【推荐1】People often say that an Englishman’s home is his castle. They mean that the home is very important and personal. Most people in Britain live in houses rather than in flats, and many people own their homes. They can paint and change them in any way they like. In a crowded city everyone knows that he or she has private space that is only for himself or herself and for invited friends.
People usually like to mark their space. Are you sitting on a beach or a train or in a library? If you are on the beach you may have spread your sands around you; on the train you may have put your coat or a small bag on the seat beside you; in a library you may have one corner or chair which is your own.
Once I was traveling on a train to London. I was in a section for four people and there was a table between us. The man sitting opposite me had his bag on the table. There was no space on my side of the table at all. I was made rather angry. Maybe he thought that he owned the whole table! I took some newspapers out of my bag and put them on his. When I did this he sat up straight at once, opening his eyes wide. I had invaded（侵占）his space! A few minutes later, I took my newspapers off his bag in order to read them. He at once moved his bag to his side of the table.
1. The English call their homes “castles” because ____________.

A．they don’t make friend with others

B．they are very important persons

C．they don’t want to stay with others

D．homes provide them with their own space

2. The word “private” in the first paragraph means _____________.

A．私人的

B．公共的

C．相邻的

D．隐蔽的

3. According to the passage, if an Englishman is on the beach, he will probably ________ to show his own space to others.

A．cover himself with sands

B．sit in another person’s chair

C．spread sands around him

D．talk loudly with his friends

4. Why did the writer get angry ? Because ____________

A．the man’s bag fell on the writer’s foot.

B．the man’s bag was on the writer’s seat.

C．the man didn’t leave space for the writer on the table.

D．the man’s bag prevented the writer looking out of the window.

5. The writer put his newspapers on the man’s bag in order to ___________.

A．invade the man’s space

B．let the man move his bag to his side

C．take the man’s seat

D．let the man read the newspaper

【推荐2】阅读短文，从每题所给的A、B、C三个选项中选出最佳答案回答问题或完成句子。
China is a large country. The population is over 1.3 billion. It has a special culture with a very long history.
Chinese food plays an important role for Chinese families. Different foods have special meanings. The main difference is that Chinese people eat their meals with chopsticks. One of the main foods in Chinese culture is rice. Tea is a favorite drink and it is popular in the market.
Chinese calendar is different from the one used in western countries. New Year's Day is in late winter. It is also called the Spring Festival. It has a big celebration of ringing out the old and ringing in the new. It has special foods and traditions. For example, sweeping the floor before New Year's Day sweeps away all the old year's bad luck.
The Chinese zodiac( 生肖 ), known as Sheng Xiao, follows a twelve-year cycle. Each year is named for an animal. These animal signs are the rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep, monkey, rooster, dog and pig. For example, the year that begins in 2016 is the year of the monkey.
Chinese is a complex (复杂的) language. Chinese writing developed almost 4,000 years ago and may even be older. Chinese writing has thousands of characters. A character stands for a word and also a meaning. Besides Putonghua, Chinese people speak six other forms of the language, and there are many kinds of ____.
1. What's the population of China?

A．Almost 4,000.

B．More than 1.3 billion.

C．12 million.

2. The underlined "dialects" probably means"             "in Chinese.

A．交际

B．对话

C．方言

3. According to the passage, what's one of the main foods in China?

A．Tea.

B．Rice.

C．Meat.

4. The year that begins in 2016 isn't the year of the monkey, is it?

A．Yes, it is.

B．No, it isn't.

C．I don't know.

5. What's the main idea of the passage?

A．Different foods have special meanings in Chinese culture.

B．Chinese is a popular language.

C．Chinese culture.

【推荐1】“Excuse me,” said a young man, standing shyly at the open church door. “I’m here to pick up an Easter basket for my daughter. Am I in the right place?” Well, we have baskets, but they’re not Easter baskets for kids; they’re food baskets,” I explained.
That morning I arrived at St. Micheal’s Church in Carmichael, California, to help give out the baskets to needy families for Easter. To make sure every family would receive one, we had handed out numbers to them that matched the basket they were supposed to receive. Each one contained a whole ham, potatoes, bread, vegetables, and a pie --- enough food to help feed a family for a week.
“Why don’t you come in?” I said to the man. He looked disappointed. He shook his head and said, “I can’t... My daughter is waiting for me over there. I’m grateful for the food, but when I heard you were giving away baskets for Easter ... well, I thought they would be Easter baskets for children.” He continued, “I promised my daughter one, and I wanted to surprise her.”
I felt bad, but there was nothing I could do. The man handed me his number, and I walked over to the baskets. A bulge(凸起) in one of the baskets caught my eye. “What is that?” I wondered. Leaning over and looking more closely, I could see, unmistakably, an Easter basket --- filled with candy, chocolate, and Easter eggs. One of the volunteers must have added it by mistake! I thought. Then I looked at the man’s number in my hand. Well, he’ll be....
“Happy Easter,” I said to the man, handing him the only food basket with an Easter basket inside --- the very same basket with his number on it. “Someone knew just what you needed.”
1. The young man had thought that ____________.

A．he would have an Easter basket and a food basket

B．there would be Easter baskets for children.

C．there would be children’s toys in the food basket

D．he would get enough food for the whole year.

2. What did the author do at the church?

A．He worked there as a churchman.

B．He was called in to give out Easter baskets.

C．He went there to meet the young man.

D．He was a volunteer who helped there.

3. The young man looked disappointed at first because ____________.

A．he was told not to take a food basket

B．there was little food in the Easter basket

C．he came so late that all the basket had been given out

D．he was told that he wouldn’t get what he wanted

4. What surprised the author was that __________.

A．there was an Easter basket in the food basket

B．someone knew what the young man needed

C．one of the baskets was filled with more bread than others

D．he found that the young man’s name was on the basket

5. We can infer that the young man left the church feeling ________.

A．sad

B．satisfied

C．angry

D．surprised

【推荐3】One afternoon I visited an art museum while waiting for my husband to finish a business meeting. I was looking forward to a quiet view of the art works.

A young couple viewing the paintings ahead of me chatted nonstop (不停) between themselves. I watched them a moment and found the wife was doing all the talk. I admired (赞赏) the husband for putting up with her continuous (持续的) talk. Distracted (分心) by their noise, I moved on.

I met with them many times as I moved through the different rooms of art. Each time I heard her continuous talk, I moved away quickly.

I was standing at the counter (柜台) of the museum gift shop when the couple came near to the exit. Before they left, the man reached into his pocket and pulled out a white thing. He extended (展开) it into a long stick and then tapped (敲打) his way into the coatroom to get his wife’s jacket.

“He’s a brave man.” The salesman at the counter said, “Most of us would give up (放弃) if we were blind (瞎的) at such a young age. But he said his life wouldn’t change during his recovery (恢复). So, as before, he and his wife come in when there’s a new art show.”

“But how does he enjoy the art?” I asked, “He can’t see.”

“Can’t see? You’re wrong. He sees a lot. More than you or I do.” The clerk said, “His wife describes each painting so he can see it in his head.”

I learned something from the couple that day. I saw a young wife describing paintings to a person without sight (视力) and a husband who would not allow blindness to change his life. And I saw the love shared by two people as I watched this couple walk away hand in hand.

1. The young couple was at an art museum ________.

A．to show their love

B．to enjoy art

C．to discuss paintings

D．to describe paintings

2. “…I moved away quickly.” in Paragraph 3 shows that the writer _______.

A．was in the hope of visiting more rooms	B．was in a hurry to buy some gifts
C．was tired of the nonstop talking	D．was not interested in the art show

3. We can infer (推断) from the passage that the husband _______.

A．was not born blind	B．couldn’t stand (忍受) his wife
C．knew nothing about art	D．completely depended on (完全依靠) his wife

4. After hearing what the clerk said about the couple, the writer was _______.

A．brave

B．excited

C．touched

D．angry

5. The passage is mainly about _______.

A．the importance of art	B．good manners in public
C．love of a husband	D．love between a couple

【推荐1】We often read the Air Quality Index（空气质量指标）or AQI reported in the newspaper. The AQI helps us understand what the air quality around us means to our health. The AQI uses colors, numbers and words to tell us about the air. Let’s see what these colors and numbers mean.

AQI colors	AQI Numbers	Health word(s)	What to do
Green	0-50	Good	Just enjoy the clean air!
Yellow	51-100	Moderate (适中)	Air quality is fine for most people.
Orange	101-150	Unhealthy for sensitive(敏感的) groups	Active children and adults and people with lung(肺) disease should spend less time outdoors
Red	151-200	Unhealthy	People with lung disease and active kids and adults shouldn’t spend too long time outdoors. Everybody else should try to spend less time outside.
Purple	201-300	Very unhealthy	People with lung disease and active kids and adults should not spend any time outdoors. Everybody should try not to go outside.

1. If the weather report says today’s AQI is 39, we can ________.

A．enjoy the clean air	B．spend less time outside
C．try not to go outside	D．stay inside most time

2. If the Air Quality Index is ______, the air quality is good for most people.

A．orange

B．red

C．purple

D．yellow

3. The _______ AQI numbers are, the _______ air quality is.

A．bigger; better

B．bigger; nicer

C．smaller; better

D．smaller; worse

4. We use ________ to tell about the quality of the air .
① color   ②words     ③weather     ④numbers

A．①②③④

B．①②③

C．①②④

D．②③④

5. Which of the following is TRUE?

A．If the AQI number is 140, the AQI colour will be red.

B．If the AQI colour is purple, the air is the best for people.

C．People with lung disease are very sensitive to the air.

D．The AQI can’t help people know the air quality.

【推荐2】

Do you drink water that’s been left sitting out overnight or even for another day? Have you noticed it tastes different?

Tap water(自来水) that has been left to sit out slowly begins to get an off taste. Many people think that this is because of microorganisms(微生物). But that’s not what makes old water taste not fresh. For that we can think of carbon dioxide(二氧化碳). After about 12 hours, tap water starts to go flat as carbon dioxide in the air starts to mix with the water in the glass, lowering its PH and giving it an off taste. But it's most likely not harmful to drink.

However, back to those microorganisms. If you use a dirty glass day after day, there will be more chances to get bacteria(细菌). The risk will increase if you share the glass with another mouth as well. But supposing you use a fresh glass every few days, you probably won't have a problem unless the glass has been touched by dirty fingers, and especially if those dirty fingers went unwashed after using the bathroom.

As for plastic water bottles that have been left out in the sun or in the car, step away from the bottles, warns Dr. Kellogg Schwab, director of the Johns Hopkins University Water Institute. “A chemical named biphenyl-A, or BPA, along with other things used to make plastic can leach(过滤) into your water if the bottle heats up or sits in the sun,” he explains. BPA, as you probably know, has been linked to everything from serious heart problems to cancer. Schwab also adds that plastic used for commercial bottled water isn’t supposed to be washed or refilled, so use only one time and recycle. Or don't buy them at all; use refillable water bottles instead.

1. Tap water begin to have an off taste because of______.

A．carbon dioxide

B．BPA

C．the glass

D．the microorganism

2. According to Paragraph 2, tap water that's been left sitting out for 12 hours__________.

A．has few microorganisms	B．is still safe to drink
C．tastes better than before	D．is likely undrinkable

3. According to Paragraph 3, what is the right way to drink with a glass?

A．To share the glass with another person.	B．To hold the clean glass with dirty hands.
C．To keep your hands and glass clean.	D．To drink after using the bathroom.

4. What should we do with plastic water bottles that are left out in the sun or in the car?

A．Use them after they cool down.	B．Clean them and use them again.
C．Throw the bottles away.	D．Refill them with fresh water.

5. Which of the following is true about BPA?

A．It is safe for people to use.	B．It is a kind of new material.
C．It is the main material to make plastic.	D．It can cause great harm to people.

【推荐3】Mr. White works in an office. One day, when he had lunch, a friend came to visit him . They were very happy and talked a lot. Then they looked at the clock on the wall. It was time to go to office. He had to stay goodbye to his friend and left. It             was raining hard and the streets were wet. He drove too fast to see the red lights . And he couldn’t stop his car and hit a car in front of his. An old man got off and called out angrily, “ What are you doing? Do you want to hit me to death(死亡)?”
“I’m sorry , sir,” said Mr. White . “I didn’t find the lights turned red.” Then he brought out a bottle of wine（酒） and gave it to the old man.
“ It’s very cold today , sir ,” said Mr. white . “Please drink a little , then you’ll be warmer.”
The old man drank some wine and became happy. “I’m feeling much better now. Why don’t you drink any?” he asked.
“I can’t drink anything now ,sir,” answered Mr. White.“I’m waiting for the policeman to come .Only drunkers(酒鬼)cause accidents, you know!”
1. The story happened________________.

A．in the morning	B．in the afternoon
C．in the evening	D．at night

2. Mr White drove too fast because _______________

A．he was happy that day

B．he was good at drinking

C．there were few cars in the street

D．he was afraid to be late

3. Mr White hit the car because ________.

A．he didn’t see it

B．it was raining hard

C．he couldn’t stop his car in time

D．he couldn’t drive at all.

4. Mr White gave a bottle of wine to the old man ________.

A．to put the blame onto him

B．to make him happy

C．to make him warm

D．to leave there before the policeman

5. At last ___________________.

A．the old man felt much better

B．the old man was friendly to Mr White

C．Mr White drank some ,too .

D．Mr White fooled the old man .

【推荐1】A squirrel(松鼠) that was nearly killed nine years ago continues to visit the family that saved, raised and later sent her into the wild.

In October 2009, a four-week-old squirrel was almost killed by an owl(猫头鹰). Luckily a wildlife rescue group saved her and left her in the care of Brantley Harrison and her family in South Carolina. The Harrisons often look after wild animals and later send them back into the wild.

The Harrisons named her Bella. With three other squirrels, Bella stayed in Brantley’s care until spring. During her stay Bella acted similarly to the other squirrels. In April 2010, the squirrels were sent back into the wild. Bella, however, wasn’t ready to leave her human family. Within days of be released, she started visiting them, looking for treats. Brantley said that the other squirrels also came back over the first few days, but within a week they stopped coming by and began to avoid people.

“Bella usually sits at the front door, waiting for someone to notice her. She comes almost every day,” said Brantley. Her husband John often brings Bella nuts as she is usually waiting by the door for him. Actually Bella has become a member of the family.

For nine years, she continues to visit them. Brantley said, “If Bella can teach at least one person to care for all living things, no matter how big or how small, then we have done what we have set out to.”

1. What can we know about Harrisons from the passage?

A．They don’t like wild animals.	B．They saved an owl in 2009.
C．They are very kind to animals.	D．They cannot help Bella out.

2. What does the underlined part “being released” mean in Paragraph 3?

A．Getting hurt.	B．Dropping by.
C．Being saved.	D．Being sent into the wild.

3. What does Paragraph 4 mainly tell us?

A．Bella wants to get more attention.	B．Bella becomes a member of the family.
C．Nuts are Bella’s favorite food.	D．It’s not easy for the Harrisons to find Bella.

4. What’s the best title for the passage?

A．To Save Squirrels.	B．Ways of Volunteering.
C．The Harrisons and Their Pets.	D．A Squirrel and Her Human Family.

【推荐2】Today there are more than 6 million people on the earth. By the year 2050 there may be 12.5 billion. This means we need more food.

One way to produce more food is by growing stronger plants. For thousands of years, farmers have made plants better. Every season, they pick the best plants for the next season. It works very lowly. Since 1983, scientists have been able to change plants more quickly by changing their genetic material (遗传物质). Foods from plants grown in this way are called genetically modified foods (转基因食品), or GM foods.

By changing the genetic material of a plant, it is possible to make new plants. They make plants which are strong against plant diseases. They can also help in our diseases: a kind of rice is being prepared, for example, which stops people from becoming blind.

Rich countries produce GM foods because they are easy to grow and bring in more money. Poor countries are interested in them because they help produce more food. GM plants are not natural. No one knows how good or bad they are. Making GM foods is only one way of feeding people in 2050. There are strong feelings against them, because they are unnatural. They may feed people, then hurt them or their children later. But, both rich and poor countries are very interested in their use, and they are not going to go away. In 2050 we may think differently about them.

1. What does the underlined word “GM foods” in paragraph 2 mean?

A．Genetic material of a plant	B．Genetic material
C．Diseases	D．Genetically modified foods

2. How many people will there be by the year 2050?

A．6 billion.	B．Perhaps 12.5 billion.
C．Less than 6 billion.	D．We have no idea.

3. Does anyone know how good or bad GM foods are?

A．No, no one knows.	B．Yes, no one does.
C．No, someone does.	D．Yes, someone knows.

4. Why do rich countries produce GM foods?

A．Because they work very slowly.

B．Because poor countries are not interested in this kind of foods.

C．Because GM foods are easy to grow and bring in more money.

D．Because GM plants are not natural.

5. The best title of this passage is ________.

A．Dolphin’s life and food	B．Amy’s job at a marine park
C．Education in park	D．GM foods

【推荐3】“You expect your friends to see you in a positive manner, but they also are observers of the personalities that could cause you an early death,” said Joshua Jackson, an assistant professor of psychology in Arts & Sciences.

Published in the journal Psychological Science, the study shows that your personality at an early age can predict how long you will live across 75 years and that close friends are usually better than you at recognizing these traits. “Our study shows that people are able to observe and evaluate（评价）a friend’s personality exactly enough to predict early death years down the road,” Jackson said. “It suggests that people are able to see important characteristics related to health even when their   friends were, for the most part, healthy and many years from death.”

While other studies have shown that a person’s view of his or her own personality can be   helpful in evaluating death risks, there has been little research on whether a close friend’s personality evaluation might also predict the chances of a long life.

To explore this question, Jackson and colleagues analyzed data（数据）from a longitudinal study that in the 1930s began following a group of young people in their mid-20s. The study included wide-ranging data on participant（参与者）personalities, both self-reported and as reported by close friends.

Using information from follow-up studies and searches of death certificates（ 证 书 ）, Jackson and colleagues were able to record dates of death for all but a few study participants. Peer（同龄人）evaluations of personality were stronger predictors of death risks than were self-evaluations of personality.

“There are two possible reasons for the advantage of peer evaluations over self- evaluations,” Jackson said. “First, friends may see something that you miss; they may have some insight that you do not. Second, because people have several friends, we are able to average the characteristics of any one friend to get a more trustworthy evaluation of personality. With self-reports, people may miss certain sides of themselves and we are not able to counteract（抵抗）that because there is only one you, only one self-report.”

The study also shows some gender differences in self-evaluation: Men’s self-evaluations of personality were somewhat useful in predicting their lifespans（寿命）, whereas the self-reports of women had little predictive value.

“This is one of the longest studies in psychology,” Jackson said. “It shows how important personality is in influencing important life outcomes like health, and that information from friends can play a critical role in understanding a person’s health issues.

1. What can we learn from Paragraph 2?

A．People’s health is related to their friends.

B．An early personality evaluation helps us live longer.

C．The study shows most people can live across 75 years.

D．Friends can predict lifespans better than us.

2. The underlined word “insight” in Paragraph 6 probably means “________”.

A．advice

B．understanding

C．influence

D．imagination

3. Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

A．Men predict their lifespans more exactly than women.

B．People with more close friends have better personalities.

C．Self-evaluations have advantages over peer evaluations.

D．The findings are based on participants’ disease data.

4. What can we infer from the last paragraph?

A．Psychology studies may influence personality development.

B．Best friends play an important role in treating certain diseases.

C．Friends’ personality evaluations can help recognize health risks.

D．Personality has little important effect on people’s health.