【推荐1】On a cold winter day in Denver, I waited in line to see my hero, Jack Canfield, the co-author of the best-selling Chicken Soup for the Soul series and the author of The Success Principles. What Jack had become was a version of what I wanted to be.

During his talk, Jack took out his wallet, pulled out a hundred-dollar bill, and said, “Who wants this?”

Hands shot up in the audience; people leaned forward to see whom Jack would choose. But I ran up the stairs to the stage and grabbed the bill from his hand. He turned to me and said, “Yes, that’s it! Instead of waiting around for opportunities, simply take the initiative and create what we want!”

After this week, I asked for his personal e-mail address and sent him e-mail sharing my views and dreams. He kindly e-mailed back simple encouragement such as “Keep thinking and playing bigger; it’s much more fun that way. Love, Jack.” Then I got occupied with other things in life and I stopped e-mail Jack.

A year later, my dream gradually faded. I had this idea if I got back in touch with Jack. I e-mailed him again and again but got no response. As I sat down at my computer to check my e-mail for the fifth time in 15 minutes, an inspiration came like lighting: What was I doing? Was I waiting for the prize of life? I knew I needed to do something about all this waiting. I was going to write a book, which I would call “Waiting for Jack”!

It all sounded good, but then reality hit. Some nights I cried and wanted to give up. I wrote and rewrote. Even though I could feel the fear, I did it anyway. Fortunately, three years later, Waiting for Jack turns out a best-seller on Amazon!

We all have a “Jack” for whom we wait — whether it’s a person, a place or a thing. Now I would like to ask you: what are you waiting for?

1. From the first paragraph we can learn that the author _________.

A．wanted Jack to autograph her book

B．wanted to be as successful as Jack

C．wanted to make friends with Jack

D．wanted to get help from Jack

2. It can be inferred from the passage that Jack Canfield is probably a person who _________.

A．welcomes challenges in life

B．enjoys playing a lot

C．likes showing off his wealth

D．seldom takes risks

3. How did the author lose contact with Jack?

A．She and Jack had an argument.

B．She had no time to contact Jack.

C．Jack was too proud to get along with.

D．She was too upset with her broken dream.

4. Which of the following statements is NOT True according to the passage?

A．The author considered Jack Canfield as her idol.

B．The author was not very satisfied with Jack’s response at first.

C．It was the author’s sudden desire to write a book called Waiting for Jack.

D．The author spent three years writing Waiting for Jack, so it became a best seller.

5. What might be the theme of the book Waiting for Jack?

A．The disappointment of waiting for her hero, Jack.

B．The need to keep waiting for the prize of our life.

C．The importance of taking action to achieve a goal.

D．The harm of blindly worshipping others as heroes.

【推荐2】“He was a nightmare (噩梦),” his mother, Mary said as I talked with her and her son Jamie. “I was sure he was going to end up in prison, or worse”. Seeing Jamie so full of life with his new friends, there was no room for imagination that he was ever a rebellious (叛逆的) kid.

Jamie was raised by his mother after his father left ten years ago. They lived in a small flat with little money. Most of their neighbors were alcoholics, so crime was very common. At middle school, he quickly got in with the wrong crowd and began to steal everything from shoes to phones.

Mary didn’t realize the consequence of the trouble Jamie made until he told her he had been stopped from going to school for three weeks. Mary was very angry, but now she has realized that it was the best thing that had happened to both of them.

During the three weeks, Mary made him volunteer at the local community centre where he saw the street dancers for the first time. “They were so cool and able to express themselves in a way I had never seen before. I asked to join them and they agreed. Because of them I am who I am now.” Jamie told me, tears in his eyes.

Back at school, his whole attitude and behavior improved. “I realized the boys I was hanging out with weren’t cool, stealing wasn’t cool and getting out of school wasn’t cool either. It made me find something I love and have a goal in life.” he said.

Yes, street dance makes him happy. This kind of dance speaks to people, and gives them a purpose.

1. Who is most probably the writer?

A．A reporter.	B．A manager.
C．A photographer.	D．A dancer.

2. What is Mary’s attitude toward Jamie’s future in the first paragraph?

A．Angry.	B．Negative.
C．Careless.	D．Cold

3. The underlined part “the wrong crowd” probably refers to _______.

A．Thieves hanging about in shops	B．Strangers
C．Schoolmates with bad influence	D．Neighbors

4. The text is written to _______.

A．outline the advantages of learning street dance

B．warn about the dangers of a difficult childhood

C．give advice on how to handle rebellious teenagers

D．tell how a kid changed after learning street dance

【推荐3】Finally, I entered the university. Because of my careful savings, I did not have to work during the school years. Then summer came and it was time to work harder than ever. I continued working as a waitress at night, instructed tennis camps several mornings a week and worked as a secretary for a few hours in the afternoons. I even decided to take a class at a community college. This class at the community college saved me $650. It was an extremely tiring summer and made me anxious to return to my relatively easy life at the university.

During my second and third years of undergraduate schooling, I decided to work about five hours per week in the campus admissions office answering phones. This provided a little spending money and kept me from drawing my savings out .The overall situation looked hopeful as I approached my senior year as long as I could make as much money as I had the previous summer. I wanted to go to Israel to study for 3 weeks, but I hesitated in making this decision because it would cost me $1,600 more to get the credits in Israel. About two weeks later my mom called to tell me that I had $1,600 in the bank that I had forgotten about！One of my concerns about this trip was not only the cost, but the loss of time to make money; however, I made as much that summer in the ten weeks when I was at home as I had made during the fourteen weeks when I was at home the summer before. The way everything worked together to make this trip possible was one of the most exciting things that have ever happened to me.

This experience has shaped me in many important ways. The first thing that I learned was the importance of a strong work ethic. Working long hours did a lot to develop my character and helped me learn the value of a dollar. It also made me learn how to search for creative ways to settle difficult situations.

1. The writer took a class at a community college mainly because________.

A．she wanted to save money	B．life there was relatively easy
C．summer time was tiring	D．it was required by the university

2. The writer’s major concern about the trip to Israel was that ________.

A．her mother would not give her approval

B．she would fail to get credits in Israel

C．a well­paid summer job would be lost

D．$1,600 couldn’t be drawn out in time

3. The passage is mainly about how the writer________.

A．made money on the college campus

B．managed to make full use of her vacation

C．was forced to support herself by her mother

D．was shaped by working part­time through college

【推荐1】When Boris left school, he could not find a job. He tried hard and pestered (纠缠)his relatives, but they had problems of their own. He answered advertisements until he could not afford to buy any more stamps. Boris grew annoyed, then depressed, then a little hardened. Still he went on trying and still he failed. He began to think that he had no future at all.

“Why don't you start your own business?” one of his uncles told him. “The world is a money-locker. You'd better find a way of opening it.”

“But what can I do？”

“Get out and have a look round,” advised his uncle in a vague sort of way. “See what people want; then give it to them, and they will pay for it.”

Boris began to cycle around the town and found a suitable piece of a waste ground in the end. Then he set up his business as a cycle repairer. He worked hard, made friends with his customers and gradually managed to build up his goodwill and profit. A few months later, he found that he had more work than he could deal with by himself. He found a number of empty shops but they were all no good: in the wrong position, too expensive or with some other snag. But at long last, he managed to find an empty shop on a new estate where there were plenty of customers but no competition.

Boris and his assistant taught themselves how to repair scooters and motorcycles. Slowly but surely the profits increased and the business developed. At last Boris had managed to open the money-locker and found bank notes and gold coins inside.

1. Boris started his career by________.

A．cycling around the town	B．developing a waste ground
C．fixing cycles	D．buying empty shops

2. Boris finally chose an empty shop on a new estate because________.

A．it was not so expensive	B．he had a lot of old customers there
C．he could make good use of his skills there	D．there were good opportunities there

3. We can infer from the last paragraph that Boris______.

A．still couldn't make good profits	B．set off in a successful career
C．found a lot of gold coins by accident	D．had great difficulty running his business

4. Which of the following would be the BEST title for the passage?

A．Goodwill is the key to success	B．The world is a money-locker
C．No education, no future	D．Difficulty of starting a small business

【推荐3】A student was one day taking a walk with his teacher. As they went along, they saw a pair of old shoes lying in the path. They were a poor farmer’s, who was working in the nearby field.

The student turned to the teacher, saying: “we will hide his shoes, and hide ourselves behind those trees, and wait to see what he will do.”

“My young friend,” answered the teacher, “we should never make fun of others. Why not put a coin in each shoe, and then we will hide ourselves and watch?” The student did so and they both hid themselves behind the trees. The poor man soon finished his work, and came across the field to the path where he had left his coat and shoes.

After putting on his coat, he put his foot into one of his shoes, and felt something hard. Then he bent (弯腰) down to feel what it was, and found the coin. Surprised, he looked at the coin, turned it around and looked at it again. He then looked around, but no person was seen. He put the money into his pocket, and continued to put on the other shoe. His surprise was doubled on finding the other coin.

He couldn’t control his feelings and fell to his knees, looked up to the sky and expressed his thanks. Then he spoke of his wife, sick and helpless, and his children without bread. He said the help would save them from dying.

The student stood there deeply moved, and his eyes filled with tears. “Now,” said the teacher, “are you not much happier than if you had hidden the shoes?”

1. When the student saw the shoes, he wanted to _____.

A．steal them

B．find their owner

C．play a joke on the owner

D．give the owner some money

2. According to the passage, the teacher is _____.

A．quiet and honest	B．kind and friendly
C．patient and clever	D．strict and careful

3. At the end of the story, the student _____.

A．was very proud of himself

B．was very pleased with his life

C．felt very sorry about his first idea

D．felt sad for not taking his teacher’s advice

【推荐1】Bats are the only mammals that can fly a great distance, but they have another ability. Many bats live a very long time for an animal of their size. European researchers are studying bats to understand why they live so long. They hope to make discoveries aimed at fighting the aging process in human beings.

Last week, the group of scientists said they had identified important biological qualities in some bat species. The group studied the bats’ chromosomes (染色体), a line of genes found in the nucleus of cells. The scientists were most interested in structures connected to the ends of the chromosomes. They are called telomeres (端粒), which protect the ends of chromosomes and shorten each time a cell divides. Scientists believe this shortening process causes cells to break down. They say this is what cause aging.

The European researchers studied 493 bats from four bat species. The group used information that had been gathered over more than 60 years. Of these animals, the greater mouse-eared bat generally lived the longest, an average of 37 years. The scientists said this and a related species, which are grouped together under the name Myotis, had telomeres that did not shorten with age. Another Myotis bat holds the record for the oldest age, reaching 41 years. The scientists’ findings suggest that these bats’ cells have the ability to maintain and repair their telomeres. This helps guard against the aging process.

Based on its body size, a bat like the greater mouse-eared bat would be expected to live four years. But, these mammals have been found to live nearly 10 times longer than that. The scientists found that only 19 species of mammals live longer than humans when their body size is considered. Eighteen of these are bats.

1. Why are European researchers studying bats?

A．To learn the similar habits between bats and human beings.

B．To find out why the greater mouse-eared bats live a long life.

C．To try to understand why bats prefer to fly during the night.

D．To discover a good way to prevent human beings from aging.

2. What does the second paragraph mainly explain to us?

A．The structures of the bats’ chromosomes.	B．What causes aging biologically.
C．The functions of telomeres.	D．What causes cells to break down.

3. Why do the greater mouse-eared bat and another Myotis bat live so long?

A．They are grouped together under the name Myotis.

B．Their telomeres are decreasing with age.

C．Their cells are able to keep up and fix their telomeres.

D．They have more telomeres than human beings do.

4. What can we infer from the last paragraph?

A．Bats live 10 times longer than other mammals.

B．Bats enjoy the longest life among mammals.

C．The greater mouse-eared bat and other bats should have lived longer.

D．Many bats live longer than human beings considering their body size.

【推荐2】Six Chinese survived the tragedy of the Royal Mail Ship Titanic, but disappeared soon after. Now a British documentarian, Arthur Jones, will uncover stories and histories of discrimination.

There were eight Chinese between the ages of 24 and 37 on the Titanic, sharing one 59-pound third-class ticket, but only six survived from its sinking. When they arrived in the United States, they were not helped like the other 705 survivors. Instead they were forced to leave the country within 24 hours because of the Chinese Exclusion Act signed in 1882.

Some westerners questioned the six Chinese survivors as stowaways and claimed that they survived because they secretly climbed on the lifeboat or dressed as women to board lifeboats.

But after visiting foreign documents, museums and cooperating with American and Chinese historians, Jones believes they did not do anything disgraceful in order to survive the disaster. ''This is not only a story about the survivors of Titanic, but also a story of a group of brave Chinese people exploring the outside world at that time, '' he said.

When the ship hit an iceberg, like other third-class passengers the eight Chinese were released from the locked gates at last, but not allowed to board the lifeboat. Luckily, four of them boarded a small broken boat, and one was rescued by another lifeboat. Another one, Fang Lang, floated on a piece of wooden board in the sea. The only returning lifeboat saved him from freezing.

To restore their real stories, Jones and his team found Fang Lang's son in Wisconsin, US. Also, Jones will visit Taishan city in south China's Guangdong province, recorded as the survivors' hometown. The filmmakers also established a website, whoarethesix.com, for more clues.

Ordinarily, people think of Titanic as a story of rich white people, but don't know there were people from all over the world, including Chinese. ''Their stories are never told, '' Jones said.

The documentary The Six is expected to be released in China late this year.

1. What can we learn about the Chinese Exclusion Act?

A．It put Chinese at disadvantage.

B．It was completed within 24 hours.

C．It aimed to help Chinese passengers.

D．It forbad Chinese to buy first-class tickets.

2. What might Jones think of the six Chinese survivors?

A．Adventurous but dishonest.	B．Lucky but disgraceful.
C．Brave and innocent.	D．Poor and questionable.

3. What does Paragraph 6 mainly talk about?

A．Some amazing findings about the survivors.

B．Jones and his team's visit to different people.

C．Jones’ efforts to restore the stories of the Chinese.

D．Some information about the survivors' hometown.

4. What is the purpose of the film The Six?

A．Tell the true story of the six Chinese survivors.

B．Research into the way the six Chinese survived.

C．Criticize American's discrimination against Chinese.

D．Describe the hardship of Chinese living in America.

【推荐3】Are you the type of person who always says “yes”? I’ve come to learn that it is very important to learn to say “no”. It’s okay. People are still going to like you. They may even respect you more because they know you are honest.

I’m not saying to say “no” to someone who really needs your help. I’m talking about turning down that meeting that you really do not want to attend or that birthday party that you don’t want to be a guest at.

Think for a moment how you feel when you say “yes” to something that you really don’t want to do. If you’re like I once was, you can’t sleep at night and you think about it too much. It weighs on your mind. You try to find ways out. Whatever you’re saying to yourself, if you really wanted to go, you wouldn’t have all of these thoughts.

So, why not just say “no” from the beginning？Maybe you feel like if you don’t show up at the meeting (by the way, it is not one you must attend), your boss isn’t going to like you or your co­workers won’t respect you. Maybe you feel as if your mom, dad or sisters won’t love you as much if you don’t do everything for them what they ask every occasion.

If these people are your true friends, family members, or a good boss, they will like or love you the same no matter what. People treat you the way you teach them to, and if you’re someone who always says “yes”, then that’s what they’re expecting.

You need to do what is right for you. Of course we do have real obligations in life to fulfill, but we do not have to do everything others want us to do.

1. Which of the following statements would the writer agree with?

A．We should try to do what our friends ask us to do.

B．We should help others in need.

C．Always saying “yes” means you are dishonest.

D．Always saying “no” means you are brave.

2. Generally speaking, we agree to do what we hate to do because we________.

A．have a bad habit	B．have a kind heart
C．have much concern	D．have obligations

3. The writer believes that if you say “no” to your family members, you’ll________.

A．have the same relationship with them as before	B．have a loose relationship with them
C．disappoint them	D．upset them

4. What would be the best title for the text?

A．Learn to Make a Right Choice	B．To Be Yourself
C．Do What You Want to Do	D．Learn to Say “No”

【推荐1】Myth: If you cut your hair, it will grow long faster.

Truth: That’s not true. “Your hair isn’t like a lawn or a rosebush, where cutting can stimulate fresh growth,” says Phillip Kingsley. The length of your hair is genetically determined. When it reaches a certain length, it stops growing. When you clear up the dead split ends. This make your hair look healthier, but not necessarily longer.

Myth: If you skip meals, you lose weight fast.

Truth: There’s no truth in this advice. Not only will you not lose weight by starving yourself, but according to Carol Ann Rinzler, this may actually cause you to gain weight. Rinzler reasons that missing a meal causes your metabolism(新陈代谢) to slow down so that you burn food more slowly. This only makes you feel hungrier and by the time you finally do reach the table you will probably eat more food. Strange as it may seem, studies show that eating several small meals and snacks throughout the day is a healthier way to lose pounds.

Myth: If you swallow gum，it will stay inside your stomach for seven years.

Truth: Actually, it takes just a few days for gum to make its exit---not seven years, says Nei Izenberg, M. D., editor of Kids Health organization. But because gum is made of the same thing as rubber, it cannot be fully digested in your stomach--- so if you gum up the works on a regular basis, you might find yourself in a sticky situation.

Myth: The best way to stop a nosebleed is to lift your head back.

Truth: Now that’s bad advice. Bloody noses are caused by broken blood vessels, so while lifting your head back might stop the fluid from rushing out of your nose, it won’t stop the bleeding; you’ll just end up swallowing lots of blood. Your best bet “Rest quietly. Don’t poke or pick, and the blood will naturally clot (凝结) within a minute or two,” suggests Dr. Izenberg.

1. The length of your hair is determined by ________.

A．cutting it often	B．your gene
C．the food you eat	D．clearing up the dead split ends

2. According to Carol Ann Rinzler, skipping meals will _________.

A．help you lose weight fast.	B．help you lose weight slowly
C．cause you to become fatter	D．make you burn food more quickly

3. What does the phrase “best bet” mean?

A．A large sum of money.	B．An impossible action.
C．High expectation.	D．A wise solution.

4. Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the passage?

A．Gum cannot be fully digested in the stomach.

B．Gum can stay inside your stomach for seven years if you swallow it.

C．Gum can leave your stomach after you swallow it a few days later.

D．If you often swallow gum, you might find yourself in a sticky situation.

【推荐2】For their nick-of-time acts, Toby, a 2-year-old dog, and Winnie, a cute cat, were named Dog and Cat of the Year by the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

As Amy Paul choked on a piece of apple at her home, her dog jumped up, landing hard on her chest and forcing the piece in her throat out. When the Keesling’s family of Indiana was about to be killed by carbon monoxide, their cat clawed at the wife Cathy’s hair until she woke up and called for help.

No one could explain their timely heroics.

Both pets were rescued by their owners in infancy. Toby as a 4-week-old thrown into a garbage bin to die, and Winnie as a week-old orphan hiding under a barn, so helpless that Cathy’s husband, Eric, had to feed her milk with an eyedropper.

As the Keesling recalled it, a gas-driven pump being used broke down, spreading carbon monoxide through the house. By the time Winnie went to rescue, the couple’s 14-year-old son was already unconscious. “Winnie jumped on the bed and was clawing at me, with a kind of angry sound,” Cathy Keesling said. The state police responding to her 91l call said the family was only minutes from death, judging by the amount of poisonous gas in the house.

Amy Paul’s husband was at his job when she took a midday break from making jewelry and bit into an apple. “Normally I peel them, but I read in Good Housekeeping Magazine that the skin has all the nutrients, so I ate the skin, and that’s what caused me to choke,” she recalled. “I couldn’t breathe and I was in panic when Toby jumped on me. He never does that, but he did, and saved my life.”

Both Toby and Winnie accompanied their owners to the awards luncheon.

1. Winnie saved the lives of its owner’s whole family in an accident by ________.

A．Jumping onto Its owner	B．calling for help
C．clawing at Cathy’s hair	D．making some strange noises

2. Which of the following has the similar meaning to the underlined word “infancy” in Paragraph 4?

A．Middle age.	B．Youth.
C．Babyhood.	D．Agedness.

3. What caused the carbon monoxide spreading through the house?

A．A pump breaking down.	B．A driver breaking into the house.
C．The burning gas.	D．The poisonous gas.

4. What would be the suitable title for the passage?

A．So Smart Animals Are

B．Great Honors for Cat and Dog

C．Unforgettable Experiences

D．Dog and Cat Honored for Saving Their Masters

【推荐3】Recently I invited a homeless man to have lunch with me at the Soup Plantation so that he could eat as much as he wanted to fill his stomach. I met him over the phone when I was calling Father Benno’s, a soup kitchen. Something within stirred me to invite him to lunch. Since he did not have a car, I offered to pick him up.

We had a wonderful four-hour lunch. I learned a lot about his struggles but more importantly, I finished lunch, feeling greater gratitude(感激) for a roof over my head, a warm shower, a comfortable bed , and food on the table—all of which we may not think twice about. He, too, enjoyed the connection, his lunch, and a rest from spending his afternoon on the streets.

I learned long ago that one person alone cannot solve the problem of the homeless people in California or the United States of America. However ,each person can make an effort to help the homeless in their own way. Do you know that 40% of the U.S. population live paycheck (薪水) to paycheck? Should a sudden financial(财务的) case appear, any one of those 40% can end up homeless in the streets.

For this holiday season, perhaps you may want to try something new. Buy a meal for the person asking for money instead of giving them spare change. If you can make the time and find courage, invite them to share a meal with you. Jesse Jackson once said, “Never look down on anybody unless you are helping them up,” and Rumi told us, “When we practice loving kindness and pity, we are the first one to benefit from it.”

1. What does the underlined word “stirred” in the first paragraph probably mean?

A．Limited.

B．Allowed.

C．Begged.

D．Encouraged.

2. What was the author thankful for?

A．The homeless man.	B．The length of the lunch.
C．The condition of his life.	D．The connection with the man.

3. What does the author think of those who live on paycheck?

A．They live a comfortable life.	B．They just make ends meet.
C．They are really homeless people.	D．They look down upon the homeless.

4. Which of the following doesn’t the author advise us to do?

A．Try something new.	B．Buy a meal for a person.
C．Give money to the homeless.	D．Invite a person to share a meal.