【推荐1】When I was growing up, I was unhappy to be seen with my father. He was disabled and quite short. He used to walk together with me and his hand was on my arm for balance. At this time, people would look at us strangely. I was afraid to look at others but he never cares.
It was difficult to coordinate our steps — his slow, mine impatient. But each time, he always said, “You set the pace, I'll follow you.”
He never talked about himself as a disabled man and nor did he envy other people’s good fortune or health. What he looked for in others was a “good heart” — a good heart in man.
Now that I am older, I believe that is a right standard to judge people, even though I still don’t know exactly what a “good heart” is. But I know the times when I don’t have it. Unable to take part in many activities, my father still tried to participate in some way. When I played ball, he “played” it too. When I joined the Navy, he “joined” too. He often introduced me, saying “This is my son, but it is also me, and I could have done this if things had been different.”
He has been gone many years, but I am so sorry for my unwillingness to walk with him. I never told him how I regretted it. I think of him often when I complain about small affairs and when I don’t have a “good heart ”. At such times, I want to put my hand on his arm and say, “You set the pace, I'll try to follow you. ”
1. The author felt unhappy walking with his father because ______.

A．he was pitiful for his father’s disability

B．it was easy for them to walk together

C．he didn’t want others to know he had a disabled father

D．his father often blamed him

2. In his father’s view, the most important quality a good person should have is ______.

A．excellent health	B．a good heart
C．smart hands	D．beautiful appearance

3. What does the underlined word “coordinate” mean?

A．行走

B．协调

C．抚平

D．暂停

4. According to the last paragraph, by saying “You set the pace. I will try to follow you.” the author means that ______.

A．he will follow father’s standards of being a good man

B．his father didn’t participate in any activities

C．he is glad to walk on his own

D．he still cares more about the appearance

【推荐3】Laurie Horam never thought of himself as musical. At home, his dad never listened to music, while one of his boarding school teachers labelled him tone deaf. But last month he started to busk. And while he accompanies on harmonica (口琴) his guitar - playing friend Alan Eaton, people clap, dance and throw coins into Alan’s guitar case for the local food bank. Horam caught himself thinking: “How, at the age of 80, do I come to be playing music to people on the streets of Brad-ford?”

The question preoccupied him, because, some years ago at a family gathering, Gavin, one of his children, said, “You know what, Dad? It can’t be coincidental. We must have got our natural abilities and interest from you.” He has three sons, two daughters and a stepson from two marriages; between them, they cover a range of instruments and genres from techno to rock. Horam was floored. “There can’t be music in me, because I can’t play!”, he said.

Eight years ago, Horam, a retired civil servant, was driving back from a trip to the Yorkshire coast with his eldest son, Gavin, who was visiting from Canada. Cavin wanted to stop at a music shop. He walked out and said, “Here you are. I bought this for you, Dad. It’s a harmonica. I’ll try to show you how to play a bit.”

They went to a local pub. Gavin played guitar and Laurie sat in the corner with his harmonica, trying to make a sound that no one would hear. After six months, he was invited into the group. Unable to read music, he discovered a talent for improvisation (即兴表演), responding to a note within a millisecond without batting an eyelid. “I don’t play by ear. I play by heart.” Actually, Horam says, “My harmonica plays me - how I feel, what I am, what I’ve been.”

Music has enriched life with friendship and made Horam feel “part of something much bigger” than himself. “At a time when the scope of life might be shrinking, mine is expanding,” he says. “Maybe we never know completely who we are or what we can do.”

1. Why did Horam play the harmonica on the streets of Bradford?

A．To collect money for charity.	B．To recall the good old days.
C．To live his childhood dream.	D．To beg food from passers-by.

2. What’s the common feature of Horam’s children?

A．They are all divorced.	B．They are all tone deaf.
C．They are all musical.	D．They are all guitar players.

3. What is Gavin’s attitude to his father’s musical ability?

A．Unclear.

B．Positive.

C．Doubtful.

D．Disapproving.

4. What can be learned from the last two paragraphs?

A．Music fails to help Horam express himself.

B．Music helps Horam lead a comfortable life.

C．Music helps Horam sharpen his own hearing.

D．Music brings Horam a broader circle of life.

【推荐1】A group of graduates, highly established in their careers, got together to visit their old university professor. They talked about the present-day hot topic—Happiness, but conversation soon turned into complaints about stress in work and life.

Offering his guests coffee, the professor went to the kitchen and returned with a large pot of coffee and different kinds of cups-porcelain（陶瓷的）, plastic, glass, crystal, some plain looking, some expensive, some extremely beautiful—telling them to help themselves to the coffee.

When all the students had a cup of coffee in hand, the professor said, “If you noticed, all the nice looking expensive cups were taken up, leaving behind the plain and cheap ones. While it is normal for you to want only the best for yourselves, that is the source of your problems and stress.”

“Be assured that the cup itself adds no quality to the coffee. In most cases it is just more expensive and in some cases even hides what we drink. What all of you really wanted was coffee, not the cup. But you consciously went for the best cups…And then you began coveting each other’s cups.”

“Now consider this: life is the coffee; the jobs, money and position in society are the cups. They are just tools to hold and contain life, and the type of cup we have does not define, nor change the quality of life we live. Sometimes, by concentrating only on the cup, we fail to enjoy the coffee God has provided us. God brews（酿造）the coffee, not the cups…Enjoy your coffee! The happiest people don't have the best of everything. They just make the best of everything.”

Live simply. Love generously. Care deeply. Speak kindly.

Leave the rest to God.

1. The professor brought in various cups in order to prove ________.

A．he was richer than his students

B．he was fond of collecting cups

C．the cups would play an important part in his talk

D．there were too many people to drink coffee

2. What does the underlined word “coveting” in Paragraph 4 probably mean?

A．Grabbing.	B．Eyeing.
C．Using.	D．Cleaning.

3. The problems and stress in work and life resulted from ________.

A．choosing the best of everything

B．not knowing how to make good use of what one had

C．failing to tell which was useful

D．too many people hoping to share the same thing

4. What may be the best title for the text?

A．Nice Looking Cups	B．God’s Coffee
C．An Old Professor	D．Anxious Graduates

【推荐3】I was getting ready to go to bed when the phone rang. This could not be good. My mind raced through the list of family members who might need help, but the voice was hardly familiar.

"Lindy, this is Lesley." I didn't know Lesley well. We did occasionally speak with each other, but to say we were friends was not appropriate. I asked what she needed. Perhaps something really awful caused her to reach someone she barely knew. Instead, she asked me, "Do you have room for a turkey? In your freezer?" We had lots of room in our freezer, and in fact, too much. "I responded, "Did your freezer break down?" "Not exactly," Lesley replied, "but I will explain when I arrive. "

Minutes later came a huge freezer truck, Lesley stepped down and explained the lease(租约) of the grocery store her husband serviced had run out and that they had to empty all the freezers that very night. Thinking it was a shame to throw away all this good food, they decided to drop off food to anyone she could think of. Noticing our freezer was pretty empty, Lesley asked to fill it up. Our home was their last stop and anything left would have to be put in our freezer. An hour later, everything finished, I asked her, "When will you come back for all this?” Lesley laughed," We don't want it back. It is yours! Thanks for helping us out!" Then they waved goodbye and drove away.

"For helping them out?" We opened our freezer door. Inside were all expensive foods we never bought but often longed to try. We were struggling to buy groceries, yet it was not something we shared with anyone. However, our needs were met in an unexpected way, by that call, "Do you have room for a turkey?"

1. How did the writer feel when she heard the phone ringing?

A．Angry.	B．Anxious.
C．Shocked.	D．Relieved.

2. What does the author indicate by the underlined sentence in paragraph 2?

A．They were running out of food supplies.

B．Their freezer was too large to fill.

C．They were glad to put the turkey in the freezer.

D．Their freezer was less frequently used.

3. What can be a suitable title for the text?

A．A friend on speaking terms.

B．Who is my angel?

C．Unexpected bargains.

D．Do you have room for a turkey?