【推荐1】A well-dressed man came to a famous jewelry shop. He explained that he wished to buy a pearl for his wife’s birthday. The price didn’t matter. Since business had been very good for him that year. After examining a nice black one that cost $5000, he paid for the pearl in cash, shook hands with the jeweler, and left.

A few days later the man returned and said that his wife liked the pearl so much that she wanted another one just like it. It had to be exactly the same size and quality, because she wanted a pair of earrings made, “Can you give me any advice on how to get such a pearl? ” said the man. The jeweler regretfully replied, “I would say it’s exactly impossible to find one exactly like that pearl.”

The rich man insisted that the jeweler advertise in the newspapers, offering $ 25,000 for the matching pearl. Many people answered the advertisement but nobody had a pearl that was just right.

Just when the jeweler had given up hope, a little old lady came into his store. To his great surprise, she pulled the perfect pearl from her purse. “I don’t like to part with it,” she said sadly, “I got it from my mother, and my mother from hers. But I really need the money. ”

The jeweler was quick to pay her before she changed her mind. Then he called the rich man’s hotel to tell him the good news. The man, however, was nowhere to be found.
1. He paid $ 5,000 for the black pearl without bargaining because ______.

A．he loved his wife deeply

B．his business had been successful

C．he was anxious to get it

D．he wanted to make the jeweler believe him

2. He told the jeweler to get him another pearl that must be ______.

A．exactly the same size as the black one

B．exactly as big and nice as the black one

C．exactly as expensive as the black one

D．exactly the same quality as the black one

3. Many people answered the advertisement because they wanted _______.

A．to see the perfect pearl

B．to sell their own pearl at a high price

C．to get in touch with the rich man

D．to help the rich man’s wife

4. The little old lady was probably________.

A．the man’s partner

B．short of money

C．unwilling to sell the pearl

D．the man’s wife

【推荐2】In 1959, Handler changed how toy dolls were made when she introduced “Barbie” to the world. With her mature figure, Barbie was one of the first “grown-up” dolls to hit the retail market.

Handler wanted to create a toy that was different from the baby dolls that dominated little girls’ toy boxes. She wanted a doll that girls could project their future dreams upon and allowed for limitless clothing and career choices. Handler made sure Barbie had the body of a grown woman.

“My own philosophy of Barbie,” Handler wrote in her autobiography,“was that through the doll, the little girl could be anything she wanted to be. Barbie always represented the fact that a woman had choices.”

There’s even a Barbie for cancer patients — Brave Barbie — a partnership between Mattel and CureSearch that sends a bald (光头的) Barbie to families affected by cancer. “Gifting my daughter a Barbie who suffered from cancer was tremendous,” Michelle, a cancer survivor’s mother said, “We would play with that Barbie together and I’d heartbreakingly watch her pretend to take the doll to the hospital for chemo (化疗), or place its long wig on top of its head and tell the doll ‘ It’s time to be beautiful again.’ ”

Bald Barbie was super brave and went on awesome adventures after chemo. Sometimes she felt sick and needed to sleep, but would feel much better after a rest. Bald Barbie always beat the cancer and went on to live a long and happy life with her family. That Barbie became so much more than a plastic doll—she was a means of communication and a coping mechanism during an extremely distressing time for little families.

1. Why did Handler create Barbie?

A．To make a hit in the retail market.

B．To appeal to girls with her diverse outfits.

C．To do a project on women’s career choices.

D．To inspire girls to make choices as they wish.

2. How might Michelle feel when watching her daughter with Brave Barbie?

A．Sad yet comforted.	B．Envious yet proud.
C．Overwhelmed and ashamed.	D．Heartbroken and regretful.

3. Where is the text probably taken from?

A．A medical journal.	B．A charity brochure.
C．A financial report.	D．A story collection.

【推荐1】Clara packed her things at the Patent Office and went to her boss. “It’s been a pleasure working with you, but I’m quitting my job.” She turned and left.

“What are you doing home so early?” asked her sister Sally.

“The Civil War is taking its toll on the Union soldiers. I need to help them.”

Sally chewed her lips and looked around the room. “I’m going with you.”

The two volunteered at the Washington Hospital. After several months, Clara became unsettled. “Sally, this isn’t enough. I need to help the soldiers in the field and on the front lines. I’m leaving in the morning.”

Sally’s brows rose into her forehead. “Clara! You can’t. It’s too dangerous.”

“The front line soldiers who need help are in greater danger.”

Clara got donations where she could and used her own savings to buy supplies. She traveled from battle to battle with three army wagons. She also organized men to give first aid, carry water, and prepare food for the wounded.

After many months of battlefield after battlefield, Clara told her friend Rachel. “I finally received official permission to bring supplies to battlefields. The wounded soldiers are so appreciative of all I do, they’ve named me the “Angel of the Battlefield.”

“That’s wonderful,” said Rachel. “You certainly deserve the recognition. You’re one of the bravest women I know.”

After the Civil War ended, Clara went to Europe to rest her body and mind. So many years of helping soldiers and their families had worn her down.

While visiting Switzerland, Clara learned of the International Red Cross. Its mission to help war victims around the world aroused Clara’s interest and excitement. It also sparked an idea.

When she returned home, Clara worked to establish an American Red Cross. She even met with President Hayes to discuss it. Finally, on May 21, 1881, the American Red Cross was formed. A month later, Clara was elected president of the organization.

1. Where did Clara first volunteer to help the Union soldiers?

A．Switzerland.	B．The Patent Office.
C．The front lines.	D．The Washington Hospital.

2. Which of the following words best describes Clara’s character?

A．Fearless and devoted.	B．Generous and energetic.
C．Humorous and brave.	D．Considerate and confident.

3. What is the text mainly about?

A．The suffering brought by the Civil War.

B．The development of the American Red Cross.

C．Women’s contributions to the American peace.

D．A great woman who introduced Red Cross into USA.

【推荐2】There are many expressions with the word “dog”.

    1    They take their dogs for walks, give them good food and medical care. However, dogs without owners to care for them lead a different kind of life. The expression, lead a dog’s life, describes a person who has an unhappy existence.

When we say we live in a dog-eat-dog world.    2    A person has to work hard like a dog to be successful. Such hard work can make people dog-tired. And, the situation would be even worse if they became sick as a dog.

Still, people say every dog has its day. This means that every person enjoys a successful period during his or her life.     3    Yet, some people say that you can never teach an old dog new tricks. They believe that older people do not like to learn new skills and will not change the way they do things.

Some people are compared to dogs in bad ways. People who are unkind or uncaring can be described as junkyard dogs living in places where people throw away things they do not want. Junkyard dogs are often used to guard this property. They bark or attack people who try to enter the property. However, sometimes a person who appears to be mean and threatening is really not so bad.    4    

Dog expressions are also used to describe the weather. The dog days of summer are the hottest days of the year.    5    But we do not want it to rain cats and dogs.

A．Dogs are loyal to people.

B．People love dogs and treat them well.

C．To be successful, people often have to learn new skills.

D．But there are many difficulties on the road to success.

E．A rainstorm may cool the weather.

F．We could say his bark is worse than his bite.

G．That means many people are competing for the same things, like good jobs.

【推荐3】“Runners, on your mark. Get set...” Bang! And I was off, along with other teenage runners from high schools across the country. It was a fine day, like any other fair-weather autumn day in Maryland. But the race that day felt unique from the get-go. For one thing, I like the course. It was my team’s home course, one I was used to running during practices. It took runners along terrain(地形) that included open fields, hills and even dirt paths through a small forest. It was a beautiful 5-kilometer course. This particular race was our team’s invite, and I was proud to be sharing the course with competitors from other schools. It also meant a lot more than normal-that my parents were to cheer me on.

With so much to expect that day, I was ready to run! And I didn’t want to be stuck with other runners, as is typical at the beginning of most cross-country races. So when the gun sounded, I took off running, leaving everyone else in the dust.

The first of our course followed a large open field before disappearing into the forest. Within seconds of the start, I was far ahead of everyone, and all of the fans could see it. It felt magnificent!

But that feeling didn’t last long. Little did I know my coach was laughing to himself, thinking,“Gabe is done for!” And I was. My body was telling me to slow down. My pride, however, said“No! Not until you’re out of the audiences!”I was in pain, but I kept up my pace until I reached the forest. Once I was among the trees, I slowed my way down.

I enjoyed most races, even while pushing myself, but this one was not enjoyable in the least. I finished the race, but in nowhere near the time I could have if I’d paced myself well from the beginning. Every time I reflect on that cross-country season, I’m reminded of something:Pride is no substitute for pace.

1. What made the race unique to the author according to Paragraph 1?

A．The blue sky and white clouds.	B．The competitors and audiences.
C．The home course and his parents.	D．The unknown terrain and fair weather.

2. What can be inferred from Paragraph 4?

A．The coach thought the author was going to fail the race.

B．The coach thought the author would probably be prized.

C．The coach thought the author was doing a great job.

D．The coach thought the author needed to pace up.

3. Why didn’t the author enjoy the race?

A．Because he slowed his way down.

B．Because he didn’t finished the race.

C．Because he lost the game completely.

D．Because he could have done better.

4. Which of the following can be the best title for the text?

A．The Race Less Paced	B．The Meaning of Pride
C．A Race worth Celebrating	D．A Competition of My Team

【推荐1】Alan Greenspan, Chairman of the Federal Reserve Board, has succeeded in beating back shadows of rising inflation（压制通货膨胀）over the years, squeezing the nations' money supply and tugging up short-term interest rates to slow the economy. The Fed policymaker believes that the pain of higher rates is worthwhile if it leads to stable prices, promotes long-term investment and cools volatility （波动）in financial markets.

However, tight money could aggravate （恶化）an already troublesome trade - off （平衡）between foreign investment and the trade deficit （赤字）.The dollar rises and falls on foreign - exchange markets along with short-term U. S. interest rates. Higher interest rates help attract the $ 10 billion per month of foreign investment that the nation has come to rely on to finance its borrowing. Yet, if interest rates push the dollar up too far, imports would become cheaper and U. S. exporters would find it more difficult to sell overseas, reversing the progress made in reducing America's trade deficit.

Even if the Fed's inflation medicine provides a long-term cure for the economy, it will be painful in the short run. Banks have already raised their prime lending rate to 11 percent. Corporations that have taken out large loans will be squeezed. The borrowing costs the U. S. government pays will rise as well, worsening the deficit and making it even more difficult to bring the budget closer to balance.

However, so far, the markets have been impressed by Greenspan's deft moves in inflation busting (打破).Long-term interest rates have hardly risen, suggesting that the markets believe that inflation will be contained over time. Recent survey found that money managers think inflation will average only 2.5 percent annually over the next 10 years. But the Fed is committed to ratcheting inflation even lower. Greenspan wants to squeeze inflation closer to zero over the next several years to a point where families and businesses can safely ignore it when making long-term plans. But Bill Clinton (the former President), even President Barack Obama evidently believed that moderate inflation is a lesser evil than the political fallout from slower economic growth. Greenspan's toughest tasks may be to demonstrate that sound economics and good politics are one and the same.

1. Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?

A．The contradiction between sound economics and good politics.

B．The solution to budget deficit and trade deficit.

C．A troublesome balance between short-term and long-term economic growth.

D．Greenspan VS. inflation

2. According to the passage, what would make it more difficult to close the budgetary deficit?

A．The US government would pay more interest for the foreign investment.

B．Less foreign investment could be relied on to finance the capital needs.

C．The Fed is squeezing the corporations that operate on the large loans.

D．The shortage of funds would slow down the economic growth.

3. What does the underlined word “ratchet" in paragraph 4 mean?

A．fueling

B．eliminating

C．checking

D．stabilizing

4. According to the passage, what is likely to be a fair judgment of Alan Greenspan's program to bust inflation?

A．It is impracticable.	B．There is so far no proper assessment.
C．It is effective	D．It calls for a feasibility study.

5. It can be inferred from the passage that politicians and economists________.

A．are the same in their strategies to adjust the economy

B．sometimes do not agree with each other on the pace of economic growth

C．yield to the will of the populace

D．both committed themselves to the balance of the budget

【推荐3】Energy goes from one plant or animal to another. A food chain shows how this energy moves. Each time an animal gets eaten, its energy is passed onto the animal that eats it. The food chain is very important because it keeps the balance of nature. If one part of the food chain disappears, it can affect all the other plants and animals. Any threat to the food chain is a threat to the environment’s biodiversit(生物多样性). The food chain helps keep animal populations in balance. However, if something happens to increase or decrease one of the links in the food chain, that balance is broken. If one animal becomes endangered, it puts all the animals above it at risk.
Some of the threats are natural, such as wildfires, hurricanes, tornados, floods and so on. But the biggest threats to the food chain come from you and me. These threats include overhunting, overfishing, logging, farming, development, pollution, etc. The food chain is endangered anywhere humans have had an effect on the natural environment.
A recent study shows that the overfishing of large sharks is damaging the food chain along the US Atlantic coast. Canadian and American scientists say sharks are being killed in great numbers for their meat and fins(鳍). Now, not enough sharks are around to eat the cownose(牛鼻) ray. The ray’s population has increased and they have eaten up the shellfish to the point where it has hurt commercial(商业的) fishing.
Many of us disturb the natural environment in our own backyards. It’s up to us to take care of the environment and try not to disrupt the natural food chain. If we don’t act responsibly, animals will start disappearing.
1. What can we learn from Paragraph 1?

A．The food chain is not easy to be broken.

B．The energy of an animal usually disappears when it dies.

C．Increasing the links will not break the balance of nature.

D．Breaking the food chain is bad for the biodiversity of the environment.

2. The study mentioned in Paragraph 3 proves that            .

A．human activities can be a big threat to the food chain

B．we are all responsible for the breaking of the food chain

C．natural disasters are hard to break the food chain

D．hunting large sharks for meat is beneficial

3. We can infer that the writer wrote this passage mainly to           .

A．explain what the food chain is

B．tell us something interesting about Nature

C．suggest that we stop eating meat to save animals

D．suggest that we not disrupt the natural food chain