【推荐1】About 7 million people over the age of 65 have been diagnosed with depression, and many more could be suffering. It is high time that you learned how to know the signs and help them. Depression is a big problem for seniors, especially those who are lack of care and attention. Older people are much more likely to be alone, socially isolated(孤立的) or feel a lack of purpose. Sometimes older people have a much more difficulty time admitting mental health problems. Many times, the link between depression and physical illness is much stronger.

The elderly don’t like to express sadness the way that young people do. Older people who are depressed may have more physical troubles and may pay more attention to them. Depression may result from early memory loss and meanwhile, depression will make a person forget more and faster. A patient with early memory loss and depression really needs to be treated for the depression to slow the memory loss. A mood change is also a sign of depression. If a previously calm person becomes increasingly annoyed, or a previously clean person no longer bothers to shower or clean up, that person should be considered.

Don’t tell older adults that you think they may be depressed, as older adults ----particularly men see depression as a weakness. What you should do is tell them you’re worried about their health. Tell them they seem to be out of sorts.

Say you just want to check with the doctor to see what’s going on. Once you’ve used physical symptoms to get that person to agree to a check-up, mention your fear to the doctor and allow the doctor to approach the subject of depression with the patient.

1. What is the title of the passage? (No more than 8 words)
____________________________________________________________________________.
2. For what kind of older people is depression especially a big problem? (No more than 8 words)
____________________________________________________________________________.
3. What attitude do older people have towards their mental illnesses? (No more than 10 words)
____________________________________________________________________________.
4. What’s the meaning of the underlined phrase “out of sorts” in Paragraph 4? (No more than 3 words)
____________________________________________________________________________.
5. What will you do if your grandparents suffer from depression? (No more than 25 words)
____________________________________________________________________________

【推荐2】Heaven is where the police are English, the cooks are French, the mechanics are German, the lovers are Italian and everything is organized by the Swiss. Hell is where the police are German, the cooks are English, the mechanics are French, the lovers are Swiss, and everything is organized by the Italians."

Obviously the national stereotypes in this old joke are generalizations(普遍化), but such stereotypes are often said to "exist for a reason". Is there actually a sliver of truth in them? Not likely, an international research team now says.

"National and cultural stereotypes do play an important role in how people see themselves and others, and being aware that these are not dependable is a useful thing," said study author Robert McCrae of the National Institute on Aging. "These are in fact unfounded stereotypes. They don't come from looking around you," McCrae said.

If national stereotypes aren't rooted in real experiences, then where do they come from? One possibility is that they reflect national values, which may become known from historical events. For example, many historians have argued that the spirit of American individualism has its origins in the experiences of the pioneers on the Old West.

Social scientists such as psychologist Richard Robins have given several other possible explanations for stereotypes and why they may be incorrect. Robins notes that some stereotypes may have been correct at one point in history and then remained unchanged while the culture changed.

We may be "hard-wired", to some degree, to keep incorrect stereotypes, since we are less likely to notice and remember information that is different from our stereotypes. Generally, according to Robins, when we meet people who are different from our stereotypes, we see them as unique individuals rather than typical national or cultural groups.

1. The stereotype about Italians is________.

A．strict but thoughtful	B．friendly and good-tempered
C．dreamy and impractical	D．romantic but disorganized

2. According to social scientists, national stereotypes are not always correct because________.

A．they are formed by individual historians

B．what was true in the past may not be true at the present

C．generalizations are made through personal experience

D．people tend to have false idea about other cultures

3. According to the research team led by McCrae, national stereotypes are________.

A．interesting

B．harmful

C．humorous

D．unreliable

4. The underlined word "hard-wired" in the last paragraph probably means________.

A．forgetful

B．changeable

C．fixed

D．helpless

【推荐3】Hello! My name is Zhan Bingbing.

Lately, all of us have seen Chinese people on TV in far-off places in the world, helping other countries to develop. We see Chinese workers building roads in the Congo, a port in Pakistan, railways in Panama, and an airport in Sri Lanka. And we see Chinese miners, oil workers, agricultural experts, mechanics, and doctors working in nearly every corner of the world. And some people may ask, “Is it worth it? Why help people overseas when China has many areas that are still in need of development?”

I had the same questions myself. But for me, it was much more personal. You see, my mother is a medical doctor, and for the last two years, she has been working as a volunteer consultant in Tanzania, Africa, as a part of a medical team sent by the Chinese government.

To be honest, when my mother first left for Africa, I was upset. My mother cooked me dinner every night, and she took good care of me. But more importantly, she was my best friend. we talked together, we spent our leisure time together, and except for school and work, we were never apart. So I was unhappy about her leaving without even asking for my input.

But then I began to hear about the work she was doing in Tanzania, a country that has many health problems, and now I am singing a different tune. Many dangerous diseases which are rare in China are quite commonly contracted in Tanzania. And, while the country is quite beautiful and has much natural wealth, many of the people are quite poor and live without things we take for granted, such as electricity, running water, cars and good transport systems, and supermarkets. One project that my mother worked on was helping to build a cardiac hospital. Prior to this, if a Tanzanian had a heart condition and needed surgery, they would have to go abroad. Since this was quite expensive, many people went without medical treatment and some even died. Now, not only are Tanzanians helped by the hospital, but people in neighbouring countries are helped as well.   It has made a big difference to their lives. My mother also does a circuit of the rural villages to provide medical treatment, help those with disabilities, and provide consultation and training for local doctors. In addition, her team has given patients a new malaria treatment invented in China, and this has saved many lives.

Today, I want to relay to you that I’m proud of the work my mother has done, and I am now supportive of it. Is her work worth it? Yes, to the lives of the people she is helping, it is worth it. But by any criteria this work is worth it to us as well, because it shows that we are global citizens interested in world stability, and that we feel responsible for others and are ready to build a community with a shared future for mankind. Everyone deserves a fair chance in life. When I think of all the things that we as Chinese citizens can be most proud of, helping others comes at the top of this list. Now that I understand how important my mother’s work is, I’ve decided to become a volunteer myself to help people in other lands. In the future, I pray that you will do the same.

Thank you!

1. What is the function of the second paragraph?

A．To explain how China helps other countries.

B．To introduce the topic of the speech.

C．To show where Chinese workers are.

D．To praise the contributions China has made.

2. What does the speaker use to get her message across?

A．A personal story.

B．Facts and data.

C．A hypothetical example.

D．Other people’s experiences.

3. What is the author most proud of as a Chinese?

A．Her love for her motherland.

B．Her hard work at school.

C．Her bond with her mother.

D．Assistance to others.

4. What’s Bingbing’s attitude towards her mother’s work as a volunteer in the end?

A．Disapproving.	B．Bored.
C．Favorable.	D．Worried.

【推荐1】Thanksgiving Day is special holiday in the United States and Canada. Families and friends gather to eat and give thanks for their blessing.

Thanksgiving Day is really a harvest festival. This is why it is celebrated in late fall, after the crops are in. But one of the first thanksgivings in America had nothing to do with a good harvest. On December 4, 1619, the Pilgrims from England landed near what is now Charles City, Virginia. They knelt down and thanked God for their safe journey across the Atlantic.

The first New England Thanksgiving did celebrate a rich harvest. The Pilgrims landed at what is now Plymouth, Massachusetts, in 1620. They had a difficult time and the first winter was cruel. Many of the Pilgrims died. But the next year, they had a good harvest. So Governor Bradford declared a three-day feast. The Pilgrims invited Indian friends to join them for their special feast. Everyone brought food.

In time, other colonies began to celebrate a day of thanksgiving. But it took years before there was a national Thanksgiving Day. During the Civil War, Sarah Josepha Hale persuaded Abraham Lincoln to do something about it. He proclaimed the last Thursday of November 1863 as a day of thanksgiving. Today, Americans celebrate this happy harvest festival on the fourth Thursday in November. Canadians celebrate Thanksgiving Day in much the same way as their American neighbours. But the Canadian thanks-giving Day falls on the second Monday in October.

1. The first to celebrate thanksgiving were____.

A．some people from England	B．the American Indians
C．Sarah Josepha Hale	D．Governor Bradford

2. We can infer from the passage that New England must be ____.

A．in the U. S. A.	B．in Great Britain
C．in Canada	D．on some island off the Atlantic

3. Which of the following is NOT true?

A．Thanksgiving Day used to be a holiday to celebrate a good harvest.

B．Abraham Lincoln was not the first to decide on thanksgiving celebrations.

C．Thanksgiving Day is celebrated to express the American and Indian people’s thanks to God.

D．There’s little difference between the American way and the Canadian way to celebrate Thanksgiving Day.

4. The passage mainly tells us ____.

A．how Thanksgiving Day is celebrated in the U. S. A.

B．how Thanksgiving Day came into being and the different ways it is celebrated

C．that Thanksgiving Day is in fact a harvest holiday

D．how the way to celebrate Thanksgiving Day changed with the time and places

【推荐2】What do you think of your Chinese? If you think your Chinese is good enough, you can take part in the competition named Chinese Characters Dictation Competition (中国汉字听写大会).

Today teenagers are using more and more smart phones. They spend too much time in shopping, chatting, playing games and so on. Many of them cannot stop using smart phones to help with their study. Overuse of smart phones will make students too lazy to think and write. Some of them even forget how to write Chinese characters by hand. Teachers and parents are very worried about it.

In order to draw people’s attention to the problems above, in 2013 CCTV held the first Chinese Characters Dictation Competition. About 200 students from 32 teams took part in it. They stood on the stage to write down Chinese characters by dictation. Lu Jialei, a 14-year-old girl from Zhejiang, got first place.

Since then, the competition has been popular among teenagers. Many people are interested in this kind of competition, too. They like to write down the characters while the competitors(参赛者) are writing them.

Can you be the next winner?

1. The underlined word “overuse” in Paragraph 2 probably means ________.

A．eating too much	B．walking too much
C．using too much	D．singing too much

2. How many students took part in the first competition?

A．About 400.

B．About 300.

C．About 200.

D．About100.

3. Who got first place of the first competition?

A．Lu Jialei, a girl from Zhejiang.	B．Lu Jialei, a girl from Guangxi.
C．Liao Yilin, a girl from Zhejiang.	D．Liao Yilin, a girl from Guangxi.

4. Which is the best title for the passage?

A．Chinese Dancing Competition

B．Chinese Children Reading Competition

C．Chinese Teachers Writing Competition

D．Chinese Characters Dictation Competition

【推荐3】Many people feel out of place when dining simply because they don’t know how to follow table manners，especially if they have been invited to a nice place. Admittedly，it is difficult to learn every point of etiquette (礼仪) at a glance, but here are a few general pointers.     1    

Observe your host.

Follow their lead.     2    If you are the host，don’t panic. Ensure you read up on etiquette before taking on the role of hosting and operate within the rules so that you are easy to follow.

Wait for host to invite you to the table.

She may assign you to a seat. Stand behind the chair as the other guests get seated.     3    After you sit, pull your chair in to the table，without dragging it over the floor with a horrible noise.

Be polite.

Consider every action before you do it.     4    You must consciously stop from embarrassing yourself and your host. Take small bites； do not talk with food in your mouth； and do not place elbows on the table.

How to pass items.

When someone says，“Please pass the. . . (what you would like passed to you)，” reach for it only if you are the closest one to it. Take the item and place it next to your neighbor.     5     Don’t help yourself along the way, before the person who asked for it gets the chance. Wait politely until they have served themselves. Then ask for the bowl to be passed back to you.

A．When the host sits, take your seat.

B．Wait for your host to finish the meal first.

C．If you have the slightest doubt, don’t do it!

D．Remember, good manners never go out of style.

E．Continue passing in this manner until it reaches others.

F．Because the host generally is the leader at a dinner party or meal.

G．It’s important to say traditional phrases of thanks before and after a meal.