【推荐2】College students constantly hear the praises of education. We have all become used to believing that a college education is always a guarantee of an easier life. I was nine years old when my fourth-grade teacher presented me with a task, to write down all of the things I wanted in my life. I filled my paper with things like: own a big house and have servants; be rich and have a good job. The next day my teacher handed back my paper and in red ink she wrote: “GO TO COLLEGE.” For a long time, I was convinced that once I obtained an education, BAM! Life would be easier.

However, education cannot promise all wishes, dreams, and desires. Society must reject (拒绝) the foolish idea that a college education’s main purpose is to satisfy our desires and secure success. Like most challenging things, education is a gamble (赌博) in which results depend entirely on people’s ability to look past their wants to see the realism and reason behind their wants.

For instance, my first year of college, I took a sociology class. In class, we were taught that Third World countries were poor. We learned that our quality of life would be almost impossible for an average person in those countries. I began to examine my own desire to be rich. To always go after money felt selfish when knowing others had none at all. Learning about other society’s financial situations forced me to look beyond what I wanted.

Through the process of education, everything once desired is tested. Wanting something no longer is enough; it’s more important to examine why we want it and whether we really want it. When my desire for money changed, everything changed. I stopped longing for money-driven careers and stopped valuing the people who had them. I began to examine the things I purchased (追求) and my reason for wanting them.

Education is a tool to be used to develop and advance our desires, so we can discover the things that are truly significant in life. Education is a source to expand our society to see beyond the superficial (表面的) appeals ( 诉 求 ) and the “quick fixes”, leaving the belief of an effortless life behind in order to desire a meaningful one.

1. The author’s fourth-grade teacher probably agreed that________.

A．a college degree was the key to the author’s dreams

B．the author should set more realistic goals

C．a college student would lead an easier life

D．the author was an ambitious student

2. Why does the author mention her sociology class?

A．To share her learning experiences with readers.

B．To express her sympathy for people in Third World.

C．To support her new understanding about education.

D．To stress the importance of taking a sociology course.

3. With a college education, the author________.

A．admired rich people	B．lost interest in career
C．stopped always purchasing more wealth	D．desired more material things

4. What’s the main idea of the passage?

A．College education promises an effortless life.

B．College education turns young people into gamblers.

C．College education offers solutions to social problems.

D．College education tests and guides our life desires.

【推荐3】There was a young man who was in trouble. He went bankrupt (破产) and his wife went away from him. From then on, failure was all that he had seen. Struggling with this, he went into the forest alone. There, he met an old man who had lived there for a long time. He shared his story with the old man and asked “Can you give me one good reason not to give up?”

“Look,” the old man said, “Do you see that fern (蕨类植物) and bamboo there?”

“Yes,” the man answered.

“When I planted the fern and bamboo seeds, I watered them carefully. A few days later, the fern quickly grew from the land,” the old man went on.

“However, I watered the bamboo seeds for years, it still didn’t sprout. But I didn’t give up and continued looking after it. In the fifth year, a small sprout came out of the land. After a few months, the tree grew very, very tall.”

“The little bamboo tree had been growing underground in the past four years, developing a root strong enough for its ground growth in the fifth year. If it hadn’t done this, it would not be so strong. So you know, all the time you were struggling, you were actually growing strong roots,” the old man said. Finally, the man thanked the old man deeply. Then he left the forest with the hope for life.

1. What happened to the young man?

A．He was badly hurt.	B．He was seriously ill.
C．He went to a bank with his wife.	D．He went bankrupt and his wife left him.

2. The difference between the fern and the bamboo mentioned in the passage is their ________.

A．colors

B．growth

C．weight

D．looks

3. The underlined word “sprout” in Paragraph 5 means “ ________ ” in Chinese.

A．wake

B．happen

C．shoot

D．result

4. The young man felt ________ after hearing what the old man said to him.

A．nervous

B．sad

C．hopeful

D．unhappy

5. Which can be the best title of the passage?

A．Never lose hope when in trouble	B．Practice makes perfect
C．The early bird catches the worm	D．Learn to share with others

【推荐1】Mary is a lovely, quiet girl. When she was a little girl, she had no secrets from her mother, who was very pleased with her. But since last year she has become a little mysterious(神秘) and not as open as before. She wants heart-to-heart talks between mother and daughter. But they never happen. And a gulf(沟壑) opens between them. Her mother wonders if she falls in love, It's too early for a girl of her age. After all, she is reaching the "dangerous stage". These thoughts have caused trouble in the mother's mind.
One weekend her daughter came to tell her mother that she was going to the cinema with her classmates and would return late. This was the first time her mother agreed and she began to worry because her daughter had never been away at night before. The mother waited until nine and couldn't fall asleep. Then she decided to go out to meet her daughter. Just at that moment, she heard the noise of a car and hurried to the window---there was her daughter, waving good-bye to a boy. Her heart missed a beat. When the daughter came in, the mother was watching TV, pretending(假装) nothing happened. "Mum, I'm back." "Yeah," "Sorry to be late."
The daughter said nothing about the film and the boy. The mother really would like to know something about them, "Who is that boy?" Daughter was stunned(发愣) for a moment, "Ah, it's my monitor. He gave me a lift on his way home. Mum, I'm going to bed. "The daughter answered in careful words. "All right. Go to sleep early."
The next morning when the mother went to her daughter's room to do some tidying, she found her diary left on her bed. After a few minutes' hesitation(犹豫), she opened it to the right page. It reads, "Mum, it's love that made you ask, but it would show your understanding of me if you hadn't."
Holding the diary, the mother fell into thought.
1. What does the underlined phrase “missed a beat” in the third paragraph mean?

A．wanted to beat sb.	B．was too surprised to think of anything
C．failed to find something	D．caused an illness

2. Why was the mother worried?.

A．The mother was much worried about her daughter's coming back late.

B．The mother felt worried about her daughter's study.

C．The mother worried about her daughter's health.

D．The mother worried about whether her daughter had fallen in love with somebody or not.

3. What is mainly discussed in Paragraph 2?

A．Mary's mother didn't agree Mary to go to the cinema at night this time.

B．Mary was still as open as before.

C．Mary didn’t have a heart-to-heart talk with her mother.

D．Mary told her mother the truth of her going out.

4. We can infer from the last sentence that                    .

A．She was worried.

B．She was afraid of her daughter.

C．Her daughter didn't believe her.

D．She was thinking deeply about her daughter's words in the diary.

5. What would be the best title of the passage?

A．Worried mother and her love.

B．Should teenagers tell their parents everything?

C．Love or understanding?

D．A girl wants to get her mother's love.

【推荐2】Roberta, Peter and Phyllis lived in a large house in London. Father worked hard in a government office. He was never angry and always ready for a game. Mother was almost at home, ready to play with the children, read to them, and help them do their home lessons.

These three lucky children always had everything they needed: pretty clothes, good fires, a lovely playroom and a dog called James. They had a happy life, but they did not know how happy till the pretty life in the large house was over.

Peter had a toy and it broke. After dinner, Peter showed Father the broken toy. Father looked it over and promised to repair it on Saturday.

At that moment two men came to see Father. Minutes passed. Father’s voice came out from the study, loud and angry.

More time passed. Then Mother came in and said, “Father’s been called away— on business.”

A week after their father went away, their mother said, “Now, we’re going to move to the country. A pretty little white house, called Three Chimneys.”

The family started packing: clothes, plates, candles and also tables and chairs. “We seem to be taking all the ugly things,” said Roberta.

“We’re taking the useful ones,” said Mother. “We will have to get used to a poor life.”

Peter said happily, “I do like moving! I wish we moved once a month.” Mother laughed and said, “I don’t like moving!”

As she turned away, Roberta saw her face. She never forgot it. “Oh, Mother,” she whispered, “how I love you! You are brave enough to laugh when you’re feeling like that!”

Then they took a train to Three Chimneys. No one knew how long they had been in the train when Mother woke them up.

They stood in the cold night air on the dark platform (站台). At that moment they didn’t know how important the station and the trains would become to them. They didn’t know they were going to be the railway children.

1. What was the three children’s life like before their Father was taken away?

A．Only mom played with them at home because she had no job.

B．They had everything they wanted.

C．Their life was full of joy.

D．Their father could make a lot of money for them from his business.

2. Which of the following is NOT true according to the article?

A．Father was taken away from his office.

B．Their life in the big house only lasted one week or so after Father was taken away.

C．Mother didn’t tell them the real reason why Father was taken away.

D．Father failed to repair the broken toy.

3. While the train was going towards Three Chimneys, what did the three children do?

A．They kept on playing games.	B．They kept sleeping.
C．They talked about their new house.	D．They enjoyed the scenery along the way.

4. What can we learn from the underlined sentence “She never forgot.”?

A．Roberta realized her mother actually didn’t like moving.

B．The sad look on her mother’s face deeply touched her.

C．Roberta was too young to understand her mother.

D．Mother made Roberta too scared to forget the look on her face.

【推荐3】Mr and Mrs Albina, with 64 children, have the world’s largest family. Not one of their children is adopted（领养）.
When people hear about the Albinas’ large family, the first question they ask is, "How is it possible? How can one woman give birth to 64 children in her lifetime?" The answer is simple: Every time Mrs Albina gave birth, she had twins or triplets.
Soon after the Albinas got married the children came quickly, in twos and threes. The first 21 children were boys. Mrs Albina loved her sons, but she wanted a daughter very much.
The Albinas spent the early years in Argentina. Then they decided to move to Chile. To travel from Argentina to Chile, they had to cross the Andes Mountains.   Mr and Mrs Albina and their 21 sons made the difficult, two-week journey on mules. One night there was a terrible snowstorm in the mountains.   During the snowstorm, Mrs Albina gave birth to triplets,a boy and-two girls!
The oldest Albina children are in their thirties and forties. They are on their own now, but 18 of the Albina children still live with their parents The family lives in a two-room shack in Colina Chile The shack has electricity but no toilet or running water. The children wash in a small bowl in the dusty backyard.
At times there is very little food in the Albinas’ small house.   When there is not enough food for everyone, Mrs Albina makes sure the youngest children do not go hungry. "The smallest eat first, and then the bigger ones   We’ve always done it that way," she says. Obviously, the Albinas do not have enough money for their big family. Why, then, do they continue to have children?
The Albinas do not use birth control because it’ s against their religion (宗教）They could let other people take care of their children, but Mrs. Albina will not allow it "When my two brothers and I were babies," she says，" our mother left us at an orphanage（孤儿院）and never returned. We lived there together until we were five Then a couple adopted my brothers, and I
was left belhind I was heartbroken I promised myself that when I became a mother,I would never give my children away. Even if I didn’t have much money, I would always take care of my children myself."Mrs Albina has kept her promise.
1. How many people are there in the world’s largest family?

A．66: a mother, a father and their 64 adopted children.

B． 66: a mother, a father and their 64 children.

C．23: a mother, a father and their 21 sons.

2. All of the Albina children are.

A．living in Argentina

B．in their thirties and forties

C．twins or triplets

3. The Albina family is________.

A．poor

B．middle class

C．rich

4. The Albinas do not use birth control because_________.

A．they want to have as many children as possible

B．they don’t know about birth control

C．it is against their religion

5. Mrs   Albina will not let other people take care of her children because_______.

A．she is afraid other people won’t take good care of them

B．she promised that she would always take care of her children herself

C．she has a lot of money and can take care of them herself

【推荐1】阅读短文, 根据短文内容, 从短文后各题所给的A, B, C, D四个选项中, 选择最佳选项。

Zoe Johnson, 16, hasn't been at school for 4 years. "She went to the doctor in 2014 with a bit of a sore throat, and somehow that became very serious." says her mother, Rachel Johnson. Zoe missed a lot of school work but was able to continue with her studies with the help of an online teacher. But "over the years her real-world friendships disappeared（消失）because she's not well enough to see anybody, " says Ms Johnson.

For the last three months, though, she has been taking classes with her former classmates using a “telepresence" robot called AVI. The small, cute-looking robot, made by Oslo-based start-up No Isolation, sits in the classroom and sends live streams video and audio（直播视频和音频）back to Zoe's ipad, phone or computer at home. She can speak through the robot and take part in lessons, and also control（控制）where AVI is looking.

When she wants to ask a question, the robot's head starts blinking on and off to tell the teacher. And when she's too tired or sick to join in, she can turn AVI's head blue to ask for a leave. "It makes my life a lot more exciting and makes me feel like I haven't been forgotten," Zoe says. With the robot's help, she was able to take five GCSE exams this year. "We're celebrating because she did so much better than we ever hoped, " says Ms Johnson. "Zoe is going on to study A-level History and is looking forward to doing so with her friends, rather than on her own at home".

Karen Dolva, the 27-year-old Norwegian co-founder of No Isolation, has a friend working as a nurse in a children's hospital. "These kids are very sad and they can only see their families," her friend says. Karen and her friends at No Isolation all know about engineering and technology. They talk to the children and find out that phones and messaging apps such as Facebook are not enough to address（表达）their feelings of isolation（隔绝）. “We get to know the kids need to be present somewhere they aren't, " says Karen.

But the children also say they feel "more comfortable when they don't have to be on display （展示）". So although AVI can help children like Zoe to see and hear what's going on in the classroom, other children can only hear their voices through the robot's speaker.

1. What's Zoe's problem?

A．She has to be home and nobody can see her.

B．She is badly ill and has no friends to stay with.

C．She likes learning but no teachers can help her.

D．She has a sore throat and can't go on with her study.

2. How does the robot AVI help Zoe?

A．The robot can speak and take part in the class for Zoe.

B．The robot takes her to have classes with her classmates.

C．AVI makes video and audio streams and sends to Zoe.

D．AVI gives Zoe eyes, ears and mouth in the classroom.

3. How does Zoe feel about the robot AVI?

A．She likes the robot AVI because it looks cute and can blink.

B．She feels tired and sick when she is having classes through AVI.

C．She thinks AVI can connect herself with her study and social life.

D．She is sure she can pass A-level history exams with the help of AVI.

4. From Paragraphs 4＆5, we can learn that_______________

A．Zoe is happy that her classmates can see her

B．technology like Facebook helps kids be present

C．Karen does a lot to help the kids like Zoe live a better life

D．the kids like Zoe in children's hospitals are sad but brave

【推荐2】One day, a little monkey and a little fox went out to play. They saw an apple tree on the other side of the river. There were many big and red apples on it. But there was no bridge over the river. The monkey thought hard and had an idea. They pulled down a tree and put it over the river as a bridge.
The monkey said, "My old friend, you go there first." But after the fox went to the other side, he kicked (踢) the tree into the river and ran to the apple tree. "How can I get 'there without the tree?" cried the monkey. The fox laughed and said, "You just stand there and watch me eating the apples." The monkey was very angry.
Suddenly it began to rain. The water level （水位) in the river rose and the tree flew away with the water.
"You can eat all the apples. But you can't come back," shouted the monkey.
The fox stopped eating and looked at the monkey sadly.
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. The little monkey and the little fox wanted to________on the other side of the river.

A．build a bridge

B．eat the apples

C．pull down a tree

D．play games

2. The fox kicked the tree into the river because he wanted to________.

A．eat all the apples by himself

B．share the apples with the monkey

C．get the apples first

D．play a joke on the monkey

3. The fox could not come back because_______.

A．the monkey took away the tree

B．the tree flew away

C．it began to rain

D．he was angry with the monkey

4. The fox was sad because________.

A．the monkey was laughing

B．he couldn' t reach the apples

C．he couldn' t go back

D．the monkey went home first

5. The story tells us that_______.

A．the fox was strong

B．the monkey should go first

C．the fox was cleverer than the monkey

D．one shouldn' t care only about himself

【推荐3】

It was raining hard and nearing dark. I was late for an appointment (预约) in a nearby city that I know only by GPS. And now my phone has died. The usual exits (出口) were closed. I didn't know how to get where I was going or how to let my appointment know I might not make it there.

I stopped at a KFC in a poor part of town and walked up to a mother and her teen daughter.

“I'm sorry, but is it possible for me to look up a number on your phone and then call the place and let them know I'm lost?” She handed me her phone and then told me I was lucky she had her phone, for it was getting ready to be turned off because she didn't have enough money to pay the phone bill.

The young girl and the mother didn't pay me much attention when I made a call. The appointment told me how to get there by another road.

Before I left. suddenly, I reached into my wallet where I don't usually have cash (现金) and pulled out all I had, a $20 bill. I gave it into the mother's hand and then turned to leave quickly. I heard her daughter calling after me, “Thanks, sir. You have no idea how you just helped us.” And yet, they really helped me.

Judge the following sentences true (T) or false (F) according to the passage.
1. The writer asked the mother and her daughter for help because his phone didn't work.
2. The woman said the writer was lucky because he had enough money to pay the phone bill.
3. From the passage we know the mother and her daughter were also in great need of help.
4. The writer paid the mother $20 as the cost of using the phone.
5. When the writer got help from others, he also passed on his kindness at the same time.

【推荐1】Everyone these days likes smart phones, even your little kids. Finding him or her spending too much time on mobile phones would surely turn you down. You would think this will limit his or her growth but what if we tell you, mobile phones could actually help them be smarter and healthier. Seriously, there are some best apps for kids that are willing to offer much more.

Drawing for Kids

With this app, your child will learn to draw cute characters in a fun and playful manner. The use of animations (动画) and drawings makes this app simply unique. It is an app which gives your kids a chance to develop their creativity.

Countries and Capitals

Countries and Capitals app is one of the best apps for kids that help them to learn and know about all the countries and capitals on their own. With the help of voice assistance in the app, anyone including kids can easily manage to operate the app. It will give an idea about all the continents (洲), countries, capital cities and flags.

Toca Doctor

Let your kids be a doctor for a day. Examine a patient and solve fun puzzles and mini-games that take place in the human body. Beautiful artwork and fun sound guides your kids through 5 different puzzles! Toca Doctor is a fun and puzzling digital toy for kids.

Toy-Story (￡l.99)

Disney's latest official Toy Story app puts kids in charge of the storytelling. They choose a setting, characters, props, and actions to create a tale while recording their own voice to be played back afterward. Buzz, Woody, and Jessie are all among other characters.

1. Which app can help children learn more about our body?

A．Drawing for Kids.	B．Countries and Capitals.
C．Toca Doctor.	D．Toy Story.

2. Which of the following is true about the apps?

A．People happily let kids use smart phones.	B．Kid apps are bad to their growth.
C．Not all apps above are free to download.	D．Kids can't learn things with apps.

【推荐2】Artificial intelligence (AI) products are not new. However，researchers have been working to improve the technology. Now virtual (虚拟的) assistants, like Siri and Alexa, can have short conversations with us. AlphaGo taught itself to play Go and became better than the top human players.

Now an AI system has been tasked with passing a multiple-choice exam. The goal is to improve machines' language understanding and logic with so-called computer vision (计算机视觉).

A system named Aristo was developed by the Allen Institute for Artificial Intelligence, a lab in the United States city of Seattle. It recently passed an eighth-grade science exam taken by many US students. The New York Times reported. It correctly answered more than 90 percent of the questions. Then it was given a twelfth-grade exam. It scored more than 80 percent.

It's an example of the progress in AI development. Four years ago, 700 computer scientists tried to develop AI systems that could pass these kinds of exams. None scored higher than 60 percent.

Aristo was able to pass the exams because it can not only understand language but also use logical thinking to solve problems. For example, it can understand what a forest fire is and how it could endanger animals like squirrels or decrease the food supply they need.

The system used BERT, a kind of neural network technology developed by Google, to answer the questions. BERT has "read" thousands of English articles. If it looks at a sentence with a missing word, it can correctly guess what the word is. With BERT's help, Aristo "read' many multiple-choice questions and answers. Over time, it was able to find logical patterns on its own.

"It may still be in the earliest stages," said Jingjing Liu, a Microsoft researcher who has been working on similar technologies. "We can't compare this technology to real human students and their ability to reason."

However, Aristo's success means that AI systems are getting better at understanding users, and we might see improved search engines and hospital databases in the near future.

1. What does the underlined word "it" refer to in paragraph 3?

A．The city of Seattle

B．Aristo

C．A lab in Seattle

D．The Allen Institute

2. What can we know about Aristo from its exam results?

A．It was smarter than most US students.	B．It could only deal with science questions.
C．It was best at understanding English.	D．It did better than other AI systems in similar tasks.

3. What do paragraphs 3 to 8 talk about?

A．How Aristo teaches itself.	B．How Aristo reads English articles
C．How Aristo is developed.	D．How difficult it was to design Aristo

4. What can we learn from Jingjing Liu's words?

A．AI will soon replace humans in many tasks.

B．Aristo still cannot compare to human reasoning skills.

C．Humans can't live without Al in the future.

D．Aristo performs better with a larger database.

【推荐3】Little Mike's grandma died weeks ago. He missed her very much. One afternoon Mike went to the city park where his grandma used to go. There he saw an old lady. She looked very kind. She was sitting there, watching pigeons(鸽子). Little Mike went up and sat next to her. He took out his food and drinks and gave some to her. She smiled at him. Her smile was so sweet that Mike wanted to see it again. She seemed to understand him, so once again she smiled. Mike was very glad.

They sat there all the afternoon, eating and talking. As it grew dark, Mike got up to leave. Before he left, he hugged the old lady and she gave him her sweetest smile.

When Mike got home, his mother was surprised by the look of joy on his face. “I met a granny in the park. Her smile was like the kind of smile I used to see on Grandma's face.”

The old lady also returned to her home happily. She told her son that she had food and drinks   with a little boy. “He was as lovely as Brittany，” she said. Her son was surprised, because he had never seen her so happy since Brittany, her grandson, died weeks ago.

1. Who did Mike meet in the park?

A．His grandma.	B．An old lady.
C．His father.	D．His mother.

2. The old lady's smile showed that ________.

A．she hoped to meet the boy	B．she wanted to get some drinks
C．she missed her grandson	D．she knew the little boy

3. Why did Mike felt very glad?

A．Because he saw his grandma.

B．Because he played with pigeons.

C．Because the old lady gave him food and drinks.

D．Because the old lady was as kind as his grandma.

4. What can we learn from the story?

A．When one feels unhappy, he must go to a park.

B．Old people are always kind and happy.

C．Children and old people should get on well with each other.

D．When people are kind to each other, they will feel happy.