【推荐1】

With the Reading Day coming, I'd like to recommend a couple of books to you.

A License to Heal by Steven Bentley

It describes the real world of emergency medicine from the viewpoint of a practicing emergency physician, Bentley. In the world of emergency medicine, there's lots of pain, blood and sadness in our daily life, but there's also hope, excitement and a surprising amount of humor—for both the patients and the staff. The narrative(叙述) writing is effective, for Bentley appears as the doctor everyone needs in a medical emergency.

Battering Rocks over the Barn by Lawn Griffiths

An Iowa farm boy's Odyssey. The rhythm of rural life during the 1950s and 1960s comes alive through the eyes of a boy who grew up to become a newspaper journalist and farm editor. Follow his journey in this book.

Imperfect Family by Leyland A.king

This is a novel describing an ordinary family's union, strength, ambition and determination that contribute to the great possibility for one generation to climb the shabby ladder from the low class to the American middle class.

Walking the Stones of Time by Oswald Brown

This is a tale of two lovers separated by social status in primitive Scotland. It unfolds as a young man makes it his task to free a beautiful young girl from slavery. What follows is an adventurous story of disloyalty（不忠实）overcome by courage.

Honeyball by Pete Liebengood

Rachel's father hands her a minor league baseball team. She hired an all female staff and created a highly successful marketing campaign called honeyball. The book Honeyball offers an entertaining perspective(视角) of the league baseball where a group of women pull together in a campaign to find success at the box office while their leader finally finds the love of Rachel's life.

1. What can we know about A License to Heal?

A．It tells readers stories about patients.

B．It's about a humor story of a physician.

C．It impresses readers with a heart-broken story.

D．It's convincing because of its narrative writing style.

2. Which book is about country life?

A．Honeyball

B．Battering Rocks over the Barn

C．Walking the Stones of Time

D．Imperfect Family

3. What can we learn from the passage?

A．The writer of A License to Heal is a humorous doctor.

B．Imperfect Family describes an amazing women baseball Learn.

C．There're love stories in Walking the Stones of Time and Honeyball.

D．Battering Rocks over the Barn describes the city life of a journalist.

【推荐2】Stories are shared in many ways. They are described in books and magazines. They are read around the campfire at night. They are randomly distributed from stand-alone booths. But what else?

To revive literature in the era of fast news and smartphone addiction, Short Edition, a French publisher of short-form literature, has set up more than 30 story dispensers (分发机) in the USA in the past years to deliver fiction at the push of a button at restaurants, universities and government offices.

Francis Ford Coppola, the film director and winemaker, liked the idea so much that he invested in the company and placed a dispenser at his Cafe Zoetrope in San Francisco. Last month, public libraries in some other cities announced they would be setting them up, too. There is one on the campus at Penn State. A few can be found in downtown West Palm Beach, Fla. And Short Edition plans to announce more, including at the Los Angeles International Airport.

“Everything old is new again,” said Andrew Nurkin, director of the Free Library of Philadelphia, which is one of the libraries that set up the dispensers. “We want people to be easily exposed to literature. We want to advance literacy among children and inspire their creativity.”

Here’s how a dispenser works. It has three buttons on top indicating choices for stories that can be read in one minute, three minutes or five minutes. When a button is pushed, a short story is printed.

The stories are free. They are chosen from a computer category of more than 100,000 original submissions by writers whose works have been evaluated by Short Edition’s judges, and transmitted over a mobile network. Offerings can be tailored to specific interests, like children’s fiction or romance. Short Edition gets stories for its category by holding writing contests.

Short Edition set up its first booth in 2016 and has 150 machines worldwide. “The idea is to make people happy,” said Kristan Leroy, director of Short Edition. “There is too much unhappiness today.”

1. What do we know about the stories sent by dispensers?

A．They are easily read.

B．They are short in form.

C．They can be bought from booths.

D．They can be found in magazines.

2. Which paragraph shows the popularity of story dispensers in America?

A．Paragraph 3.	B．Paragraph 5.
C．Paragraph 6.	D．Paragraph 7.

3. Why were the story dispensers set up according to Andrew Nurkin?

A．To introduce French literature.

B．To get rid of smartphone addiction.

C．To make people have access to literature.

D．To reduce the financial stress of libraries.

4. What is the best title for the text?

A．Everything Old Is New

B．Online Reading: a Virtual Tour

C．Short Edition Is Getting Popular

D．Taste of Literature, at the Push of a Button

【推荐3】Florida by Lauren Groff

From the author of “Fates and Furies” comes a collection of short stories exploring the moments that make us feel alive, all based on the landscape, climate, history, and stale of mind of Florida.

The Perfect Couple by Elin Hilderbrand

When the bride-to-be is discovered dead in Nantucket Harbor just hours before the ceremony, everyone in the wedding party is suddenly a suspect, from the best man and the maid of honor to the groom’s famous mystery novelist mother.

The Last Time / Lied by Riley Sager

It’s just a harmless game, right? The author of “Final Girls” puts a deadly twist on “two truths and a lie” as successful artist Emma revisits her dark past, the one night at summer camp that still appears in her memories and her paintings.

Rust and Stardust by T. Greenwood

Based on the experiences of real-life kidnapping (绑架) victim Sally Homer and her kidnaper, whose story shocked the nation and inspired Vladimir Nabokov to write his controversial and iconic “Lolita,” this heart-pounding (动人心弦的) story gives a voice to Sally herself.

Thrawn: Alliances by Timothy Zahn

From his first meet with the man who will one day become Darth Vader to his rise to power, Grand Admiral Thrawn proves his reputation as one of the most cunning fighters in the history of the Galactic Empire in this thrilling “Star Wars tale.”

1. If you like to read a detective novel, you may buy           .

A．Florida	B．The Perfect Couple
C．The Last Time I Lied	D．Thrown: Alliances

2. Who wrote a novel depending on real experience?

A．Lauren Groff.	B．Elin Hilderbrand.
C．T. Greenwood.	D．Timothy Zahn.

3. In which part of a newspaper can this text be probably found?

A．Cartoon.	B．Business.
C．Campus life.	D．Book review.

【推荐1】I was reading these interesting stories behind a group of great logos in the world. Personally Nike is my favorite one – it’s so simple. And I liked the stories behind them, which made me forget all other things. McDonald’s, Apple, Mercedes Benz and Adidas own great logos as well, and they are among my favorites.

Nike

In the Greek myth, Nike is the goddess of victory and the source of inspiration for soldiers. This logo represents the wing in the famous statue of the Greek goddess. Nike’s logo was designed by Carolyn Davidson in 1971 for $ 35, and was registered as a trademark in 1995.

McDonald’s

The logo was designed in 1962 by Jim Schindler to resemble the archshaped(拱形的) signs on the side of the company’s then walk-up hamburger stand. Later on, the two golden arches were combined together to form the M. The McDonald’s name was added to the logo in 1968.

Apple

There are different stories behind Apple’s logo. The first logo was a reference to the religious story of Adam and Eve, in which the apple represented the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge. One year later, the second logo was designed in 1977 by Steve Jobs and Ronald Wayne, and it described Sir Isaac Newton sitting under an apple tree. This logo didn’t stay long. One year later it was replaced almost immediately by graphic designer Rob Janoff’s “rainbow apple”, a rainbow-colored silhouette(轮廓)of an apple with a bite taken out of it. And then the rainbow-colored apple was replaced by the one-colored logo in 1998. It has not been changed so far.

Mercedes Benz

The Mercedes Benz logo, which was originally created by Gottlieb Daimler in 1909, consists of a simple description of a three-pointed star that represents its rule of the land, the sea and the air. The company was founded by Gottlieb Daimler and Wilhelm Maybach. Mercedes is the name of Maybach’s elder daughter, while Benz came as a result of a combination with Benz, Cie and DMG in 1926.

Adidas

The Adidas logo, which was created by the founder of the company Adi Dassler, represents mountains, pointing towards the challenges that are seen ahead and goals that can be achieved. The logo was used for the first time in 1967.

1. What does Nike’s logo stand for?

A．The goddess of victory.

B．The source of inspiration for soldiers.

C．The statue of the Greek goddess.

D．The wing of the Greek goddess.

2. We can learn that Apple’s present logo is ________.

A．the religious story of Adam and Eve

B．a bitten apple with only one color

C．Newton’s sitting under an apple tree

D．the rainbow-colored bitten apple

3. ________ stands for the rule of the land, the sea and the air.

A．Nike’s logo	B．Apple’s logo
C．The Mercedes logo	D．The Adidas logo

4. Which of the following time orders describes the births of the great logos?

A．Mercedes Benz – McDonald’s – Nike – Apple.

B．Nike – McDonald’s – Apple – Mercedes Benz.

C．Mercedes Benz – Apple – Nike –McDonald’s.

D．Nike –Mercedes Benz –McDonald’s – Apple,

【推荐2】In Britain and other countries，young people sometimes take a“gap year”，a year off between high school and college．This idea never gained a big following in America．Recent news reports have suggested that interest may be growing，though there are no official numbers．
Charles Deacon,．Dean of Admissions at Georgetown University in Washington，D．C．，estimates that in the current first-year class of 1,600 students，only about 25 decided to take a year off．He says this number hasn’t changed much over the years．
Mr．Deacon says the most common reason for taking a“gap year”is to have a chance to travel，but he says international students may take a“gap year”to meet requirements at home for military duty．
Some high school graduates see a year off as a chance to recover after twelve years of required education，but it can also give students a chance to explore their interests．Students hoping to be doctors，for example，could learn about the profession by volunteering in a hospital．
Many colleges and universities support gap-year projects by permitting students to delay their admission．Expels say students can grow emotionally and intellectually as they work at something they enjoy．
The Harvard admissions office has an essay on its Web site called“Time Out or Bum Out for the Next Generation．’’It praises the idea of taking time off to step back，think and enjoy gaining life experiences outside the pressure of studies．It also notes that students are sometimes admitted to Harvard or other colleges partly because they did something unusual with that time．
Of course，a gap year is not for everyone．Students might miss their friends who go on directly to college，and parents might worry that their children will decide not to go to college once they take time off．Another concern is money．A year off，away from home，can be costly．
Holly Bull’s job is to specialize in helping students plan their gap year．She notes that several books have been written about this subject．She says these books along with media attention and the availability of information on the Internet have increased interest in the idea of a year off, and she points out that many gap-year programs cost far less than a year of college．
1. What is the passage mainly about?

A．It is likely that taking a“gap year”is becoming popular in America．

B．More and more American students are choosing to take a year off．

C．If you want to go to an American university, take a gap year first．

D．Americans hold different opinions towards students’taking a“gap year”．

2. How many reasons for students’ taking a“gap year”are mentioned in the passage?

A．2．

B．3．

C．4．

D．5．

3. The essay“Time Out or Bum Out for the Next Generation．”suggests that______．

A．every student must take a“gap year”before applying for a famous university

B．some famous universities encourage students to gain more life experiences

C．taking a‘gap year’Can make students free from life learning

D．the stress of studies does harm to the students’ health

4. What can we learn from the passage?

A．Charles Deacon doesn’t support the idea of the students’taking a“gap year”

B．Parents might disagree with the program，concerned about their children’s future.

C．Books and media have contributed to the students’interest in school learning.

D．Experts agree taking a year off will benefit the students emotionally and physically.

【推荐3】Psychologists tell us our self-image defines(限定) what we believe we can and cannot do. Each of us over the years has built up belief about ourselves: Unconsciously, our pictures of who we are have been formed by past experiences. As self-image plays a great role in our growth, gaining a proper understanding of it and even making changes to it can hold significant meaning for our development.

Changing our self-image is possible: Some psychologists suggest we begin to change our self-image by mentally picturing ourselves performing well at some tasks. Since we presently react to things based on our present images, it's suggested that we replace those with better ones. In many experiments, people were asked to sit quietly for a few minutes each day and imagine themselves doing well. For example, subjects would sit and imagine themselves throwing darts(飞镖) at a bull's-eye on a target Over a period of weeks, their dart game improved.

The point of changing self-image is not to develop an image of ourselves that is not real. The aim is to find the real self and to bring our mental images of ourselves in line with our true potential. However, it is generally accepted among psychologists that most of us fail to do justice to ourselves. We're usually better than we think we are.

Another important part of changing self-image is to not think about past mistakes. Don't let failures do harm. It is all right to make mistakes. But when they have taught us what we did wrong, we should forget them and not dwell on(纠结于)them. Sometimes we keep remembering our failures or mistakes and feel guilty or embarrassed about them, and then we develop a fear.

It is important to have realistic expectations of ourselves. Some of our dissatisfaction might come from expecting too much of ourselves. If our goal is to reach perfection, we are doomed(注定要失败的)from the start.

1. Which situation agrees with the idea of the passage?

A．To win a speech contest, Tina pictures herself speaking more confidently.

B．To get along with her classmates, Doris always humbles(使卑微)herself.

C．To become a star player, Alex repeatedly plays back his mistakes in his mind.

D．To be better than his classmates, Joe sets an unrealistic goal.

2. What is the purpose of paragraph 3?

A．To clarify(澄清)the key to changing self-image.

B．To confirm(确认)the effect of changing self-image

C．To propose a new view on changing self-image.

D．To stress the importance of changing self-image.

3. According to the author, how should we regard our past mistakes?

A．They are tools for overcoming fear.	B．They are warnings for future.
C．They are part of our growth.	D．They are barriers to our development.

4. What is the main idea that the author conveys in the passage?

A．Overcoming fear through past mistakes.

B．Building a realistic self-image through proper imagination.

C．The importance of humility(谦卑)in personal growth.

D．Setting realistic goals for personal development.

【推荐1】A company called Compass Pools has some good news for height and swimming enthusiasts.Recently, the company announced their novel design-a first of its kind 360-degree pool which is set to be placed on a skyscraper in London.The Infinity London will be the first and only building in the world to include this cutting-edge pool design. The pool will be laid on top of a 55-story skyscraper and will allow people to float over 200 meters above the London skyline with unobstructed（无障碍）views of the city.

The entrance to the pool is hidden.People began to raise questions about how anyone would get inside the pool. Compass Pools explains: "Swimmers will access the pool through a rotating spiral（螺旋）staircase based on the door of a submarine, rising from the pool floor when someone wants to get in or out."

But that is not the only unique technology of the pool.The designers found a way to make sure the wind doesn't blow the water down to the streets.They included a built-in anemometer（风力计）to monitor the wind speed. It is linked to a computer-controlled building management system which will also take care of the temperature of the water.

Alex Kemsley promises that this unique pool will surpass expectations."Swimming in the SkyPool at The Shard，it's quite a strange feeling to have helicopters flying past at your level but this pool takes it a step further," he says."Putting your goggles（防水镜）on and with a 360-degree view of London from 220m up, it really will be something else-but it's definitely not one for the acrophobic（恐高）!"

While the exact date of the construction is not clear yet, if things go well, it may begin in 2020.The location has yet to be confirmed too.

1. What can we learn from the first paragraph? ______

A．The Infinity London is the only building to swim in.

B．Swimmers can enjoy the views of London in the poo1.

C．The pool is located on the first floor of a skyscraper.

D．Compass Pools has built many 360-degree pools in the world.

2. What does the underlined word "that" in Paragraph 3 refer to? ______

A．The pool floor.	B．A built-in anemometer.
C．The door of a submarine.	D．The entrance to the poo1.

3. Who might not be suitable to swim in the SkyPool? ______

A．People who enjoy flying.	B．People who lose weight.
C．People who fear heights.	D．People who have poor sight.

4. What can we know about the SkyPool at The Shard? ______

A．It is not certain when people can swim in it.

B．Its exact location of the construction is clear.

C．Swimmers can expect its designs easily.

D．It's impossible to monitor the temperature of the water.

【推荐2】Sitting by the fire on a cold night, wearing a woolen sweater, while drinking wine and petting a dog—probably surrounded by candles. That’s certainly “Hygge”. Eating home-made cakes. Watching TV under a warm quilt. Family get-togethers at Christmas. They’re all Hygge too.

The Danish word, pronounced “Hoo-ga”, is usually translated into English as “coziness”. But it’s much more than that; it is an entire attitude to life that makes Denmark to compete with Switzerland and Iceland to be the world’s happiest countries.

Morley College, in central London, is teaching students how to reach the state of Hygge as part of its Danish language course. “We have long, cold winters in Denmark,” says lecturer Susanne Nilsson. “That influences things.” With up to 17 hours of darkness per day in the depth of winter, and average temperatures staying around zero degrees, people spend more time indoors as a result, says Nilsson, meaning there’s greater focus on home entertaining.

“Hygge could be families and friends getting together for a meal, with the lighting dimmed, or it could be time spent on your own reading a good book,” she says. “it works best when there’s not too large an empty space around the person or people,” the idea is to relax and feel as at home as possible, forgetting life’s worries.

The recent growth in some restaurants, cafes and bars in the UK is helping to introduce Hygge to the public, she adds, with their warm environment, lively decorations and concentrations on comforting food. Most customers won’t have heard of the word, but they might get a sense of it.

1. What’s the purpose of the first paragraph?

A．List the good results of Hygge.	B．introduce the topic of Hygge.
C．Describe the spread of Hygge.	D．point out the importance of Hygge.

2. The underlined word “coziness” most likely means __________.?

A．Being careful	B．Being responsible
C．Being comfortable	D．Being hard-working

3. What is the reason for Danish to want a Hygge lifestyle?

A．Danish are crazy about outdoor activities.	B．Danish prefer home entertainment to work.
C．Hygge is part of the Danish language course.	D．Winters in Denmark are quite long and cold.

【推荐1】A new weapon is on the way in the fight against smoking in Europe.Soon when smokers buy cigarettes they might see a shocking photo of a blackened lung or a cancer patient staring back at them from the packet.

Some boys may think of smoking as cool and sexy. Their friends won’t agree when they see their packets of cigarettes lying on the table.

The European Union announced on October 22, that it had chosen 42 photos that showed the damage cigarettes could do to the body. It called on member nations to put these pictures on packets to discourage smokers.

To catch the attention of teenagers,the special packets warn of long－term medical dangers, like cancer. Short－term effects, like bad skin, are also on the list.

“The true fact of smoking is disease, death and horror. That is the message we should send to the young，”said David Byme，an EU health official，“Hopefully these pictures will shock students out of their love for cigarettes.”

The EU head office hoped the pictures would work better than current written warnings on packs of cigarettes. The warnings included “smoking kills” and “smoking can lead to a slow and painful death”.

So far, Ireland and Belgium have shown interest in the photos.Canada has used similar pictures and warnings on cigarette packs since 2000. The country has recently seen a fall in the number of smokers.

According to studies,smoking is the single biggest cause of avoidable (可避免的) death in the EU. Every year more than 650,000 smokers die,more than one person a minute.

1. Which of the following is NOT the true fact of smoking?

A．Disease.	B．Death.
C．Horror.	D．Happiness.

2. We can learn from the text that ________.

A．the EU countries have put the new warning method into practice

B．only a small number of the EU countries have used the new warning method

C．the new warning method has worked in some EU countries

D．countries in the EU still use the old warning method

3. Which country is most successful in stopping smoking?

A．Ireland.	B．Belgium.
C．Canada.	D．EU.

【推荐2】The latest research suggests that the key factor separating geniuses from the merely accomplished is not I.Q., a generally bad predictor of success. Instead, it’s purposeful practice. Top performers spend more hours practising their craft. It you wanted to picture how a typical genius might develop, you’d take a girl who possessed a slightly above average language ability. It wouldn’t have to be a big talent, just enough so that she might gain some sense of distinction. Then you would want her to meet, say, a novelist, who coincidentally shared some similar qualities. Maybe the writer was from the same town, had the same family background, or shared the same birthday.
This contact would give the girl a vision of her future self. It would hive her some idea of a fascinating circle who might someday join. It would also help if one of her parents died when she was 12, giving her a strong sense of insecurity and fueling a desperate need for success. Armed with this ambition, she would read novels and life stories of writers without end. This would give her a primary knowledge of her field. She’s be able to see new writing in deeper ways and quickly understand its inner workings.
Then she would practise writing. Her practice would be slow, painstaking and error-focused. By practising in this way, she delays the automatizing process. Her mind wants to turn conscious, newly learned skills into unconscious. Automatically performed skills. By practising slowly, by breaking skills down into tiny parts and repeating, she forces the brain to internalize a better pattern of performance. Then she would find an adviser who would provide a constant stream of feedback, viewing her performance form the outside, correcting the smallest errors, pushing her to take on tougher challenges. By now she is redoing problems — how do I get characters into a room—dozens and dozens of times. She is establishing habits of thought she can call upon in order to understand or solve future problems.
The primary quality our young writer possesses is not some mysterious genius. It’s the ability to develop a purposeful, laborious and boring practice routine; the latest research takes some of the magic out of great achievement. But it underlines a fact that is often neglected. Public discussion is affected by genetics and what we’re “hard-wired” to do. And it’s true that genes play a role in our capabilities. But the brain is also very plastic. We construct ourselves through behaviour.
1. The passage mainly deals with         .

A．the function of I.Q. in cultivating a writer

B．the relationship between genius and success

C．the decisive factor in making a genius

D．the way of gaining some sense of distinction

2. By reading novels and writers’ stories, the girl could        .

A．come to understand the inner structure of writing

B．join a fascinating circle of writers someday

C．share with a novelist her likes and dislikes

D．learn from the living examples to establish a sense of security

3. In the girl’s long painstaking training process, ________.

A．her adviser forms a primary challenging force to her success

B．her writing turns into an automatic pattern of performance

C．she acquires the magic of some great achievement

D．she comes to realize she is “hard-wired” to write

4. What can be concluded from the passage?

A．A fueling ambition plays a leading role in one’s success

B．A responsible adviser is more important than the knowledge of writing.

C．As to the growth of a genius, I.Q. doesn’t matter, but just his/her effort.

D．What really matters is what you do rather than who you are.

【推荐3】Laurie Santos greeted her Yale University students with slips of paper that explained: No class today.

It was mid-semester (学期). With exams and papers coming, everyone was exhausted and stressed. There was one rule: They couldn’t use the one hour and a quarter of unexpected free time to study, and they had to just enjoy it. Nine students hugged her. Two burst into tears.

Santos, a professor of psychology, had planned to give a lecture about what researchers have learned about how important time is to happiness, but she created a special class on the psychology of living a joyful, meaningful life and she wanted the lessons to stick. All semester, she explained why we think the way we do. Then, she challenged students to use that knowledge to change their own lives.

On that spring afternoon, nearly a quarter of the undergraduate students were enjoying an unexpected break at the same time. No, not just enjoying it-really loving the gift they had been given. Skyler Robinson, a sophomore, had been confused for a moment by all the possibilities it opened up. He felt very, very happy. Then, he took a nap. “That nap,” he said, “was fantastic.”

Santos designed this class after she realized, as the head of a residential college at Yale, that many students were stressed out and unhappy, struggling through long days that seemed to her far more crushing (惨重的) and joyless than her own college years.

Santos said students were most skeptical of the idea that good grades aren’t essential to happiness. And when she joked she was going to teach them that by giving everyone “D”, she was flooded with calls from frightened students and parents. Santos told them she was creating a center for the good life at the college she leads at Yale. As for the good life, she told them they already know how to live it-they just have to practice and put in hard work.

So many students have told her the class changed their lives. “If you’re really grateful, show me that.” she told them. “Change the culture.”

1. What did Santos ask her Yale students to do that day?

A．Study for the coming exams.

B．Enjoy the free time in her class.

C．Apply their way of thinking to life.

D．Realize the importance of time.

2. What does Santos think of her Yale students?

A．They care nothing about grades but happiness.

B．They are stressed into a hopeless generation.

C．They are living a joyful and meaningful life.

D．They suffer great pressure from learning.

3. How was Santos’ special class that day?

A．Popular.	B．Discouraging.
C．Humorous.	D．dull

4. What is the best title for the text?

A．Yale has a special course about social life.

B．Yale teaches its students about good grades.

C．Yale has a course all about living happily.

D．Yale helps its students reduce learning pressure.