【推荐2】It was dark outside, just after the dinner hour, when Benny Correa and Amanda Disley and three of their five kids climbed into their black Cadillac Escalade. As they prepared to exit the parking lot of the restaurant where they’d just eaten, a dark blue Honda Civic with heavily tinted windows crossed their path.

Correa hollered, “That’s that car!” Earlier in the day, Disley had mentioned an Amber Alert issued for a missing 11-year-old girl in Brimfield, Massachusetts, less than 30 miles from the family’s home in Springfield. The car that passed them was the same make and model as the one that had been used in her kidnapping. Correa tailed the Honda in an effort to view the license plate. The driver immediately sped up and blew through a stop sign. Correa wasn’t about to lose the Honda. “Being a father, I had to do what I had to do,” he told ABC News. The Cadillac’s high beams flashed on the driver—a young man with black hair, pulling a hooded sweatshirt up over his face. They could see him forcing a girl’s head down in the back, as if trying to hide her. Disley, who by then had called 911, was frantically relaying their situation to the dispatcher（调度员）.

They were now barreling down the road at 100 mph. “He’s going through red lights!” Disley yelled to the police. Keeping on the Honda’s tail, Correa discovered another problem: The lowgas light was blinking on the Cadillac’s dashboard. In fact, it had been blinking for much of the 15-minute chase. The car soon sputtered to a halt. The Honda disappeared onto the Massachusetts Turnpike.

But thanks to Disley’s chatter and directions, the cops had plotted the path the kidnapper was taking and set up a roadblock on the turnpike, trapping the car soon after. The driver was 24-year-old Miguel Rodriguez. He’d pulled a knife on Charlotte Moccia as she walked home from school and forced her into his car. If she screamed, he’d warned, he would kill her. Moccia was found huddled in the back seat, terrified but unharmed, which might not have been the case had it not been for Correa and Disley. “It felt like we won the lottery,” Disley says. “The feeling of knowing she’s safe and back with her family because of us is just unexplainable.”

1. According to the text, which statement is correct about an Amber Alert?

A．it’s an alarm which is used to find missing cars.

B．it’s issued by a dispatcher of 911 in Massachusetts.

C．it’s issued because of a missing girl.

D．it’s used to find a young man.

2. Correa followed the Honda because ________.

A．he recognized the man inside the Honda.

B．he was sure that the girl was in the car.

C．he suspected the man in the Honda kidnapped his child.

D．he wanted to check out the information of the car.

3. Who is Miguel Rodriguez?

A．the kidnapper of Charlotte Moccia

B．the driver of Cadillac Escalade

C．the person who set up a roadblock

D．the cop who had plotted the path

4. What can we learn about the dad from the text?

A．he was the person who called 911.

B．after the chase, he felt like they won the lottery.

C．he is a dad with responsibility.

D．he saved the girl successfully.

【推荐3】Last week,84-year-old Janet Fein received her bachelor's degree from the University of Texas at Dallas.Fein has had a full life.She has raised five children and then had a career as a secretary until she retired at age 77.But even then, she was not ready to take it easy and rest.She said she decided to major in sociology because she felt it was very important.

Fein grew up in the Bronx area of New York City.She just wanted to get a job in high school.After graduating at the age of 16, she went to work as a secretary.After getting married, she spent 18 years staying home with her children.She held several jobs throughout her life, including 20 years as a secretary at a hospital.She also worked for 20 years on earning an associate degree.But Fein also wanted to earn a bachelor's degree “with all of my heart”. Even with all of her life experiences, she still enjoyed reading, writing papers and learning new things.

Health experts say continuing with education later in life is one way to keep fit.Carmel Dyer, director of the UT Health Consortium on Aging at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, says keeping active and giving yourself something to look forward to “is just a really positive move”。

Fein kept going to class even as her health conditions worsened.During her studies, it became necessary for her to use a walker to get around and she required oxygen.She also developed knee problems.Therefore, Fein took online classes to finish the last part of her degree requirements.Her college advisor Sheila Rollerson said Fein never showed signs of giving up even with all of her difficulties.“She just kept plugging along," Rollerson said.

1. What was Janet Fein's last work before she retired?

A．A teacher.

B．A secretary.

C．A nurse.

D．A doctor.

2. What did Janet Fein want to do most after earning an associate degree?

A．Get a bachelor's degree.

B．Keep fit by exercises.

C．Read all kinds of books.

D．Find a job at the hospital.

3. What can be inferred from paragraph 3?

A．Life should be full of adventures.

B．People should have their own views.

C．Further study benefits the old's health.

D．Healthy lifestyle is just to keep active.

4. What do you think of Janet Fein?

A．Honest.

B．Determined.

C．Generous.

D．Kind.

【推荐1】On October 3, 1945, a ten-year-old boy stood on stage at a contest. One of his teachers had encouraged him to enter the contest after hearing him sing one morning. He placed fifth.

A few months later, he received a guitar for his 11th birthday. What he really wanted was a bicycle. Two of his uncles gave him basic guitar lessons. But he didn’t like singing in public. He was too shy.

Yet something inside kept pulling him back to music. In 1948, his family moved to Memphis, Tennessee. The boy would spend every moment of his free time on Beale Street, the heart of the Memphis Blues Scene. He’d often bring his guitar to school. Yet his eighth grade teacher gave him a C in music. She told him that he had “no gift for singing”.

In 1953, the young man walked into the offices of Sun Records. But the record went nowhere. He tried out for a local singing group, but failed in the audition. He told his father, “They told me I couldn’t sing.”

Then Sam Philips, the owner of Sun Records heard this young man’s record. Sam invited him back to the studio and asked him to sing as many songs as he knew. Yet even then, it was not going well. The young man was about to go home when he suddenly picked up his guitar and started singing a 1946 Blues song, That’s All Right. Philips immediately began taping; he knew this was the sound he’d been looking for. Sun Records released the album. No one had ever heard anything like it before.

Within three years Elvis Presley（猫王）was an international superstar.

1. What did the boy hope for as the 11th birthday gift?

A．A guitar.	B．A birthday party.
C．A bike.	D．A music lesson.

2. What can we infer about the boy from the third paragraph?

A．He eventually gave up singing.	B．His teacher encouraged him.
C．His family sent him to a music school.	D．He was still addicted to music.

3. What does the underlined word “audition” in Paragraph 4 probably mean?

A．A short performance.	B．A previous plan.
C．A singing contest.	D．A new record.

4. What does the text mainly tell us?

A．Actions speak louder than words.

B．Two heads are better than one.

C．A friend in need is a friend indeed.

D．Where there is a will, there is a way.

【推荐2】People always say that education is the best investment you can make in your kids.I agree.However,people forget that your children can learn from experiences outside school.Family travel allows kids to explore new cultures,spend quality time with their parents and expand their horizons.My parents taught me this and took my brother and me to South Africa,Russia and Europe when we were kids.I have carried on this tradition and I hope my children will continue it.

Traveling with children is neither easy nor cheap,but it is worth every penny.Both my kids got their passports mere weeks after they were born and boarded their first plane to Chile when they were only three months old.With careful planning,the hassle(困难)of going through airport security and enduring an overnight flight can be minimized and once you arrive at your destination,it is so worth it.

Every city,every town and every country they have visited has allowed my children to learn so much more than what they learn in a classroom.Traveling exposes them to so much more than a textbook.They have experienced different cultures,smelled the local markets,touched handicrafts made by local artisans,and tasted different foods.They have been in places where there is limited contact with the rest of the world and seen how living conditions vary not only between different countries,but also between different cities.

Actually,my kids(now 7 and 10)have learned to pack.They know what they can take through airport security and what is not allowed to go through it.The most important thing they have learned so far,though,is that we do not share the same background,but we can all find common ground.They have learned to respect others and felt respected as well.

1. What is the main idea of the passage?

A．Kids like to travel around the world.

B．Family travel is a great investment.

C．Education is the most important thing.

D．Parents should spend more time with kids.

2. Why does the author attach so much importance to family travel?

A．Because she likes to explore new areas and meet new people.

B．Because she wants to give her kids a comfortable life.

C．Because she believes kids can benefit a lot from it.

D．Because she misses her parents very much.

3. What can we learn from para.2?

A．The author’s kids started travelling as very young babies.

B．Travelling with kids is an easy job for the author.

C．Travelling with kids actually costs little money.

D．Travel can be a great challenge for young babies.

4. We can learn from Para.3 that the author’s kids______.

A．like to visit classrooms in different countries

B．don’t like studying in the classroom

C．realize that there are many poor people in the world

D．have gained much knowledge from their experiences

【推荐3】In 1868 six-year-old Laura Jernegan, her parents, and her baby brother, Prescott, set sail from New Bedford, Massachusetts. This was no vacation cruise. Laura’s father, captain of the whaleship Roman, was hunting the mightiest animal on earth.

Unwilling to be separated from his family for three to four years while he made ocean voyages thousands of miles from home, Captain Jernegan took them with him to share in the adventure—and the danger-of life at sea. In the mid-1800s, as many as one in six American whaling, captains took their families on voyages.

What was it like to live on a whaleship? The diary Laura kept while she was at sea offers a look into her unusual childhood. She was fascinated by her father’s job. When the ship’s lookout spotted a whale, Laura recorded it in her diary. “I hope we shall get him,” she wrote.

She watched as the men rushed to their whaleboats and chased the whales. As soon as a whale was caught, the crew began to process it. First the crew “cut in” the whale by removing its thick blanket of blubber (鲸脂).

After throwing pieces of blubber into large pots, two men would “get in the pots and squish (挤) out the blubber,” Laura wrote. It must have been a strange sight because the sailors were “way up to their knees” in the greasy fat, she reported.

Now came the hot, smoky, and smelly par. A brick furnace (火炉) was fired up, and the blubber was tried out, or boiled into oil. One huge whale produced enough oil to fill seventy-five barrels, she noted in disbelief. When the Jernegans returned home, the oil would be sold for the best price possible. Whale oil was important during most of the nineteenth century. It was used to light lamps and to make candles.

Whaling was both exciting and exhausting. Yet it also had its slow moments, Weeks could go by without so much as a glimpse of a whale. Then Laura filled her days with school lessons and sewing.

When Laura was grown, she never went whaling again. By then, petrol had already replaced whale oil. This era, called the golden age of whaling, was over. So was the era of entire families going to sea. Yet Laura’s diary has helped to ensure that this chapter in America’s seafaring history won’t be forgotten.

1. Why did Laura set sail with her father?

A．She was a keen observer and writer.	B．She was fascinated by his father’s job.
C．His father would hunt the mightiest animal.	D．Her father wanted the family to stay together.

2. What can we learn about processing the hunted whales?

A．Laura offered help to the work.	B．It was very hard and dirty work.
C．It started from boiling the blubber.	D．The workers couldn’t stand the heat and bad smell.

3. What do we know from the underlined sentence in paragraph 4?

A．Laura was tired of school lessons.	B．Laura lost interest in whaling sometimes.
C．No whales could be spotted.	D．The process of whaling was slow.

4. Which of the following words best describes Laura’s diary?

A．Significant.

B．Dreadful.

C．Conventional.

D．Practical.

【推荐1】

Travel with Your Pet to Whistler , Canada !

Pet Friendly Whistler !

We want to help you bring your cat or dog on vacation to Whistler!

Check out our Store! These are innovative, healthy ideas for your pet!

There are so many beautiful parks in Whistler to go hiking in with your dog! What a destination! Check the fun page! How about a beauty treatment? But first you need a place to stay! This area is a wonderland of fun. Now bringing your dog up requires some thought and planning. Please check out the hotels page for pet friendly hotels!

Want to search for yourself? Try HomeAway—just select your dates and how many people need to sleep! And, if you would like to do something that would be better done without your pet, check out our pet day care page. I worked really hard on the fun for your page, so be sure to look at some of the natural wonders to enjoy.

Here are some special places you need to know !

Coast Blackcomb Suites Hotel — BOOK IT!

Mid-range, non-smoking, full-suite hotel near the base of Blackcomb Mountain, heated outdoor pool open all year, fitness center, kitchen in every suite, free continental breakfast, free internet; parking is $20/night.

Pet fee of $25/night for 1st pet, $10/night for each additional pet, up to $75 max stay fee

4899 Painted Cliff Rd, Whistler, BC V0N 1B4, Canada (604) 905-3400

Enchanting Mountainside Ski In/Out French Lodge Style Home

Hot Tub + Firewood - Studio, sleeps 5; Ave. Nightly $182; min stay 2-7 nts.

Book It—Instantly!

This comfortable apartment in Whistler, BC is the perfect place to stay with your family or friends! It can accommodate up to six guests comfortably and no one will need to stay home on this trip, as this home is dog-friendly! Boasting a full kitchen and a wood-burning fireplace, each guest will feel right at home while sitting comfortably by the fire with a hot tea each evening.

Dog Parks in Whistler

Located at the southern end of the valley in the Creekside neighborhood, with a sandy beach, kids’ playground, volleyball and tennis courts, and BBQs, the area is called Arfa Park, free for dogs to play at all times, and dogs are allowed free in the main park before 10am and after 8pm.

1. Who might be interested in this webpage?

A．People who adopt animals as pets.	B．People who would like to travel with pets.
C．People who train pets to do some work.	D．People who are animal lovers.

2. If you are going to do something without pets, what will you do?

A．Go to the fitness center.	B．Visit dog parks alone.
C．Look for a right hotel.	D．Turn to the pet day care.

3. How much do you have to pay at least for your pets’ stay in Coast Blackcomb Suites Hotel for two nights?

A．$70.

B．$110.

C．$130.

D．$150.

【推荐2】Pet Therapy Program

Our program involves trained volunteers and their dogs who visit the children at CHOP. This program gives the children the opportunity to interact safely with the dogs and receive their unconditional love and acceptance in the hope of making the hospital environment more comfortable and less stressful and helping them recover.

For the safety of our patients and their families, we ask all possible volunteers to meet the following requirements:

● Age. You must be 188 years or older, and your dog must be at least one year old.
● Certification. We require all therapy dogs and handlers have a current therapy certification through Delta Society or Therapy Dogs International.
● Time commitment. We ask pet therapy volunteers to commit to a minimum of one two-hour shift (轮班) per month.
● Health. All volunteers and their dogs are required to be healthy. Volunteers have to receive the seasonal flu vaccine (疫苗), which is provided free of charge at CHOP. Dogs cannot be on a raw food diet at any time during their participation in the program. Dogs must be washed within 24 hours of the visit and dry upon entering the hospital.
● Restrictions. Volunteers must obey all patient confidentiality (隐私) guidelines and hospital policies. Dogs must be on leash (皮带). For identification purposes, your dog must wear a piece of colored cloth at all times while in the hospital.

If you’re interested in our program, please call 215-590-2001 or e-mail PPPTP@email. chop. edu.

1. What is CHOP?

A．A pet hospital.	B．A medical school.
C．A children’s hospital.	D．A volunteer organization.

2. What is the main purpose of the program?

A．To reduce patients’ pain caused by their diseases.

B．To train therapy dogs well enough to serve the patients.

C．To make child patients feel comfortable and recover soon.

D．To do some research on dogs’ contribution to medical science.

3. What can we learn about the dogs that work for the program?

A．They must be on a diet.

B．They must be kept clean and dry.

C．They are allowed to walk around freely in the hospital.

D．They must wear colored clothes to attract people’s attention.

【推荐3】A year ago, Jiao Wenchao, 31 and a college teacher suddenly realized that he was having hearing problems. A hospital examination suggested that both his ears were losing the ability to hear high frequency sounds. The doctor told him that the problem was caused by over exposure（暴露）to high frequency and loud noise, including from his earphones.

A recent report by the World Health Organization has warned that some 1.1 billion teenagers and young adults are at risk of hearing loss due to the unsafe use of personal audio devices, including smart phones.

Data from studies in middle-and high-income countries analyzed by WHO indicate that among teenagers and young adults aged between 12 and 35, nearly 50 percent were exposed to unsafe levels of sound from personal audio devices and around 40 percent were exposed to potentially(潜在地) damaging levels of sound at entertainment sites.

According to the study, safe listening depends on the intensity(密度) or loudness of sound, as well as the duration（持续）and frequency of listening. When the exposure is particularly loud, regular or prolonged, it could lead to permanent damage of the ear's sensory cells, it says.

The study results have caught wide attention on the Internet in China. Many internet users admit that compared with more noticeable health problems like eyesight loss, hearing loss has been largely neglected(忽略) as it is usually in the high frequency section, which means that those who suffer it can still carry out daily communication unaffected.

Pan Tao, an otologist from Peking University Third Hospital in Beijing says that timely treatment is critical. "This is because sometimes the hearing loss is temporary and can be cured with therapy, including medicine. However, it can become irreversible(不可逆转的) if the problem is not properly treated within the first two or three months.

"But many people miss the best time to get treated because they do not even realize the existence of the problem."

It says teenagers and young people can better protect their hearing by keeping the volume down on personal audio devices, wearing earplugs when visiting noisy sites, and using carefully fitted, and, if possible, noise-canceling earphones or headphones.

1. What causes hearing loss?

A．Freguent exposure to loud noise.

B．Listening to music on the phones.

C．Going to noisy places once in a while.

D．Not having your hearing examined regularly.

2. What can we conclude from the studies by WHO?

A．Half of the population in rich countries will go deaf.

B．People should not use personal audio devices.

C．Loud noise will cause physical damage to ears.

D．Hearing loss is a potentially serious problem.

3. Why don’t people pay attention to hearing loss?

A．It won’t affect communication.	B．It can be cured easily.
C．It often escapes notice.	D．It is only temporary.

4. What is suggested to avoid hearing loss?

A．Have your hearing examined regularly.

B．Keep yourself to a safe sound volume.

C．Stay away from personal audio devices.

D．Don’t go to noisy places.

【推荐1】They wear the latest fashions with the most up-to-date accessories(配饰)．Yet these are not girls in their teens or twenties but women in their sixties and seventies．A generation which would once only wear old-fashioned clothes is now favouring the same high street looks worn by those half their age．

Professor Julia Twigg, a social policy expert, said, “Women over 75 are now shopping for clothes more frequently than they did when they were young in the 1960s．In the 1960s buying a coat for a woman was a serious matter．It was an expensive item that they would purchase only every three or four years — now you can pick one up at the supermarket whenever you wish to．Fashion is a lot cheaper and people get tired of things more quickly．”

Professor Twigg analysed family expenditure(支出) data and found that while the percentage of spending on clothes and shoes by women had stayed around the same — at 5 or 6 percent of spending — the amount of clothes bought had risen sharply．

The professor said, “Clothes are now 70 percent cheaper than they were in the 1960s because of the huge expansion of production in the Far East．In the 1960s Leeds was the heart of the British fashion industry and that was where most of the clothes came from, but now almost all of our clothes are sourced elsewhere．Everyone is buying more clothes but in general we are not spending more money on them．”

Fashion designer Angela Barnard, who runs her own fashion business in London, said older women were much more affected celebrity(名流) style than in previous years．

She said, “When people see stars such as Judi Dench and Helen Mirren looking attractive and fashionable in their sixties, they want to follow them．Older women are much more aware of celebrities．There’s also the boom in TV programmes showing people how they can change their look, and many of my older customers do yoga to stay in shape well in their fifties．When I started my business a few years ago, my older customers tended to be very rich, but now they are what I would call ordinary women．My own mother is 61 and she wears the latest fashions in a way she would never have done ten years ago．”

1. Professor Twigg found that, compared with the 1960s, _________．

A．the price of clothes has generally fallen by 70%

B．the spending on clothes has increased by 5% or 6%

C．people spend 30% less than they did on clothes

D．the amount of clothes bought has risen by 5% or 6%

2. What can we learn about old women in terms of fashion?

A．They are often ignored by fashion designers．

B．They are now more easily influenced by stars．

C．They are regarded as pioneers in the latest fashion．

D．They are more interested in clothes because of their old age．

3. It can be concluded that old women tend to wear the latest fashions today mainly because _________．

A．they get tired of things more quickly	B．TV shows teach them how to change their look
C．they are in much better shape now	D．clothes are much cheaper than before

4. Which is the best possible title of the passage?

A．Age Is No Barrier for Fashion Fans	B．The More Fashionable, the Less Expensive
C．Unexpected Changes in Fashion	D．Boom of the British Fashion Industry

【推荐2】Apple Seeds

Circulation (发行量):1 Year, 9 Issues

Cover Price: $44. 55

Price For You: $33. 95

Product Description: Apple Seeds is an award-winning magazine filled with stories for kids aged from 7 to 9. The cover is very soft, providing durability (耐用性) that allows each issue to be enjoyed for many year to come. Besides, there is a big surprise for you --- it’s being sold at a more favorable discount than usual.

Better Life

Circulation: 1 Year, 12 Issues

Cover Price: $44. 55

Price For You: $15. 00

Product Description: Designed for those who have a strong interest in personal lifestyle, Better Life is America’s complete home and family service magazine. It offers help with food, recipes, decorating, building, gardening, family health, money management, and education.

Humor Times

Circulation: 1 Year, 12 Issues

Cover Price: $36. 00

Price For You: $11. 95

Product Description: Humor Times Magazine is for those who love to laugh! Full of cartoons and humor columns, it shows up in your mailbox once a month and keeps you smiling all year round! In today’s world, you need a reason to laugh. So let’s find it in Humor Times.

News China

Circulation: 1 Year, 12 Issues

Cover Price: $47. 88

Price For You: $19. 99

Product Description: News China Marine is the English edition of China Newsweek. The magazine covers the latest Chinese domestic news in politics, business, society, environment, culture, sports and travels, etc. It is the first comprehensive news magazine for readers interested in China.

1. What do we know about Apple Seeds?

A．The soft cover enables it to be read and kept long.

B．It can be purchased as an award for your children.

C．It offers the biggest discount among all the magazines.

D．The magazine is going to surprise for many years.

2. What kind of people may buy News China?

A．People who have an interest in personal lifestyle of the Chinese.

B．People who have a strong sense of humor and love to laugh.

C．People who want to enlarge the knowledge of their kids.

D．People who are interested in China’s politics, business and culture.

3. Better Life can help you in       .

A．beautifying your house.

B．finding interesting stories for your kids

C．ordering food from restaurants.

D．learning about sports and travels.

【推荐3】People travel for a lot of reasons. Some tourists go to see battlefields or religious shrines ( 宗教圣殿). Others are looking for culture, or simply want to have their pictures taken in front of famous places. But most European tourists are looking for a sunny beach to lie on.

Northern Europeans are willing to pay a lot of money and put up with a lot of inconveniences for the sun because they have so little of it. Residents (居民) of cities like London, Copenhagen, and Amsterdam spend a lot of their winter in the dark because the days are so short, and much of the rest of the year in the rain. This is the reason the Mediterranean has always attracted them. Every summer, more than 25 million people travel to Mediterranean resorts and beaches for their vacation. They all come for the same reason: sun!

The huge crowds mean lots of money for the economies of Mediterranean countries. Italy’s 30,000 hotels are booked solid ( 全部客满) every summer. And 13 million people camp out on French beaches, parks, and roadsides. Spain’s long sandy coastline attracts more people than anywhere else. 37 million tourists visit yearly, or one tourist for every person living in Spain.

But there are signs that the area is getting more tourism than it can handle. The   Mediterranean is already one of the most polluted seas on earth. And with increased tourism, it’s getting worse. The French can’t figure out what to do with all the garbage left by campers around St. Tropez. And in many places, swimming is dangerous because of pollution.

None of this, however, is spoiling anyone’s fun. The Mediterranean gets more popular every year with tourists. Obviously, they don’t go there for clean water and solitude (清净自在). They tolerate traffic jams and seem to like crowded beaches. They don’t even mind the pollution. No matter how dirty the water is, the coastline still looks beautiful. And as long as the sun shines, it’s still better than sitting in the cold rain in Berlin, London, or Oslo.

1. The writer seems to imply that Europeans travel mostly for the reason that _____.

A．they want to see historic remains or religious spots

B．they are interested in different cultural traditions and social customs

C．they wish to escape from the cold, dark and rainy days back at home

D．they would like to take pictures in front of famous sites

2. In paragraph 2, cities like London, Copenhagen, and Amsterdam are mentioned _____.

A．to tell us how wealthy their residents are

B．to show that they are not good cities in terms of geography and climate

C．to suggest that these cities lack places of historic interest and scenic beauty

D．to prove that they have got more tourism than they can handle

3. The latter half of the last sentence in Paragraph 3, “or one tourist for every person living in Spain” means _____.

A．all the 37 million people living in Spain are tourists

B．every Spanish is visited by a tourist every year

C．every person living in Spain has to take care of a tourist

D．every year almost as many tourists visit Spain as there are people living in that country

4. According to the passage, which of the following factors might spoil the tourists’ fun at Mediterranean resorts and beaches?

A．Rainy weather

B．Polluted water

C．Traffic jams

D．Crowded buses