【推荐1】Years ago a farmer owned land along the Atlantic. He constantly advertised for hired hands. Most people were not willing to work on farms along the Atlantic because they worried about the terrible storms that destroy buildings and crops. The farmer received a steady stream of refusals at the interview for a farmhand
Finally, a short, thin man approached the farmer. “Are you a good farmhand?” the farmer asked him.
^“Well, I can sleep when the wind blows. ” answered the little man.
Although puzzled by this answer ，the farmer, desperate for help, hired him. The little man worked well around the farm ，busy from dawn to dusk, and the farmer felt satisfied with the man's work.
Then one night the wind howled loudly from offshore. Jumping out of bed，the farmer grabbed a lantern and rushed next door to the hired hand’s sleeping quarters. He shook the little man and yelled， “ Get up! A storm is coming! Tie things down before they are blown away! ”
The little man rolled over in bed and said firmly, “No sir. I told you, I can sleep when the wind blows. ”
Enraged (激怒）by the response, the farmer was tempted to fire   him on the spot ,Instead, he hurried outside to prepare for the storm. To his amazement，he discovered that all of the hay had been covered. The cows were in the bam，the chickens were in the coops，and the doors were barred The shutters were tightly secured. Everything was tied down, Nothing could be blown away.
The farmer then understood what his hired hand meant, so he also returned to his bed to sleep while the wind was still blowing.
1. Why did the farmer constantly advertise for hired hands?

A．Because he needed hired hands all. the year round.

B．Because there was too much work to do on the farm.

C．Because he could hardly hire a farmhand.

D．Because he offered poor conditions for the hired hands.

2. The farmer felt amazed because _______

A．the Little man was sleeping	B．everything was in safety
C．the wind was too strong	D．he could not open the doors

3. What did the man mean by saying “I can sleep when the wind blows. ” ?

A．He needed much sleep after working hard on the farm.

B．He was very brave and not afraid of wind

C．He enjoyed sleeping when the wind blew.

D．He would get everything done before the wind blew.

4. Which of the following   statements about the Little man is TRUE?

A．He was not afraid of storms.

B．He was a heavy sleeper under any condition

C．He was hard-working and devoted to his work.

D．He was fired shortly after he tied everything down.

【推荐2】Long long ago, some have predicted there would be robots on the earth. Nowadays we are familiar with a variety of robots that have some special skills in some science fiction movies and some real robots in our daily life. Some may dream of owning one or two or more robots to free them from something dangerous or tiring, challenging... Here's some good news for them.

Zhejiang Aishida Electric Co, also known as ASD, announced plans on Monday to invest at least 500 million yuan (US $ 71. 4 million) to build an industrial robot factory which will help the company establish "a smart manufacturing ecosystem" in the Yangtze River Delta region.

"Besides the new plant in Zhejiang Province, ASD also plans to build ASD Shanghai Intelligent Valley and related logistics(后勤)and research facilities in the region. This ecosystem will cover robotics, smart manufacturing, artificial intelligence and the Internet of Things,” said Chen Helin, chairman of Shenzhen-listed ASD.

Despite mounting economic uncertainties, China's robot demand will continue to grow thanks to digitalized and artificial intelligence upgrade trends, industry insiders said. China's annual sales of industrial robots will hit 150,000 units in 2020, and 260,000 units in 2025, according to the Shanghai Robot Industry Association. The new ASD factory, located in Wenling, Zhejiang Province, will produce 20,000 industrial robots annually. About 1 ,000 robots manufactured at the new factory will be used in ASD's production line for cooking pots and other devices.

"ASD will join other industry players to attend the China International Industry Fair, which opens on Tuesday in Shanghai. ASD is "still interested in” being listed on the new Shanghai STAR market through spinning off its robot or smart manufacturing business," Chen said on Monday.

1. What is the function of the first paragraph?

A．To present an argument.	B．To introduce some science fictions.
C．To inspire the readers to read more.	D．To draw a conclusion about robots.

2. What does the underlined word " invest" in paragraph 2 probably mean?

A．Put in.	B．Take in.
C．Bring in.	D．Look in.

3. What did ASD intend to do in Zhejiang Province?

A．Build a factory in which workers are all robots.

B．Establish an industrial robot factory and related system.

C．Plant trees to make sure its factory has a good ecosystem.

D．Invest at least 500 million yuan to do research into the robots.

4. What is the text mainly about?

A．China needs more industrial robots.

B．The China International Industrial Fair is opening.

C．ASD will build an industrial robot factory in Zhejiang.

D．The development of China's industrial robots is speeding up.

【推荐3】NSE Summer School is suitable for those who are at, or are about to start university. It will begin accepting applications in January, 2013.
Courses: Accounting and Finance; Economics; Management; Law; International Relations; Government and Society
Dates: Session 1:7 July一25 July
Session 2:28 July——15 August
Rate: Standard Rate: One session: $ 1400; Both sessions: $ 2400
Reduced Student Rate: One session: $ 1100; Both sessions: $ 1875
The reduced student rate applies to full—time students registered at a university or college anywhere in the world. Accommodation is not included, and fees range from $ 500 to $ 1000 for 20 nights.
Applicant requirements:
If you have studied in the USA then you do not need any additional English qualifications. Students from other countries will generally not require a visa to study at Summer School, you will enter the USA as a “Student Visitor”. You are permitted to change courses before the start of the program and within the first three days of the session.
Contact hours and teaching methods:
Summer School courses are full—time and normally consist of 48 contact hours over the three—week period, taking the form of 36 hours of lectures and 12 hours of classes. Lectures, attended by all students, take place in either the morning or afternoon supplemented by small one—hour classes, of approximately 15 students.
Assessment and examinations:
Assessment for Summer School is based upon the results of either two written examinations, or a final written examination and assessment work. Everyone is required to take the examinations and no exception can be made for any reason.
Summer School lecture series:
Famous economists—Tony Giddens and David Held一have agreed to give lectures to Summer School participants in July, 2013.
If any questions, please click here to see our Frequently Asked Questions／Contact Us Page.
1. During the course,        .

A．students can learn about everything from culture to science

B．students can choose not to attend the lectures they don’t like

C．world—famous economists will give students lessons every day

D．all the students must take part in the exams without any excuse

2. From the Passage, we can 1earn that          .

A．the program is specially designed for foreign students

B．NSE Summer School is a university—level program

C．students can change their courses whenever they want to

D．a visa is required to study at the NSE Summer School

3. The purpose of the advertisement is to        .

A．attract students to NSE Summer School

B．introduce famous economists to students

C．help students to pass the final exams

D．advertise for new staff for university

4. You will most probably find this passage      .

A．in a newspaper	B．in a guidebook
C．on a webpage	D．in a magazine

【推荐1】Can you remember the day when you spoke your first word? If you can, you are unusual. Try to imagine what first few months of your life were like. I am sure you just spent most of your time eating, sleeping and crying. As you grow older, you were awake more of the time. It took your parents more time to play with you and talk to you. You watched and listened curiously. You began to know that people made certain sounds to go with certain things.
Then you began to try making the sounds you heard. And step by step you were able to make the right sound for one thing.
On that day you came to understand the secret of language. The secret is that a certain sound means a certain thing. One sound might be as good as another. But it is no good as a word unless everybody agrees on its meaning. Only when a group of people use the same set of sounds of things, can they understand each other. Then, and only then do these people have a LANGUAGE.
After you found the secret of language, you learned words. Some of the words meant things, such as BOOKS, CHAIRS and SHOES. Some words meant doing things, such as GO and SWIM. And other words describe things, such as GOOD and DIRTY. Soon you learned to put words together to express one's idea, such as "1 want to go out and play with my friends." This is language. By means of language people can communicate. So we say languages are means of communication.
1.      can remember the day when___________.

A．One; he spoke his first word

B．No one; he spoke his first word

C．Most people; they spoke their first words

D．None; they spoke their first words

2. When you were a little baby, you_________.

A．made sounds to let people know that you wanted to eat

B．spent most of your time playing with your parents

C．could not hear any sound around you

D．spent most of your time eating, playing and crying

3. The secret of language is that____________.

A．one sound might be as good as another

B．people can understand each other

C．a certain sound is for a certain thing

D．there is a special sound for each person

4. You could learn words_____________.

A．before you knew what the language was

B．after you knew what the language was

C．if you knew the secret of the language

D．when you were a baby

5. The aim in using language is          .

A．to get everything one wants from others

B．to say what one wants to know

C．to share ideas, opinions, news, etc with one another

D．to make oneself understood by others

【推荐2】Dr． Sylvia Earle wants you to stop eating fish． It's not because fish are endangered, though wild fish stocks in many oceans are very low． It's not because they're bad for you, though fish in many areas are exposed to poisonous substances in the water． It’s because they're smart．
"Fish are sensitive, they have personalities," says the marine biologist． For Earle, eating a fish would be like eating a dog or a cat． "I would never eat anyone I know personally．"
There's a lot more to fish than meets the eye: they talk to each other, they like to be touched, and they engage in behavior that can seem very human． They can remember things and learn from experience． Earle and a growing number of animal rights activists see these as strong arguments against eating fish altogether．
The activists also point out that fish feel pain and fish suffer horribly on their way from the sea to the supermarket． "While it may seem conspicuous that fish are able to feel pain, like every other animal, some people think of fish as swimming vegetables," says Dr． Lynne Sneddon． "Really, it's kind of a moral question． Is the enjoyment you get from fishing （or eating fish） more important than the pain of the fish?"
Fishermen and （fried） fish lovers are skeptical． "I've never seen a smart fish," says Marie Swaringen as she finishes off a plate of fish at a Seattle seafood restaurant． "If they were very smart, they wouldn't get caught．"
"For years, everyone's been telling us to eat fish because it's so good for us," says another diner． "Now I've got to feel guilty while I'm eating my fish? What are they going to think of next? Don't eat salad because cucumbers have feelings?"
1. According to Dr． Sylvia Earle, he would stop eating fish as a result of the following reasons EXCEPT ___________ ．

A．Fish are sensitive and have personalities

B．He knows fish very well

C．Fish are dangerous to eat because the water is polluted

D．Fish are clever

2. Dr.Lynne Sneddon describes the behavior of eating fish in a（n） _______ tone．

A．opposed	B．optimistic
C．indifferent	D．supportive

3. Which word below can take the place of the underlined word “conspicuous” in Paragraph 4?

A．obvious	B．easy
C．impossible	D．necessary

4. It can be inferred from the last paragraph that _____________ ．

A．Human beings should stop eating fish

B．We would feel guilty if we continued eating fish

C．People eat fish because fish are delicious

D．Cucumber is a kind of vegetable or fruit

5. What was the author’s purpose when writing this passage?

A．To advise people to stop eating fish．

B．To introduce a topic of whether people should eat fish．

C．To advise people not to stop eating fish．

D．To tell us that fish will feel pain when caught and transported．

【推荐3】Pursue Your Dreams Today, Not Tomorrow

Have you caught yourself daydreaming about your dreams? We often postpone our dreams, trapped in a cycle of delay. But why wait? You don’t have to take a huge, life-changing step.    1     You can take minute steps toward a brighter future. And start right now.

    2     If you never try, you’re going to be weighed down by your regrets. You’re always going to wonder how your life would’ve turned out if you actually took a chance on yourself. Don’t let your future self be disappointed by your present self.

It doesn’t matter how old you are or how many people have warned you that you’re never going to succeed. Even the most successful people have had their hesitations about whether they had what it took to make it in their field.     3     Embrace a mindset of determination, knowing that success is within your reach.

At the end of the day, you need to carve out a path for yourself that will lead to the most satisfaction. Don’t allow your fear to get the best of you, or you’re never going to forgive yourself.     4    It’s what you would encourage your friends to do, so why aren’t you giving yourself that same push.

Sometimes, following your dreams means spending a lot of your time each day. It may require making slight changes to your schedule, but you don’t have to sacrifice(牺牲)everything to follow your hearts.     5     If things go well, you can gradually make further shifts.

Pursue your dreams now, even though that means you might need to break out of your comfort zone, and even though it means entering the unknown.

A．Ask yourself what would be worse.

B．Starting small is completely acceptable.

C．Only you can help yourself go after your dreams.

D．New opportunities might contribute to personal growth.

E．Try to strike a balance between your present life and your dreams.

F．You need to move forward confidently and explore yourself fully and deeply.

G．Hard as it is, it’s extremely important to wave off the doubts in the back of your mind.