【推荐2】In September 2019, a man named Anuchit was riding his motorcycle down a highway in Thailand. He spotted a sad-looking dog sitting on the side of the mud. The poor dog seemed to be waiting for someone.

Later that day, Anuchit rode by that exact same spot and found the same dog still sitting there. After stopping his bike to see if the dog was OK, Anuchit happened to meet a local person named Saowaluck, who told him the animal's backstory. Saowaluck kept finding the dog at that same corner in 2016. She brought him to the vet, named him Leo and adopted him. But days later, Leo disappeared. Sanwaluck found him at the same corner along the highway and returned every day to give him food and water. She loved him, but he wasn't ready to accept her as his new owner.

After the motorcyclist shared Leo's story on the Internet, the dog's former owner came forward. An elderly woman named Noi said Leo jumped out of her pickup truck back in 2015. She and her husband looked everywhere but couldn't find him. When Noi arrived at the corner to reunite with Leo in 2019, he ran over to her and was greeted with rubs and pets — but he refused to go home with her!

Saowaluck begged Noi to keep the dog herself because she had become so attached to him and had already tried to adopt him once before. Leo has reportedly been with Saowaluck ever since — no longer sad, and no longer waiting.

1. Why did the dog look so sad?

A．He lost touch with his owners.	B．No one gave him food to eat.
C．He missed the truck to his home.	D．He disliked being sent to the vet.

2. What do we know about Saowaluck?

A．She lost her dog while travelling.	B．She adopted the dog finally.
C．She sold the dog to Anuchit.	D．She shared the dog's story online.

3. How did the dog feel when he met Noi?

A．Angry.	B．Proud.
C．Nervous.	D．Delighted.

4. What is the text aimed at?

A．Advising people to raise dogs properly.

B．Telling readers how to take care of dogs.

C．Showing us dogs are royal and grateful.

D．Encouraging people to adopt deserted dogs.

【推荐3】Amazing Zoos Around the World

Helsinki Zoo

This is a zoo located on an island in Finland—it is the country’s biggest zoo which has amazing animals like deer, Siberian tigers and even hears. What adds to the beauty of this zoo is the natural wildlife that surrounds it on the island. From beautiful rainforests to lots of plant species, Helsinki Zoo should be a destination you won’t regret visiting.

Toronto Zoo

Toronto Zoo is home to over 16,000 animals, including tigers, lions, and monkeys. The zoo has an amazing gorilla (大猩猩) habitat exhibit, and a Discovery Zone for children to learn more aboou5 the animals and their natural habitats. Another thing that makes this zoo worth a visit is its protection policy, Toronto Zoo has helped to protect endangered species (物种) from all around the world and is one of the very few animal-friendly zoos in North America.

Sao Paolo Zoo

The state of Sao Paolo has strict laws about animal cruelty and can actually give out fines (罚款) of up to US $435,000 for animal testing. So it’s no surprise that Sao Paolo Zoo, with its over 3,200 animals, is animal-friendly. They also spend time in protect ion efforts, focusing on Brazil’s own endangered animals. Here, you’ll see plenty of animals like parrots, wild cats and various birds.

Wellington Zoo

It is New Zen land’s first and largest zoo and is home to more than 500 different animals and 100 different species. Focusing on wildlife protection, Wellington Zoo has successfully saved endangered animals like the Sun Bear. If you make your way to this zoo, you’ll also find yourself face-to-face with red pandas, monkeys and the country’s official bird, the kiwi. This animal-friendly zoo is also eco-friendly, equipped with solar heating and power.

1. What makes Helsinki Zoo different from Toronto Zoo?

A．It has tigers.	B．It is a good zoo to visit.
C．It stands on an island.	D．It has lots of animal species.

2. Why is Sao Paolo Zoo animal-friendly?

A．Because the state of Sao Paolo has strict laws about animal cruelly.

B．Because the state of Sao Paolo can give out lower fines for animal testing.

C．Because it has helped to protect endangered animals from all around the world.

D．Because it spends time in protection efforts focusing on New Zealand’s endangered animals.

3. What can we learn from the passage?

A．Helsinki Zoo has the most animal species.

B．Wellington Zoo has managed to protect the Sun Bear.

C．There are many animal-friendly zoos in North America.

D．People will not be fined even if they test animals in the state of Sao Paolo.

【推荐2】In the United States, when one becomes rich, he wants people to know it. And even if he does not become very rich, he wants people to think that he is. That is what ‘keeping up with the Joneses’ is about, It is the story of someone who tried to look as rich as his neighbours.
The expression was first used in 1913 by a young American called Arthur Momand. He told this story about himself. He began earning $ 125 a week at the age of 23. That was a lot of money in those days. He got married and moved with his wife to a very wealthy neighbourhood outside New York City. When he saw that rich people rode horses, Momand went horseback riding every day. When he saw that rich people had servants, Momand and his wife also hired a servant and gave big parties for their new neighbours.
It was like a race, but one could never finish this race because one was always trying to keep up. The race ended for Momand and his wife when they could no longer pay for their new way of life. They moved back to an apartment in New York City.
Momand looked around him and noticed that many people do things just to keep up with rich life--style of their neighbours. He saw the funny side of it and started to write a series of short stories, He called it ‘Keeping up with the Joneses’ because ‘Jones’ is a very common name in the United States.’ Keeping up with the Joneses’ came to mean keeping up with rich lifestyle of the people around you. Momand’s series appeared in different newspapers across the country for over 28 years.
People never seem to get tired of keeping up with the Joneses. And there are ‘Jonses’ in every city of the world. But one must get tired of trying to keep up with the Joneses because no matter what one does, Mr. Jones always seems to be ahead.
1. Some people want to keep up with the Joneses because they ______.

A．want to be as rich as their neighbours

B．want others to know or to think that they are rich

C．don’t want others to know they are rich

D．want to be happy

2. It can be inferred from the story that rich people like to ________.

A．live outside New York City	B．live in New York City
C．live in apartments	D．have many neighbours

3. The underlined word neighbourhood in the second paragraph means ________.

A．a person who lives near another	B．people living in an area
C．an area near the place referred to	D．an area in another town or city

4. Arthur Momand used the name ‘Jones’ in his series of short stories because’ Jones’ is ________.

A．an important name	B．a popular name in the United States
C．his neighbour’s name	D．not a good name

5. According to the writer, it is to keep up with the Joneses.

A．correct

B．interesting

C．impossible

D．good

【推荐1】Almost every community has some form of rules and some way of enforcing them. So why do we have rules, and what makes people follow them?

Studies have suggested that the reason we don’t like rule-breaking is because fairness is programmed into our brains. Scientists have found that the brain reacts in a particular way when we feel we are being treated unfairly. A fair situation makes us feel comfortable and even happy, but unfairness causes our brains to respond with negative feelings. The study found that this so happened when subjects saw others being treated unfairly. They concluded that fairness is one of basic human needs.

Arriving at a feeling of fairness means considering different, often conflicting, points of view. Regardless of the disagreement, people almost always need to compromise. But it can be difficult to arrive at a compromise when there are conflicting interests. This is why communities have rules that everyone must follow.

Social controls are an important factor in setting and following rules. They influence the way we behave, and can be internal (内在的) or external. Internal controls come from within and are based on our values and fears. Most of us don’t steal, for example, because we believe that theft is unfair and wrong. We don’t want to disappoint our family and friends, either. In other words, our internal controls keep us from behaving in ways that cause conflict.

External controls include rewards and punishments. Rewards, such as job promotions and praise, are designed to encourage people to behave and act in the interest of the whole community.

Punishments, such as public embarrassment, fines, and even imprisonment can prevent people from acting against the community’s best interests.

People need their communities to function smoothly. If there were no rules, most people would probably still behave positively. However, there would always be a minority who would not. This is why a society without rules is unlikely to exist.

1. What does the underlined word ‘‘this’’ in paragraph 2 refer to?

A．A program in human brains.	B．A comfortable situation.
C．The response with bad feelings.	D．The requirement off fairness.

2. Why do communities have rules?

A．To punish illegal activities.	B．To prevent disagreement.
C．To promote fairness.	D．To meet various demands.

3. Which of the following is an example of internal control?

A．Take exams honestly because cheating is shameful

B．Park in the right place so as not to get a parking ticket.

C．Pay the electricity bill on time in order not to get a late fee.

D．Cooperate with your classmates to win a prize for your class.

4. What is the best title for this passage?

A．Living by the rules	B．Following rules with punishments
C．Reaching a compromise	D．Calling for fairness

【推荐2】There have been many great painters in the rich history of Chinese art. Here are four of the greatest painters from China.

Li Cheng (919-967)

Li Cheng contributed greatly to one of the golden ages of landscape paintings in world history. During his time, he was considered the best landscape painter ever. He is remembered especially for the winter landscapes he created and for simple composition of tall, old evergreens set against a dry landscape. Several of his paintings are in diluted (稀释的) in k which gives them a foggy appearance.

Fan Kuan (950-1032)

Fan Kuan began his career by modeling his works on those of Li Cheng but later created his own style claiming that the only true teacher was nature. His finest work Travelers Among Mountains and Streams is a masterpiece of landscape painting and many future artists turned to it for inspiration.

Qi Baishi (1864-1957)

One of the greatest contemporary Chinese painters, Qi Baishi is known for not being influenced by Western styles like most of the painters of his time. He can be considered as the last great traditional painter of China. Qi Baishi painted almost everything from insects to landscapes. He is regarded highly in Chinese art for the freshness and spontaneity (自然) that he brought to the familiar types of insects, birds and flowers.

Wu Guanzhong (1919-2010)

Widely considered as the founder of modern Chinese painting, Wu Guanzhong has painted various aspects of China, like its architecture, plants, animals, people and landscapes. Wu was influenced by post-Impressionist art, an important western movement, and went on to combine Western and Chinese styles to create a unique form of modern art. In 1992, he became the first living Chinese artist whose work was exhibited at the British Museum.

1. What do we know about Fan Kuan?

A．He copied many artists’ works.	B．His masterpiece was inspiring.
C．His works gained worldwide recognition.	D．He created his own style from the very beginning.

2. What is one feature of Wu Guanzhong’s paintings?

A．They have foggy appearances.	B．They focus on a single theme.
C．They come under Western influence.	D．They show traditional painting skills.

3. What did the four Chinese painters have in common?

A．They all created landscape paintings.

B．They were all influenced by Western art.

C．They were all pioneers in Chinese art history.

D．Their works were all exhibited at the British Museum.