【推荐2】Ireland has had a very difficult history. The problems started in the 16th century when English rulers tried to conquer(征服) Ireland. For hundreds of years, the Irish people fought against the English. Finally, in 1921, the British government was forced to give independence to the south of Ireland. The result is that today there are two “Irelands”. Northern Ireland, in the north, is part of the United Kingdom. The Republic of Ireland, in the south, is an independent country.

In the 1840s the main crop, potatoes, was affected by disease and about 750，000 people died of hunger. This, and a shortage(短缺) of work, forced many people to leave Ireland and live in the USA, the UK, Australia and Canada. As a result of these problems, the population fell from 8.2 million in 1841 to 6.6 million in 1851.

For many years, the majority of Irish people earned their living as farmers. Today, many people still work on the land but more and more people are moving to the cities to work in factories and offices. Life in the cities is very different from life in the countryside, where things move at a quieter and slower pace.

The Irish are famous for being warm-hearted and friendly. Oscar Wilde, a famous Irish writer, once said that the Irish were “the greatest talkers since the Greeks”. Since independence, Ireland has revived(复兴) its own culture of music, language, literature and singing. Different areas have different styles of old Irish songs which are sung without instruments. Other kinds of Irish music use many different instruments such as the violin, whistles, etc.

1. What does the author tell us in Paragraph 1?

A．How the Irish fought against the English.

B．How Ireland gained independence.

C．How English rulers tried to conquer Ireland.

D．How two “Irelands” came into being.

2. We learn from the text that in Ireland ________.

A．food shortages and a lack of work in the 1840s led to a decline in population

B．people are moving to the cities for lack of work in the countryside

C．it is harder to make a living as a farmer than as a factory worker

D．different kinds of old Irish songs are all sung with instruments

3. The last paragraph is mainly about ________.

A．the Irish culture	B．the Irish character
C．Irish musical instruments	D．a famous Irish writer

【推荐3】The word advertising refers to any kind of public announcement that brings products and services to the attention of people. Throughout history, advertising has been an effective way to promote(促进)the trading and selling of goods. In the Middle Ages, merchants employed "town criers" to read public messages aloud to promote their goods. When printing was invented in the fifteenth century, pages of advertisements(ads)could be printed easily and were either hung in public places or put in books.

By the end of the seventeenth century, when newspapers were beginning to be read by more people, printed materials became an important way to promote products and services. The London Gazette was the first newspaper to set aside a place just for advertising. This was so successful that by the end of the century several companies started businesses for the purpose of making newspaper ads for merchants.

Advertising spread quickly throughout the eighteenth century. Ad writers were starting to pay more attention to the design of the ad text. Everything, from clothes to drinks, was promoted with clever methods such as repetition of the firm's name or product, words organized in eyecatching patterns, the use of pretty pictures and expressions easy to remember.

Near the end of the nineteenth century, companies that were devoted to the production of ads came to be known as "advertising agencies(广告商)．"The agencies developed new ways to get people to think of themselves as members of a group. Throughout the twentieth century, advertising agencies promoted consumerism(消费主义)as a way of life, spreading the belief that people could be happy only if they bought the "right" products.

1. What was advertising like in the Middle Ages?

A．Ad messages were shouted out in public places.

B．Merchants were employed to promote products.

C．Product information was included in books.

D．Ad signs were put up in towns.

2. What does the word "This" in Paragraph 2 refer to?

A．Working with ad agencies.

B．Including pictures in ads.

C．Selling goods in markets.

D．Advertising in newspapers.

3. The 18th century advertising was special in its________.

A．growing spending

B．attractive designs

C．advertising companies

D．printing materials

4. Which of the following might be the best title for the text?

A．The Story of Advertising

B．The Value of Advertising Designs

C．The Role of Newspaper Advertising

D．The Development of Printing for Advertising

【推荐1】       On her first day back at school in August, Stephanie Hughes, a teenage student, was sent to the principal’s office at Woodford County High School in Kentucky, US and her mom was called to school.
       She had made a “huge” mistake — at least in the eyes of the school — by wearing a top that showed her collarbone. It was against the school’s dress code.
       “This is ridiculous!” Stacie Dunn, Hughes’s mom, wrote on the social media site Facebook. “Something needs to change!”
       The incident has become an Internet sensation. Across the US, schools like Woodford are being criticized for their dress codes. Some say the rules are especially unfair to young women.
       Over half of US public schools have a dress code, and they are often different for girls and boys, according to the National Center for Education Statistics in the US. Some dress codes, for example, ban skirts and ask for pants to be at least knee-length.
       Some have pointed out that these rules are mostly for female students. Women’s clothes are usually cut to be more fitted and shorter, while men’s clothes are longer and looser. In practice, more women will be caught breaking dress codes. The New York Post reported that last year, one school in Staten Island, New York gave 200 dress code detentions in two weeks－90 percent of which went to female students.
       Some school administrators say they simply want students to dress professionally to prepare students for their future careers. But others have told female students that their clothes present a “distraction” to male students. That idea is being criticized.
       The “distraction” argument is unfair to women, critics say. It suggests that exposed skin means that you want criticism or sexual advances.
       “These dress codes mean that girls are getting very clear messages that men have a right to your body in public spaces and it’s socially acceptable, but you will be punished,” Laura Bates, a co-founder of the Everyday Sexism Project, a project that aims to promote equality between men and women, told The Atlantic.
       Some students have taken action to change the situation. They have started online campaigns and made short films to build public support.
       Certain schools have now chosen to think again about their dress codes with parents and students. Even Woodford County High School — home of the “collarbone” ban — is thinking again about its policies. But, at least for now, the dress code debate is far from over.
1. The underlined phrase “dress code” in Paragraph 2 means          in the article.

A．rules for dressing

B．bans on wearing certain clothes

C．policies for dressing professionally

D．policies on what to wear for special occasions

2. What does Stacie Dunn think is “ridiculous”?

A．Her daughter making big mistakes in class.

B．Showing collarbones being considered a huge mistake.

C．Sharing the incident on Facebook.

D．Being called in to school.

3. The dress codes are mainly a problem for female students because         .

A．women’s clothes are loose and long

B．they are often caught breaking them

C．they often dress in a way that draws attention

D．women’s clothes are often short and fitted

4. The dress code debate has led to         , according to the article.

A．many students ignoring their school dress codes

B．students starting online debates and campaigns about the incident

C．some schools reconsidering their policies with parents and students

D．public support of more discussions about equality between men and women

【推荐2】Researchers at the University of Kansas say that it's easy for people to judge 90 percent of a stranger's personality simply by looking at the person's shoes． "Shoes contain useful information about their wearers．" the authors wrote in the new study published in the Journal of Research in Personality．

Lead researcher Omri Gillath said the judgments were based on the style， cost， color and condition of someone's shoes． In the study， 63 University of Kansas researchers looked at pictures showing 208different pairs of shoes worn by the study's participants． Volunteers in the study were photographed in their most commonly worn shoes， and then filled out a personality questionnaire．

Some of the results were expected： People with higher incomes most commonly wore expensive shoes， and flashier shoes were typically worn by outgoing people． However， some other results are strange enough． For example， "practical and functional" shoes were generally worn by more "pleasant" people， while ankle boots were more connected with "aggressive" personalities． The strangest of all may be that those who wore "uncomfortable looking" shoes tend to have "calm" personalities． And if you have several pairs of new shoes or take very good care of them， you may suffer from "attachment anxiety"， which means you are likely to spend lots of time worrying about what other people think of your appearance． There was even a political calculation in the mix with more liberal （主张变革的） types wearing "shabbier and less expensive" shoes．

The researchers noted that some people will choose shoe styles to mask their actual personalities， but researchers noted that volunteers didn't fully realize that their footwear choices were showing the deep side of their personalities．

1. What does this text mainly tell us？

A．Shoes can hide people's real personalities．

B．Shoes contain false information about the wearer．

C．People's personalities can be judged by their shoes．

D．People know little about others' personalities．

2. Which of the results is beyond people's expectation？

A．Wealthy people often wear expensive shoes．

B．Pleasant people are likely to wear ankle boots．

C．Flashier shoes are typically worn by outgoing people．

D．Calm people like wearing uncomfortable shoes．

3. People suffering from "attachment anxiety" tend to　 　．

A．wear strange shoes

B．worry about their appearance

C．have a calm character

D．become a political leader

4. The author wrote the text in order to　 　．

A．inform us of a new study

B．introduce a research method

C．teach how to choose shoes

D．describe different personalities

【推荐3】The Rise of Sneaker Culture is organized by the Bata Shoe Museum,whose aims are to explore the social history,technical innovations,fashion trends,and marketing campaigns that have shaped sneaker culture over the past two centuries.You cannot overestimate the cultural importance of a pair of sneakers.At least that's the conclusion from a new exhibition at the Brooklyn Museum in the US.

The sneaker is regarded both as a cultural force and a fashion statement."Early sneakers were actually status symbols."said Elizabeth Semmelheck,senior leader of Bata Shoe Museum.

Displaying over 150 shoes,the exhibit covers a wide range of examples and will last about three months.From their modest origins in the mid-nineteenth century to high-end sneakers created in the past decade,sneakers have become a global obsession（痴迷）.Included are works from makers such Adidas,Converse,Nike,Puma,and Reebok as well as private collectors such as hip-hop legend Darryl "DMC" McDaniel's,and Dee Wells of Obsessive Sneaker Disorder.Also featured are sneakers by Prada and other major fashion design houses and designers,as well as those made in cooperation with artists including Damien Hirst and Shantell Martin.After Brooklyn,the collection will head to Toledo,Ohio;and Louisville,Kentucky.

Sneakers are one of the few things people will line up for days to buy.They're the subject of songs,and have helped make billionaires out of athletes and fashion designers.Sneakers are a cultural phenomenon,and perhaps an alien（外星人）visiting our planet could learn most about us,by looking at our feet!

1. Early sneaker is regarded as       .

A．a cultural force	B．a fashion statement
C．an identity	D．a common footwear

2. Which of the following is true about the exhibition at the Brooklyn Museum?

A．The exhibit will display less than 150 shoes.

B．The exhibit will head to other places abroad.

C．The exhibits of the sneakers are all famous brands.

D．The exhibit shows the history of the sneaker culture.

3. Why are sneakers so important to athletes?

A．Sneakers help make athletes fashionable.

B．Sneakers become the subject of their songs.

C．Sneakers are comfortable to wear for athletes.

D．Sneakers help make athletes become rich people.

4. What does the author want to do by mentioning the alien?

A．To express the cultural importance of sneakers.

B．To describe a picture of aliens' wearing sneakers.

C．To predict the promising future of sneakers.

D．To advise producers to sell sneakers to aliens.