【推荐1】When Boris left school, he could not find a job. He tried hard and he wrote letters to many companies until he could not afford to buy any more stamps. Boris began to lose his confidence, then depressed. Still he went on trying and still he failed. He began to think that he had no future at all.

“Why don’t you start your own business?” one of his uncles told him. “The world is a money-locker. You’d better find a way of opening it.”

“But what can I do?”

“Get out and have a look round.” advised his uncle. “See what people want; then give it to them, and they will pay for it.”

Boris began to cycle around the town and found a suitable piece of waste ground in the end. Then he set up his business as a cycle repairer. He worked hard, made friends with his customers and gradually managed to win his good fame. A few months later, he found that he had more work than he could deal with by himself. He found a number of empty shops but they were all no good: in the wrong position, too expensive or with some other problems. But at long last, he managed to find an empty shop in a new place where there were plenty of customers but no competition.

Boris and his assistant taught themselves how to repair motor-cycles. Slowly but surely the profits increased and the business developed. At last, Boris had managed lo open the money-locker and found bank notes and gold coins inside.

1. What’s the best title for the passage?

A．No Education, No Future.

B．The World Is a Money-locker.

C．Good Fame Is the Key to Success.

D．Difficulty of Starting a Small Business.

2. Which of the following best describes Boris’s job hunting experience?

A．Boring.	B．Surprising.
C．Encouraging.	D．Disappointing.

3. Boris started his career by ________.

A．repairing cycles	B．buying empty shops
C．cycling around the town	D．developing a waste ground

4. Boris finally chose an empty shop in a place because ________.

A．it was not so expensive

B．he had a lot of old customers there

C．there were good opportunities there

D．he could make good use of his skills there

【推荐2】I grew up 3 hours outside of Pittsburgh, with my mother and 3 younger brothers and sisters. My mom was a single mother and worked a minimum wage job, so we never had much, but that was OK, we made ends meet anyhow.

In Senior 1, I started saving money for college by taking a part-time job. I was accepted into the University of Pittsburgh and received some scholarships. But I couldn’t afford the housing because it was way too expensive for me. As result, put mattress (床垫) in an old van (货车) and had the windows painted. I bought parking pass on campus, chose spot on the top level of the parking garage and lived there for the next 2 years.

The weather in Pittsburgh was bad Being homeless forced me to take advantage of everything the campus had to offer since I wanted to spend as little time in my van as possible. I ended up spending most of my time throughout the week at the library and studying and reviewing classroom material a lot more than I would have if I had the luxury of going home and turning on the TV or falling asleep for hours in my room. I got close to some of my professors because of visiting them often, which really helped me become outstanding among my classmates. I made lot of new friends by attending social events, plays, charities, student life events around campus too.

Before college I would have considered myself shy, I didn’t really speak much unless spoken to, but I move out of my comfort zone and do new things, then develop an outgoing personality.

I really think that having to deal with the struggles that I had to go through really made me a better person.

1. From the first paragraph, we can learn that the author lived a ________ life.

A．hard

B．painful

C．boring

D．happy

2. Where did the author live during his college life?

A．In the van.	B．In his own house.
C．In the library.	D．In professors’ office.

3. What helped to shape a person according to the author?

A．Being devoted to studies.

B．Living a tough life in college

C．Developing an outgoing personality.

D．Learning to overcome difficulties in life.

【推荐3】Several years ago,our family rented a house that had a basement apartment under ours.The young couple who lived below us were quiet and modest.Their dog,however,was not.

Cody was an outgoing black dog with a big tail.He loved to greet us by planting his huge paws on our chest.Our dog Tasha has a similar characteristic.Because she shared the yard with Cody,they soon became good friends.

We often saw a ball of black and white fur as they raced neck and neck toward some unlucky bird that had just landed in the yard.The only time I saw any conflict between the two dogs was when we fed Tasha Cody would jump up.expecting to share Tasha's food.However,Tasha would bark fiercely.Cody would change his strategy,dropping to his belly and moving slowly toward Tasha's dish.But this friendly behavior did not impress Tasha . The closer Cody got,the louder Tasha shouted.Finally.Cody would slip away with his tail between his legs-until next mealtime. Then Cody,ever the optimist,would replay the scene.with the same disappointing conclusion

One day my husband Jeff came home quite upset .He had just found Cody lying by the side of the road.killed by a speeding truck.Tasha cleaned Cody' s smooth black fur with her nose and mouth and whined(R).Over the next few weeks.Tasha was in low spirits with her tail between her legs.She obviously missed her old friend.

At the same time,Tasha's dish disappeared.We replaced it with another,only to have that one disappear as well.There followed a steady succession(连续）of bowls,plates,even an old coffee can.They all disappeared Finally,the mystery was solved when our neighbor knocked on our door,her arms loaded with the missing dishes,some still half-full of dog food.

＂Are these yours?"she asked.When Jeff and I nodded,she explained,"l saw Tasha headed   toward the road,so I followed her.Then I noticed all these dishes in a pile."

Puzzled,I asked,"Where were they?"

“Well,you know,"she answered thoughtfully,Fit was right by the place where Cody died. Isn't that strange?Surely Tasha couldn't..."Her voice turned down in confusion.

Jeff and I exchanged glances.Has Tasha been begging her old friend back by offering him the one thing she refused to give him when he was alive?Even today,retelling the story makes me feel sad.It raises questions about animal’s intelligence and emotions.It also reminds me that I need to share whatever blessings I've received with others---before it's too late.

1. We can learn from the passage that Tasha

A．was an outgoing white dog

B．lived in a basement apartment

C．was pot friendly to the young couple

D．was the enemy of Cody due to the yard

2. A dog often feels disappointed or sad when

A．dropping to the belly

B．barking fiercely

C．putting the tail between legs

D．cleaning fur with its mouth

3. In the author's opinion,why did Tasha move its food away?

A．Because it wanted to hide it for herself.

B．Because it wanted to hide it for Cody.

C．Because it wanted to show Cody what it had.

D．Because it wanted Cody to come back to life.

【推荐1】May 26, 2019

Dear Mr. landowner (土地所有者),

I had a bookstore above Mr. Shah’s flower shop at 24 High Street. I started it 20 years ago and it is now very successful. My customers (顾客) have to walk past the flower shop to go upstairs to my bookshop. But this is not a problem.

My neighbor Mr. Shah plans to retire later this year, and I have heard that you plan to rent his land to a music bar. If you rent it to a music bar, I think the noise of it will surely drive my customers away. But if you don’t rent it to the bar, I am thinking about renting it to make my bookstore bigger.

I have always paid my rent on time. You have told me that you wish me to continue with my business for as long as possible. I believe you own another empty shop in the High Street. Could the music bar go there, where it would not influence other people’s businesses?

I hope you think carefully about this.

Sincerely,

Billy

1. From Paragraph 1, we know that the writer is _______ with his bookstore.

A．Embarrassed.

B．Disappointed.

C．Satisfied.

D．Awkward.

2. What is the biggest problem for the shop owner?

A．He doesn’t have money.

B．He has no good friends.

C．He is afraid a new music bar can influence his customers.

D．He doesn’t have enough experience to deal with customers.

3. As far as the shop owner is concerned, how to deal with the new music bar?

A．To drive the music bar away.

B．To rent the land next to the bookstore to the music bar.

C．To rent another empty shop in the High Street to the music bar.

D．To double the rent of the music bar.

4. What is the writer’s main purpose of writing the letter?

A．To show why his store is successful.	B．To avoid problems for his business.
C．To make more money.	D．To rent the space downstairs.

【推荐2】Small talk is the short conversations we have at parties, while we wait in line at the store, at family events or work. Sometimes we make small talk with people we already know but not well. Often we have to make small talk with complete strangers.     1     Here are some tips to improve your small-talking ability.

1.     2    

If you have seen a really good movie or have read a really good book, you can talk about that.

When you are sharing the same experience with someone, it’s easy to start a conversation. You simply notice and comment on what’s going on around you. For example, if you are at a party and a song comes on that you like or that reminds you of something, you can talk about that.

2. Ask open-ended questions

These types of questions require more thought and more than a simple one-word answer.     3    , the conversation will go on longer.

3. Become a student

Nobody knows everything. So, as someone is answering one of your open-ended questions, they bring up something about which you know nothing. So, tell them! This lets the other person become the teacher.     4    . It’s a win-win situation.

Like anything, getting good at making small talk takes practice.     5    , you might become happier. If you are making small talk using English, you will most definitely improve your speaking and listening skills.

A．Have some conversation starters ready

B．If you make small talk in your native language

C．However, some people are not good at small talk

D．If you ask questions that need more details to answer

E．You can talk about something that you recently learned

F．Many people find these small conversations about random topics easy

G．They feel good about sharing their knowledge and you get to learn something

【推荐1】They say procrastination (拖延) is the thief of time, but actually deadlines are. New research has found that if you want someone to help you out with something, it is best not to set a deadline at all. But if you do set a deadline, make it short.

Professor Stephen Knowles tested the effect of deadline length on task completion for their research. Participants were invited to complete an online survey concerning a charity donation. They were given either one week, one month, or no deadline to respond. Professor Knowles says although the topic of the survey was about charity, the results are true of any situation where someone asks another person for help.

The study found responses to the survey were lowest for the one-month deadline and highest when no deadline was specified. No deadline and the one-week deadline led to many early responses, while a long deadline appeared to give people permission to procrastinate, and then forget. Professor Knowles wasn’t surprised to find that specifying a shorter deadline increased the chances of receiving a response compared to a longer deadline. However, he did find it interesting that they received the most responses when no deadline was specified.

“We interpret this as evidence that specifying a longer deadline, as opposed to a short deadline or no deadline at all, removes the urgency to act,” he says. “People therefore put off undertaking the task, and since they are inattentive or forget, postponing it results in lower response rates.”

He says of the research that it is possible that not specifying a deadline might still have led participants to assume that there is an unspoken deadline. Professor Knowles hopes his research can help reduce the amount of procrastinating people do. “Many people procrastinate. They have the best intentions of helping someone out, but just do not get around to doing it.”

1. Why did Professor Knowles do the research?

A．To find out whether people are interested in charity.

B．To study the role a deadline plays in procrastination.

C．To test the effect of procrastination on task completion.

D．To attract public attention to the effects of procrastination.

2. Why do people procrastinate when given a long deadline?

A．They oppose the deadline.	B．They are unwilling to act.
C．They lack a sense of urgency.	D．They are too busy to remember.

3. Which of the following is the best title for the text?

A．Procrastination—the Thief of Time

B．Procrastination—an Urgent Problem to Solve

C．Deadline—a Result of Procrastination

D．Deadline—the Key to Managing Procrastination

【推荐2】The idea that red means stop and green means go affects more than just traffic light colors in our lives. We have been taught from a young age that red means danger, while green means safety.

But why were those particular colors chosen for traffic lights? Before there were traffic lights for cars, there were traffic signals for trains. At first, railroad companies used red to mean stop, white to mean go and green to mean caution. But train conductors ran into a problem with the color white meaning go — bright white could easily be mistaken for stars at night. Railway companies eventually moved to the color green for go. It’s been that way ever since.

Red is the color with the longest wavelength (波长). That means that as it travels through the air, it gets diffused (分散) less than other colors, so it can be seen from a greater distance. For a real-world example, think about how the light turns red as the sun sets. Even though the human eye is most sensitive to a yellowish-green highlighter color, it can see red from further away. But this could happen by chance. It’s not clear whether that was chosen based on wavelength, contrast against green nature or natural connection of red with things like blood. It could be a mix of all three!

Yellow has a shorter wavelength than red but a longer wavelength than green. This means that red is noticeable the furthest away, yellow in the middle and green the least distance away — a helpful advanced warning for needing to slow or stop.

However, believe it or not, yellow was once used to mean stop. Back in the 1900s, some stop signs were yellow because it was too hard to see a red sign in a poorly lit area. Eventually, highly reflective (反光的) materials were developed, and red stop signs were born. Since yellow can be seen well at all times of the day, school areas, some traffic signs and school buses continue to be painted the color. Keep these safe driving tips in the back of your mind whenever you see a yellow light.

1. What was the problem with white meaning go?

A．It could not be seen at night.	B．It was a color showing danger.
C．It was not popular at that time.	D．It could mislead train conductors.

2. Why does the light turn red as the sun sets?

A．Human eyes are most sensitive to red.

B．Red travels through the air fastest.

C．The sun changes its color as it sets.

D．Red has the longest wavelength.

3. What can we learn about yellow from the text?

A．It was used in limited areas.

B．It had been used as a stop sign.

C．It is hard to see without enough light.

D．It requires highly reflective materials.

4. What is the author’s purpose in writing the text?

A．To explain the choice of traffic light colors.

B．To spread the knowledge of colors.

C．To introduce the invention of traffic lights.

D．To increase people’s traffic awareness.

【推荐3】The Chinese government is putting a limit on how much pay its movie stars get. The government says that actors getting very high salaries is bad for society. Government officials say a lot of actors try to avoid paying tax and their love of money is harmful. They said they want to stop “money worship” in society and in the movie industry because money is not the most important thing in life. The government also wants to try and stop a celebrity culture (名人文化) from developing. It says many young people are “blindly chasing celebrities” and turning them into heroes, which is giving people a false idea about what life is really like. The government said movies should benefit society, not movie stars’ bank accounts.

The government has made a set of rules that tell movie production companies how to pay their movie stars. The salaries of actors will be capped at 40 per cent of the total cost of the movie. Furthermore, leading actors will receive no more than 70 per cent of the total wages for the entire cast (演职员). Many Chinese citizens said they support the new rules. They say it is not good for society that “greedy” actors and celebrities are “showing off” their wealth and “Hollywood lifestyles”. One Chinese citizen wrote on social media: “Society has given them too much and they give nothing back. They do not teach young people about the value and importance of community (和谐关系) in China.”

1. Why is the Chinese government limiting the high income of movie stars?

A．Because they often show off their wealth.

B．Because their high salaries are bad for the community in China.

C．Because too many young people are blindly chasing celebrities.

D．Because they often avoid paying tax.

2. According to new rules, leading movie stars will get no more than ________of the entire cost as their wages.

A．40%

B．70%

C．35%

D．28%

3. From the passage we know ________.

A．Most famous movie stars haven’t paid their tax.

B．All the Chinese citizens support the new rules.

C．Many young people have been misled by movie stars.

D．Social media has given movie stars too much.

【推荐1】This was the first real task I received in my new school. It seemed simple: go on the Internet and find information about a man named George Washington. As I searched the name, I found that there were two famous people having the same name who looked completely different! One invented hundreds of uses for peanuts, while the other led some sort of army across America. I stared at the screen, wondering which one my teacher meant. I called my grandfather for a golden piece of advice; let the coin decide. I flipped (掷) a coin and Ah! Tails (背面)! My report would be about the great man who invented peanut butter, George Washington Carver.

Weeks later, I stood in front of the classroom and proudly read my homework. But things started to get strange. I looked around the room, only to find my classmates with big smiles on their faces and tears in their eyes and my stone-faced teacher. I was completely lost. “What could be causing everyone to act this way?”

Oh well, I dropped the paper and sat down at my desk, burning to find out what I had done wrong. As a classmate began his report, it all became clear, “My report is on George Washington, the man who started the American War of Independence.” The whole world became quiet! How could I know that my teacher meant that George Washington?

Of course, my subject result was awful. Sad but fearless, I decided to turn this around. I talked to the headmaster Miss Lancelot, but she said firmly: No re-dos; no new score. I felt that it was not fair, and I believed I deserved a second chance. So I threw myself heartily into my work for the rest of the school year. Ten months later, I sat in the headmaster’s office again, but this time a completely different conversation. I smiled and flashed back to the terrible moment at the beginning of the year as the headmaster told me I was good enough to skip (跳过) the 6th grade and started the 7th grade next term.

1. People in the class acted strangely because ________.

A．I was too proud of my homework

B．I mistook what the homework was about

C．the whole world suddenly became quiet

D．the teacher’s face turned to a stone

2. We can infer from the passage that ________.

A．the headmaster didn’t like the writer at all

B．the writer’s classmates felt sad at his mistake

C．the writer knew little about American history

D．the writer’s grandpa was a very wise man

3. Which of the following proverbs can best describe the main idea of this story?

A．Seeing is believing.

B．Where there is a will, there is a way.

C．One is never too old to learn.

D．A friend in need is a friend indeed.

【推荐2】Mosquitos (蚊子)can cause us serious diseases. Until now. we've used different things to keep them away. But none of these ways actually protect us for more than 20 minutes! Now there is a new way to keep mosquitos away from you ever again without using any chemicals   at all.

What is it all about?

It's called the Mosquitron—a new mosquito catcher or killer. It's very easy to control and it can protect your home from all the mosquitos!

How does it work?

Instead of trying to keep the mosquitos away, it attracts them, then catches them and finally kills them! Basically, it will attract the mosquitos into the Mosquitron, with a completely harmless UV-PT producing light. Next to the UV-PT light is a powerful reverse (反 向的)fan that sucks (吸)the mosquitos through a one-way trapdoor. Once they are trapped in the drying basket« they are dried to death by the fan in 2 minutes.

How much does it cost?

You'd be surprised to find that you can get it right now for just $89. It might seem expensive at first. However, when you compare it with other products which need regular, expensive repair and don't work for more than 10 minutes, it is pretty cheap. In fact, some products using the same UV technology are priced over $250! to buy a mosquitron?

That's very easy. You can only buy it from the supplier's website.
1. Why should we stay away from mosquitos?

A．They produce much noise.	B．They can spread serious diseases.
C．They need a safe environment.	D．They can make dangerous chemicals.

2. How does the Mosquitron clear mosquitos?

A．By watering them in a basket	B．By burying them with hot sand.
C．By attracting and killing them.	D．By giving off strong and harmful light.

3. Where can we buy a mosquitron according to the text?

A．In a computer store.	B．In a supermarket.
C．In a restaurant.	D．On the website.