【推荐1】Before arriving in China in 2017, I had read various books relating to China, and the seeds of my fascination were sown.

Therefore, when I arrived, I couldn’t have been more excited to be living in this huge historically and culturally rich country. The food, the landmarks, the mega cities and everyday life — I couldn’t wait to explore.

Yet despite my enthusiasm, learning Chinese hadn’t even entered my mind. This wasn’t ignorance or laziness, but rather fear at the prospect of attempting to learn what is regarded as the most difficult language in the world. Besides this, I was living in Shanghai, an international city, with many people speaking English as a second language — I decided English would suffice.

However, after a year in China I began to observe that while many expats did not speak Chinese, there were plenty who did. Perhaps it was achievable after all? In addition I felt uncomfortable with how many Chinese people could speak English and yet I couldn’t even speak the most basic Chinese. With these factors in mind and a thirst for a new challenge I decided to begin my language journey and my only regret is that I didn’t start earlier.

Learning to speak Chinese isn’t as insurmountable as I once assumed. When I speak to native Chinese speakers in Chinese, they almost always understand me, I have also not found it too difficult to remember characters and I am now even able to write over 400 characters. The thing I find most challenging is listening since native speakers talk at such a speed. I can’t always understand what’s been said.

My biggest takeaway from learning Chinese is that it’s not only doable but can also be enjoyable. Learning Chinese not only helped me in day-to-day life, but deepened my cultural understanding of such a diverse and fascinating country. So, to all my non-Chinese friends I say this, embrace the challenge and take the leap of faith.

1. Why didn’t the author learn Chinese when he arrived in China in 2017?

A．He showed no enthusiasm for China.	B．He was unwilling to make the effort.
C．He resisted learning a second language.	D．He avoided doing something difficult.

2. What caused the author to learn Chinese?

A．His regret about starting learning late.	B．Support from many expats around him.
C．Eagerness to rise to the challenge.	D．A thirst to prove his gift for language.

3. What does the underlined word “insurmountable” in the 5th paragraph mean?

A．Valueless.

B．Difficult.

C．Unnecessary.

D．Unacceptable.

4. What can we learn from the author’s experience?

A．Love breaks down barriers.	B．Hard work pays off.
C．Persistence is the key to success.	D．Bravery opens up a new world.

【推荐1】Typing with one hand when the other one is occupied can be a real pain, so imagine having to type with just one foot. It’s got to be a nightmare, but 21-year-old Hu Huiyuan from China’s Anhui Province is using her only functional foot to write not just a few sentences, but an entire fiction novel!

Born prematurely(过早地), Hu was diagnosed with cerebral palsy(脑瘫) when she was only 10 months old. This left her permanently paralyzed—the only parts of her body she can move are her head and left foot. As she grew older, she learned how to perform everyday tasks using her foot.

Despite not having received formal education, Hu is surprisingly well-spoken. Over the years, with the help of her mother, she taught herself to read and write. “I’m not a genius, but I’m very focused,” she said, modestly. “When I watched TV in my childhood, I often learned words on the screen.”

“When I was teaching her how to speak, I had to repeat every single word a thousand times before she got it, ”Hu’s mother said. “But once she mastered the word. I felt satisfied.”

With time going by, Hu’s language got so proficient that she set out to write a story about the pursuit of dreams and love. She’s doing this by typing out every single word on her computer using only one foot.

In spite of all these setbacks, Hu is able to type 20 to 30 words a minute. She has already written six chapters—that’s 60,000 words—and says she only has two more chapters to go before the novel is complete.

1. According to Hu Huiyuan, she learned to read and write well because_____.

A．her mother taught her	B．she often watched TV
C．she concentrated on what she did	D．she had a gift for language

2. What do you think of Hu huiyuan’s mother?

A．She was very clever.	B．She was very patient.
C．She was very strict.	D．She was very worried.

3. What does the underlined word “proficient” most probably mean?

A．skillful.

B．interesting.

C．enough.

D．satisfying.

4. How many chapters does her book consist of?

A．Two.

B．Four.

C．Six.

D．Eight.

【推荐2】A 16﹣year﹣old boy finds himself on a boat in the Pacific Ocean after escaping a shipwreck（海难）．Even worse，he is left with a huge tiger for company．But he manages to survive after 227 days of fighting against all the hardships of the sea．

Pi，the lead character in Oscar---winning Ang Lee's new movie Life of Pi，went through an inspiring journey of growth and self﹣discovery．So did 19-year-old Suraj Sharma，the Indian actor who plays him．

But it was a lucky chance that opened up the opportunity for the new star．Sharma was a regular student who lived with his mathematician parents in Delhi，India．As the director traveled to Mumbai to find his Pi，the teenager went along with his younger brother，who had acted in a couple of movies，to audition（试镜）．But little did Sharma know that he would end up winning the role from 3，000 hopefuls．

Lee said he saw Pi in Sharma："Not only does he have a compelling（引人入胜的） and wise look．He has this talent．"The director said that in the final round，Sharma gave one of the"most compelling readings we had．In the end，he was in tears．"Understandably，Sharma didn't want to let Lee down．"He （Lee） had given me this opportunity．I had to give it my best，"Sharma told the Philippine Daily Inquirer．

Sharma swam for four or five hours a day until he was completely comfortable with the water．He also worked on his body because he had to first gain weight and then quickly lose weight as the story developed．He even had rats run all over him to prepare for his role．Lee was impressed by the teenager，especially his endurance（耐力）and patience in staying in a water tank for many hours each day．Sharma was only 16when Lee signed him．After three years of shooting，Sharma said he had matured with Pi's journey．

1. What is the function of the first paragraph？

A．To introduce the topic of the passage．

B．To appeal to readers to watch a movie．

C．To attract readers to continue reading．

D．To suggest the theme of this passage．

2. We can know from the passage that     ．

A．Sharma wanted to become a mathematician

B．Sharma had acted in a couple of movies

C．Sharma was sure to win in the audition

D．Many teenagers wanted to act the role Pi

3. Which of the following words can be used to describe Sharma？

A．Confident and brave．

B．Talented and diligent．

C．Strong and courageous．

D．Patient and easily﹣excited．

【推荐1】My legs don’t do much because I have a serious disease. They just sit there and look pretty. When people look at me, they only see the chair — my wheelchair. I’ve been in one since I was 3 years old. And it doesn’t matter if I graduate at the top of my class and go to law school. To some, I’ll always be the girl in the chair.
But I don’t think of myself as the kid who can’t walk. Most of my friends don’t even notice the chair anymore. I’m just the girl they’ve been friends with. My friends are good at lifting me in and out of my small car when we go to the movies. We even took the car to the dance. One of the boys helped me out of the car and all the girls helped me to fix my dress. Even in the crowded school elevator, there’s always someone around to carry me.
There are a lot of things I can’t do for myself, such as lifting my arms, dressing myself, and feeding myself. Even so, I do very well at school and I always tell myself that I’m just like any other kid in my school.
The truth is that my parents raised me to be proud of my disability(残疾). There are plenty of things I wish I could do differently. I wanted to be a doctor. But that’s not going to work out. So I’ll be a lawyer(律师) instead. I also wanted to dance and play soccer. My parents taught me that I’m like this for a reason — to educate people and show them that this disease affects(侵袭) my bones — not my brain. My friends Erica once said to me, “Kennedy, you’re not disabled. You just can’t walk.”
1. What does the underlined word “They” in the first paragraph refer to?

A．The author’s legs	B．The author’s chairs
C．The author’s friends	D．The author’s diseases

2. We can learn from the second paragraph that the author        .

A．is the dancing queen of her school

B．is afraid of taking the school elevator

C．often gets lots of help from her friends

D．can’t be understood by her schoolmates

3. Kennedy’s story mainly tells us that we should           .

A．work hard	B．smile at life
C．have dreams	D．thank our parents

【推荐2】In 1931, Francis Chichester tried to fly round the world but failed. Then he gave up flying and began sailing. Chichester was already 58 years old when he won the first solo（单人的）transatlantic sailing race.

After that, his old dream of going round the world came back, but this time he would sail. His friends and doctors did not think he could do it, as he had lung cancer. But Chichester was determined to carry out his plan, In August, 1966, at the age of nearly sixty-five, he began the greatest voyage of his life. Soon, he was away in his new 16-metre boat, Gipsy Moth.

After resting in Sydney for a few weeks, Chichester set off once more in spite of his friends' attempts to discourage him. The second half of his voyage was by far the more dangerous part. On 30 January, he experienced the blackest night he had ever known. The sea became so rough that the boat almost turned over. Food, clothes, and broken glass were all mixed together. Fortunately, the damage to the boat was not too serious, Chichester calmly got bed and went to sleep. When he woke up, the sea had become calm again.

Just before 9 o'clock on Sunday evening 28 May, 1967, he arrived back in England, where more than 250,000 people were waiting to welcome him. He was knighted（授爵）by Queen Elizabeth II. The whole voyage had taken him nine months, of which the sailing time was 226 days. He had done what he wanted to achieve.

Like many other adventurers, Chichester had experienced fear and conquered（克服）it. In doing so, he had undoubtedly learnt something about himself. Moreover, in the modern age when human beings depend so much on machines, he had given men throughout the world new pride.

1. What do we know about Chichester?

A．He sailed a across the Atlantic alone in 1958.

B．He sailed round the world to fight against cancer.

C．He was not defeated by the violent night of 30 January.

D．He had been sailing nonstop for 365 days in the Pacific Ocean.

2. What is the last paragraph mainly about?

A．The great meaning of Chichester's adventure.

B．The lesson Chichester learned from the joumey.

C．The contributions machines made to the modern age.

D．The fears Chichester experienced in the adventure.

3. Which of the following can best describe Chichester?

A．Adventurous and determined.	B．Independent and generous.
C．Energetic and gentle.	D．Enthusiastic and kind.

【推荐3】Anthony Horowitz was miserable (痛苦的) as a child. He was, as he puts it, “not very bright” and couldn’t win the attention of his very wealthy parents, who preferred his “clever” older brother. At age 8, Horowitz was sent away to an abusive (虐待的) boarding school in his native England, even though he screamed and pleaded (恳求) with his parents year after year not to send him. “The thought was, ‘It’ll be good for him’,” Horowitz recalls (回忆).

It was not. Horowitz did badly in his studies, had few friends and was bullied (欺负) for five years. “My teachers couldn’t have had a lower opinion of me,” he said. “I wasn’t even smart enough to rebel (反抗). The one thing I remember from the very earliest age was this desire to write. When I was 10 years old, I remember asking my parents to get me a typewriter for my birthday because I wanted to be a writer.”

Now, at 55, Horowitz is one of the world’s most successful children’s book authors. His Alex Rider series has sold more than 5 million copies, and the eighth book featuring the young spy, Crocodile Tears, came out this month.

The Alex Rider books tell the adventures of 14-year-old Alex Rider, an agent for the British intelligence agency MI6.

Horowitz said he doesn’t try to write for kids; it just comes out that way. “I have a feeling it’s to do with purity and simplicity. I give as little information as is necessary to describe the room, the character in the room, and get on with the action,” he said.

That style has also made Horowitz a successful writer of television shows for adults in Britain because, he says, writing books for kids is a lot like writing television for grown-ups: In both cases, it’s all about entertaining people with a good story.

Now, Horowitz couldn’t be happier with his life. He sums up his success: “…you can be anything you want to be if you just believe in yourself. I do believe it completely.”

1. The text is mainly about _____.

A．Horowitz’s popular book – Alex Rider	B．Horowitz’s miserable childhood
C．Horowitz, a successful children’s writer	D．Horowitz’s special writing style

2. In his childhood, Anthony Horowitz _____.

A．was more intelligent than his brother

B．was paid more attention by his parents

C．couldn’t understand why he was sent to the boarding school

D．led a miserable life because of poverty

3. In the boarding school, Horowitz’s teachers ______.

A．showed great concern for him	B．often abused and bullied him
C．taught him how to write stories	D．thought little of his ability

4. Which of the following is true of Anthony Horowitz?

A．He was the beloved child of his family.

B．He benefited a lot from boarding school.

C．He emphasizes the plot rather than character in stories.

D．Although he is successful, he isn’t very happy.

5. What advice does Horowitz have for readers?

A．Confidence is the key to success.	B．Hardship teaches valuable lessons.
C．Interest is the best teacher.	D．Diligence is the parent of success.