【推荐1】How do you feel when your teacher asks you to work on a group project with other students? Do you like to work together with others or work alone?

The Programme for International Student Assessment, or PISA, carried out a survey of students’ ability to work together in groups. They found that students who do well on tests by themselves are also likely to be better at working with other people. This finding was true for many countries. Students in Japan, South Korea, Finland and Canada, where test scores are high, also did well in working together to solve problems. But this is not the case for every country. Chinese students, who tend (倾向于) to have high scores as well, displayed just average collaborative (合作的) skills.

“One reason might be that Chinese parents and teachers focus too much on grades,” said Zhao Zhongxin, former vice president of the Chinese Family Education Association. “Students have a lot of exam pressure and they view school as a place for competition.” “However, collaborative skills are very important for preparing students for today’s society,” he added. Luckily, more Chinese parents and teachers are realizing the importance of this and are thinking of ways to help students improve these skills.

Another interesting finding from the PISA survey was that girls tend to be better than boys at working together. They said girls show more positive attitudes towards relationships, which means they are more willing to listen to others’ opinions.

PISA also found that the classroom environment tends to influence how well students collaborate. In classes where there are a lot of activities that require communication, such as class debates, students tend to have better attitudes toward collaborating.

1. In which country should the students improve their collaborative skills?

A．China.

B．South Korea.

C．Canada.

D．Finland.

2. Which of the following is TRUE according to Paragraph 3?

A．Chinese parents and teachers don’t care about grades.

B．Chinese students have little exam pressure.

C．Collaborative skills are not important in China’s society.

D．Chinese parents hope to help students improve their collaborative skills.

3. What can we learn from the PISA survey in the passage?

A．Students with good grades are likely to be worse at working in groups

B．Boys tend to be better than girls at working together.

C．The classroom environment tends to influence how well students collaborate.

D．Chinese students are the best at working with others.

4. What is the main idea of this passage?

A．Students in Canada should improve their collaborative skills.

B．The PISA carried out a survey and got interesting findings.

C．Boys should improve their collaborative skills.

D．Teachers should improve the classroom environment.

【推荐2】People use their mouths for many things. They eat, talk, shout and sing. They smile and they kiss. In the English language, there are many expressions about the word “mouth”. But some of them are not so nice.

For example, if you say bad things about a person, the person might protest and say “Do not bad mouth me.”

Sometimes, people say something to a friend or family member that they later regret because it hurts that people’s feelings. Or they tell the person something they were not supposed to. The speaker might say: “I really put my foot in my mouth this time”. If this should happen, the speaker might feel down in the mouth, In other words, he might feel afraid for saying the wrong thing.

Sometimes when one person is speaking, he says the same thing that his friend was going to say. When this happens, the friend might say: “You took the words right out of my mouth!” Sometimes a person has a bad or unpleasant experience with another person. He might say that experience “left a bad taste in my mouth”. Or the person has possibly had a very scary experience, like being chased by an angry dog. He might say, “ I had my heart in my mouth.”

Some people have lots of money because they were born into a very rich family. There is an expression for this, too. You might say such a person “was born with a silver spoon in his mouth”. This rich person is the opposite of a person who lives from “hand to mouth”. This person is very poor and only has enough money for the most important things in life, like food.

1. When a man says “I had my heart in my mouth”, usually he means he is _______.

A．excited

B．scared

C．surprised

D．satisfied

2. Your best friend Tony said what you were going to say, you might say:“_______”

A．You were born with a silver spoon in your mouth

B．You really put my foot in my mouth.

C．You really left a bad taste in my mouth

D．You took the words right out of my mouth

3. What does the underlined word “chased” mean in Chinese?

A．追赶

B．戏耍

C．喂食

D．陪伴

4. A person who lives from “hand to mouth” is very ________.

A．happy

B．healthy

C．poor

D．rich

5. According to the passage, ______ are not so nice.

A．some bad people’s mouths	B．some people using the word “mouth”
C．some expressions about mouth	D．some things people use their mouths to do

【推荐3】Tea is an important part of Chinese tradition. Tea has very close relationship to Chinese culture.
It is said that Chinese tea was discovered by King Shen Nong. People say that he lived 5,000 years ago. One summer day, while he was visiting a faraway part of his country, he felt very thirsty. The servants began to make water hot enough to turn into gas for him to drink. Dried leaves from a near plant fell into the water. The king drank some, and found it could make him feel less tired. Also as a scientist, Shen Nong was interested in the new drink. And so, tea was created in 2737 BC.
Drinking tea has many advantages. It makes people feel less tired, clears heat inside the human body and helps people lose weight. As you add a cup of tea to your daily life, please check the following helpful advice.
Drink it hot. Tea oxidizes(氧化) quickly, so it is suggested that you drink it hot.
Do not drink too much strong tea. It will probably be harmful to your stomach and make you feel sick if you make the tea too strong.
The best time to drink tea is between meals. It may not make you have a strong wish to eat when your stomach is full.
Do not drink with medicine. It may change the medical result. You can drink tea two hours after you take medicine.
Green tea is the best choice for office workers. Why? Because green tea helps stop the bad result of the computer.
1. Drinking tea has lots of advantages EXCEPT ______.

A．helping you lose weight	B．letting you feel less tired
C．having a strong wish for food	D．clearing heat inside your body

2. Mr. Brown is a computer programmer (程序设计员). He’d better drink _______.

A．Green tea	B．black tea
C．strong tea	D．coffee with milk

3. What can we infer(推断) from the passage?

A．Don’t drink too much strong tea.

B．Not all office workers drink green tea.

C．Tea is connected with Chinese culture closely.

D．King Shen Nong loved creating new things.

4. The passage is mainly written to ______.

A．let us know tea was discovered

B．give some advice about drinking tea

C．tell people the history of tea

D．advise people to drink green tea

【推荐2】Are you bored(厌倦的) with your everyday life? Here are some things you should try before you are 18, because after that it’s too late!

Try at least(至少) one kind of team(团队) sports

Being a good team player is an important skill(技能) in life. You can’t just think of yourself. You have to work well with others. Other advantages (优点) of team sports like football and baseball are that they keep you fit, and they are also interesting. Teams usually have great social(社会的) life, too. You’ll go to lots of parties and make many friends.

Collect something

One of the best hobbies for young people under 18 is collecting things. You could collect stamps, or you could collect things that make you remember what you have done, like tickets for movies you’ve seen or letters from your friends. The best way to remember the things you collect is to have a special(特别的) album(集物簿册) to put your collection in and to write what each thing means to you.

Camp(露营) out in the garden                                        

If you don’t have your own garden, find a friend who has one! You will need two or three friends, a small tent (帐篷), sleeping bags and warm blankets(毛毯).Take lots of food and drink with you into the tent and play games until(直到) it gets dark, eat all your snacks. You will need a torch or something else, or you won’t be able(有能力的) to see all your snacks.

1. What should you do in team sports?

A．Just think of yourself.	B．Work well by yourself.
C．Work well with other people.	D．Play better than others.

2. What could you collect according to the passage?

A．Stamps or some albums.	B．Tents or sleeping bags.
C．Some snacks.	D．Stamps, tickets for movies or letters.

3. Which is the best way to remember the things that you collect?

A．To have a special box.	B．To put them in an album and write their meanings.
C．To write down the prices(价格).	D．To talk about these things with others.

4. What will you need if you want to camp out in the garden?

A．A football and a baseball.	B．Tickets for movies.
C．A tent, sleeping bags, blankets, food, drink and a torch.	D．A good friend.

5. What’s the passage mainly about?

A．Hobbies.	B．Skills to have.
C．Things to do before 18.	D．Collecting things in life.

【推荐3】       Feeling tired is very common among teens. What can we do about it? Experts (专家) give us some advice.

Learn to relax. Overwork is the main reason why so many students feel tired. Cut down some of the jobs you need to do each day so that you only do the most important things well. Leave time for activities that are relaxing and fun. This might mean reading a good book, listening to the music, going for a walk or taking a relaxing bath. You will feel very good.

Get a good night’s sleep. Getting enough sleep helps you keep your body and mind in the best form. If you stay up late and need to get up early the next day, you may not be able to pay attention to the things you need to do. You also feel tired.

Exercise regularly and eat well. Don’t rush through your meals. Eat less junk food or fast food. Eat healthy food instead. Fruits and vegetables are necessary.

Get to know pleasant people. Some people are optimistic, while others are not. Choose people who are always full of hope as your friends and spend more time with them and you’ll be as happy as them. You’ll see everything with the optimism.

Have a happy attitude (态度). Your attitude decides the way you see things. Is your cup half full or half empty?

1. What is the main reason why many students feel tired?

A．Not enough sleep.	B．Little exercise.
C．Too much junk food.	D．Too much work.

2. Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?

A．We should not spend time on things like eating and sleeping.

B．We should try to do as many things as possible each day.

C．It’s necessary to have enough sleep to keep us good in body and mind.

D．We should make friends with all kinds of people.

3. An optimistic person will always think his “cup” is ________.

A．half full

B．a cup

C．empty

D．half empty

【推荐1】My parents taught me not to waste food. My mum always found ways to make leftovers（剩余食物） taste good. I went to YiLan to learn about some of their special food. As I was there, I learned about the food and the history of the area. I learned that they don’t waste food, either, and they use leftovers!
Many years ago, there was not enough food for everyone. People learned to cook and eat almost everything. They had to think of ways to make special dishes. One of these dishes is kao zha.It   made   with leftovers like
meat, soup, oil and fat. That might not sound very good, but it does taste good.
Today, kao zha is a special dish at big banquets (宴会).   Another famous dish is called zao bing.
It’s made with fruit, meat and other things. I really liked it! But I didn’t want to eat too much.   It has a
lot of fat in it. I smelled something burning and I saw smoke, so I found another special food of the YiLan area   duck   meat. The duck meat is put in a big oven (炉) to cook it. Smoke keeps the meat fresh.     I don’t
usually eat meat, but this duck meat was delicious! It tasted sweet. YiLan is a great place with delicious food. I hope I can come back again!
1. The writer learns from her parents _______.

A．nottoeatleftovers	B．toeatgoodfood
C．nottowastefood	D．tomakegoodfood

2. She finds that people in YiLan ____.

A．alwayswastefood	B．don’tuseleftovers
C．don’thaveenoughfood	D．cancookspecialfood

3. Kao zha is a good dish that is made with ____.

A．fruit,meatandotherthings	B．freshandsweetduckmeat
C．somedifferentleftovers	D．meat,soupandfruit

4. There are ___ kinds of special foods mentioned in the passage

A．two

B．three

C．four

D．five。

5. What does the writer think of YiLan?

A．It’s a dirty place	B．It’s a great place
C．It’s a dangerous place	D．It’s a wonderful place.

【推荐2】High Housing Cost Makes Sub-Divided Flats
HONG KONG—Average home price have increased by73% since the end of 2008.This huge jump in home price has pushed more and more low income families into sub-divided flats.
What is a sub-divided flat? It is a flat that is divided into parts, so that it can house more than one family. Many sub-divided flats do not meet fire-safety standards (标准）.For example, some flat owners have turned fire escape exits into part of their own rooms.
In June 2011, a fire happened in an old eight-storey building and left four people dead. That building was filled with sub-divided flats, some as small as 100 square feet. Many people believed that sub-divided flats were one of the causes for the accident. Since then, the government has paid more attention to the housing problem.
The best way to lower housing prices is to increase the number of flats; however, the best way may not be the easiest way. To lower housing prices, the government said that 20,000 new flats must be added every year for the next ten years.
Even if government could provide land for 20,000 flats a year, we would not know how much that would affect the housing market. One thing is for certain, Hong Kong’s housing problem will not soon go away and will be with us for a very long time.

1. The purpose of this article is to talk about__________.

A．the fire in June 2011

B．the housing problem in Hong Kong

C．the sub-divided flats

D．the fire-safety laws

2. _________ family / families would live in one sub-divided flat.

A．0

B．1

C．4

D．100

3. The flat owner divided their flats into parts because they wanted to ________.

A．bread the law	B．help the government
C．help the low income families	D．make more money

4. _________is one of the causes that drives people to live in sub-divided flats.

A．The flat owner’s invitation

B．The fire-safety law

C．The high cost of buying a home

D．The effect of sub-divided flats

5. According to the article, ________ can lower housing prices.

A．to reduce the number of flats

B．to build more flats

C．to set fire to buildings

D．to give money to the poor

6. According to the government, _____flats will be needed in 10 years.

A．200	B．2,000
C．20,000	D．200,000

【推荐3】A son took his old father to a restaurant for an evening dinner. They sit down and order a meal. His father is very old and weak, and he doesn’t look healthy. He drops food on his shirt and trousers when he is eating. The father doesn’t get tidy at all. Other people watch him with disgust (厌恶)but his son was calm. He doesn’t care at all.

After the father finishes eating, his son quietly takes him to the washroom and cleans his clothes. Just at that time, an old man comes over and says ,"young man,I think   you leave something behind?" The son says," No,sir. I don’t .The old man says," Yes, you really do! You leave a lesson for every son and hope for every father."

1. Why does the father drop his food on his clothes when he is eating?

A．because he doesn’t like the food	B．becasue the food isn’t healthy
C．because he is too old and is not healthy	D．because he eats   too fast

2. What do the people in the restaurant do when they see “the father” eating food?

A．they are not happy about him	B．they want to talk to him
C．they want to help him	D．they take pity (同情)on him.

3. The underlined word”calm” means______in Chinese

A．生气的

B．急躁的

C．烦恼的

D．平静的

4. From the story,we know that ______after they have dinner.

A．the son and the father just go home

B．The son goes to buy his father some new clothes

C．The son takes his father to see the old man

D．The son cleans his father’s dirty clothes

5. Which is the best title for the story?

A．a father

B．a son

C．You leave something behind

D．a meak in a restaurant

【推荐1】I’m 14, a year younger than most of my classmates.
A week ago one of my classmates, Nitin, asked me for help with math homework. We ended up talking about computers and file-sharing（共享文件）. As we talked I found that he was more experienced and could teach me about file-sharing and networking. We went to his room and watched a movie about robots that he’d downloaded. The math homework was forgotten.
The next day he came again for homework help “What do you do on weekends?” he asked. The truth is, when I have work to do, I do it. I have no special time to kill with friends. I was embarrassed about this. I expected him to think I was boring and said, “Get a life!” He said, “OK. You’re having trouble getting along with people I can show you. I’m old than you.”
Later, he checked my computer. He even connected me to an Internet chess server（服务器）.He was becoming like a big brother.
But when I thought about it, I didn’t really want Nitin’s help” His big-brother idea began to bore me.
“I’ll get you some cool computer programs（程序）”.
“I’ll teach you how to talk to girls.”
He meant what he was saying, but I don’t know why it didn’t make me feel good. Since then he’s hardly talked to me; we seem to have forgotten each other. I don’t think he can “teach” me much, and I don’t think much of him. But I could be wrong·
1. What did Mitin help me do?

A．He helped me with my homework.

B．He helped me with math problems.

C．He taught me about file-sharing and networking.

D．He introduced some fiends to me.

2. What does the underlined word “kill” in Paragraph 3 mean?

A．杀死

B．浪费

C．消磨（时间）

D．打猎

3. Which is NOT the reason why the writer doesn’t want Nitin’s help?

A．He has no special time to kill with friends.

B．He forgot his homework because of playing with him.

C．He thinks his ideas are not useful to him.

D．He has another big brother.

4. Can you use a word to describe the writer?

A．Unfriendly.

B．Boring.

C．Independent.（独立的）

D．Lazy.

5. Choose a title for this passage.

A．I Don’t Want a Big Brother!

B．No Time to Kill

C．My Big Brother

D．My Life After School

【推荐2】For Miller, an 80-year-old man, it’s a chance of a lifetime. Miller is a part of a group of around 60 Germans who are on a bus journey along the ancient Silk Road.

About this journey, he says:“I have been deeply interested in the Silk Road since I was a child. But now I finally have a chance to experience it.”

The two-month bus journey will take the group through Germany, Russia and other 4 European countries. They will then enter China from the country’s western part. It will be an unforgettable memory for them.

Nearly half of the 13,000-kilometer trip will be inside China. From Xinjiang in the west to Shanghai in the east, the German visitors will see more than 20 Chinese cities. “we have managed the trip of the Silk Road for around 10 years. An increasing number of people, not only from German-speaking countries, have been joining us.” Says Liu Guoqiang from China Tours.

Almost 26 million foreigners traveled to China in 2015, and about 5 million of them were from Europe. Beijing, Xi’an, Shanghai and the Yangtze River are traditional Chinese travel destinations for European tourists. Speaking of where he wants to go, Miller says: “Compared with modern cities, the culture in western China attracts me more.”

As Shi Xiang, head of China Tours says “Being a new brand to attract foreign visitors, the Silk Road is good for people to know more about China, especially the northwestern part of the country.”

1. How will the group of around 60 Germans have the tour?

A．By plane.

B．By bus.

C．On foot.

D．By train.

2. Where will the German group enter China?

A．From Beijing.	B．From the western part of China.
C．From the eastern part of China.	D．From Shanghai.

3. The underlined word “destinations” in the fifth paragraph means .

A．标志

B．道路

C．品牌

D．目的地

4. According to the passage, how long has China Tours managed the trip?

A．For 20 years.	B．For 5 years.
C．For 10 years.	D．For 26 months.

5. Which is the best title for the passage?

A．Silk Road: An old brand to attract Chinese.

B．Silk Road: A new way to learn about China.

C．Silk Road: A better chance to see modern cities.

D．Silk Road: A fashionable way to buy silk.

【推荐3】

Brooke wanted a dollhouse and some sugar cookies. So the 6-year-old asked Alexa to get them. Alexa wasn’t her mom or babysitter. It was a voice-activated home assistant powered by AI（人工智能）. And it made Brooke’s wishes come true. A few days later, much to her parents’ surprise, a $ 170 dollhouse and four pounds of cookies showed up. They ate the cookies and gave away the dollhouse to a local hospital. And that’s not the end of the story. When a news reporter told the story of what happened on TV, Alexa devices（设备）in many listeners’ homes woke up and tried to order dollhouses!

Alexa isn’t the only AI willing to serve you. Apple Home Pod has Siri, Google Home has its Assistant, and the upcoming Galaxy Home device will have Bixby. People who have these devices use them mainly for listening to music, checking the weather, and setting timers. According to a report from The Information, nowadays voice shopping is rare. But many scientists predict a boom（增长）in voice shopping in the near future. Is that a good thing?

      . You can shout out an order as soon as you think of it, even if you are cooking, cleaning, or driving. In addition, people with disabilities who are unable to use a keyboard or mouse can shop without any help.

But voice shopping has its disadvantages. Unwanted dollhouses aren’t the biggest problem. It’s usually very easy to cancel an order or return products. The thing that worries some people is that these assistants are always listening. They have to be able to respond when you want them. So they listen for" Alexa" or "OK Google" or another order. When they hear it, they start recording the conversation. Some have worried about what happens shopping habits? And what if someone hacks（入侵）the device? The CIA found a way to hack smart TVs to turn them into spies that listen all the time. Others could do the same with any smart device.

What do you think? Are you ready to start voice shopping?

1. From the passage, we know that Alexa      .

A．can look after the baby	B．can cook delicious food
C．is a toy doll sold online	D．is one kind of AI device

2. The underlined word" rare" in Paragraph 2 probably means.

A．unusual

B．expensive

C．harmful

D．impossible

3. Which of the following is the best to fill in the“ _____” in Paragraph 3?

A．Convenience is the main advantage of voice shopping

B．The cost of voice shopping is lower than other ways

C．The popularity of voice shopping is increasing

D．The technology of voice shopping needs improving

4. Paragraph 4 mainly tells us that when people try voice shopping.

A．AI sometimes forgets people’s orders

B．personal information might be hacked

C．it’s difficult to cancel or return products

D．the needs for products can’t be satisfied