【推荐1】

Happy Rain on a Spring Night — Du Fu Good rain knows its time right; It will fall when comes spring.              With wind it steals in night;                  Mute, it moistens each thing.                Over wild lanes dark cloud spreads; In boat a lantern looms. Dawn sees saturated reds; The town’s heavy with blooms. （Translated by Xu Yuanchong） Note: steal 偷偷移动； moisten 使……润湿;   lane 小路； spread 扩散，传播；loom 逼近；bloom (常指供观赏的)花

This famous poem, with four couplets(诗句的“联”), was written by Du Fu（712—770, Tang Dynasty）when he was living and farming in Chengdu. His farming experience taught him to be thankful to nature.

The very first word, “good”, shows the poet’s joy and love for the spring rain. The rain is good because it “knows” the time to come. Here the poet uses personification (拟人), as if the rain were smart enough to come in time for the farmers’ busy season.

When the rain comes, it appears during the night without making any noise. Unlike the summer storms, the spring rain finishes its task without being known.

In the third couplet, the poet describes a peaceful scene（景象）to us. In the night sky, the clouds look dark and heavy. It’s a sign that there will be enough rain during the night. The light from the riverboat makes the dark scene a bit livelier.

Lastly, the poet starts to imagine. Tomorrow morning, he thinks, the city of Chengdu will become beautiful when all of the flowers bloom（盛开）after the rain.

1. The underlined phrase (划线的短语) “as if” most probably (有可能) means “________”.

A．仿佛

B．即使

C．然而

D．因此

2. Which of the following rhymes (韵律) are right for this poem？

A．aa﹣bb﹣cc﹣dd	B．ab﹣ab﹣cd﹣cd
C．ab﹣cd﹣ab﹣cd	D．ab - ba - cd - dc

3. Which word can describe the rain best in this poem？

A．Busy

B．Heavy

C．Quiet

D．Terrible

4. Which of the following uses “personification”？

A．It will fall when comes spring.	B．With wind it steals in night.
C．In boat a lantern looms.	D．The town’s heavy with blooms.

【推荐2】It’s interesting that the arrival of snow has a different effect on people in different countries. For some countries it is an important happening to celebrate each year, while for others it is a catastrophe (灾难) or even a wonder.
There are countries between these two extremes (极端) that normally expect snow some time over the winter months, but never receive snow regularly or in the same quantities(数量) every year. Britain is one such country, for which the arrival of snow quite simply creates problems. Within hours of the first snowfall, however light, roads are blocked, trains and buses stop in the middle of traffic. Normal communications are affected as well, telephone calls become difficult and the post immediately takes more time than usual. Almost within hours, there are also shortages(不足) -- bread, vegetables and other things -- not because all these things can no longer be produced or sent to shops, but mainly because people are frightened, and go out to store up these commodities (日用品), “just for fear that something bad should happen.”
Why then does snow have this effect? After all, the Swiss, Austrians and Canadians don’t have such problems. It is simply because there is not enough planning and preparation. We need money to buy equipment to deal with snow and ice. To keep the roads clear, for example, requires snow ploughs and machines to spread salt. The reason why a country like Britain does not buy some ploughs is that they are only used for a few days in any one year, and the money could be more useful in other things such as hospitals, education or helping the old.
1. According to the writer, Britain is a country____.

A．which has regular snow	B．which is not well prepared for snow
C．for which snow is not a problem	D．for which snow is a wonder

2. The arrival of snow in Britain affects all of the following except____

A．traffic

B．communication

C．food supplies

D．service quality

3. After a few hours’ snowing there are often shortages of food because______

A．shops have closed down	B．people buy as much as they can
C．farmers can’t produce any more	D．people eat more vegetables in winter

4. The first reason that the British don’t buy snow ploughs is that______

A．spreading salt is good enough	B．old people need more money
C．snow ploughs are not used often	D．the hospital is more important

【推荐3】The USA is a very big country. The weather is different in different places.

New York is a famous（著名的）city. It is hot in summer and there is a lot of snow in winter. In May and October, it’s not too hot or too cold. New England’s weather gets cool and the trees start to change colour in September.

In Los Angeles, California, the weather is nice all year. It’s nice and warm in December and you can swim in the sea.

In the northwest, it isn’t very cold, but there is a lot of rain, so people often need to use umbrellas. It is pleasant in August, but you need some warm clothes in the evening. In winter, it is dark（黑的）all day and very cold in Alaska.

It’s usually hot and sunny in the southeast.

1. In _______ the weather is nice all year.

A．New York

B．California

C．Alaska

D．New England

2. What's the weather like in September in New England?

A．It’s very hot.

B．It’s very cold.

C．It gets cool.

D．It is dark all day.

3. In the northwest, it is pleasant in _______ but you need some warm clothes in the evening.

A．December

B．the winter

C．the summer

D．August

4. In ______ , it is dark all day and very cold in Alaska.

A．Winter

B．summer

C．autumn

D．spring

5. It is cold in winter in ______ .

A．New York

B．Los Angeles

C．California

D．the southeast

【推荐1】One night, John came into the stable, calling,“Wake up, Beauty!”

He put my saddle and bridle on and rode up to the front door of the house. Squire Gordon was standing there.

“John,” he said, “Mrs. Gordon is very ill. Ride to the doctor’s and give him this note.”

“Now, Beauty, do your best.” said John. I went as fast as possible. When we arrived at Dr. White’s house, John told him, “Mrs. Gordon is very ill. Squire Gordon thinks she is going to die. Please go to her immediately.” “Yes, but my son has my horse,” said the doctor, “Can I have yours?” he asked.

The doctor was heavier than John, and not such a good rider. But I did my very best and went as fast as possible. When we got to Berwick Park, Squire Gordon was at the door. The doctor went into the house with him, and Joe led me to the stable. I was glad to be home. My legs were shaking, and I was very wet. Joe was young and he forgot to put a warm blanket on me. Then he gave me cold water to drink. Soon all my body began to shake, and I felt very cold. A long time later, John came back. He covered me with two or three warm blankets, and ran to the house for some hot water. He gave me some warm food, and then I thought I went to sleep.

Over and over again, John said to himself, “Stupid boy! Stupid boy!”

I was now very sick, and John was nursing me night and day. When Squire Gordon came to see me, John said, “Black Beauty went so fast, he seemed to know what was wrong.”

—Taken from Black Beauty

1. How many people are mentioned in the passage?

A．Four.

B．Three.

C．Five.

D．Six.

2. Why did Black Beauty run as fast as possible?

A．Because the doctor was heavy.

B．Because he was a bit tired.

C．Because he wanted to save Mrs. Gordon.

D．Because it was raining heavily.

3. Which of the following shows the correct order of what happened in the passage?
a. Joe led Black Beauty to the stable.
b. Squire Gordon asked John to go to the doctor’s.
c. Black Beauty ate some food and fell asleep.
d. Dr. White agreed to go to Berwick Park.

A．a-b-c-d

B．b-d-a-c

C．a-b-d-c

D．b-a-d-c

4. Which word can be used to describe John?

A．Hard-working.

B．Helpful.

C．Kind.

D．Clever.

【推荐2】In my city, people have breakfast around seven. We drink warm tea or milk in the morning. Many people have some bread, eggs or hamburgers.
Around noon it is the lunchtime. Most people take their food to schools or their work-places. Some people like having fast food in a McDonald’s or KFC. But I think these foods are bad for our health. We can have some vegetables or rice. Health fish slowly replaces beef and pork. It’s healthy to drink one glass of water or juice after lunch.
At six or seven in the evening, it’s time for dinner. At this time, families get together. We often have warm food. Sometimes we have a party with friends.
1. Most people _____ for lunch according to the passage.

A．have fast food	B．go to McDonald’s or KFC
C．take their food	D．drink milk

2. The underlined word “replace” means _______ in Chinese.

A．变成

B．代替

C．吸引

D．损害

3. Which is RIGHT according to the passage?

A．We should have a big breakfast.	B．We cannot have some meat with rice.
C．Food in KFC is good.	D．People usually have dinner at home.

4. The writer tells us ________.

A．what drink is healthy	B．how to eat outside
C．what to eat in his city	D．where to have breakfast

5. Where can we read this passage?

A．On a map.

B．In a song.

C．In a dictionary.

D．In a book.

【推荐3】

What would life be like if you give up using electronics(电子设备)like your cellphone and computer? Will it become boring?Twenty-eight eighth-graders at St.Matthew School in San Francisco will tell you it can still be rich and colourful.

       These students took part in their schools “tech-free” challenge. They couldn’t use cell phones or computers for two weeks from Nov. 11 to Nov. 22.
       “The idea was to help students understand how technology(科技) has changed their lives,” said Denise Uhl.
       Uhl did a survey on technology using among the eight-graders before thinking of the challenge. She found that 84 percent of the students said they didn’t like it “when everyone was on their electronics”, but they didn’t know what to do about the answer was actually easy---to stop using electronics.
       To help students understand the point, Uhl created the activity. It was warmly welcomed among students.
       “I wanted to sign up for the tech-free challenge because it was just really a good idea to do it,” eighth-grader Joe told local newspaper Catholic San Francisco.“I wanted to get closer to my family. And it really worked. I started to hang out with my family more. We watched more family movies and we played a lot of board games.”
       The activity also helped students develop their interests.
       During the two weeks, Lucas said he spent much more time outside, picking lemons in his garden. Maddie finished a painting and Cassie created a scarf on a loom(织布机).
1. Students who took part in the “tech-free” challenge ________ for nearly two weeks.

A．could use the Internet at school for free

B．couldn’t use their cell phones

C．couldn’t watch TV at home

D．couldn’t take any electronics to school

2. Why did Denise Uhl create the “tech-free” challenge?   ________

A．To help students spend more time on their study.

B．To help students find out the technology is bad for their lives.

C．To make studying easier and interesting for students.

D．To help students understand how technology has changed their lives.

3. Uhl’s survey on technology using showed that   ________.

A．students liked to play games on their cell phones and computers

B．some students felt that they couldn’t live without cell phones

C．many students felt unhappy when others were using their phones

D．some students believed that technology improved their studies

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

A．84 percent of the students at school liked to use their electronics.

B．Many students had their own hobbies after the challenge.

C．Lucas spent more time doing outside activities during the challenge.

D．Joe thought the tech﹣free challenge was really a good idea.

【推荐1】Riding a Mobike on the street, you may hear some people speaking Chinese aloud. Turing to the right, you see a Sichuan-style restaurant. After walking into a shop, you may see that Huawei smartphones are on sale. But you are not in China --you are in Manchester in Britain. In fact, you might see similar things in many other cities. Chinese products have been going global.

Chinese food has been enjoyed in Western countries for a long time. To meet local people’s tastes, Chinese restaurants have made some changes to the dishes. “One example is the meat,” said Yin Hang, who is studying at the University of Wollongong in Australia. “We like to eat meat with the bone in, but people here don’t.”

So Chinese brands（品牌）are also becoming more popular. In many cities in Europe, stores sell TCL televisions, Haier fridge and Lenovo computers, reported Reuters. More than half of US-owned drones（无人机）are Chinese models, according to China Daily. They are not simply made in China, but designed and developed in the country.

In the past, most Western people thought Chinese products were cheap and unreliable. But things have changed greatly. “Made in China” has become cool and more people trust Chinese brands. For example, Huawei, one of China’s major smartphone makers, overtook Apple in global smartphone sales for the first time in June and July. “ They are beautiful and offer some special features（特点）American phones don’t have,” CNN once said about Chinese smartphones.

1. How many Chinese brands does the writer talk about in the passage?

A．Two

B．Three

C．Four

D．Six

2. Why does the writer use the examples of TCL televisions and Haier fridges?

A．Because Chinese products are cheap and unreliable.

B．Because they are not designed in China.

C．Because Chinese brands are more popular in the world.

D．Because they are not welcome in Western countries.

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

A．We can see Chinese products in many parts of the world.

B．More and more people trust and use Chinese products.

C．Chinese restaurants provide delicious meat with large bones.

D．One of China’s major smartphone makers, Huawei, sells well.

4. What is the best title for this passage?

A．Changing Chinese food changes	B．Popular Chinese restaurants
C．Chinese people in the world	D．Chinese products going global

【推荐2】Hello, I’m Peter in the second grade. Now I have one thing to say: It’s not easy being a kid. Being a kid might look like fun, but sometimes it’s not fun at all.
Yesterday I was playing outside with my friend. We were having a good time. But suddenly, my mother said, “Peter, it’s time to come inside now. It’s getting dark.” When you’re an adult, no one can tell you what to do or when to do it.
When you are a kid, you have to get up early in the morning and go to school. At school, you have to study math, English, science and history. After school, you have to do your homework. When you are an adult, you do not have to go to school and you never have homework to do.
When you are a kid, the older kids sometimes ____ you. When I was walking home from school on Monday, Tom and Steve bothered me. Steve took my schoolbag and put it in a tree. It made me very mad. When you are an adult, no one can pick on you.
When you are a kid, you have to go to bed early. On school nights, my mom asks me to go to bed at 9:00 pm. But I do have parents who love me, which is really great. So I think I like being a kid, even though it’s not easy being a kid.
根据材料内容选择最佳答案，并将其标号填入题前括号内。
1. What was Peter doing when his mother called him home yesterday?

A．He was playing with his pet.

B．He was cleaning his bike.

C．He was drawing a picture.

D．He was playing with his friend.

2. The underlined phrase “pick on” means “     ” in Chinese.

A．挑中

B．取笑

C．欺负

D．尊重

3. As a kid you do the following things EXCEPT       .

A．go to school

B．do your homework

C．get up early and go to bed early

D．go anywhere without telling anyone

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

A．Peter is a student in Grade Two.

B．Peter usually goes to bed at 9:00 pm on school nights.

C．Steve took Peter’s schoolbag and put it in a tree on Monday.

D．Peter is looking forward to being an adult as soon as possible.

5. What can we learn from the passage?

A．Being a kid is fun.

B．It’s not easy being a kid.

C．Peter likes being a good kid.

D．Peter likes being a superman.

【推荐3】

Welcome to the National Zoo! It is a wonderful place to explore(探索) , Learn and relax. Enjoy your visit! Here are our rules to help you have an enjoyable and safe experience.

No pets

Don't bring your pets to the zoo. Your pets will disturb the animals here And they may feel worried. If you take your pets to the zoo, we will let you go.

Walk！Don't ride

Only people in wheelchairs(轮椅) and kids in strollers(折叠式婴儿车) can get to ride around the zoo.

No smoking

If you smoke in the zoo, something may be on fire. Don't do that!

Don't feed the animals

Our animals have healthy diets. Human food may make them sick.

Respect barriers(栅栏)

Barriers between you and our animals are to protect(保护) you and the animals from harm. Remember that our animals are wild animals.

Don't litter

Put all of your rubbish in bins. Help us to keep our zoo clean.

Photographs

You can take photos here and share the great memories with your family and friends.

1. The Chinese meaning of the underlined word "disturb" is “_______”.

A．使高兴

B．使兴奋

C．使不安

D．使悲伤

2. What can we do in the zoo?

A．Smoke.

B．Play with our pets.

C．Ride bikes.

D．Take photos.

3. "Remember that our animals are wild animals." wants to tell us that_______.

A．the animals are very strong	B．the animals are very dangerous
C．the animals are very clever	D．the animals are very friendly

4. Who are the main readers?

A．Visitors.

B．Scientists.

C．Babies.

D．Animal trainers.

【推荐1】What to do if you don't feel popular？
●Try to take part in activities. Call your friends. Plan to do something. The worst feeling is staying home alone, because it makes you feel even more lonely.
●Try to make new friends. Choose friends carefully, not just because you think they're popular. And remember, making good friends takes time. Choosing a popular person to be friends with is okay. If they are nice.　
●Be yourself. If you want to become friends with someone who's popular, don't make yourself into someone you are not just to impress that person.
●Be nice. Be friendly. Be outgoing. But don't overdo it！Talk to trusted friends if you are feeling really bad. Or you might want to write it down in a diary.
●Do something special for yourself. You could take pictures of your friends, or collect their school pictures, and take a collage（拼贴画）to hang on your wall. This will remind you, when you are feeling unpopular, that you really do have friends.
●Think up your own ideas. These suggestions might not work for everyone.
What to do if you have a problem with your teacher？
●Talk to your parents, or another adult who will listen to you and perhaps can help. Talk to your friends. Maybe they have had problems with the same teacher, too.
●Don't give the teacher a reason to have problems with you. Do your work, complete your task, attend the class seriously and take notes. Maybe you just need to give the teacher a chance.
●Try to find out what the problem is.
●Talk to the teacher if you feel comfortable doing this. Don't be nasty（闹别扭的）, but express your concerns（关心）. Listen to the teacher, as well.
●Just accept the fact that you're not going to love all your teachers.
1. What do we mean by saying“ not feeling popular？”

A．Not liked by our classmates or workmates.

B．Not doing what we want.

C．Not showing any interest in anything.

D．Not so happy.

2. What does the underlined word “overdo” mean?

A．Do something too much or in an extreme way.

B．Work too hard.

C．Do something carefully.

D．Try your best to do something.

3. The writer________________.

A．believes that your friend will help you out if you take their pictures

B．suggests that you discuss the reason of problem with your teacher when you feel uncomfortable

C．wants you to know that students usually hates teachers

D．is not too sure if his advice will certainly work on you

4. What's the best title of this passage？

A．Why We Have Problems at School？

B．Always be Yourself.

C．How to Solve Problems at School？

D．Don't Be Afraid of Problems With Others.

【推荐2】Fish have ears. Really. They’re quite small and have no opening to the outside world carrying sound through the body. For the past seven years, Simon Thorrold, a university professor, has been examining fish ears, small round ear bones called otoliths（耳石）.

As fish grow, so do their otoliths. Each day, their otoliths gain a ring of calcium carbonate（碳酸钙）. By looking through a microscope and counting these rings, Thorrold can determine the exact age of a young fish. As a fish gets older, its otoliths no longer get daily rings. Instead, they get yearly rings, which can also be counted, giving information about the fish's age, just like the growth rings of a tree.

Ring counting is nothing new to fish scientists. But Thorrold has turned to a new direction. They're examining the chemical elements（元素）of each otolith ring.

The daily ring gives us the time, but chemistry tells us about the environment in which the fish swam on any given day. These elements tell us about the chemistry of the water that the fish was in. It also says something about water temperature, which determines how much of these elements will gather within each otolith ring.

Thorrold can tell, for example, if a fish spent time in the open ocean before entering the less salty water of coastal areas. He can basically tell where fish are spending their time at any given stage of history.

In the case of the Atlantic croaker, a popular saltwater food fish, Thorrold and his assistant have successfully followed the travelling of young fish from mid-ocean to the coast, a journey of many hundreds of miles.

This is important to managers in the fish industry, who know nearly nothing about the whereabouts (行踪) of the young fish for most food fish in the ocean. Eager to learn about his technology, fish scientists are now lending Thorrold their ears.

1. What can we learn about fish ears from the text?

A．They are small soft rings.

B．They are not seen from the outside.

C．They are openings only on food fish.

D．They are not used to receive sound.

2. What does the underlined word “they” in the second paragraph refer to?

A．fish

B．fish ears

C．fish’s otoliths

D．daily rings

3. Why does the writer compare the fish to trees?

A．Trees gain a growth ring each day.	B．Trees also have otoliths.
C．Their growth rings are very small.	D．They both have growth rings.

4. Why is it important to study the chemistry of otolith rings?

A．The elements of the otoliths can tell the history of the sea.

B．Chemical contents of otoliths can tell how fast fish can swim.

C．We can know more about fish and their living environment.

D．Scientists can know exactly how old a fish is.

5. What is the main idea of the passage?

A．It is true that fish have ears.

B．Fish ears can tell us how old they are.

C．We can learn a lot from fish ears.

D．Fish scientists have done a lot of studies on fish ears.

【推荐3】Around twenty years ago I was living in Seattle and going through hard times. I could not find a satisfying job and I found this especially difficult as I had a lot of experience and a Master’s degree.
To my shame I was driving a school bus to make ends meet and living with friends. I had been through five interviews with a company and one day between bus runs they called to say I did not get the job.
Later that afternoon, while doing my rounds through a quiet neighborhood I had an internal（inside）wave—like a scream（尖叫）—come up from deep inside me and I thought “Why has my life become so hard?”...
Immediately after this internal scream I pulled the bus over to drop off a little girl and as she passed she handed me an earring saying I should keep it in case somebody looked for it. The earring was stamped with words “BE HAPPY”.
At first I got angry. Then it hit me. I had been putting all of my energies into what was wrong with my life rather than what was right! I decided then and there to make a list of 50 things I was thankful to.
At first it was hard, then it got easier. One day I decided to up it to 75. That night there was a phone call for me, asking if I would do a one-day training for 200 hospital workers. I said yes and got the job.
My day with the hospital workers went very well. I got a standing welcome and many more days of work. To this day I KNOW that it was because I changed my attitude（态度）to gratitude.
By chance, the day after I found the earring the girl asked me if anyone had looked for it. I told her no and she said “I guess it was meant for you then.”
I spent the next year doing training workshops all around the Seattle area and then decided to risk everything and go back to Scotland where I had lived before. I closed my one man business and bought a plane ticket. One month later I met my wonderful English wife and best friend of 15 years now. We live in a small beautiful house in Scotland.
“THE ONLY ATTITUDE IS GRATITUDE” has been my motto（座右铭） for years now and yes, it completely changed my life.
1. What is the underlined word it in the passage？

A．To make a list of things he was thankful to.

B．The words“ BE HAPPY”.

C．To forget that his life became so hard.

D．The special earring the girl gave to the writer.

2. The word gratitude means “being ________”.

A．thankful	B．open
C．careful	D．kind

3. Which of the following is NOT TRUE according to the passage.？

A．The writer made a list of 75 things he was thankful to.

B．The writer’s wife has been his best friend for 15 years.

C．The writer has lived in Seattle since 20 years ago.

D．The writer did the training for 200 hospital workers.

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

A．Attitude and Gratitude	B．The Girl and I
C．Be Happy	D．The Earring