【推荐1】After Mom died, I began visiting Dad every morning before I went to work. He was frail and moved slowly, but he always had a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice on the kitchen table for me, along with an unsigned note reading, "Drink your juice." Such a gesture, I knew, was as far as Dad had ever been able to go in expressing his love. In fact, I remember, as a kid I had questioned Mom "Why doesn't Dad love me?" Mom frowned, "Who said he doesn't love you?" "Well, he never tells me," I complained. "He never tells me either," she said, smiling. "But look how hard he works to take care of us, to buy us food and clothes, and to pay for this house. That's how your father tells us he loves us."

I nodded slowly. I understood in my head, but not in my heart. I still wanted my father to put his arms around me and tell me he loved me. Dad owned and operated a small scrap (片) metal business, and after school I often hung around while he worked. Dad fed scrap steel into a machine which looked like a giant pair of scissors with blades thicker than my father's body. If he didn't feed those terrifying blades just right, he risked serious injury. "Why don't you hire someone to do that for you?" Mom asked Dad one night as she bent over him and rubbed his aching shoulders . "Why don't you hire a cook?" Dad asked, giving her one of his rare smiles.

Many years later, during my first daily visit, after drinking the juice my father had squeezed for me, I walked over, hugged him and said, "I love you, Dad." From then on I did this every morning. My father never told me how he felt about my hugs, and there was never any expression on his face when I gave them.

1. The father always prepared a glass of orange juice for him because ________.

A．that was the author's favorite

B．that was a gesture of love

C．the author was always complaining

D．he was sure the author would be thirsty

2. The author's father didn't hire a helper because ________.

A．his job was too dangerous

B．his job required high skills

C．he was not good at communicating with others

D．he wanted to save money

3. We may infer from the passage that ________.

A．the author quite understood his father as time went on

B．the author's father lacked a sense of humor

C．the author's father didn't love him very much

D．the author's father was too strict with him

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

A．I just couldn't understand my father	B．Silent fatherly love
C．My father never loved me	D．My hard-working father

【推荐2】My mom takes pride in the fact that I was talking in three and four word sentences before I was ten months old. Some say it’s a gift while others simply think I talk too much. As my thirties came to a close, I found myself reflecting on my life. I’m very happy and have no significant regrets. However, when I looked back on those times of difficulty, I saw a clear common denominator(特征); I didn’t seem to know when to stop talking. Whether it was hurting someone’s feelings, or having carelessly told a secret, the incident could have been avoided had I closed my mouth sooner. So I decided to practice the power of quiet.
To take this step, I needed to understand how people could sit comfortably in a group and not talk. Why does my husband feel completely content to say nothing in a conversation? He’s highly intelligent and has wonderful opinions but he’ll sit quietly and just listen. Even when he’s asked a pointed question, he’ll answer with few words while still communicating effectively. What a talent!
Can you imagine being happy just listening? In surveying those I know who talk less than I do, I got two answers—they either didn’t feel confident enough to speak up, or they just didn’t feel the need to participate in the conversation. Of course there were other reasons for not talking, but these were the two most popular answers.
The first one didn’t work for me. I’m just fine letting people know what I think about them, and hopefully it will make the conversation much more interesting. The second one didn’t work either. I do feel the need to participate. I feel it physically like an electrical pulse through my body; sometimes it’s so strong that it causes me to behave badly in the form of interrupting or speaking in an unusually loud voice. I had to look further.
An interesting thing happened on this journey to the power of quiet. During my weekly yoga class, it came to me like an answer so clear that the words rang in my head like soft, heavenly bells.
I talked too much so people would know I cared about them. It was my way of taking care of those I love. I decided before my fortieth birthday, that from that day forward, those around me would know I loved them, and cared what they thought and felt, but I was going to practice the power of quiet.
As my forty-second birthday approaches, I can say that deciding to talk less has been more about focusing on quality rather than quantity. I’ve found that listening more shows those who I care about that I really do care how they feel. Now when I break in, it means more to them. Oh, sure, I still have my short periods of talking too much, but for the most part this has been one resolution that I can call a success.
1. In Paragraph 3 the writer mentions her husband mainly ______.

A．to show how one communicates effectively

B．to explain the reason for his silence in a conversation

C．to give her high opinion of his communication skills

D．to give an example of those who have the power of quiet

2. By “I had to look further”, the writer means she had to ______.

A．look into the future in order to succeed in practicing the power of quiet

B．try harder to prevent herself from talking too much

C．find out other reasons why she should talk less

D．survey people in other areas who talk little

3. Which of the following best describe the writer’s character?

A．Kind but pessimistic.

B．Selfless but proud.

C．Loving and active.

D．Stubborn and sensitive.

【推荐3】I didn't know how to say no, and was afraid to tell people what I wanted. Instead, I got myself tangled (纠结的) in a web of obligations, anxiety, and white lies.

The worst thing was that I didn't even realize what I was doing. I thought I knew how to say “no”-but couldn't remember the last time I had. Like a lot of people, I just wanted to be accepted, appreciated, loved-and that the only way to get those things was to put everyone else's needs before my own.

I never seemed to have time for things I really wanted to do. I'd like to learn Spanish, write more fiction, and travel. These aren't huge, unrealistic goals. And yet, my people-pleasing ways dramatically cut into my free time to pursue these desires.

But recently, I decided I'd had enough. As an experiment, I began standing up for myself, even at the risk of alienating (使疏远) myself from everyone and having my entire life come crashing down around me. Several days ago, a good friend asked me to go for coffee at 5 p.m. I was planning to hit the gym and then binge-watch Mad Men for the millionth time. I said, “Sorry, I've got things I want to do tonight.” She said, “That's fine. Maybe another time.” It was all so painfully simple that I wanted to cry.

Saying “no” is so much easier. If someone asks me to do something I have zero interest in, I'm polite but honest. “I'm sorry, I don't think that's really for me.” The words slip out my mouth faster than some other lame excuses.

Learning how to say “no” has added several extra hours to my days, days to my weeks, and what feels like months to my years. I no longer have to back-burner my plans to help friends with their job search, or set aside a weekend to read a book draft by someone I barely know. Saying “no” has set me free.

1. Why was the author afraid of saying “no”?

A．She didn't want to tell lies.	B．She wanted to make more friends.
C．She wanted to please every one.	D．She was always willing to help others.

2. What was the bad point of being afraid of saying “no”?

A．She alienated many friends.	B．She was kept busy all day long.
C．She felt depressed now and then.	D．She had no time for her own hobbies.

3. What was her friend's reaction when she said “no” to her?

A．Natural.

B．Painful.

C．Angry.

D．Disappointed.

4. How did the author feel after she had learnt to say “no”?

A．Lonely.

B．Relaxed.

C．Confident.

D．Lost.