【推荐1】Brian Peterson had just moved to Santa Ana, California. Outside his apartment, a homeless man was often yelling on the street corner, sometimes keeping him awake at night. Peterson, 28, would pass the guy on his way to his job as a car designer, but they never spoke. What could they possibly have in common?

One day, Peterson was relaxing at home, reading the book Love Does, when his quiet was disturbed by the homeless man. Inspired by the book’s sympathetic message, Peterson made an unexpected decision: to go outside and introduce himself.

Peterson learned that the man’s name was Matt Faris. He’d moved to Southern California from Kentucky to pursue a career in music, but fell on hard times and ended up living on the street for more than a decade. Even though Peterson, a graduate of the Cleveland Institute of Art, hadn’t picked up a paint brush in about eight years, he found himself asking if he could paint Faris’ portrait. Faris said yes. “I saw beauty on the face of a man who hadn’t shaved in probably a year, had overgrown finger-nails and probably hadn’t had a shower in close to a year. But his story, the life inside of him, inspired me.” Peterson recalled later.

Peterson’s connection with Faris led to Faces of Santa Ana: a nonprofit organization that befriends and paints portraits of unhoused community members. Using a black-and-white photo taken with his phone, Peterson selects colors based on the subject’s personality and life story, creating powerful portraits.

Peterson sells the 30-by-40-inch canvas — signed by both subject and artist — for a few thousand dollars. Faris used the portrait funds to record an album, fulfilling his musical dreams.

Peterson has discovered that the buyers tend to connect to the story of the person in the painting, finding similarities and often friendship with someone they might have otherwise overlooked. “People often tell me, ‘I was the one that would cross the street. But I see homeless people differently now.’” Peterson says.

1. Why did Peterson speak to Faris?

A．Faris’ yelling disturbed his sleep.	B．He decided to make a new friend.
C．The quiet while reading was broken.	D．He felt a drive to practice kindness.

2. What inspired Peterson to paint Faris’ portrait?

A．Faris’ life story.	B．Faris’ beautiful face.
C．Desire for art practice.	D．Sympathy for the homeless.

3. What do the buyers think of the canvas?

A．They reveal the life of poor people.

B．They bear delicate signatures from artists.

C．They show vivid portraits with rich colors.

D．They build bond between people seemingly different.

4. Which of the following can best describe Peterson?

A．Brave and kind.	B．Talkative and considerate.
C．Talented and ambitious.	D．Perceptive and sympathetic.

【推荐2】Kleon Papadimitriou, a Greek student, had been stuck in Scotland, where he studies, with no way to return to Athens while flights were shut down. So he decided to take a bike.

He began researching what it would take to make the trip on two wheels. He once competed in a race in 2019 and was briefly trained for several weeks — but that was about all the biking experience he carried with him.

Initially, he thought the idea was more of a “dream”— an absolutely hard long journey. But soon he began purchasing the equipment he'd need. He purchased a bike, and told the news to his parents and friends.

Papadimiriou travelled anywhere between 35 and 75 miles per day, crossing initially through England and then onto the Netherlands. He biked along the Rhine in Germany for several days, passed through Austria and cycled down along the eastern coast of Italy before he took a boat to the Greek port of Patras.

Throughout his trip, he set up camp in fields and forests. He spent the last few moments of each day writing down his progress, tracking the next day's path and checking in with family and friends.

“It's just now dawning on me how big of an achievement this was.” Papadimitriou says of his 48-day journey. “And I did learn a lot of things about myself, about my limits, my strengths and my weaknesses. I really hope that the trip can inspire at least one more person to go out of their comfort zone and try something new, something big.”

1. What can we infer about Kleon Papadimitriou?

A．He was forced to leave for Scotland on bike.	B．He had a few biking experience before.
C．He was a famous cyclist in his hometown.	D．He cycled to the Greek port of Patras.

2. Why did Kleon Papadimitriou consider his idea as a dream at first?

A．Because it seemed challenging to complete the journey.

B．Because he had no riding experience at all before.

C．Because his parents and friends didn't support his plan.

D．Because purchasing the equipment would cost too much.

3. According to the text, how many countries has Kleon Papadimiriou been to during the trip?

A．2.

B．4.

C．6.

D．8.

4. What can be inferred from the last two paragraphs?

A．Kleon Papadimitriou hardly communicated with his friends during the trip.

B．It took Kleon Papadimitriou 48 days to return to Greece.

C．Kleon Papadimitriou learned a lot of things about nature from the trip.

D．Many people have been inspired by Kleon Papadimiriou's story.

【推荐1】What makes a gift special? Is it the price you see on the gift receipt？Or is it the look on the recipient's face when they receive it that determines the true value? What gift is worth the most?

This Christmas I was debating what to give my father. My dad is a hard person to buy for because he never wants anything. I pulled out my phone to read a text message from my mom saying that we were leaving for Christmas shopping for him when I came across a message on my phone that I had locked. The message was from my father. My eyes fell on a photo of a flower taken in Wyoming, and underneath a poem by William Blake. The flower, a lone dandelion (蒲公英) standing against the bright blue sky, inspired me. My dad had been reciting those words to me since I was a kid. That may even be the reason why I love writing. I decided that those words would be my gift to my father.

I called back. I told my mom to go without me and that I already created my gift. I sent the photo of the cream-colored flower to my computer and typed the poem on top of it. As I was arranging the details another poem came to mind. The poem was written by Edgar Allan Poe; my dad recited it as much as he did the other. I typed that out as well and searched online for a background to the words of it. The poem was focused around dreaming, and after searching I found the perfect picture. The image was painted with blues and greens and purples, twisting together to create the theme and wonder of a dream. As I watched both poems passing through the printer, the white paper coloring with words that shaped my childhood, I felt that this was a gift that my father would truly appreciate.

Christmas soon arrived. The minute I saw the look on my dad’s face as he unwrapped those black letters carefully placed in a cheap frame, I knew I had given the perfect gift.

1. The author’s inspiration for the gift came from _________.

A．a photo of a flower	B．a story about a kid
C．a call from the mother	D．a text about Christmas

2. The author made the gift by ________.

A．searching for the poems online	B．drawing the background by hand
C．painting the letters in three colors	D．matching the words with pictures

3. What is the main purpose of the passage?

A．To show how to design images for gifts	B．To suggest making gifts from one’s heart
C．To explain how computers help create gifts	D．To describe the gifts the author has received

【推荐3】Sally Donovan is cooking when a paper plane flies across the kitchen and lands at her feet. She picks it up, unfolds it and finds a child’s sketch (素描) of a tear-stained face with a speech bubble saying: “I’m sorry I was naughty—I’m a bad person.”
Sally, 42, draws a big smiley face on the back of the paper with “I love you, Rose, and we’re always going to look after you.” Then she folds it up and launches the plane back into the living room where her nine-year-old daughter is watching TV with brother Jamie, 13 and dad Rod, 40.
Jamie often makes pictures for his parents too—like the one showing a swift river with them on one side and him trapped on the other side.
It’s one of the many unusual ways that Sally and Rob have learned to communicate emotionally with their abused children in an astonishing eight-year journey of hope, healing and love.
Jamie was just four and half—sister Rose one when they were adopted by the Donovans in 2005. The youngsters had been taken from their natural mother and placed in foster care after a series of cruelty and neglect. They were left alone, hungry, and witnessed home violence on a regular basis.
Sally and Rob spent three years trying for a baby before deciding to adopt, and were well aware of the youngsters' poor background. But they were still unprepared for raising a child permanently scared by abuse or the lack of support on offer.
But now Sally has written a brilliant and heart-touching account of their family struggle in a book called “No Matter What”.   Sally said: “These kids come to you with a story that what happened to them was their fault—because they are bad and unlovable. To show them they are loveable and none of it was their fault takes a lot of time. They both still say “I’m bad”. Jamie is less stuck on it now but whenever life deals him a knock, he will fall back into ‘that happened because I am stupid, I’m rubbish, I’m bad’.”
Sally’s book is humorous, heart-touching and so wildly honest that academics, charity bosses, parents and adoptees are praising it as a major contribution to child welfare work.
1. Sally and Rob adopted the two children mainly because ____.

A．they knew the children’s background very well

B．they wanted to help the children out of trouble

C．they couldn’t have children of their own

D．they couldn’t bear the cruelty done to the children

2. Why did the two adopted children still say “I’m bad” ?

A．They know clearly they are not lovable enough.

B．They often put the situation in an embarrassment.

C．What they suffered rooted deep in their minds.

D．They are honest of what they have done.

3. Which of the following is NOT TRUE according to the passage?

A．Rose was a baby when adopted by Sally and Rob.

B．Sally has written a book about how to adopt children.

C．Jamie still blames himself for whatever happens to him.

D．There is still a long way to go for helping the children out.

【推荐2】My name is Alice. Early last year, I was troubled by an anxiety that crippled (削弱) my ability to do anything. I felt like a storm cloud hung over me. For almost a year I struggled on, constantly staring at this wall that faced me. My perfectionist tendencies were the main root of this: I wanted to be perfect at whatever I did, which obviously in life is not possible, but it consumed me.

One day, I attended a presentation by wildlife conservationist Grant Brown at my high school. His presentation not only awed and inspired me, but also helped emerge an inner desire to make a difference in the world. I joined a pre-presentation dinner with him and that smaller setting allowed me to slowly build up my courage to speak one-on-one with him — an idea that had seemed completely impossible. This first contact was where my story began.

A month later, Brown invited me to attend the World Youth Wildlife Conference. Looking back, I now see that this would be the first in a series of timely opportunities that my old self would have let pass, but that this new and more confident Alice enthusiastically seized. Shortly after I received his invitation, applications to join the Youth for Nature and the Youth for Planet groups were sent around through my high school. I decided to commit to completing the applications, and soon I was a part of a growing global team of young people working to protect nature. Each of these new steps continued to grow my confidence.

I am writing this just six months since my journey began and I’ve realized that my biggest obstacle (障碍) this whole time was myself. It was that voice in the back of my head telling me that one phrase that has stopped so many people from reaching their potential: I can’t. They say good things come to those who wait; I say: grab every opportunity with everything you have and be impatient. After all, nature does not require our patience, but our action.

1. Why did Alice feel anxious?

A．She behaved badly.	B．She used to over-consume.
C．She was short of inspiration.	D．She was in pursuit of perfection.

2. Where did Alice first contact Brown?

A．At a presentation.	B．At a dinner.
C．At a conference.	D．At a journey.

3. What effect did activities of protecting nature bring Alice?

A．Making her confident.	B．Making her imaginative.
C．Motivating her creativity.	D．Strengthening her wisdom.

4. What can we infer from the last paragraph?

A．Action is the only way to knowledge.	B．Patience is a cure of anxiety.
C．Believe in yourself and take action.	D．Facts speak louder than words.

【推荐3】Helen Thayer, one of the greatest explorers of the 20th century, loves challenges. She says, “I like to see what’s on the other side of the hill.” She has gone almost everywhere to do that.

In 1988, at the age of 50, she became the first woman to travel alone to the North Pole. She pulled her own sled piled with 160 pounds of supplies, and during her trip no one brought her fresh supplies. Accompanied only by her dog Charlie, she survived cold weather and meetings with polar bears. In fact, Charlie saved her life when one of them attacked her. Near the end of her trip, a forceful wind blew away the majority of her supplies. The last week of the trip, she survived on a handful of nuts and a little water each day.

Helen goes to challenging places not only for adventure, but also for education. Before her Arctic journey, she started a website called Adventure Classroom. On the site, she shares her adventures in order to motivate (激发) students. She explains, “Although kids often see the world in a negative way, without hope for their future, we work to inspire them to set goals, plan for success and never give up.”

Helen grew up in New Zealand. Her parents were athletes and mountain climbers. Following her parents’ example, she climbed her first mountain at 9. Later, she climbed the highest mountains in North and South America, the former USSR and New Zealand.

In 1996, she took on another challenge — the Sahara Desert. She and her husband, Bill, walked 2,400 miles across it! In 2001, she and Bill traveled on foot from west to east through the Gobi Desert in Mongolia. They hope to travel to Sichuan and Tibet in China to study pandas this year.

Helen plans to continue taking trips. She’ll use her explorations, writing, photography and environmental work to create programs for her Adventure Classroom website. She wants to inspire her students never to stop facing challenges!

1. What can we learn from paragraph 2?

A．Helen Thayer is the first person to reach the North Pole.

B．Helen Thayer ate nothing during the last week of her trip.

C．Charlie prevented Helen from being attacked by a polar bear.

D．Helen Thayer traveled to the North Pole together with her husband.

2. Why does Helen travel to different places worldwide?

A．For education.

B．For fun.

C．For money.

D．For fame.

3. Which of the following places has Helen not visited yet?

A．The North Pole.	B．The Sahara Desert.
C．The Gobi Desert.	D．Sichuan and Tibet.

4. Which is the best title for the text?

A．The Owner of Adventure Classroom	B．A Famous Woman
C．A Woman Mountain Climber	D．A Woman Who Loves Adventure

【推荐1】When it comes to romance, no one does it better than the French. This is believed to be true of their movies, too. Unlike the Hollywood blockbusters (大片) you may be used to, French films are "usually a more artistic statement about being in the world" , noted The Guardian.

From Oct 8 to Oct 29, in cooperation with the French embassy in China, the China Film Archive and China National Film Museum are presenting classic and critically acclaimed (备受赞誉的) French movies, including Le Havre (2011), Mia et le Migou (2008), and Le Voyage dans la Lune (1902).

Sha Dan, curator (策划人) of the China Film Archive, explained to the media what to expect from the film series, and revealed how first- -time viewers can best appreciate French movies.

Q: Why should I watch French movies?

A: French films have a lot of virtues. For one thing, they use dialogue and plot, instead of visual effects, to drive the story. For another, they stress diversity (多元). While Hollywood movies are often about universal values, French movies have French culture or regional cultures deeply rooted in them. You have to understand them in their cultural context. That' s what sometimes makes French movies difficult to understand.

Q: How can a Chinese audience appreciate French movies?

A: You need to get used to their way of filming. When shooting two people talking to each other, the traditional way is to film each person face-forward as they take turns speaking. However, French movies are filmed in more experimental ways, like switching from a close shot to a long shot.

Also, you should search for background information. The movie' s title and its director can reflect its ideas and storyline. For example, Les Enfants du Paradis (1945), also known as Children of Paradise, tells the story of beautiful Garance and the four men who love her in their own ways. Garance meets these men in a theater, and the "Paradis" in the movie title is an informal French name for a theater' s gallery.

1. What is the author' s purpose in writing this text?

A．To recommend some classic French movies.

B．To help readers to better appreciate French movies.

C．To compare French movies with Hollywood blockbusters.

D．To describe the development and features of French movies in great detail.

2. Which of the following is a characteristic of French movies?

A．They are often about universal values.

B．They usually have really good visual effects.

C．They attach a lot of importance to French culture and French regional cultures.

D．They are sometimes hard to understand because of their complex plots.

3. Which of the following is TRUE about French movies according to the text?

A．They are mostly romances and are usually artistic.

B．They often involve more close shots than long shots.

C．They prefer to use the traditional way of shooting two people talking to each other.

D．Their titles and directors can help viewers learn background information.

【推荐2】For as long as they can remember, Jynne Martin and April Surgent had both dreamed of going to Antarctica. This winter, they each made it to the icy continent as guests of the National Science Foundation (NSF). But they didn't, as scientists. Martin is a poet and Surgent is an artist. They went to Antarctica as participants in the NSF's Artists and Writers Program, which makes it possible for artists, including filmmakers and musicians, to experience Antarctica and contribute their own points of view to our understanding of the continent.

“It's important for scientists and artists to work together,” says Surgent, who spent six weeks at Palmer Station, the smallest of the U.S. research bases. “You need a lot of different ways and points of view to explain the world.”

Martin followed four scientific teams on the ice and wrote articles and poems inspired by her experience. “Each day was the new ‘best day of my life’.” said Martin, who said she also loved spending time in the library at the McMurdo Station reading the journals of early explorers.

Today's scientists write articles for scientific journals. Unlike the early explorer's journals, scientific papers can now be very difficult for non-scientists to understand. Writers in Antarctica work to explain the research to the public. Peter Rejcek is editor, writer, and photographer for the Antarctic Sun, an online magazine devoted to news about the U.S. Antarctic Program. He goes to the South Pole every year, interviewing the scientists about their research.

Antarctica is full of stories and wonders that are scientific, historical, and personal. People such as Martin, Surgent, and Rejcek are making an effort to bring those stories to as many people as they can.

“Some people are going to be scientists, some people are going to be artists, some people are going to be journalists, but we can all work together,” says Surgent, "to celebrate this extraordinary place.”

1. What is the main purpose of the NSF's Artists and Writers Program?

A．To increase people's understanding of Antarctica.

B．To develop a relationship between scientists and artists.

C．To encourage artists and writers to learn science.

D．To make the scientists in Antarctica known to the public.

2. Which of the following best explains why scientists and artists work together?

A．The world is full of different people.	B．The world should move in harmony.
C．The world is full of different opinions.	D．The world should be seen in different ways.

3. Where is the library in which Martin spent time reading?

A．At the Antarctic Sun.	B．At a research base in the USA.
C．At a research base in Antarctica.	D．At the National Science Foundation.

4. It can be inferred from the text that articles by writers about Antarctica        .

A．are hard for people to understand	B．are easy for people to understand
C．have nothing to do with the research	D．are mainly about early explorers

【推荐3】Adolescent girls seem to use eye rolls as a means of daily communication. Adults on the receiving end often think it a rude manner. Actually, the meanings behind the manner tell us a lot about what it’s like to be a teenager.

Adolescents usually hate being told what to do, and will unconsciously resist even suggestions with which they agree. Imagine a girl who is planning to put on her warmest coat when her well-meaning mother urges her to bundle up. Not a cell in her body is willing to respond with a sincere “Great idea, Mom! I was just thinking the same thing.” But the girl still wants to be warm. With an eye roll the girl advertises her resistance while doing as she intended all along.

Since teenage girls desire independence strongly, taking orders can be especially annoying for them. So how should Mary respond when her parents say she can’t go out until she unloads the dishwasher? She sees no point in fighting back, but still wants to broadcast her objection. Again, by rolling her eyes while putting away the plates, Mary proves that she’s an independent young woman.

Girls also roll their eyes to cover their sorrow. Anna, who is hurting over a fight with a friend, might shoot a skyward look when her dad asks gently, “How’s Julia? She hasn’t come over for a while?” What seems to be a rude behavior might actually be the girl’s brave attempt to hold herself together. Unwilling to rely on her parents for support, Anna turns her dad away with an eye roll to avoid bursting into tears in his presence.

Of course, girls occasionally use eye-rolling as an immature act of aggression. But more often than not, teenage eye-rolling serves as an efficient solution to the typical challenges adolescents face. And it presents adults with a choice: you can take the. behavior personally, or you can try to see things from their perspective.

1. What does the underlined phrase “bundle up” in Paragraph 2 mean?

A．Tie up.	B．Hurry up.
C．Put on warm clothes.	D．Keep cool.

2. What is Mary’s reaction to her parents’ demand in Paragraph 3?

A．She doesn’t obey the order.

B．She displays her annoyance anyway.

C．She fights back against her parents strongly.

D．She proves her independence by putting away the dishes.

3. When Dad inquires about her friend softly, Anna.

A．refuses his kindness.	B．bursts into tears
C．relies on him for support	D．looks at the sky all the time

4. What is the best title for the passage?

A．What’s Behind Eye Rolling?	B．What Does It Mean to Be a teenager?
C．How to Understand More About Girls?	D．Why Do Teenage Girls Roll Their Eyes?