【推荐3】When a friend is sad about a tragedy (悲剧)，it’s hard know how to comfort (安慰) him / her. But the worst thing you can do is say nothing. It could mean that you don’t care. You don’t have to say much. A single supportive phrase doesn’t require absolutely perfect words to break the ice. Here are some conversation starters when difficult situations have your tongue tied.

1. A friend loses his baby.

Don’t say: “Don’t worry. You’re so young. You’ll have another baby.” Do say: “I’m so sorry. I can’t begin to imagine what you are going through, but if you want to talk about it, call me anytime.”

2. A guy deserts（抛弃）your friend.

Don’t say: “I never liked that rat bustard (坏蛋) anyway!” (If the couple winds up reconciling (和解), you could end up losing your friend.) Do say: “Breaking up is always hard to deal with, but I’m here for you, whatever you need.”

3. A Maid has a death in the family.

Don’t say: “It’s God’s will.” or “I know exactly how you feel.” Do say: “I’m sorry about your loss. What can I do to help?"

4. A friend loses a job suddenly.

Don’t say: “Work is always boring. Those employers didn’t suit you!” Do say: “I’m sorry for that, but I know there’s an even better job waiting for you there. Let’s think about possibilities.”

5. Someone’s pet dies.

Don’t say: “Gee! It was only a cat!” or “My roommate doesn’t like her dog and she is getting rid of her dog. Do you want it?” Do say: “I’m sorry, she was such a great cat. How long did you have it?”

1. Which of the following has the same meaning as the underlined part “have your tongue tied”？

A．tie your tongue in order not to say.	B．make your tongue shut.
C．have no suitable words to say.	D．say what you want freely.

2. As a whole, what’s the best way to comfort your friend troubled with a tragedy?

A．To try to make the tragedy less serious.

B．To show your sorrow and offer your help.

C．To do your best to make him/her cheerful again.

D．To tell your friend not to think about it any more.

3. Though your friend is deserted, you’d better not say dirty words about her / his friend because ________.

A．it may be a sign that you don’t care for your friend

B．your friend might not liker you to say that against her / his friend

C．your friend might hate you in the future

D．they might get along well again and you might be deserted

4. Which of the following might be suitable words when your friend’s dog dies?

A．I’m sorry to hear that. It was such a good dog.

B．I’m sorry you lost your dog. But it was at its ripe age.

C．You must be sad about it. That’s enough.

D．Don’t worry too much. I’ll give you a good one.

【推荐1】“Every life is a boat, the dream is the boat sail.” Every child has a dream of what they want to be. When Renee Butts was little, her dream was to become a volunteer firefighter because her father was one. Sadly, when she was 14, her beloved father died and she was never able to do volunteer work with him. However, Renee’s story didn’t end there. She was determined and never gave up, which makes for a good firefighter.

Now Renee is a member of the Carme l Fire Department, where she is required to be an Emergency Medical Technician. She should also be ready to deal with any emergency, like fighting a fire, dealing with a car accident or helping someone who’s sick. Sometimes she is in the driver’s seat or using the water pump. Renee works nine to eleven days a month on 24-hour shifts. She also has a family to care for, as her husband is also a busy firefighter. Dealing with housework and working so much can show her great determination.

When I asked Renee what the best part of her job was, she replied, “Helping people and saving lives.” I think that shows signs of being a true hero. She’s always willing to do anything for anyone in need. Renee says that her job is frightening at times, but extremely exciting. “The worst part of my job is that I see death. Actually, sometimes people die in the accident, for which I am very sorry.” With 140 people in her station, Renee is one of the only three women, but that doesn’t bother her. She says everyone can get a fair shot and do the same jobs.

I was inspired by this because I knew I would be very scared to do her job and didn’t know if I could handle seeing people die. We would never live without people like her who have the courage to risk their lives. Renee’s determination rubs off on me and makes me believe that I can do anything.

1. What happened to Renee when she was fourteen?

A．She dropped out of school.	B．She got lost in a boat sailing.
C．Her dream to be a firefighter came true.	D．Her father passed away.

2. Why does the author believe Renee Butts is a true hero?

A．She is one of the only three women in her station.

B．She always tries her best to help anyone in need.

C．She feels sorry for the people dying in the accident.

D．She has been a firefighter for a long time.

3. How does Renee think of her job?

A．Frightening but exciting.	B．Simple and pleasant.
C．Challenging but promising.	D．Relaxing and comfortable.

4. What is the main idea of the last paragraph?

A．The author feels very scared to do Renee’s job.

B．Renee’s story is an inspiration to the author.

C．Renee encourages the author to risk the life.

D．The author could handle seeing people die.

【推荐2】About ten years ago, a young and very successful businessman named Josh was traveling down a Chicago neighborhood street. He was going a bit too fast in his shiny, black, Jaguar XKE, which was only two months old.
He was watching for kids rushing out from between parked cars and slowed down when he thought he saw something. As his car passed, no child came out, but a brick sailed out and — WHUMP! — it hit the Jag’s shiny black side door! SCREECH...!!!! Immediately Josh stopped the car, jumped out, seized the kid and pushed him up against a parked car. He shouted at the kid, "What was that all about and who are you? Just what are you doing?!" Building up a head of steam, he went on. “That’s my new car. That brick you threw is gonna cost you a lot of money. Why did you throw it?"
"Please, mister, please....I’m sorry! I didn’t know what else to do!" begged the boy. "I threw the brick because no one else would stop!" Tears were streaming down the boy’s face as he pointed around the parked car. "It’s my brother, mister," he said. "He rolled of the curb (路沿) and fell out of his wheelchair and I can’t lift him up. "Sobbing, the boy asked the businessman," Would you please help me get him back into his wheelchair? He’s hurt and he’s too heavy for me.”
Moved beyond words, the young businessman tried hard to swallow (咽下) the rapidly swelling lump in his throat. Straining, he lifted the young man back into the wheelchair and took out his handkerchief and wiped the scrapers and cuts, checking to see that everything was going to be OK. He then watched the younger brother push him down the sidewalk toward their home.
It was a long walk back to the black, shining Jaguar XKE — a long and slow walk. Josh never did fix the side door of his Jaguar. He kept the dent (凹痕) to remind him not to go through life so fast that someone has to throw a brick at him to get his attention. Feel for the bricks of life coming at you.
1. The boy threw a brick at the businessman’s car because ____________.

A．the businessman drove at a high speed	B．he envied the new car very much
C．he wanted to ask for some money	D．he wanted to get help from the driver

2. Which of the following is the right order of the story?
a. The younger brother threw a brick at Josh’s car. b. The elder brother fell out of his wheelchair.
c. The younger brother begged Josh for help.
d. Josh lifted the elder brother back into his wheelchair. e. Josh shouted at the younger brother.

A．b, a, e, c, d

B．a, c, d, b, e

C．b, a, c, e, d

D．a, c, b, e, d

3. What can we learn from the passage?

A．Josh would accept the money from the kids.	B．The two kids were Josh’s neighbors.
C．Josh was a kind-hearted man.	D．Josh’s new car broke down easily.

4. According to the passage, the underlined sentence in the last paragraph means ____________.

A．trying to get ready for the trouble in your future life

B．driving fast in a neighborhood street is dangerous

C．trying to be more understanding seeing others in trouble

D．protecting oneself from being hurt

【推荐3】Kwame Alexander is a best-selling author of 24 books. His novel in verse (诗体) The Crossover won the Newbery Medal in 2015, and was followed by another verse novel in 2016, Booked. In the just-released The Playbook: 52 Rules to Aim, Shoot, and Score in This Game Called Life, Alexander aims to inspire readers to dream big and reach for their goals.

Time For Kids:

What can you tell us about The Playbook?

Kwame Alexander:

I wanted to write a book about how important it is to persevere (坚持) and accept the challenges that come, because they only make you stronger. And I wanted to do it in a really cool and fun way, using sports as a metaphor (隐喻), so students would be interested in reading a book that is telling them how to make their lives better.

TFK:

Where did you get the idea for the book?

Alexander:

In The Crossover, the father of the main characters, Josh and Jordan, gives them these rules for life, called Basketball Rules. Well, I was having breakfast with a friend of mine in New York City. He said, “Kwame, I love those Basketball Rules you have in The Crossover. You should think about writing a whole book on those.” That’s where it all began.

TFK:

Is it hard to mix sports and poetry (诗歌)?

Alexander:

I love sports, and I’ve been writing poetry since I was a kid. So those two things are as natural to me as breathing, laughing and walking.

TFK:

You’ve said teachers need to make learning poetry fun. Did you have a teacher like this as a kid?

Alexander:

My mom. She read poetry to my sisters and me when I was a kid, and she would make the words jump off the page!

TFK:

What advice would you give to young writers?

Alexander:

Read everything you can get your hands on. The best way to become a good writer is to read what other people have written.

1. What can we learn about The Playbook?

A．It is a historical novel.

B．It won the Newbery Medal.

C．It is actually about rules for life.

D．It is based on Alexander’s true life.

2. Who inspired Alexander to write The Playbook?

A．His mom who read poetry to him.

B．The teacher who taught him poetry.

C．His friend who read The Crossover.

D．The two characters in The Crossover.

3. When Alexander was a kid, how did he feel about poetry?

A．It was rather boring.	B．It was quite difficult.
C．It was pretty mysterious.	D．It was very interesting.

4. In Alexander’s mind, what’s important to become a good writer?

A．Always dream big.

B．Gladly accept challenges.

C．Read as much as possible.

D．Have a wide knowledge of poetry.