【推荐1】When Sarah Harmeyer moved to Dallas, she didn’t know any of her neighbors. So she offered to invite them all to dinner—and was thrilled when 91 people showed up in her backyard. For Harmeyer, it started with a simple desire to know others in her community. And the free Nextdoor neighborhood networking app made what could seem like a tough process easy.

“I went to the app and I said, ‘If you’ve never stepped outside your house to meet your neighbors, would you consider coming? I would love to meet you’”, she said. After she reached out, Harmeyer discovered others wanted to connect just as much as she did, if not more.

Since that first request, Harmeyer has now hosted gatherings with more than 3, 500 neighbors in total. She’s had people over for backyard concerts, holiday parties and more. Harmeyer even shares hosting tips and tricks with others interested in becoming “people- gatherers” like her.

According to a recent survey, now half of Americans feel they can depend more on their neighbors and local community than before. 72% of Americans have made it more important to support local businesses and 61% now feel it’s more necessary to build connections in the neighborhood than outside their community. Research also shows that a majority of people   (58%) have a renewed appreciation of their neighborhood.

Whether it’s by picking up groceries for a disabled neighbor, offering childcare, or sharing trusted information and recommendations—like which local pizza joint satisfies tastes most—neighbors are showing up for one another and are happy to do so.

Harmeyer’s story shows how one person has the power to strengthen their entire neighborhood. Technology like Nextdoor can be used to promote real-world interactions—and, in turn, these gatherings can make positive change.

“Something is extraordinary when we reach out to each other as neighbors”, Harmeyer said.

1. Why did Harmeyer invite people to have dinner when moving to Dallas?

A．To become a public figure.	B．To know people around her.
C．To celebrate her new move.	D．To market her own free app.

2. How did the app help Harmeyer with her gatherings?

A．Posting her invitation.	B．Teaching her programming.
C．Offering her specific tips.	D．Presenting Internet surveys.

3. What’s the new trend among the community residents?

A．Managing bigger money from their communities.

B．Sharing more information about their family gatherings.

C．Becoming more dependent on and devoted to their neighbors.

D．Building stronger connections with people outside their communities.

4. Which of the following can best describe Sarah Harmeyer?

A．selfless and lucky	B．sociable and helpful
C．wise and sensible	D．responsible and humorous

【推荐2】In today’s society , language plays a key role in defining gender (性别) by vocabulary, and also their non-verbal (非语言的) vocabulary. Each one of these different types of ways of communicating is obviously different between men and women.

Many different studies show that men tend to talk much more than women. It has also been proven that women tend to speak faster than men; this is due to the fact that women tend to be interrupted more often than men are, and also have the ability to speak more clearly, precisely, and more quickly than men. In one study it was found that women spoke for an average of three minutes describing a painting, as opposed to the thirteen-minute average it took men to describe it.

Men and women also tend to have a very different non-verbal way of communicating, which can also make it very hard for one another to understand what the opposite sex is trying to say. Men’s body language is much more reserved when talking to women. Men tend not to make as much eye contact and they generally stay farther away from women when talking to them. Men avoid other people’s body space while talking, and they also tend to sit back when talking. All of these have given off the impression of disinterest or boredom. Women are by far better listeners and much more enjoyable to talk with and they tend to raise more topics for conversation.

Women also make it clearer whether or not the conversation is going somewhere or just stuck in neutral. After learning about our styles of communicating with each other, I have decided that although men have not quite mastered communicating, what fun would it be if we all spoke the same “language”? The little games men and women play with each other while conversing would be lost. The question everyone asks himself or herself after talking with someone of the opposite sex, “I wonder if there’s something there?” would no longer exist.

1. What does the underlined word “this”in Paragraph 2 refer to?

A．The differences between men’s and women’s languages.

B．The different speed of men’s and women’s speech.

C．The ability of men’s and women’s spoken language.

D．The non-verbal vocabulary of men and women.

2. In what way do men and women differ according to the third paragraph?

A．Speed of understanding.

B．Understanding of speech roles.

C．Politeness of communication.

D．Application of body language.

3. What is the author’s attitude to the differences between men’s and women’s communication?

A．Cautious.

B．Favorable.

C．Ambiguous.

D．Skeptical.

4. What is the best title for the text?

A．Women , born excellent talkers

B．Men’s and women’s social roles

C．Vocabulary and communication

D．Opposite gender, different language

【推荐3】It was the 2015 “super storm” in New South Wales that restored my faith in people.

During a break in the weather, I stupidly decided to drive into town to buy some groceries. However, as I left the supermarket and drove back, the weather took a turn for the worse.     1     Having nowhere to go, I spotted a young man in his front yard assessing the situation. He quickly waved to me to come and park in his driveway.    2    .

The man, who introduced himself as Trent, then invited me to wait inside his house with his wife, Kayti and their two daughters. I told him I was concerned about the damage to my car, as the continuing rain was starting to turn into hail (冰雹).Trent then grabbed a blanket from his garage and covered my car.     3     Fortunately, his efforts saved my car from being damaged by the hail.

By 11:00 a.m., the electricity and phone services had both gone.     4     Trent made me a cup of tea and Kayti gave me a towel to dry myself off. The three of us chatted while waiting for the weather to get better. I learned that Trent had lost his job and was struggling to feed the family.

When the hail stopped, I shook Trent’s hand and kissed Kayti goodbye.     5     I was very moved by their kindness and it renewed my faith in people.

As I went out the door, I asked Trent for two of his business cards. My father has since called to offer him a job as a clerk at his company.

A．It began pouring so heavily that I was forced to stop.

B．The couple were so modest as I thanked them for their help.

C．I was surprised that he didn’t ask for anything in return for his assistance.

D．I was grateful to escape the running water that was about to drown my car.

E．I tried driving faster to escape the heavy downpour that was sure to come.

F．As a result, I couldn’t contact my parents, despite knowing they’d be worried.

G．He was wet but he didn’t seem to mind being out in the wild weather on my behalf.

【推荐1】Buster used to be a lovely dog playing and running on a farm all day. His life had a big change after his handler Will’s presence because Will found he did extremely well in sniffing tests. Will thought Buster had a special talent and decided to let him become a member of RAF police working dogs. Buster began working with Will in 2007, and the pair was sent to Afghanistan’s deadly Helmand province. There, Buster saved countless lives by sniffing out explosive devices (IEDs), as well as weapons. He joined his comrades repeatedly on foot patrols hunting Taliban terrorists and tracking down bombs. He also acted as a useful diplomatic tool, due to his friendly approach to local children. The RAF soon had a long train of children in tow, as Buster drew in his crowd and entertained them.

After his glittering service with the RAF, Buster retired in 2011,and died in 2015 at the age of 13 at the home of his handler, Will, in Lincolnshire where he had been enjoying retirement with his handler Will, his wife Tracy and their two dogs who will inherit (继承) their father’s career.

Over the course of his career, Buster is thought to have saved more than 1,000 lives. He also helped patrol British bases and searched vehicles at check points, and upon retirement was made the official RAF Police mascot (吉祥物). Buster’s brave exploits were even documented in Will’s book, which was published in January and soon became a best-selling one.

Buster completed five tours of duty in Afghanistan, Bosnia and Iraq and earned a row of campaign medals, and it was because of his great efforts in these austere environments full of wars and confrontations that he would be remembered. It was the saving of countless lives by searching out IEDs that saw the honor of official lifetime mascot of the RAF Police bestowed (授予) upon Buster. The RAF police are now planning to commemorate Buster as part of a special event to celebrate RAF Police Working Dogs.

1. Which is NOT the achievement of Buster in Helmand province?

A．He succeeded in saving a lot of people.

B．He became popular among local children and kept them safe.

C．He sniffed out many explosives.

D．He was a great helper in hunting Taliban terrorists.

2. What can be inferred from the passage?

A．Buster was born at Will’s home in Lincolnshire.

B．Buster’s children will also be a member of RAF police working dogs.

C．Buster was bestowed the mascot during working in Afghanistan.

D．Buster’s death in a campaign is a great loss for the RAF Police.

3. Which word can best replace the underlined word “austere” in the last paragraph?

A．Severe.	B．Respectable.
C．Vast.	D．Powerful.

4. What is the passage mainly about?

A．A heroic sniffer dog’s legendary life.

B．The requirements of being a lifetime mascot.

C．Buster’s cooperation with his comrades.

D．The love between Will and his dog.

【推荐2】When I was 17, I read a magazine article about a museum called the McNay, once the home of a watercolorist named Marian McNay. She had requested the community to turn it into a museum upon her death. On a sunny Saturday, Sally and I drove over to the museum. She asked, “Do you have the address?” “No, but I’ll recognize it; there was a picture in the magazine.”

“Oh, stop. There it is!”

The museum was free. We entered, excited. A group of people sitting in the hall stopped talking and stared at us.

“May I help you?” a man asked. “No,” I said. “We’re fine.” Tour guides got on my nerves. What if they talked a long time about a painting you weren’t that interested in? Sally had gone upstairs. The people in the hall seemed very nosy (爱窥探的), keeping their eyes on me with curiosity. What was their problem? I saw some nice sculptures in one room. Suddenly I sensed a man standing behind me. “Where do you think you are?” he asked. I turned sharply. “The McNay Art Museum!” He smiled, shaking his head. “Sorry, the McNay is on New Braunfels Street.” “What’s this place?” I asked, still confused. “Well, it’s our home.” My heart jolted (颤动). I raced to the staircase and called out, “Sally! Come down immediately!”

“There’s some really good stuff up there.” She stepped down, looking confused. I pushed her toward the front door, waving at the family, saying, “Sorry, please forgive us. You have a really nice place.” Outside, when I told Sally what happened, she covered her mouth, laughing. She couldn’t believe how long they let us look around without saying anything.

The real McNay was splendid, but we felt nervous the whole time we were there. Van Gogh, Picasso. This time, we stayed together, in case anything else unusual happened.

Thirty years later, a woman approached me in a public place. “Excuse me, did you ever enter a residence, long ago, thinking it was the McNay Museum?”

“Yes. But how do you know? We never told anyone.”

“That was my home. I was a teenager sitting in the hall. Before you came over, I never realized what a beautiful place I lived in. I never felt lucky before. You thought it was a museum. My feelings about my home changed after that. I’ve always wanted to thank you.”

1. What do we know about Marian McNay?

A．She passed away.

B．She worked as a community leader.

C．She helped in the museum.

D．She wrote articles for magazines.

2. Why did the author refuse the help from the man in the house?

A．She disliked people who were nosy.

B．She felt nervous when talking to strangers.

C．She knew more about art than the man.

D．She mistook him for a tour guide.

3. How did the author feel about being stared at by the people in the hall?

A．Puzzled and annoyed.	B．Concerned and anxious.
C．Frightened and upset.	D．Delighted and excited.

4. What could we learn from the last paragraph?

A．People should have good taste to enjoy life.

B．People should spend more time with their family.

C．People tend to be blind to the beauty around them.

D．People tend to educate teenagers at a museum.

【推荐3】My dad, Greg Newman, had wanted to be a race car driver, but things didn’t work out for him. So I guess having a son who could become a race car driver was the next best thing. Don’t get me wrong — Dad didn’t push me into racing. In fact, when I was about 10 years old, my dad was afraid that driving a car wasn’t my dream. So he took the racing away from me. I wasn’t very happy with that decision. It wasn’t long before Dad realized that racing was what I loved.

At four, Dad bought me my first Quarter Midget (袖珍赛车) and that’s really where it started for us. Back then, Dad was my coach. He would stick out (伸出) his foot in the path of the race car, and then tell me to exactly hit his foot. By doing this again and again, Dad believed that I would be faster and sharper on the race track.

Dad worked really long hours at his car repair business to make money so that I could race each weekend. I can remember that every night before he turned off the lights in the garage, Dad would tell me: “Don’t forget to kiss your race car good night.” He was trying to teach me that if I show respect, it’s returned. He wanted me to show thankfulness and respect for my race car and for all the hard work that we and many others had put into the dream.

My dad, my mom and my sister gave up a lot of things to help me race. For us, there was no better moment than winning the 50th running of the Daytona 500 in 2018. That evening in February 2018, I knew I had gotten a good push. I could hear the excitement. My father couldn’t speak a word, and when he got to Victory Lane (车道), he nearly knocked me over and gave me such a big hug.

1. Why did Greg Newman stop his son to race when his son was 10 years old?

A．Because he thought racing was dangerous.

B．Because he worried that his son didn’t like racing.

C．Because he didn’t want his son to fail like he did.

D．Because he didn’t have that money.

2. Why did Greg Newman let his son hit his foot?

A．To improve his son’s skill.	B．To help his son to be braver.
C．To have fun with his son.	D．To make his son more careful.

3. Greg Newman asked his son to kiss his race car good night to ________.

A．get help from his family

B．treat the race car as his son

C．feel thankful that he could follow his dream

D．develop a close relationship with his race car

4. In the 50th running of the Daytona 500, Greg Newman couldn’t say anything because he was ________.

A．stressed

B．surprised

C．sad

D．excited

【推荐1】3rd Walk the Talk: The Health for All Challenge 2020

JOIN US VIRTUALLY

World Health Organization(WHO)is taking the 3rd Walk the Talk: The Health for All Challenge virtually this year. In the context of COVID-19, WHO, through several online platforms, will host exercise moments, information sessions, and live chats with experts on topics from physical and mental health to nutrition and healthy ageing.

While the first two editions attracted thousands of participants in Geneva, we hope to reach more people during the virtual edition. We look forward to working with the many partners who have supported the first two editions, including governments, civil society organizations, and scientific and academic bodies.

The event will also celebrate health and be a platform to promote the need for all people to have access to health services and for health champions to demonstrate how they are striving to promote and protect the health of people in their own way.

What is on offer?

The Virtual Walk the Talk will be held over 16-17 May 2020, people invited to join in from their homes wherever they are globally.

It will offer opportunities for people to participate in a variety of virtual, timed events yoga, exercise classes for all ages and abilities, meditation, walking in place(or in locations within the guidelines of your national authorities). The aim is to get people moving for their own health and that of others.

Purposes of the event

●To encourage healthy lifestyles, not only in the context of COVID-19, but as a long-term strategy for good health.

●To recognize the sacrifice of health workers caring for us in our whole life. 2020 has been designated as the Year of the Nurse and Midwife, and we are seeing the global importance of health workers in the current response to COVID-19.

1. What is special about the 3rd Walk the Talk compared to the first two editions?

A．It appeals to many participants.	B．It offers various events.
C．It is an online virtual event.	D．It promotes health services.

2. Who is the 3rd Walk the Talk intended for?

A．Health experts from WHO.	B．Governments fighting COVID-19.
C．Scientific medical organizations.	D．Ordinary people around the world.

3. What does the event aim to do apart from advocating a healthy lifestyle?

A．To collect more financial supports.

B．To give special recognition to health workers.

C．To set up an organization for the COVID-19 issue.

D．To encourage the sacrifice of health workers.

【推荐2】Have you ever wondered: What drives successful people? Take a look around and talk to your friends and seniors who are very successful, you will see all of them have adopted certain values which have proved vital for their success.

It is evident that successful people take initiative (主动性). When they find something needs to be done, they just do it instead of waiting. They believe that responsibility is taken, not given. They weigh immediately what has to be done and then do it with pleasure, thus strengthening their reputation.

Successful people are enthusiastic about the things they do, especially when they believe in what they are doing. They are motivated by their own satisfaction and the joy they get from doing their work. They work hard even when no one is watching and they throw themselves into their work.

They do not fear failure. Failures and disappointments in life are unavoidable. It is failure that teaches us much more than success. Successful people pick themselves up after a fall and try again with more determination and commitment and learn from each failure. They associate with those they can learn from and enjoy the company of those who appreciate their achievement.

Having good IQ often gets a person what he wants but it’s really the EQ that keeps him there and helps him enjoy a high reputation. Successful people are polite to everyone and treat others with respect. By giving respect to others, they command respect for themselves.

Another important quality of successful persons is that they never complain. It’s better to praise others and win favor with them. So instead of complaining about a situation, successful people always try to solve it.

To put it shortly, take initiative and be enthusiastic about them. Do not be afraid to fail, but get up and start again. When you do so, success will be just around the corner.

Title: What Makes People Successful?

Brief introduction	Successful people all have adopted certain values which are    1     for their success.
2     of successful people	Taking initiative	◆They take immediate action without hesitation. ◆They take responsibility for what has to be done and do it    3    .
	Being self-motivated	◆They’re enthusiastic about the things they do with a    4     in what they are doing. ◆They devote themselves to their work.
	5     from failure	◆They get up and start again after a failure. ◆They keep company of those     6     their achievement.
	Giving respect to others	◆They are polite to everyone and treat others respectfully. ◆They earn respect in     7     by giving respect to others.
	Making no    8	◆They praise others and win favor with them. ◆They always try to find any possible     9     to the difficult situation.
Summary	When you can combine the above into your action plan, you’ll have     10     to success soon.

【推荐3】Walk For Charity
Dear Friend,

Please join us for our annual Walk For Charity.Starting in Weldown,you and your friends can choose a delightful 10,20 or 30 kilometers' route.

The money raised will provide support to help people all over the world.Start collecting your sponsors now and then simply come along on the day.Please read the instructions below carefully,especially if you require transport to and from Weldown.

See you on Sunday 15 April.

V Jessop: Walk coordinator

PS.Well done to last year's walkers for helping to raise a grand total of ￡21,000.The money has already been used to build a children's playground.

START TIME:

30 km: 8-10 am          20 km: 8-10:30 am          10 km: 8-11:30 am

The organizers reserve the right to refuse late-comers.

CLOTHING should be suitable for the weather.If rain is forecast,bring some protection and be prepared for all possibilities.It is better to wear shoes that have been worn in,rather than ones that are new.

ROUTE MAPS will be available from the registration point.The route will be sign-posted and arranged.Where the route runs along the road,walkers should keep to one side in single file,facing oncoming traffic at all times.If you need help along the route,please inform one of the staff.

Free car parking is available in car parks and on streets in Weldown.

BUSES:

For the 10 and 20 kilometers' routes,a bus will be waiting at Fenton to take walkers back to Weldown.The bus will leave every half hour starting at midday.The service is free and there is no need to book.

1. When may a walker be forbidden to join in the walk?

A．Being late for the walk.	B．Parking a car on the streets.
C．Choosing the shortest route.	D．Bringing no clothes for the weather.

2. According to the route map,where does the 20 kilometers' walk finish?

A．Weldown.	B．Fenton.
C．Great Rushly.	D．Lower Brene.

3. What is the walker warned of?

A．To prepare new shoes for the walk.	B．To book the bus ahead of time.
C．To care about their own safety.	D．To donate at the registration point.

4. When will the first bus leave?

A．11:30 am	B．12:30 pm
C．13:20 pm	D．14:40 pm

【推荐1】I'd been asked to go to an editor's office with the old program “We have a story we think you'd be perfect for”. Here was the topic: We want you to write about how middle-aged men have no friends. Seeing that,I couldn't help thinking, “Excuse me? I have plenty of friends.” Then the editor told me there were all sorts of evidence out there to show how men, as they age, let their close friendships go, and that the fact can cause all sorts of problems and have a terrible impact on their health.

As I walked back to my desk in the newsroom-a distance of maybe 100 yards-I quickly took stock of my friend list. First of all, there was my friend Mark. Wait, how often do we actually hang out? Maybe four or five times a year? And then there was another best friend from high school, Rory, and…I actually could not remember the last time I'd seen him.

There were all those other good friends who seemed as if they're still in my life because we follow one another via social media, but as I ran down the list of those I considered real, true, lifelong friends, I realized that it had been years since I saw many of them, even decades for a few.

By the time I got back to my desk, I realized that I was indeed perfect for this story, not because I was unusual in any way, but because my story was very, very typical. And as I looked into what that means, I realized that in the long term, I was heading down a path that was very, very dangerous. And I knew I needed a change.

1. What did the author think of the topic at first?

A．He showed an interest in it.

B．He felt surprised and doubtful.

C．He knew the editor was joking.

D．He thought it was perfect for him.

2. What did the author realize as walking back to the newsroom?

A．He had lost some best friends.

B．He wasn't popular with others.

C．He had close friends in his life.

D．He hadn't made any true friends.

3. How did the author keep his friendship?

A．By letters.	B．Through the Internet.
C．By phoning each other.	D．By getting together regularly.

4. What do we know from the last paragraph?

A．The author was a good writer.

B．The author liked making new friends.

C．Others had more friends than the author.

D．The author would attach importance to friendship.

【推荐2】Let’s play a word game. What word can be put in front of the words “stick, maker and point” to make three new compound words? Ready for the answer? Match. Match will combine to make the words “match-stick, match-maker and match-point”. And the point of tasks like this is to measure creativity.
Maybe you have music playing as you think about the words. And, of course, many listen to music while they work. So Emma Threadgold, a cognitive psychologist at the University of Central Lancashire in England, and her colleagues recently used such word puzzles to investigate whether listening to music affects creativity. They asked volunteers to solve 19 puzzles, while listening to either a foreign-language tune, an instrumental version of the same song, a familiar English-language tune, or silence. In every case, volunteers listening to music solved fewer puzzles than their counterparts in total quiet, suggesting that background music does not really aid this kind of creative task. Besides, the researchers tested library noise as well, like the sounds of typing and rustling papers. None of those noises decreased volunteers’ performance at all, compared to the silent control group.
The results are in the journal Applied Cognitive Psychology. Still, if you do insist on listening to music while working, you might try something a little more low-key than Lady Gaga, says Threadgold’s colleague John Marsh. A sound with a lot of changes in state information or pitches is more disruptive (干扰的) than one with fewer of those changes. So if you compared a modern pop song with some classical music, you’d expect less disruption from that classical music, just as in actual silence.
1. What is the purpose of the word game mentioned in the passage?

A．To make fun with others.	B．To test memory.
C．To evaluate creativity.	D．To create new words.

2. Why can the volunteers in total quiet solve more puzzles?

A．Because they can concentrate on the problems.

B．Because other groups are not as clever as them.

C．Because other groups are into listening to music.

D．Because they are better at word puzzle games.

3. What can we infer from Emma Threadgold and her colleagues’ experiment?

A．Volunteers in library can do as well as the ones in quiet.

B．Library noises can affect the volunteers’ performance.

C．Sound has a negative influence on one’s creativity.

D．Those who listen to foreign songs perform worse.

4. If you do insist on listening to music while working, which one is the best?

A．Fast-paced songs.	B．High-key songs.
C．Pop music.	D．Classic music.

【推荐3】There is a man who is dying to find the way to success, but he doesn’t have an idea how to do it. One day, he meets a guru, a religious teacher, on the road. The man asks the guru, “Which way is to success?” The gum doesn’t speak, but points to a place off in the distance.

The man, thrilled by the prospect（前景） of quick and easy success, rushes off in that direction. Along the way, he is occupied in thinking about something special but there is nothing. Suddenly there comes a loud splat（溅泼声）. Eventually, the man limps（蹒跚） back in rags, assuming he must have misinterpreted the message. Therefore, he returns to the guru for a reason. He repeats his question to the gum, who again points silently in the same direction.

The man was obedient to walk off once more. This time the splat is deafening（震耳欲聋的）, and when the man crawls（爬行） back, he is bloody, broken and angry, “I asked you which way was to success,” he screams at the guru,” I followed the direction you pointed to. And all I got was being knocked down! No more of this pointing! Tell me why? Talk!”

Only then does the guru speak, and what he says is that “Success is that way. Just a little past the splat.”

1. Why does the man fail once more?

A．He is so stupid that he cannot find it.	B．The way to success does not exist in life.
C．The guru gave the wrong direction to him.	D．He does not make sense of the guru’s words.

2. What does the underlined word ‘‘obedient” in Paragraph 3 mean?

A．Submitted.	B．Pleasing.
C．Disappointed.	D．Unwilling.

3. What does the guru think of how to succeed?

A．Getting the help from others.	B．Achieving it all on your own.
C．Keeping on going after some failures.	D．Just facing up to many difficulties.

4. What does the passage mainly tell us?

A．Believe in yourself.	B．Don’t give up too soon.
C．Listen to the wisdom’s suggestion.	D．Introduce the guru’s wisdom.