【推荐1】Carnival (狂欢节) is the most famous holiday in Brazil. It is not about an important time in history or about a famous person, but it is important for the people because it’s a time of friendship, freedom, and almost a whole week without work. People can have parties or have a rest, and most people choose parties, day after day, night after night. It starts forty days before Easter (复活节). It lasts four days and four nights. It starts on Saturday and finishes on Wednesday. People wear their colourful clothes and go out into the streets or to the clubs. There are also groups of people who make a parade (游行) showing their music and cars. Every year the parade tells a different story. Each city has at least one group like this.

In the south, life returns to normal by Wednesday. However, it is not accepted by the church in the northwest, where Carnival is more common. There people don’t respect its end and continue to have parties until the next Sunday.

I like Carnival, but I don’t agree that the party should keep going on for so many days. Unfortunately, some people aren’t responsible and give it a bad name, and that makes people remember the bad things about this. However, it is the only national holiday that brings together the whole country and its different people and cultures.

1. Why is Carnival important for the people in Brazil?

A．Because it’s a time of friendship and freedom.

B．Because it’s about an important time in history.

C．Because it’s a time of almost a whole month without work.

D．Because it’s a time to remember a famous person.

2. People choose ways to celebrate Carnival EXCEPT_____________.

A．having parties	B．having a rest
C．making a parade	D．going shopping

3. In the following descriptions of Carnival, which one is NOT true?

A．It starts forty days before Easter.

B．It starts on Saturday and finishes on Thursday.

C．There are groups of people who make a parade showing their music and cars.

D．Every year the parade tells a different story.

4. What does the author think of Carnival?

A．The author doesn’t care for Carnival.

B．The author never joins in Carnival.

C．The author does not like Carnival.

D．The author likes Carnival, but he doesn’t agree the party goes on so many days.

【推荐2】阅读理解
阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出最佳选项。
Settled by the Celts, invaded by the Romans and the Normans, and ruled by the English, Wales’ population has regularly changed over the ages. Wales, particularly South Wales, became a melting pot (熔炉) of European nationalities and cultures. At first workers from England, Ireland and the rural areas of Wales rushed into the coal mines of South Wales. By 1911, workers from Ireland, Italy and Spain had joined the industrial workforce (劳动大军) there. Many of these newcomers were prepared to work for less pay.
But during this period, workers, dissatisfied with regular pay cuts, poor safety, returned to the land. In 1891, the rural population of Wales was about 616,000 and by 1911 just over 649,000 people lived and worked in these areas.
The rural population continues to grow slowly even today. People from richer parts of the UK, particularly southern England, are buying holiday homes in Wales. In some areas this has led to a lack of housing for local people. This, combined with the lack of employment in rural Welsh communities, has started a new movement of people in search of jobs and homes into the towns and cities of Wales and to other parts of the UK and Europe.
As so many Welsh people have moved to other countries over the last 200 years, it’s really no surprise that many visitors come to see friends and relatives. These visitors strengthen their links to their land of origin and continue to support the Welsh’s development. During the hot summer days, about 28% of the visitors visit the countryside and nearly 70% visit the seaside.
1. Why was South Wales so attractive to people in the early 20th century?

A．Because its coal industry needed a large number of workers.

B．Because it was rich in many different kinds of culture.

C．Because people could buy holiday homes there.

D．Because people could get the highest pay there.

2. What does the writer want to tell us in the second paragraph?

A．Many people got tired of city life at this time.

B．The working conditions were terrible at this time.

C．Welsh workers couldn’t get any pay for their work.

D．The number of rural population of Wales grows slowly at this time.

3. What would be the best title for the passage?

A．Wales, a land with a promising past and future

B．Wales, a land with a population on the move

C．Wales, the biggest melting pot of Europe

D．Tourism, the main income source of Wales

【推荐1】Few laws are so effective that you can see results just days after they take effect. But in the nine days since the federal cigarette tax more than doubled—to $1. 01 per pack—smokers have jammed telephone “quit lines” across the country seeking to kick the habit.

This is not a surprise to public health advocates. They’ve studied the effect of state tax increases for years, finding that smokers, especially teens, are price sensitive. Nor is it a shock to the industry, which fiercely fights every tax increase.

The only wonder is that so many states insist on closing their ears to the message. Tobacco taxes improve public health, health, they raise money and most particularly, they deter people from taking up the habit as teens, which is when nearly all smokers are addicted. Yet the rate of taxation varies widely.

In Manhattan, for instance, which has the highest tax in the nation, a pack of Marlboro Light Kings cost ＄10.06 at one drugstore Wednesday. Charleston, S, C., where the 7-cent-a-pack tax is the lowest in the nation. The price was $4. 78.

The influence is obvious.

In New York, high school smoking hit a new low in the latest surveys—13.8%, far below the national average. By comparison, 26% of high school students smoke in Kentucky, Other low-tax states have similarly depressing teen-smoking records.

Hal Rogers, Representative from Kentucky, like those who are against high tobacco taxes, argues that the burden of the tax falls on low-income Americans “who choose to smoke.”

That’s true, but there is more reason in keeping future generations of low-income workers from getting hooked in the first place. As for today’s adults, if the new tax drives them to quit, they will have more to spend on their families, cut their risk of cancer and heart disease and feel better.

1. The text is mainly about___________.

A．the price of cigarettes

B．tie rate of teen smoking

C．the effect of tobacco tax increase

D．the differences in tobacco tax rate

2. What does the author think is a surprise?

A．Teen smokers are price sensitive.

B．Some states still keep the tobacco tax low.

C．Tobacco taxes improve public health.

D．Tobacco industry fiercely fights the tax rise.

3. The underlined word "deter” in Paragraph 3 most probably means ______ .

A．discarding

B．remove

C．benefit

D．free

4. Rogers’ attitude towards the low-income smokers might be that of _____ .

A．tolerance

B．unconcern

C．doubt

D．sympathy

5. What can we learn from the last paragraph?

A．The new tax will be beneficial in the long run.

B．Low-income Americans are more likely to fall ill.

C．Future generations will be hooked on smoking.

D．Adults will depend more on their families.

【推荐3】The concept of peace is a very important one in cultures all over the world. Think about how we greet people. In some languages, the phrases for greetings contain the word for peace. In some cultures we greet people by shaking hands or with another gesture to show that we are not carrying weapons – that we come in peace. And there are certain symbols which people in very different cultures recognize as representing peace. Let’s look at a few of them.

The dove

The dove has been a symbol of peace and innocence for thousands of years in many different cultures. In ancient Greek mythology it was a symbol of love and the renewal of life. In ancient Japan a dove carrying a sword symbolized the end of war. There was a tradition in Europe that if a dove flew around a house where someone was dying then their soul would be at peace. And there are legends which say that the devil can turn himself into any bird except for a dove. In Christian art, the dove was used to symbolize the Holy Ghost and was often painted above Christ's head. But it was Pablo Picasso who made the dove a modern symbol of peace when he used it on a poster for the World Peace Congress in 1949.

The rainbow

The rainbow is another ancient and universal symbol, often representing the connection between human beings and their gods. In Greek mythology it was associated with Iris, the goddess who brought messages from the gods on Mount Olympus. In Scandinavian mythology the rainbow was a bridge between the gods and the earth. In the Bible a rainbow showed Noah that the Biblical flood was finally over, and that God had forgiven his people. In the Chinese tradition, the rainbow is a common symbol for marriage because the colours represent the union of yin and yang. Nowadays the rainbow is used by many popular movements for peace and the environment, representing the possibility of a better world in the future and promising sunshine after the rain.

The olive branch

The olive tree has always been a valuable source of food and oil. In Greek mythology, the goddess Athena gave the olive tree to the people of Athens, who showed their gratitude by naming the city after her. But no one knows for sure when or why it began to symbolize peace. There is probably a connection with ancient Greece. Wars between states were suspended during the Olympic Games, and the winners were given crowns of olive branches. The symbolism may come from the fact that the olive tree takes a long time to produce fruit, so olives could only be cultivated successfully in long periods of peace. Whatever the history, the olive branch is a part of many modern flags symbolizing peace and unity. One well-known example is the United Nations symbol.

1. Who played the major role in making the dove a modern symbol of peace?

A．Pablo Picasso.	B．A god in Greek mythology.
C．Jesus Christ.	D．Ancient Japanese.

2. How many examples does the writer give to show the rainbow as a universal symbol of peace?

A．Two.	B．Three.
C．Four.	D．Five.

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

A．Different Concepts of Peace.	B．The popularity of Peace Symbols.
C．The Origins of Peace Symbols.	D．Cultural Differences in Peace.

【推荐1】A new kind of rice, golden rice, may soon make its way into the world’s food supply by the year 2021, reports Science magazine.

Golden rice was actually first developed back in the 1990s by German scientists who were looking for creative ways to reduce rates of Vitamin A deficiency(维生素A缺乏症) in human body, which continues to be a major concern throughout the developing world. Beta-carotene(胡萝卜素), which exists in some plants, can change into vitamin A in our body.

In view of beta-carotene’s characteristics, German scientists tried and managed to make rice filled with additional beta-carotene, which has a strong red orange color. The beta-carotene that is added to this rice is actually what conduces to its special golden color.

To German scientists, developing this rice was meaningful. But as with all GM(转基因的) crops, some people warn that the golden rice may be unnecessary and even harmful, possibly having some environment consequences. Until now, those voices have prevented golden rice from being planted anywhere.

However, that’s about to change. Bangladesh now plans to become the first country to approve golden rice for planting. Recently, golden rice is receiving a series of tests before the final approval of Bangladesh. Tests conducted by the Bangladesh Rice Research Institute (BRRI) found no new farming challenges with golden rice and no big differences in quality between the crop and the traditional varieties, with the exception that golden rice is more nutritious. Some other organizations are still doing tests about the environmental influences of the crop. If those results are also good, then golden rice will have received all the approval it needs to move forward with planting.

As for the future market for the golden rice, the crop will need to gain the public’s trust. And it remains to be seen whether golden rice will offer a better nutritional and economical choice compared to other sources of vitamin A, such as other vegetables where it occurs naturally.

1. What was German scientists’ main purpose of working on rice?

A．To raise its output.	B．To make it look prettier.
C．To collect its beta-carotene.	D．To improve its vitamin A content in our body.

2. What does the underlined part “conduces to” in Paragraph 3 probably mean?

A．Causes.

B．Changes.

C．Removes.

D．Lightens.

3. What do BRRI’s tests show about golden rice?

A．It can hardly grow on the farmland of Bangladesh.	B．It is nutritionally better than traditional rice.
C．It may do serious harm to the environment.	D．It is no different from other rice in taste.

4. How is golden rice’s future market in the author’s opinion?

A．Promising.

B．Worrying.

C．Uncertain.

D．Hopeless.

【推荐2】We often hear such statements: “I spilled (洒出) juice, but it wasn't my fault.” “I got in trouble at school, but it wasn't my fault.” or “I was in a car accident, but it wasn't my fault.” That “It's not my fault.” is a go-to response for so many people and especially teenagers.

Parents complain they are tired of the “excuse”. The reason why variations of “It's not my fault.” are so popular is that it lets us off the hook from guilt and blame. I'm a fan of not owning responsibility for things that I can't control. Teens who often say “It's my fault.” when something bad happens tend to be highly self-critical, perfectionistic and more easier to be troubled by anxiety and depression.

While it is important to recognize lack of reason to blame oneself, many teens over rely on “It's not my fault.” When trying to get them to take responsibility, parents usually attempt to convince their teens that something is their fault. The approach tends to be ineffective and turn into a power struggle. No one wins. A more effective approach can be to stress significant drawbacks to consistently focusing on removing our responsibility with this phrase.

Overuse of the phrase can result in feelings of lack of ability to control their own lives. This sense has been shown to cause low motivation. Besides creating feelings of lack of ability, overuse of “It's not my fault.” focuses a teen's attention on what is done as opposed to what needs to be done.

People may not have caused all their problems but they have to solve them anyway. The example I frequently share with teens is the question of what one will do if he is pushed into a deep lake. One can certainly stay in water, yelling, “It's not my fault.” However, that won't get him out of water. He needs to swim to the shore, regardless of the fault.

If you take a proper approach to communicating with your teens, you can help them avoid over reliance on “It's not my fault.”

1. What phenomenon is described in Paragraph 1？

A．The teenagers' dislike for school life.

B．The common trouble faced by teenagers.

C．The reasons for blaming others for accidents.

D．The tendency for people not to be responsible for mess in life.

2. What type of teens tends to suffer great mental pressure according to the text？

A．Those lacking confidence and ambition.

B．Those allowing others to find excuses.

C．Those unable to get along well with others.

D．Those often blaming themselves for some incidents.

3. What's the author's attitude to parents' usual way of guiding children？

A．Negative.	B．Supportive
C．Ambiguous.	D．Neutral.

4. What’s the suitable title for this passage？

A．Avoiding troubling others

B．Daring to point out others’ mistake

C．Focusing on how to solve problems

D．Should be self－critical as much as possible.

【推荐3】Anger is good for you, as long as you control it, according to new psychology research. A new study from Carnegie Mellon University shows anger may help people reduce the negative effects of stress and help you become healthier.

“Here getting emotional is not bad for you if you look at the case of anger,” said Jennifer Lerner of Carnegie Mellon. “The more people show anger, the lower their stress responses.”

Lerner studied 92 UCLA students by asking them to count back from 6,200. They must say out loud every thirteenth number. Researchers disturbed them by asking them to count faster or ask them other questions. If they made any mistakes, they had to restart from the very beginning. Many students felt upset about making so many mistakes or got angry.

Lerner used a hidden video camera and recorded all their facial expressions during the test. The researchers describe their reactions as fear, anger.

Other researchers recorded the students’ blood pressure, pulse and production of a high-stress hormone (荷尔蒙) called cortisol. People whose faces showed more fear during the experiment had higher blood pressure and higher levels of the hormone. Both can have lasting effects such as diabetes (糖尿病), heart disease, depression and extra weight gain.

When people feel fear, negative effects increase, but when they get angry, those negatives go down, according to the study.

“Having that sense of anger leads people to actually feel some power in what otherwise is a maddening (令人发狂的) situation,” Lerner said.

Lerner previously studied Americans’ emotional response to the 9·11 terrorist attacks (9·11 恐怖袭击) two months after the incident. She found people who reacted with anger were more optimistic. These people are healthier compared with those who were frightened during the event. So in maddening situations, anger is not a bad thing to have. It’s a healthier response than fear.

1. In what ways can anger be good to people?

A．By showing their optimistic side.	B．By reducing their stress.
C．By reducing high blood pressure.	D．By taking the place of fear.

2. The researchers made the students angry by ______.

A．recording their performance secretly

B．asking them to count to 6,200 again and again

C．disturbing them and making them start all over again

D．criticizing them when they made mistakes

3. What does the underlined word “both” in Paragraph 5 refer to according to the passage?

A．Fear and anger.	B．Blood pressure and pulse.
C．Blood pressure and cortisol.	D．Higher blood pressure and higher levels of the hormone.

4. What is the story mainly about?

A．The findings of new psychology research.	B．What you can do with anger in certain cases.
C．Different effects produced by anger and fear.	D．Healthier responses in maddening situations.

【推荐1】A few years back I worked in a university building that also housed a department full of psychologists, all of whom seemed to see us as perfect guinea pigs（豚鼠） for their latest theories. If an eager graduate student showed up in my office bearing desserts and asked me to pick one, I'd cast a careful glance and ask “Why?” before grabbing the apple pie.

So one day, when someone from the Psychology Department posted instructions in the bathroom persuading all of us to “Think about five things for which you're grateful every day for a week!”, my response was frankly doubtful. I did the math. Five things a day for seven days is a lot of brainpower to expend without so much as the promise of an apple pie.

I wandered into the office of Heidi Zetzer, the director of our school's Psychological Services Clinic.“What's with the gratitude thing?”I asked. You don't ask an academic question－even a simple one unless you're prepared for a long answer. Heidi came alive, and I sat down. That's when I first heard the term “positive psychology”. The gratitude thing, as I had called it, was but one small and simple element of the practice. “Kind of like training the brain to focus on joy,” my friend Heidi explained. “It's only a week,” she urged. “Try it.” I did. And guess what? It worked.

Every day for a week, I found five distinct things for which I was thankful. They had to be different every day. I couldn't get away with just being grateful for my wonderful husband. But I could, suggested Collie Conoley, another positive psychologist, express my gratitude for specific aspects of a certain person each day. He's a great cook. He always puts our family first.

Life will never be perfect. I still see new stories that annoy me. The traffic in my city is maddening. I wish I could speed up my recovery. But with just one simple exercise, I'm rediscovering the peace of that old saying: accepting the things I can't change, working without complaint to change what I can, and being wise enough to know the difference.

And all it took was a little gratitude.

1. What's the author's attitude toward the student with desserts?

A．Cautious.	B．Respectful.
C．Indifferent.	D．Supportive.

2. Why was the author doubtful about the instructions?

A．Because she thought it wasn't worth the effort.

B．Because she didn't like expressing thanks often.

C．Because she needed to ask her friend to do it first.

D．Because she could do five things every day easily.

3. What does Collie Conoley suggest the author should do?

A．Be grateful to her wonderful husband.

B．Be thankful for things but not people.

C．Be a great cook and put her family first.

D．Be specific about what she's thankful for.

【推荐2】When a corporation(公司) is formed, it issues stock (股票), which is sold or given to individuals.Ownership of stock entitles you to vote in the election of acorporation’s directors, so in theory holders of stock control the company. In practice, however, in most large corporations, ownership is separated from control of the firm. Most stockholders have little input into the decisions a corporation makes. Instead, corporations are often controlled by their managers, who often run them for their own benefit as well as for the owners. The reason is that the owners’control of management is limited.

A large percent of most corporations’ stock is not even controlled by the owners; instead, is controlled by financial institutions such as mutual funds (financial institutions that invest individuals’money for them) and by pension funds (financial institutions that hold people’s money for them untilit is to be paid out to them upon their retirement). Thus, ownership of I Corporations is another step removed from individuals. Studies have shown that 80 percentof the largest 200 corporations in the US are essentially controlled by managersand have little effective stockholder control.

Why is the question of who controls a firm important? Because economic theory assumes the goal of business owners is to maximize profits, which would be true of corporations if stockholders made the decisions. Managers don’t have the same motivation to maximize profits that owners do. There’s pressure on managers to maximize profits, but that pressure can often be weak orineffective. An example of how firms deal with this problem involves stock options. Many companies give their managers stock options-rights to buy stock at a low price - to encourage them to worry about the price of their company’s stock. But these stock options dilute the value of company ownership and profits per share and can give managers an incentive (激励, 刺激)to overstate profits through accounting tricks, as happened at Enron, Xerox, and a number of other firms.

1. Why can’t the stockholders control the company?

A．Because they are separated from the managers.

B．Because they havea little input in making decisions.

C．Because they are limited in the control of management.

D．Because they are restricted to the ownership of the company.

2. Which of the following statements is true of the ownership of corporations?

A．Ownership is controlled by managers.

B．Ownership is separated from control of the company.

C．Ownership is removed from the stockholders.

D．Ownership is controlled by financial institutions.

3. What does the underlined word “dilute” refer to?

A．maximize

B．arouse

C．decrease

D．ease

4. What is used to encourage managers to maximize profits?

A．Stock option.	B．The right to own stock.
C．Controlling power.	D．Effective stockholder control.

5. What is the best title for the text?

A．Who Controls Corporation?	B．When should the Stock be Issued?
C．Importance of Financial Institutions	D．Stockholders and Managers

【推荐3】It's tough to see or hear of a friend in crisis. One idea to keep in mind is that it is healthy for the distressed person to feel what he or she feels in the moment. When a person in crisis feels understood, he or she feels less alone and connected to the person who understands.

A person who experiences empathy(同理心)from a friend who can “go there”for a few minutes in order to authentically understand while still maintaining a strong and supportive attitude may be relieving and healing. While a friend is telling you about the circumstance, the first and most important step is to listen for feelings, not ways to solve the problem.

For example, a friend is terribly upset because her husband is threatening to leave her. After fully honoring the feelings, it is important to ask the friend what would help. Maybe it is a good cry and some ice cream. Perhaps it's a glass of wine and a walk. Everyone has different ways of dealing. Be respectful and ask the friend what she needs or wants, not what you prescribe.

Take a second example, say a close friend is being misrepresented by other friends. The friends are gossiping about her. During a conversation with her, listen for feelings. Honor her hurt and shock. The same equation is useful with a partner.

Helping a friend or partner in crisis not only helps the person, but creates closeness and trust in the relationship, making opening up in the probable future. In addition, the person who is empathizing feels positive because he or she was able to help. When a person is truly able to comfort and reassure a loved one, he or she feels vital and useful, strengthening the relationship.

1. What should we do first when we know a friend is in crisis？

A．Keep away from him/her.

B．Buy him/her a glass of wine.

C．Understand how he/she feels.

D．Show him/her ways to solve the problem.

2. What does the underlined word “it” in paragraph 3 refer to？

A．A way to solve the crisis.	B．A way to relieve a bad mood.
C．A way to listen for feelings.	D．A way to honor the feelings.

3. How does the author prove his/her idea？

A．By listing data.	B．By quoting sayings.
C．By giving examples.	D．By conducting surveys.

4. What does the text mainly talk about？

A．How to keep a loved one.	B．How to make new friends.
C．How to work with your partner.	D．How to help a friend in trouble.