【推荐1】Kindness

Good friends are not just kind to you; they are kind to others as well. People like being around them because they are positive people. The kindness they spread comes from inner feelings of happiness and self-confidence. In contrast, social aggression, such as meanness, is a quality that shows lack of respect for others and discontent with oneself. These feelings outwardly show and eventually prevent communications and genuine friendships from forming.

Accepting

Good friends are easy to talk to because they accept what you are. They understand the things that are important to you and the values that you hold. Although they may not necessarily agree with all of your beliefs and actions, they will never judge you. People who can accept you also are better able to accept themselves. High self-esteem and self-acceptance are intertwined.

Interest

According to American writer and lecturer, Dale Carnegie, showing genuine interest in others is one way to promote feelings of goodwill. People are more likely to remember how you make them feel. This goes beyond good listening skills. Good friends ask questions about things that matter to you. To do this, they must put aside their own needs and focus on helping others feel important. If you make them feel inferior, they will not enjoy the time you spend together.

Honesty

Although honesty is important to friendships, it may be one of the most difficult qualities to maintain. When you ask a friend for honesty, she may prefer preserving the peace over telling you what she really thinks. But honesty promotes trust. A good friend cares enough to tell you the truth and has sufficient confidence in the relationship to be assured of a positive outcome.

1. What does the kindness of a friend come from according to the passage?

A．Respect.

B．Excitement.

C．Happiness.

D．Belief.

2. What good friends will do if you make them feel less important according to the passage?

A．They will begin to care about their own needs.

B．They will take no interest in you.

C．They will feel uncomfortable to stay with you.

D．They are more likely to question about themselves.

3. The underlined word ''intertwined'' in the second paragraph probably means     .

A．connected

B．complicated

C．obvious

D．common

4. What is the passage mainly about?

A．Being kind to friends.	B．Why we need friends.
C．How to make friends.	D．Qualities of a good friendship.

【推荐2】Do not merely think that you are going to become great; think that you are great now. Do not think that you will begin to act in a great way at some future time; begin now. Do not think that you will act in a great way when you reach a different environment; act in a great way where you are now. Do not think that you will begin to act in a great way when you begin to deal with great things; begin to deal in a great way with small things.

Do not think that you will begin to be great when you get among more intelligent people, or among people who understand you better; begin now to deal in a great way with the people around you.

If you are not in an environment where there is opportunity for your best powers and talents you can move in due time; but meanwhile you can be great where you are. Many great people were as great when they were common as when they became great; as common people they did common things in a great way, and that made them great.

You are not made great by the location in which you happen to be nor by the things with which you may surround yourself. You are not made great by what you receive from others, and you can never show greatness so long as you depend on others. You will show greatness only when you begin to stand alone. Dismiss all thought of reliance on externals ternals, whether things, books, or people. As someone said, “Shakespeare will never be made the study of Shakespeare. Shakespeare will be made by the thinking of Shakespearean thoughts.”

Never mind how the people around you, including those of your own household may treat you. That has nothing at all to do with your being great; that is, it cannot get in your way of being great. People may look down on you and be unthankful and unkind in their attitude toward you; does that prevent you from being great in your manner and attitude toward them？

1. What does the author give readers in the first two paragraphs？

A．Advance warning.	B．Professional advice.
C．Practical suggestions.	D．Official recommendations.

2. What did great people have in common？

A．They acted quickly in small things.	B．There were opportunists.
C．They had good relationship with others.	D．They were always great.

3. Which of the following plays a key role to seek greatness？

A．Location.

B．Reliance.

C．Thoughts.

D．Donations.

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

A．How greatness comes into being.	B．Act differently, think differently.
C．Come down on earth to be great.	D．What should be done to be great.

【推荐3】My mother was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s(老年痴呆症) last summer.Suddenly, it was difficult for me to accept that the roles were now reversed-my mother became my child, and I became her mother.I became impatient, argued with her, once I even yelled at her.Gradually, I was used to this kind of life.Now I am able to deal with her and the situation better.I have learned a lot of life lessons from the experience.

My mother reacts very sensitively to my feelings.That is typical of Alzheimer’s patients.When I visit her, feeling busy and tense, she reacts immediately, takes on my mood, and becomes nervous and negative.But when I appear cheerful and attentive, she is happy.This has taught me to pay more attention to my own feelings when I am with other people.

I was thought I was very tolerant( 容 忍 的 ), but in reality, my tolerance ran out as soon as someone turned away from what I considered “right”.With my mother I can now really be tolerant.Through her illness she has developed a childlike tactlessness(不得体).Eating out in restaurants, for example, is a bit embarrassing when she shouts at the waiter that the food is so bad or talks about people at the next table in a loud voice.Of course I make sure that my mother doesn’t offend(冒犯) anyone, but I’ve stopped complaining about others and have become more tolerant.

I have also learned that everything has special value.When my mother got sick, I didn’t want to burden my two daughters with it.They are young and have enough going on with their education and starting their careers.I felt that it was simply my job as my mother’s daughter.The most wonderful discovery I’ve made through my mother’s disease may be that my children not only offer to help me when they sense that I’m feeling overwhelmed, but that they take care of my mother on their own initiative(主动地).They visit her often, play cards with her, and look at photo albums together with her.It shows me that it’s all worth it.

1. Which of the following is common behavior of Alzheimer’s patients?

A．Curiosity about everything.	B．Sensitivity to other’s moods.
C．Fear of strange people.	D．Quick reaction.

2. The underlined word “overwhelmed” in the last paragraph is closest in meaning to        .

A．concerned

B．scared

C．embarrassed

D．stressed

3. We can infer from the passage that        .

A．the writer accepted the role change immediately

B．the writer only paid attention to her mother’s feelings

C．the writer has a great sense of responsibility

D．the daughters took over the responsibility to look after their grandmother

4. This passage is mainly about        .

A．how I cared for my sick mother

B．how I became more tolerant

C．what I have learned from my mother’s illness

D．why I am feeling overwhelmed

【推荐2】As children, we dream of growing older; when we are older, we dream of being children. We let our lives pass us by because we have yet to learn that the harder you yearn for time, the faster it passes. This is how my story begins.

In October of my freshman year, I took an accidental trip down memory lane. One day after school, I decided to take the long way home. I needed time to think. So off I went, walking through the grass. That was how I came to find a gap in the fence lining the school property. I passed through this gap and followed the treeline until I found myself in the far fields behind the neighborhood.

Suddenly, I remembered it was here through the fence between the school and the fields that I watched older kids having their high school graduation ceremony. In cap and gown (长袍), they stood in the middle of the field. They looked like they were having the most fun I had ever seen anyone have; they looked free.

Years later, I walked through that field on my way home from that same high school. I’ve since given this place a name, Tempus Illud, a place between places. I try to take the long way home at least once a month now. Sometimes, when I cross that bridge, I see that younger version of myself. She is so young and so desperate to speed up time. I see her peering through the fence at those graduates in the cap and gown, and she’s wishing she could be just like them. She, too, could feel so free that she might just grow wings and fly away. Now I’m preparing to wear the cap and gown in a few short months. But this time, I wish to leave time to its own devices.

The harder you yearn for time, the faster it passes you by. So I no longer yearn. The passage of time is inevitable, and you can’t avoid it, but you can appreciate it. James Taylor sings, “ The secret of life is enjoying the passage of time. Nobody knows how we got to the top of the hill, but since we’re on our way down, we might as well enjoy the ride.”

1. How did the author feel when she saw the older kids’ graduation ceremony?

A．Admiring.

B．Curious.

C．Jealous.

D．Unconcerned.

2. What is the significance of Tempus Illud to the author?

A．It honors her best childhood memory.

B．It shows the miracle of frozen time.

C．It bridges her past, present and future.

D．It symbolizes high school graduation.

3. What is the author’s perspective on time at the end?

A．She is addicted to the past.

B．She yearns for time to pass quicker.

C．She wants to run after time.

D．She decides to enjoy the moment.

4. What is the author’s main purpose in writing the article?

A．To suggest that time brings the truth to light.

B．To share her changing attitude toward time.

C．To explain how time changes everything.

D．To show that tough times never last.

【推荐1】Skeptics are a strange lot. Some of them refuse to admit the serious threat of human activities to the environment, and they are tired of people who disagree with them. Those people, say skeptics, spread nothing but bad news about the environment. The “eco-guilt” brought on by the discouraging news about our planet gives rise to the popularity of skeptics as people search for more comforting worldviews.

Perhaps that explains why a new book by Bjorn Lomborg received so much popularity. That book, The Skeptic Environmentalist, declares that it measures the “real state of the world” as fine. Of course, another explanation is the deep pockets of some big businesses with special interests. Indeed, Mr. Lomborg’s views are similar to those of some industry-funded organizations, which start huge activities through the media to confuse the public about issues like global warming.

So it was strange to see Mr. Lomborg’s book go largely unchallenged in the media though his beliefs were contrary to most scientific opinions. One national newspaper in Canada ran a number of articles and reviews full of words of praise, even with the conclusion that “After Lomborg, the environmental movement will begin to die down.”

Such one-sided views should have immediately been challenged. But only a different review appeared in Nature, a respected science magazine with specific readership. The review remarked that Mr. Lomborg’s “preference for unexamined materials is incredible(不可信的)”.

A critical (批判的)eye is valuable, and the media should present information in such a way that could allow people to make informed decisions. Unfortunately, that is often inaccessible as blocked by the desire to be shocking or to defend some special interests. People might become half-blinded before a world partially exhibited by the media. That’s a shame, because matters concerning the health of the planet are far too important to be treated lightly.

1. According to the passage, which of the following may be regarded as “skeptics”?

A．People who agree on the popularity of “eco-guilt”.

B．People who disbelieve the serious situation of our planet.

C．People who dislike the harmful effect of human activities.

D．People who spread comforting news to protect our environment.

2. Which of the following can be a reason for the popularity of Lomborg’s book?

A．Some big businesses intend to protect their own interests.

B．The book challenges views about the fine state of the world.

C．The author convinces people to speak comforting worldviews.

D．Industry–funded media present confusing information.

3. The author mentioned the review in Nature in order to____.

A．voice a different opinion	B．find fault with Lomborg’s book
C．challenge the authority of the media	D．point out the value of scientific views

4. What is the author’s main purpose in writing the passage?

A．To encourage the skeptics to have a critical eye.

B．To warn the public of the danger of half–blindness with reviews.

C．To blame the media’s lack of responsibility in presenting information.

D．To show the importance of presenting overall information by the media.

【推荐2】You’ve heard of the fat suit and the pregnancy suit; now meet AGNES—the old person suit.

AGNES stands for “Age Gain Now Empathy（换位体验）System” and was designed by researchers at MIT’s AgeLab to let you know what it feels like—physically—to be 75 years old. “The business of old age demands new tools, ” said Joseph Coughlin, director of the AgeLab. “While focus groups and observations and surveys can help you understand what the older consumer needs and wants, young marketers never get that ‘Ah ha!’ moment of having difficulty opening a jar, or getting in and out of a car. That’s what AGNES provides. ”

Coughlin and his team carefully adjusted the suit to make the wearer just as uncomfortable as an old person who has spent a lifetime eating poorly and not doing much exercise. Special shoes provide a feeling of imbalance, while braces on the knees and elbows limit joint mobility. Gloves give the feeling of decreased strength and mobility in the hands and wrists, and earplugs make it difficult to hear high-pitched sounds and soft tones. A helmet with straps（带）attached to it presses the spine（脊柱）.

AGNES has been used most recently by a group of students working on a design of an updated walker. By wearing the suit they could see for themselves what design and materials would make the most sense for a physically limited older person. Coughlin said the suit has also been used by clothing companies, car companies and retail goods companies to help them understand the limitations of an older consumer. An unexpected benefit they’ve found with AGNES is that it has become a powerful tool to get younger people to invest in their long-term health.

1. AGNES has been developed mainly to _______.

A．make the users more comfortable	B．help old people move more quickly
C．let people understand the old better	D．remind the young to take care of their health

2. According to the article, young marketers never _______.

A．ask what old people need and want

B．see the efforts old people make to put on clothes

C．feel the same way as old people do

D．say “Ah ha!” when they meet with difficulty

3. The third paragraph mainly talks about _______.

A．how researchers feel wearing AGNES	B．how AGNES has been developed
C．how people act when they are old	D．how AGNES works

4. The underlined phrase “an updated walker” in the last paragraph most likely refers to _______.

A．someone who travels a lot

B．a physically limited old person

C．some equipment that helps old people walk

D．a company providing service to the old

【推荐3】Chen Zijiang is a paper-cutting expert whom I interviewed for my article on Chinese Art. Paper-cutting is something that he learned to do from an early age.

“It is a Chinese folk art with a long history,” Mr. Chen told me, “Paper cuts of animals have been found in tombs which date back to the time of the Northern and Southern Dynasty!” He added that by the Southern Song Dynasty, paper-cutting had become an important part of everyday life.

Mr. Chen went on to explain that there are three types of paper cuts which people still make today: paper cuts for decoration, for religious purposes and for design patterns.

Paper cuts used for decoration are often seen on windows and gates. They are often put up during holidays to bring good luck. They are also used on presents. For example, a present for parents whose child has recently been born might show a paper cut of children. Paper cuts which show the Chinese character for double happiness are often used to celebrate weddings.

Paper cuts used for religious purposes are often found in temples. They are also used as offerings(祭品) to the dead. People to whom the dead person was related would make these offerings on special days and during festivals

Paper cuts of the third kind are those used to make patterns on clothing. They are also sometimes used to decorate jewellery boxes. Dragons are very popular patterns for these designs.

The interview is very useful as I’ve got a lot of interesting information for my article. I am also ready to try out paper-cutting for myself.

1. How many kinds of paper cuts did Mr. Chen talk about?

A．One.	B．Two.
C．Three.	D．Four.

2. According to Paragraph 4, paper cuts for decoration are used to______.

A．bring good luck	B．please guests
C．honor the dead	D．make patterns on clothing

3. What patterns can be often seen on jewellery boxes according to the passage?

A．Dragons.	B．Pandas.
C．Birds.	D．Double happiness

4. How does the writer feel about the interview?

A．It’s boring.	B．It’s satisfying.
C．It’s challenging.	D．It’s disappointing

【推荐1】Conflict is on the menu tonight at the café La Chope. This evening, as on every Thursday night, psychologist Maud Lehanne is leading two of France’s favorite pastimes, coffee drinking and the “talking cure”. Here they are learning to get in touch with their true feelings. It isn’t always easy. They customers—some thirty Parisians who pay just under $2 (plus drinks) per session-care quick to intellectualize (高谈阔论), slow to open up and connect. “You are forbidden to say ‘one feels,’ or ‘people think’,” Lehane told them. “Say ‘I think,’ ‘Think me’.”
A café society where no intellectualizing is allowed? It couldn’t seem more un-French. But Lehanne’s psychology café is about more than knowing oneself: It’s trying to help the city’s troubled neighborhood cafes. Over the years, Parisian cafes have fallen victim to changes in the French lifestyle-longer working hours, a fast food boom and a younger generation’s desire to spend more time at home. Dozens of new theme cafes appear to change the situation. Cafes focused around psychology, history, and engineering are catching on, filling tables well into the evening.
The city’s psychology cafes, which offer great comfort, are among the most popular places. Middle-aged homemakers, retirees, and the unemployed come to such cafes to talk about lover, anger, and dreams with a psychologist. And they come to Lehance’s group just to learn to say what they feel. There’s a strong need in Paris for communication, says Maurice Frisch, a cafe La Chope regular who works as religious instructor in a nearby church. “People have few real friends. And they need to open up” Lehanne says she’d like to see psychology cafes all over France. “If people had normal lives, these cafes wouldn’t exist”, she says, “If life weren’t a battle, people wouln’t need a special place just to speak.” But then, it wouldn’t be France.
1. What are people encouraged to do at the cafe La Chope?

A．Learn a new subject

B．Keep in touch with friends.

C．Show off their knowledge.

D．Express their true feelings.

2. How are cafes affected by French lifestyle changes?

A．They are less frequently visited.

B．They stay open for longer hours.

C．They have bigger night crowds.

D．They start to serve fast food.

3. What are theme cafes expected to do?

A．Create more jobs.

B．Supply better drinks.

C．Save the cafe business.

D．Serve the neighborhood.

4. Why are psychology cafes becoming popular in Paris?

A．They bring people true friendship.

B．They give people spiritual support.

C．They help people realize their dreams.

D．They offer a platform for business links.

【推荐2】Scientists say they have discovered an earthquake-like event that can happen during a hurricane or other powerful ocean storms. They are calling it a “stormquake”. Researchers came up with this name after studying events connected with or caused by earthquakes on the sea floor during such storms. They found that the shaking can feel as strong as a magnitude 3.5 earthquake.

Intense energy from hurricanes and other severe storms can create very large waves in the ocean. These waves then “interact” in some places with solid earth under the sea to cause “intense seismic source activity,” said the leader researcher Fan, a seismologist and professor at Florida State University. “We can have seismic sources in the ocean just like earthquakes within the hard outer layer of the Earth,” he added. “The exciting part is seismic sources caused by hurricanes can last for hours or even days.”

The researchers found evidence of more than 10,000 stormquakes in coastal areas of the United States and Canada. Stormquakes were found to have happened around continental shelves or sea floors containing flat land and at lower depths, the research showed. Even with evidence of so many stromquakes happening, it was not known until recently that such events even existed. This is mainly because scientists studying earthquakes have generally considered ocean-caused seismic waves as “background noise”.

The research found that major U.S. hurricanes had produced a lot of stormquakes. One example was Hurricane Bill in 2009 in the Atlantic Ocean, which caused about 300 stormquakes as it moved north, past New Jersey. Other examples of stormquakes were Hurricane Ike in 2008 and Hurricane Irene in 2011. But the study found no evidence of stormquakes off the coast of Mexico. Also, no such activity was recorded in areas along the U.S. East Coast, starting in New Jersey, and continuing all the way down to Georgia. The team noted that even Hurricane Sandy, one of the most costly storms in U.S. history, did not cause a single stormquake. Fan says this suggests that stormquakes are strongly influenced by the physical shape of the seafloor’s surface and seafloor conditions.

Fan added that there are still “lots of unknowns” about stormquakes. But he said discovering them “suggests we are reaching a new level of understanding of seismic waves”. He hopes the discovery will lead to improved study methods for hurricanes, which in the past have mainly been observed from satellites in the sky. “Now we are able to understand the phenomenon — or at least track part of its passage — through the solid earth as well,” he said.

1. What is the distinctive feature of a stormquake?

A．Being seasonal.	B．Being destructive.
C．Being long-lasting.	D．Being interactive.

2. Why were stormquakes unknown to science previously?

A．Because they were extremely rare on the Earth.

B．Because they were once neglected by scientists.

C．Because they generally happen in deep sea floors.

D．Because they are quite similar to common earthquakes.

3. What message is conveyed in Paragraph 4?

A．All hurricanes don’t bring about stormquakes.

B．Stormquakes happen more along the East Coast.

C．Stronger hurricanes tend to produce stormquakes.

D．The sea floor’s condition changes in stormquakes.

4. What is the significance of the discovery?

A．Offering an alternative angle to research hurricanes.

B．Helping to predict an earthquake more accurately.

C．Suggesting the richness of the seismic wave field.

D．Preventing potential hurricanes and lessening losses.

【推荐3】In 1926, US automaker Henry Ford shortened its employees' workweek from six eight-hour days to five, with no pay cuts. It's something workers and labor unions had been calling for. Ford wasn't responding to worker demands； he was being a businessman. He expected increased productivity and knew workers with more time and money would buy and use the products they were making.   It was a way of encouraging consumerism and productivity to increase profits, and it succeeded.

Since standardization of the 40-hour workweek in the mid-20th century, everything has changed but the hours. If anything, many people are working even longer hours, especially in North America. This has a severe influence on human health and well-being, as well as the environment. Until the Second World War, it was common for one person in a family, usually the oldest male, to work full-time. Now, women make up 42 percent of the world's full-time workforce. Technology has made a lot of work unnecessary, with computers and robots doing many tasks previously performed by humans.

Well into the 21st century, we continue to work the same long hours as 20th century laborers, using up ever more of Earth's supply to produce more goods that we must keep working to buy, use and replace in a seemingly endless cycle of hard work and consumption. It's time to pause and consider better ways to live like shifting from fossil-fueled lifestyles with which our consumer-based workweeks are connected.

The UK think tank, New Economics （经济学）Foundation, argues that a standard 21-hour workweek would address a number of interconnected problems： "overwork, unemployment, over-consumption, high carbon emissions, low well-being, and the lack of time to live sustainably, to care for each other, and simply to enjoy life".

Economic systems that require constant growth on a finite （有限的）planet don't make sense. It's time for a change in our economic thinking.

1. Why did Ford decide to shorten the workweek?

A．To cut workers' pay.

B．To make more profits.

C．To respond to worker demands.

D．To meet labor unions, requirements.

2. What change in the workforce happened after World War Ⅱ ?

A．More women worked full-time.

B．The number of laborers decreased.

C．Technology enabled people to work shorter hours.

D．It was unnecessary for a family's oldest male to work.

3. What can we infer from the third paragraph?

A．Longer working hours means better consumption ability.

B．The 21st century sees the longest working hours in history.

C．The cycle of hard work and consumption should be changed.

D．Pausing our way of living can change the present workweek.

4. New Economics Foundation thinks a 21-hour workweek will _______.

A．increase unemployment

B．cause various problems

C．encourage people to enjoy life

D．challenge the economic growth