother, I wouldn't be interested.” Why? “Personally I'm attracted by the human performance element to it. Not that long ago, running a marathon was seen as the top point of human attempt, and now I wouldn't be that surprised if my mum said she was going to run one next year.”

People's horizons (见识) are changing. “I'm not particularly gifted, and I'm absolutely average. I've just chosen this one goal to achieve and I've been working hard to realize it. That's it. And that's the thing that attracts me: with enough training and enough determination, enough focus and preparation, how far can we go? And I don't think I've found out yet.”

1. What do we know about Ben Saunders' first adventure?

A．There was no press coverage.

B．It was supported by his company.

C．It was well planned and organized.

D．He actually reached the North Pole.

2. According to Ben Saunders, if you want to stretch your self-belief, you should ________.

A．often test your confidence	B．try something adventurous
C．aim to reach the North Pole	D．always stretch your muscles

3. Ben Saunders was excited about his Antarctic adventure because ________.

A．he liked running a marathon

B．he wanted to exercise his body

C．he knew it might be achievable

D．he was sure he could do it easily

4. What can we learn from the last paragraph?

A．We have to change our views about adventure.

B．We can never know our possibilities and energies.

C．We should have a reason for going on an adventure.

D．We have to be especially talented to have an adventure.

【推荐1】
"Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me."
You probably heard those lines in grammar school, but do you really agree that harsh (严厉的) or negative words do not harm us? Words have power. Surely we all have had our feelings hurt by something someone said.
We may not say words to hurt others, but the way we interpret (解释) them and how we say them may cause great harm. Here’s an example:
An ancient king dreamed all his teeth had fallen out. He sent for a wise man to explain his dream to him: the dream means that all your relatives will die and you will be left alone!
The king was very angry and threw the interpreter into prison. He then sent for another interpreter who said, "Congratulations! King! You will live many more years. In fact, you will survive all your relatives. Long Live the King!"
Both interpreters gave the same interpretation, but there was a huge difference in the way they said it.
Our speech must be understood by those who hear our words, but the way we say things and the intention behind them have as much power as the words themselves. Words can cause anger or appreciation. Which would you rather receive?
People who say harsh and negative things may not mean to harm, but have you ever known anyone who is a naysayer? They often look at the dark sides of things. They always see the glass as half empty rather than half full. How do you feel when you are around this type of person? Remember words have power. Use them wisely.
1. The author mentions the story of the ancient king to show that _____.

A．one dream sometimes has different explanations

B．good words can bring good luck to people

C．people should be careful when talking to a king

D．different ways of saying things have different effects

2. The underlined word "naysayer" in the last paragraph refers to a person who always _____.

A．has a negative attitude	B．likes to be praised
C．talks big	D．likes to repeat what others say

3. According to the text, how can people understand each other better?

A．By sharing different life experiences

B．By accepting different habits.

C．By properly using words

D．By recognizing different values.

4. The author wrote the last paragraph to ______.

A．show how the dark sides of things affect people

B．advise people to see and say things positively

C．show how harsh and negative words hurt people

D．advise people to stay away from negative people

5. The passage mainly talks about ______.

A．the power of words	B．the cruelty of the king
C．how to understand others	D．how to build good relationships

【推荐3】Shyness is the cause of much unhappiness for a great many people. Shy people are anxious and self-conscious; that is, they are concerned with their own appearance and actions too much. Negative thoughts are constantly occurring in their minds: What kind of impression am I making? Do they like me? Do I sound stupid? Am I wearing unattractive clothes?

It is obvious that such uncomfortable feelings must affect people unfavorably. A person's self-concept is reflected in the way he or she behaves and the way a person behaves affects other people's reactions. In general, the way people think about themselves has a deep effect on all areas of their lives.

Shy people, who have low respect, are likely to be passive and easily influenced by others. They need faith that they are doing "the right thing". Shy people are very sensitive to criticism. It makes them feel inferior(自卑). They also find it difficult to be pleased by praises because they believe they are unworthy of praise. A shy person may respond to a praise with a statement like this one: "You're just saying that to make me feel good, I know it's not true.” It is clear that, while self-awareness is a healthy quality, overdoing it is harmful.

Can shyness be completely got rid of, or at least reduced? Fortunately, people can overcome shyness with determination since shyness goes hand in hand with lack of self-respect. It is important for people to accept their weakness as well as their strengths. Each one of us has his or her own characteristics. We are interested in our own personal ways. The better we understand ourselves, the easier it becomes to live up to our chances for a rich and successful life.

1. The first paragraph is mainly about ________.

A．the effect of shyness on people	B．the cause of shyness
C．the feelings of shy people	D．the questions in the minds of shy people

2. According to the writer, self-awareness is ________.

A．harmful to people	B．a healthy quality
C．the cause of unhappiness	D．a weak point of shy people

3. The underlined word “it” in Paragraph 3 refers to ________.

A．shyness

B．criticism

C．sensibility

D．praise

4. We can learn from the passage that shyness can ________.

A．have nothing to do with lack of self-respect

B．help us to live up to our full development

C．enable us to understand ourselves better

D．be overcome with determination