【推荐1】Dining halls of the Hilton Wuhan Riverside have been busting with military personnel ever since the first delegations 24 and staff of the International Sports Military Council (CISM ) started checking into the hotel over a week ago.

This marks the first time China is staging a CISM event, with nearly 10,000 participants attending the 7th Military World Games in Wuhan. Many of them, along with some of the staff from CISM and the organizing committee, are staying at the Hilton Wuhan Riverside.

Dharmendra Singh from India doesn’t belong to either category of guests, even though his military-style haircut and two pins - a CISM pin and a Wuhan 2019 Games pin - on the lapel of his black suit might suggest otherwise. His ability to talk in Mandarin complicates things even further.

Singh is in charge of tending to the guests at the hotel, in particular those who take their meals in the dining halls. Yet, by his own admission, the 31-year-old, who has been a chef at the Hilton for nearly two years, feels as though he is also part of the “army family” at the hotel, and being part of Wuhan Games is fulfilling his “army dream”.

As a teen, he dreamed about serving his country as a soldier. However, the pressure of being the older of the two siblings in a financially challenged family meant Singh had to put his military dream on hold. To provide for his parents and younger brother, at 17 he set out to earn an income by making use of his culinary (烹饪的) skills.

“And, as fate would have it, a friend helped me get a job at the hotel.”

Pointing to the Wuhan Games and CISM pins that two diners gave him, Singh added: “Military people command respect due to their selflessness and honesty towards their work. I am glad that I am able to serve them and to honor their commitment to serve their nations.”

By the time the Games end on Oct 27, some of the guests might have handed Singh a few more pins to add to his collection; others might say goodbye with just a “thank you”.   Either way, he will remain grateful to them for providing memories for a lifetime.

1. What can we learn from paragraph three?

A．Singh used to serve in Indian army.

B．Singh’s identity seems to be confusing.

C．Singh tends to wear a black suit every day.

D．Singh pretends to be one of the staff of CISM.

2. Why will Singh be grateful to his guests?

A．Because they may show respect to him.

B．Because they will give him precious memories.

C．Because they will present him with some decorations.

D．Because they may help fulfill his dream to be a soldier.

3. Which may be the best title of the passage?

A．Cooking up some special memories.	B．Gathering of peace.
C．The thrill of World Military Game.	D．Closing with a cultural flourish.

【推荐2】Like many of my generation, I have a weakness for hero worship. At some point, however, we all begin to question our heroes and our need for them. This leads us to ask: What is a hero?

Despite immense differences in cultures, heroes around the world generally share a number of characteristics that instruct and inspire people. A hero does something worth talking about. A hero has a story of adventure to tell and a community who will listen. But a hero goes beyond mere fame.

Heroes serve powers or principles larger than themselves. Like high-voltage (电压) transformers, heroes take the energy of higher powers and step it down so that it can be used by ordinary people.

The hero lives a life worthy of imitation. Those who imitate a genuine hero experience life with new depth, enthusiasm, and meaning. A sure test for would-be heroes is what or whom do they serve? What are they willing to live and die for? If the answer or evidence suggests they serve only their own fame, they may be famous persons but not heroes. Madonna and Michael Jackson are famous, but who would claim that their fans find life more abundant?

Heroes are catalysts for change. They have a vision from the mountain top. They have the skill and the charm to move the masses. They create new possibilities. Without Gandhi, India might still be part of the British Empire. Without Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King, we might still have segregated buses, restaurants, and parks. It may be possible for large scale change to occur without leaders with magnetic personalities, but the pace of change would be slow, the vision uncertain and the committee meetings endless.

1. Although heroes may come from different cultures, they ________.

A．generally possess certain inspiring characteristics

B．probably share some weaknesses of ordinary people

C．are often influenced by previous generations

D．all unknowingly attract a large number of fans

2. According to the passage, heroes are compared to high voltage transformers in that ________.

A．they have a vision from the mountain top

B．they have warm feelings and emotions

C．they can serve as empowering examples of noble principles

D．they can make all people feel stronger and more confident

3. Madonna and Michael Jackson are not considered heroes because ________.

A．they are popular only among certain groups of people

B．their performances do not improve their fans morally

C．their primary concern is their own financial interests

D．they are not clear about the principles they should follow

4. Gandhi and Martin Luther King, are typical examples of outstanding leaders who ________.

A．are good at demonstrating their charming character

B．can move the masses with the skill and the charm

C．are capable of meeting all challenges and hardships

D．can provide an answer to the problems of their people

【推荐3】Sometimes just when we need the power of miracles, they arise in the places we would least expect.

On a cold January afternoon in 1989, I was climbing Egypt’s Mt. Horeb, hoping to get to the peak by sunset to see the valley below. As I was winding up the narrow path, I’d sometimes see other hikers who were coming down. While they would generally pass with simply a nod or a greeting in another language, there was one man who did neither.

I saw him coming and as he got closer, I could see that, unlike other hikers, he was wearing traditional Egyptian galabia( 长 袍 ). What made his appearance so strange was that the man didn’t even appear to be Egyptian, but was a small-framed Asian man with little hair and round glasses.

As we neared one another, I said Hello, but not a sound came from him. I thought maybe he hadn’t heard me. Suddenly he stopped directly in front of me, looked up from the ground, and spoke a single sentence to me in English, “Sometimes you don’t know what you have lost until you’ve lost it.” As I took in what I had just heard, he simply stepped around me and continued his going down.

That moment in my life was a small miracle. The reason is less about what the man said but more about the timing and the context. The year was 1989, and it was during my Egyptian pilgrimage (朝圣), and specifically during my hike to Mt. Horeb, that I’d set the time aside to make decisions that would affect my career, my friends, my family, and ultimately, my life.

I had to ask myself what the chances were of an Asian man dressed in an Egyptian galabia coming down from the top of this historic mountain just when I was walking up, stopping before me, and offering his wisdom, seemingly from out of nowhere. My answer to my own question was easy: nearly no chance! In a meet that lasted less than two minutes, a total stranger had brought something clear and something of a warning, regarding the huge changes that I would make within a matter of days. In my way of thinking, that’s a miracle.

Miracles are everywhere and occur every day for different reasons, in response to the different needs that we may have in the moment. Our job may be less about questioning the extraordinary things that happen in our daily lives and more about accepting the gifts they bring.

1. Before the Asian man spoke, how did the author think about him?

A．He was very rude and strange.

B．He was different from others.

C．He was shy and nod to strangers.

D．He looked ordinary and was talkative.

2. Why did the author make a pilgrimage to Mt Horeb in Egypt ?

A．He was in search of a miracle in his life.

B．It was a place for a religious person to head for.

C．He intended to make arrangements for his future life.

D．He waited patiently in expectation of meeting a wise person.

3. What does the underlined part “my own question” refer to in paragraph 6 ?

A．For what reason did the man stop before me ?

B．Why did the Asian man go to the mountain ?

C．What change would I make within a matter of days ?

D．What was the probability that others told us the right words ?

4. Why did the author view the meet with the Asian man as a miracle in his life?

A．Because the Asian man’s appearance had a deciding effect on his future life.

B．Because his words were in perfect response to the need he had at that moment.

C．Because what the Asian man said was meaningful in the philosophy of life.

D．Because the Asian man impressed on him the worth of what he had possessed.

5. What might be the best title for the passage ?

A．Can you recognize a miracle?	B．Is a miracle significant to us?
C．When might a miracle occur?	D．Why do we need a miracle?

【推荐1】Home to 8.2 million people, 36 percent of whom were born outside the United State, New York, known as the Big Apple, is the biggest city in America. Nearly twenty times bigger than the capital, Washington DC, you might expect New York to be twenty times more dangerous, actually, it’s safer. Recent figures show that New York now has fewer crimes per 100,000 people than 193 other US cities. It's also healthier than it used to be. For example, the smoking rate has gone down from 21.5 percent a few years ago, to 16.9 percent today.

New Yorkers should be delighted, shouldn't they? In fact, many feel that New York is losing its identity. It used to be the city that never sleeps. These days it's the city that never smokes, drinks or does anything naughty (at least, not in public). The Big Apple is quickly turning into the Forbidden Apple.

If you decided to have a picnic in Central Park, you'd need to be careful—if you decided to feed the birds with your sandwich, you could be arrested. It's banned. In many countries a mobile phone going off in the cinema is annoying. In New York it's illegal. So is putting your bag on an empty seat in the subway. If you went to a bar for a drink and a cigarette, that would be OK, wouldn't it? Er ... no. You can't smoke in public in New York City. In fact, you can't smoke outdoors on the street or in parks either. The angry editor of Vanity Fair magazine, Gray don Carter, says, “Under New York City law it is acceptable to keep a gun in your place of work, but not an empty ashtray.” He should know. The police came to his office and took away his ashtray.

But not all of New York's citizens are complaining. Marcia Dugarry, seventy-two, said, "The city has changed for the better. If more cities had these laws, America would be a better place to live."

The new laws have helped turn the city into one of the healthiest—and most pleasant places to live in America—very different from its old image of a dirty and dangerous city. Its pavements are almost litter-free, its bars clean and its streets among America's safest. Not putting your bag on subway seats might be a small price to pay.

1. The author writes Paragraph 1 mainly to tell the reader that New York is________.

A．bigger than Washington D.C.	B．the best place in the world
C．safer and healthier	D．the most dangerous city

2. What does the underlined word "banned" in paragraph 3 possibly mean?

A．quite popular

B．not allowed in law

C．very impolite

D．quite common

3. What does Gray don Carter believe?

A．Some of New York's new laws are not reasonable.

B．A gun is much easier to get than an ashtray.

C．The police had no right to take away his ashtray

D．there should be a law to keep guns away from people.

4. What is the writer's attitude towards New York's new laws?

A．The writer supports them.	B．The writer is against them.
C．The writer is not interested in them.	D．The writer's attitude is not clear.

【推荐3】The words “protect animals” appear everywhere in books and on screens, because some animals are even in danger of dying out. But sometimes the reality can be a little different from what people read or watch.

About 300 black bears were killed in Florida, the US, in October, 2015.It’s been the first bear hunt in the state since 1994.Local officers explained that the black bear population（a）had grown to 3,500 and become a menace to local people.In the past two years, bears have hurt at least four people in Florida.

Months ago ,the Swiss government allowed the locals to kill a wolf.This was because the wolf killed 38 sheep, and it was a great loss to some local farmers. Days ago in China, three old men were caught by the police for killing a serow（鬣羚）, a kind of protected animal.They said they killed the animal because it ate the plants they grew.

However, these stories don’t always mean that animal protection stops because of human interests especially when it is related to economic development.A man named Zhou Weisen set up a wild animal base in Guilin, Guangxi. He saved over 170 tigers and about 300 bears.His base also offered jobs to local people.

“There may never be a standard answer to the question of whether we should give more attention to the environment or human development,”said Robert May, a British expert at Oxford University. “But we shouldn’t put either one to one side, as the future is uncertain.”

1. What does the underlined word “menace”in paragraph 2 probably mean?

A．Tradition.

B．Threat.

C．Benefit.

D．Relief.

2. Why did the Swiss government allow the locals to kill the wolf?

A．The wolf killed a serow.

B．The wolf was caught by the police.

C．The wolf ate the plants the farmers grew.

D．The wolf caused economic loss to local farmers.

3. Why did the author mention Zhou Weisen’s story in paragraph 4?

A．To show that animal protection stops.

B．To prove animal protection is important.

C．To explain protecting animals can bring economic development.

D．To stress that animal protection must give way to human interests.

4. Which of the following might Robert May agree with?

A．Human interests should be considered first.

B．We should focus on the future rather than the present.

C．Humans can kill animals when their interests are harmed.

D．Keeping the right balance between the environment and human interests is important.