【推荐1】I’ve been having trouble concentrating on one thing. It made school difficult for me. When everyone else in the class was focusing on tasks, I could not.

In my first literature class, Mrs. Smith asked us to read a story and then write on it, all within 45 minutes. I raised my hand right away and said, “Mrs. Smith, you see, the doctor said I have attention problems. I might not be able to do it.” She glanced down at me through her glasses, “You are not different from your classmates, young man.”

I tried, but I didn’t finish the reading when the bell rang. I had to take it home.

In the quietness of my bedroom, the story suddenly all became clear to me. It was about a blind person, Louis Braille. He lived in a time when the blind couldn’t get much education. But Louis didn’t give up. Instead, he invented a reading system of raised dots (点), which opened up a whole new world of knowledge to the blind.

Wasn’t I the “blind” in my class, being made to learn like the “sighted” students? My thoughts spilled out and my pen started to dance. I completed the task within 40 minutes. Indeed, I was not different from others; I just needed a quieter place. If Louis could find his way out of his problems, why should I ever give up?

I didn’t expect anything when I handed in my paper to Mrs. Smith, so it was quite a surprise when it came back to me the next day—with an “A” on it. At the bottom of the paper were these words: “See what you can do when you keep trying?”

Inspired and touched, I began to keep trying hard in my study and struggled against attention problems. I believe one can find his way out of difficulty with determination and efforts.

1. Why didn’t the author finish his reading in class?

A．He missed the class.	B．He wanted to take it home.
C．He was fed up with literature.	D．He couldn’t concentrate on his task.

2. What inspiration does the author take from Louis Braille?

A．He should give up reading.	B．He has better hearing than him.
C．He needs a quiet room to study.	D．He should make his own invention.

3. What kind of teacher is Mrs. Smith according to the text?

A．Impatient.

B．Encouraging.

C．Sharp.

D．Shallow.

4. What can we learn from the last paragraph?

A．Nothing is impossible for a willing mind.	B．Kind person ought to be well rewarded.
C．Do not judge others’ disability.	D．Be eager for more knowledge.

【推荐2】That warm day was the only day of the week without rain.I opened the door, took a seat and began to enjoy the wonderful sunshine.Suddenly, I noticed that the house near mine had been sold.An elderly lady was in front of the door, with some beautiful flowers beside her. I walked to her. She looked to be in her early eighties and had the prettiest white hair.

“Hi!My name is Karmen,” I said smiling brightly at the old lady. She smiled back and said, “Hello,Karmen.I’m Kitty.” Her voice was very strong for someone at her age. Later, I learned that she was alone and had no family or relatives to help her. From that day on, I often visited her and helped her with her housework and sometimes she gave me some delicious food. A year passed, and I considered her to be one of my best friends.

One day, I walked over for my morning visit and knocked on the door, but there was no answer. I knocked again, and she still didn’t turn up. So I let myself in, using the key she had given me. I checked her living room and then her kitchen. I finally went into her bedroom, and she was lying peacefully on her bed. Beside her there were two notes. One was her will (遗嘱), which said all that she had would be given to me. The other was a thank-you note. I went to her bedside and cried sadly.

Though several years has gone by, I still miss her deeply. Whenever I look at the beautiful flowers in front of her house, I remember the wonderful friendship we had.

1. What did the author learn about the old lady?

A．She preferred to live alone.

B．She disliked all her relatives.

C．She had no one to look after her.

D．She was looking for someone to help her.

2. Why did the author help the old lady?

A．Because he wanted her house.

B．Because he felt pity for her.

C．Because he liked to do housework.

D．Because he’d like to eat delicious food.

3. What did the old lady decided to do to thank the author?

A．Leave all that she had to the author.

B．Give the author a key to her house.

C．Give the author her favourite flowers.

D．Let the author know she was her best friend.

4. Which word can best describe the old lady?

A．Foolish.

B．Clever.

C．Polite.

D．Grateful.

【推荐1】You can make a difference to the life of others by signing up for a volunteer vacation.

“After 30 programs in Poland, I’ve received more than I’ve given. All benefit from this partnership — the future leaders of this great nation, and volunteers who fall in love with the beautiful people and culture.”

– Lori Wedeking, a volunteer in Poland

Volunteer Opportunities Portugal:

Teach natives conversational skills with varying English abilities in classrooms, offices, and community centers. Help choose assignments in public elementary and secondary schools, or with young adults in technical or trade schools.

Peru:

Volunteers with a medical background can choose to spend their time working at medical centers. Others can spend their time practicing conversational English with local students and teachers.

Tanzania:

Support a community quest for development through food and nutrition, health and education projects. Work in the greenhouse nurturing seedlings for seasonal plantings.

Nepal:

Teach conversational English and business management, help repair living and learning spaces, provide support and training for marginalized women, and nurture impoverished children.

Cuba:

Build bridges of friendship through conversational English classes. Work alongside local women sewing and knitting baby clothes, aprons, crafts, etc, which are sold to benefit the women’s cooperative interests.

Global Volunteers’ History

Established in 1984 by Bud Philbrook and Michele Gran, Global Volunteers is an international nonprofit organization assisting worldwide community development programs by mobilizing short-term volunteers on local work programs, as well as providing project funding and child sponsorships. Since 1984, Global Volunteers has helped partner communities deliver most of these services to local people worldwide, and been trusted by more than 34,000 volunteers. As Seija Webb, an eight-time global volunteer says, “Volunteering abroad holds magic on so many fronts. It’s the springboard for my global explorations. I can’t imagine one without the other anymore.”

1. Which is right about Lori Wedeking?

A．Lori is the organizer of 30 programs.

B．Lori had a positive experience in Poland.

C．Lori wants to be the future leader of Poland.

D．Lori received a lot of presents from volunteers.

2. What project is needed in Tanzania?

A．Working at medical centers.

B．Teaching business management.

C．Developing food and nutrition.

D．Sewing and knitting baby clothes.

3. Which country needs the project of repairing living spaces?

A．Peru.

B．Tanzania.

C．Nepal.

D．Cuba.

4. What do we know about Global Volunteers’ History?

A．34,000 volunteer get involved in its projects every year.

B．Teaching magic shows is one of its various programs.

C．It sends short-term and long-term volunteers to help local residents.

D．Seija Webb is a regular volunteer and enjoys volunteering abroad.

5. Who is the text most probably aimed at?

A．Global explorers.	B．Keen travelers.
C．Future leaders.	D．Potential volunteers.

【推荐2】Are you driven to create change in bettering kids’ futures? Here are a few options.

Education

Going after a career in education is sometimes overlooked. Yet teaching is an important path to creating change. You will educate the young minds responsible for the future. In addition to presenting basic school subjects, you can teach them to be leaders. You can motivate them to want to make a difference themselves.

A career in education doesn’t have to mean leaching in a classroom. You can help them to learn in a way that works for them and be a friend to them as well.

Social work

As a social worker, you can directly change the lives of children in need as well advocate for services for drug abusers, family-violence survivors, mental-health patients, and more. You will provide them with the necessary resources to succeed and advise them through trauma (精神创伤), unemployment, education difficulties, addiction and poverty.

Many social workers are associated with governmental agencies, but there are also jobs in schools, nonprofit organizations and hospitals.

Child psychology

Studying child psychology may lead to a career option. Psychologists can provide support for children with mental-health problems and give them a place to be open about their feelings.

You may wish to become a school psychologist and guide children (and their parents) through the education system while dealing with mental illness or trauma. As a psychologist, you will help your patients find the source of trauma or stress and discover ways of reducing or removing the problem. You may even conduct your own research on new treatment methods.

1. Which educational concept does the author support?

A．Working with students’ group leaders.

B．Teaching children according to their interests.

C．Keeping teaching children in the classroom.

D．Encouraging students to make a change themselves.

2. Who will social workers help most probably?

A．Governmental officials.

B．Local business agents.

C．Children with education difficulties.

D．Women suffering from family violence.

3. Which career mainly deals with children with mental illness?

A．Educators.

B．School leaders.

C．Social workers.

D．School psychologists.

【推荐3】Cory Nichols’ whole life changed after he watched the documentary (纪录片) Hard Times: Lost on Long Island. This documentary follows four different families over six months as they struggle with unemployment. Cory knew he had to help any way that he could.

He founded an organization named “C the Difference”. The first step of his charity was to advertise. Using his own money, Cory had orange bracelets (手链) made. Now, he has sold the bracelets. A lot of people who are willing to donate bought them. “We’ve gotten donations from $5 to $500,” Cory said. “Every dollar really helps.”

Since founding the organization “C the Difference”, Cory has gotten the word out through e-mail and social media. He has managed to get upwards of $7,500, and the amount will keep rising each month. For Cory, his work is truly rewarding, and he loves knowing that people less fortunate than him are really benefiting from all the donations. Once he said, “I was in the pantry (食品室) one time when a woman was taking food, and she was grateful for what I was doing. That made me feel great.”

Cory’s work has been truly remarkable. These past years he was recognized for “C the Difference” and was a recipient (获得者) of the New York State Prudential Spirit of Community Award. Cory was honored when he found out the news, and even more shocked when he found out that he was one of only 102 winners out of the 28,000 applicants. As a recipient, Cory got to travel to Washington D.C. with the other winners.

There are bright things in Cory’s future. First, he wants to keep doing well in school. “I think school is really important to be successful in life.” In addition, Cory wants to keep “C the Difference” going through high school. “I am continuing to get donations, and to get younger kids and my peers involved to help each month.”

1. After watching the documentary, Cory ________.

A．set up a charity organization	B．found a job in Long Island
C．donated money immediately	D．felt the documentary interesting

2. Cory tried to raise enough money by ________.

A．wearing a ring and a bracelet	B．phoning to his friends
C．spreading the word out	D．collecting from his classmates

3. Cory felt ________ after he knew he was given an award.

A．embarrassed and surprised

B．interested and delighted

C．honored and shocked

D．ashamed and frightened

4. We can infer from the passage that Cory will ________.

A．travel in Long Island alone	B．stop raising money
C．study in Washington	D．go on his charity

【推荐1】Gabriela Mistral was born on April 6, 1889, at Vicuña, a small town in northern Chile. Her parents were schoolteachers, but her father abandoned the family when she was 3. Taught by her mother, she began instructing in 1904, achieving success in many high schools. In 1909, her first love died. Shortly afterward her second love married someone else. In 1922 the Mexican minister of education, José Vasconcelos, invited her to assist in his reform program, and the peak of this career came the following year, when she was awarded the Chilean title “Teacher of the Nation”. In 1925 she retired but remained active.
Gabriela Mistral devoted much time to diplomatic (外交的) activity, serving as honorary consul (名誉领事) in Madrid, Lisbon, Nice, and Los Angeles. She also served as a representative to the United Nations. In fulfillment of these responsibilities, she visited nearly every major country in Europe and Latin America. She also continued her early literary pursuits.
In 1922 Gabriela Mistral’s first book, Desolation, a collection of poems previously published in newspapers and magazines, was released through the efforts of Federico de Onís, Director of the Hispanic Institute of New York. It reflected personal sorrow.
Two years later her second book, Tenderness, appeared; it contained some of the poems from Desolation and several new ones. Fourteen years passed before the next, Felling, appeared. It was much happier in tone.
Her last book, Wine Press, in 1954, dealt with most of the subjects previously treated but in a different manner. The winning of the Nobel Prize for literature in 1945 did not assuage (减轻) the loss of her nephew. Furthermore, by 1944 she had developed diabetes (糖尿病).
Gabriela Mistral went to the United States for medical aid in 1946, living in various places and, after her appointment to the United Nations, moving to Long Island. It was there that she died of cancer on Jan. 10, 1957.
1. According to Paragraph 1, Gabriela Mistral _____.

A．had a short happy marriage	B．was born in a poor family
C．was a devoted teacher	D．had a beloved father

2. The second paragraph is mainly about Gabriela Mistral’s _____.

A．retired life	B．achievements
C．works of literature	D．diplomatic activity

3. The theme of Gabriela Mistral’s early works is _____.

A．death	B．happiness
C．teaching life	D．personal suffering

4. Which of the following is the correct order to describe Gabriela Mistral’s life according to the text?
a. She retired.
b. She developed diabetes.
c. She published her first book.
d. She began instructing in school.
e. She won the Nobel Prize for literature.

A．e-d-c-b-a	B．d-c-a-b-e
C．d-a-b-e-c	D．e-c-b-d-a

【推荐1】High school biology teacher Kelly Chavis knew smartphones were a problem in her class. But not even the students realized how much of a problem the devices were until Chavis did an in-class experiment.

For one class period, students used a whiteboard to count every Snapchat, Instagram, text, call that appeared on their phones. Chavis is among a growing number of teachers, parents and health experts who believe that smartphones are now partly to blame for increasing the levels of student anxiety. “One girl, just during the one hour, got close to 150 Snapchat notifications. 150!” she said.

Jean Twenge, a psychology professor at San Diego State University in California, said it is not a coincidence that youth mental health issues have risen with the number of phones. “This use of phones has led to a loss of sleep and face-to-face interactions necessary for their growth,” she said.

Researchers are still not sure whether phones cause student depression or depression causes phone use. But nearly 60 percent of parents said they worry about the influence of social media on their child’s physical and mental health.

Both schools and parents are starting to take steps to deal with the problem. Many public schools pay outside companies to watch students’ social media activity for signs of anxiety. Other schools invite in yoga teachers and comfort dogs to help calm students.

1. What’s the purpose of Chavis’s experiment?

A．To see how many students have smartphones.

B．To find out how popular her students are.

C．To show smartphones influence teenagers greatly.

D．To tell her students how to use smartphones wisely.

2. How did Kelly Chavis feel about the result?

A．Shocked.

B．Excited.

C．Satisfied.

D．Frightened.

3. Which of the following is true according to Jean Twenge?

A．Students are now under great stress.

B．Students spend too much money on smartphones.

C．Over-using phones cause drops in students’ grades.

D．Over-using phones may harm students’ body and mind.

4. What might be talked about if the passage is continued?

A．How other schools deal with students’ phones.

B．Whether the ways to handle phones are effective.

C．How some parents deal with their children’s phones.

D．Whether students are willing to give up using phones.

【推荐2】Most parents are horrified the first time they catch their kid out in a lie. Just how worried should you be if your little one has started lying, and how can you encourage them to tell the truth?

According to child and teen psychiatrist Gayani DeSilva, MD, lying can actually be a sign of healthy development in young children.

“Kids lie for many reasons, and much of it is normal.” DeSilva says. “People are not born with the tools of interacting with others and getting their needs met. They must learn how to communicate those needs in appropriate ways, and they’ll experiment with different communication techniques until they find the ones that work best for them. Lying is one of those techniques.”

For instance, at age two or three, kids may lie as they experiment with pushing limits to see what behaviors are acceptable and what aren’t. As kids get older, they become more aware of how their actions affect others. Many lie less frequently because they know it could hurt someone else’s feelings or trust. Teens were most likely to consider lying an acceptable behavior if it was to help somebody or keep a personal secret, but not if it was likely to cause harm to somebody.

Just because lying is, in most cases, normal, doesn’t mean it should be ignored. If you know your child is lying, what should you do? When a child lies, look at them directly and ask, “What do you need?” After they tell you, gently remind them that telling you directly will be more effective than lying.

Also, it’s a good idea to model the behavior you want to see in your kids. In other words, don’t lie to your children. This will set you and your children on a course of open communication, trust, and satisfaction that needs and wants are understood and met.

Generally, a child who is neglected will lie more than a child who has attentive and responsive parents. By paying attention to the reasons behind a small lie, parents can figure out if there’s a need that’s not being met.

1. Why do kids lie according to DeSilva?

A．To get their needs met.	B．To improve their communication skills.
C．To avoid hurting someone else’s feelings.	D．To be aware of how their actions affect others.

2. Why do kids lie less frequently as they grow older?

A．They think lying limits their behaviors.	B．They realize the negative effects of lying.
C．They consider lying an acceptable behavior.	D．They want to help people who are neglected.

3. What are parents advised to do concerning their kids lying?

A．Give them whatever they need.	B．Pretend not to notice their lies.
C．Set a good example to them.	D．Remind them not to lie again.

4. What does the author think of kids lying?

A．Acceptable and appropriate.	B．Harmful and worrying.
C．Normal and understandable.	D．Healthy and effective.

【推荐3】Wanted, Someone for a Kiss

We’re looking for producers to join us on the sound of London Kiss 100FM. You’ll work on the station’s music programmes. Music production experience in radio is necessary, along with rich knowledge of modern dance music. Please apply in writing to Producer Vacancies, Kiss 100．

Father Christmas

We’re looking for a very special person, preferably over 40, to fill our Father Christmas suit.

Working days: Every Saturday from November 24 to December 15 and every day from December 17 to December 24 except Sundays, 10:30-16:00.

Excellent pay.

Please contact the Enterprise Shopping Centre, Station Parade, Eastbourne.

Accountants Assistant

When you join the team in our Revenue Administration Unit, you will be providing assistance within all parts of the Revenue Division, dealing with post and other general duties. If you are educated to GCSE grade C level we would like to talk to you. This position is equally suitable for a school leaver or for somebody who has office experience.

Wealden District Council

Software Trainer

If you are aged 24-45 and have experience in teaching and training, you could be the person we are looking for. You should be good at the computer and have some experience in programme writing. You will be allowed to make your own decisions，and to design courses as well as present them. Pay upwards of￡15,000 for the right person. Please apply by sending your CV(简历) to Mrs R. Oglivie, Palmlace limited.

1. We learn from the ads that the Enterprise Shopping Center needs a person who ________

A．is aged between 24 and 40	B．may do some training work
C．should deal with general duties	D．can work for about a month

2. Which position is open to recent school graduates？

A．Producer, London Kiss	B．Father Christmas
C．Accountants Assistant	D．Software Trainer

3. What kind of person would probably apply to Palmlace Limited？

A．One with GCSE grade C level

B．One with some office experience．

C．One having good computer knowledge

D．One trained in producing music programmes．