【推荐1】

Four years ago, 55-year-old Billy Ray Harris was homeless. He lived on a street corner in Kansas City, holding out a cup and asking passers-by for money. But then, one day, his life changed.

On February 9th, a kindhearted woman named Sarah Darling passed Billy Ray. She reached into her purse, took out all the coins she had and dropped them into his cup. Neither of them realized that this small generous act would change their lives.

Sarah didn’t realize that she had given Billy her $4000 diamond ring with all her change until the following morning. She and her husband, Bill Krejci, rushed to see if they could find Billy. To their surprise, the homeless man was not only in the same place, he also returned the ring at once. The grateful couple paid him back for his honesty by emptying out their pockets of all the money they had.

But this was just the beginning of their story. Sarah and her husband, Bill, became friends with Billy Ray. Bill Krejci, a web designer, felt that he needed to do something more for this amazingly honest man. So on February 18th, he set up a special page to raise money for him. In just three months, Billy received over $200,000. That is not enough. Billy is living with a person who is generous instead of living in the streets. And that’s not all—Thanks to the news report, he got together again with his older brother, Edwin Harris who he had been unable to find for 16 years.

All the good luck is just because Billy did the right thing—returning something that did not belong to him.

1. Why did Sarah give her ring to Billy?

A．Because she wanted to help Billy.	B．Because it was Billy’s ring.
C．Because she did it by mistake.	D．Because she wanted to test Billy.

2. The underlined word “That” in Paragraph 4 refers to “________”.

A．setting up a special page	B．receiving money
C．living with a generous person	D．returning the diamond ring

3. Where can you probably find this article?

A．In a history book.	B．In a magazine.
C．In a guide book.	D．In an ad.

【推荐2】Every people(民族) uses its own special words to show its ideas and feelings. Some of these expressions are commonly used for many years. Others are popular for just a short time. One such American expression is “Where’s the beef?” It is used when something is not as good as it is said to be. In the early 1980s “Where’s the beef?” was one of the most popular expressions in the United States. It seemed as if everyone was using it at the time.
Beef, of course, is the meat from a cow, and food is more popular in America than a hamburger made from beef. In the 1960s a businessman named Ray began building small restaurants that sold hamburgers at a low price. Ray called this “McDonald’s”. Ray became one of the richest businessmen at last in America.
Other business people watched his success. Some of them opened their own hamburger restaurants. One company(公司) called “Wendy’s” said its hamburgers were bigger than those sold by McDonald’s or anyone else. The Wendy’s Company began to use the expression “Where’s the beef?” to make people know that Wendy’s hamburgers were the biggest. The Wendy’s television advertisement(广告) showed three old women eating hamburgers. The bread that covered the meat was very big, but inside there was only a bit of meat. One of the women said she would not eat a hamburger with such a little piece of beef. “Where’s the beef?” she shouted in a funny way. The advertisement for Wendy’s hamburger restaurants was a success. As we said, it seemed everyone began using the expression “Where’s the beef?”
1. The expression “Where’s the beef?” is used when       .

A．someone can’t find the beef at all

B．someone isn’t satisfied with the beef

C．something is better than it is said to be

D．something is not as good as it is said to be

2. “Where’s the beef?” was one of the most popular expressions in ________ in the early 1980s.

A．Britain

B．America

C．India

D．Australia

3. The Wendy’s Company used the expression “Where’s the beef?” in order to       .

A．show Wendy’s hamburgers were the biggest.

B．make people know where they could find the beef

C．let people notice the bread that covered the meat was big

D．compare its hamburgers with those sold by McDonald’s

4. This passage mainly tells us         .

A．two famous companies	B．a rich businessman
C．a popular expression	D．a television advertisement

【推荐3】When I walk through the streets, I pass strange rooms where people are doing strange things. Some are biking madly. Others are holding metal bars to keep them from dropping down. Still others are jumping around while someone is shouting at them. It looks like something out of Dante's Inferno (但丁《神曲》中的《地狱篇》). But what is the most amazing is that people pay for these sufferings!

The strange rooms are gyms. It is reported that some 41 million Americans are gym members. 12% of the memberships are born in January, as they are determined to knock off the holiday fat. Maybe it is good to exercise in the gym. However, should they know they can keep in god shape, spending little money, would they still agree with its necessity?

At the age of 23, I joined a gym. I lifted weights twice a week in Muscle's Gym. I paid as little as $200 per year. You can't find such gyms in every city any more. Too often, the gym is fancy with lots of equipment. If you ask how much it costs to join it, the person at the front desk often won't tell you straight. Instead, he'll let you meet with a fitness consultant (健身顾问), who will provide you with a great number of reasons and suggestions, such as losing weight and getting healthier, just in order to put pressure on you to spend much money joining the gym and becoming a member there.

Working out with the help of equipment at home has problems, too. In the early 2000's, I bought a spinning bike at a cost of $700 for home use. I tried a few times only to find that it brought me a neck problem.

Now I'm back to my old way. I do Yoga every morning and evening. Total cost: $60 for an exercise mat. I'm enjoying fitness.

1. The strange rooms are places where people ________.

A．do strange things	B．suffer from great pains
C．play Dante's Inferno	D．take physical-exercise.

2. In the author's opinion, joining a gym nowadays is ________.

A．unnecessary

B．exciting

C．inexpensive

D．helpful

3. The author wrote something about Muscle's Gym to ________.

A．tell us he was fat when he was young

B．compare it with the gyms of today

C．suggest a new way of losing weight

D．provide us with an example of gyms

4. The author will possibly agree that ________.

A．working out in gyms will bring a lot of sufferings

B．to be a fitness consultant can bring in a lot of money

C．taking up Yoga at home is a good way to keep healthy

D．you should buy good equipment if you exercise at home

5. From the text we can infer that ________.

A．spinning bikes are good equipment for exercise

B．12% of the American people are members of gyms

C．many Americans put on weight after Christmas and New Year's Day

D．The author and his family had spent a lot of money exercising in gyms

【推荐1】Most people think children only have some simple wishes, such as getting delicious snacks and having enough playtime. But one six-year-old girl named Peyton surprised everyone by making an unexpected decision.

Peyton’s teacher Mrs. Petree promised Peyton a reward in a class. The reward Peyton chose was to sit with a friend at lunch. Mrs. Petree thought for sure that she knew who Peyton would pick.

However, Mrs. Petree was surprised by Peyton when she picked a little boy who never got picked by anyone for anything. The boy was very shy, and he was alone all the time. Peyton’s decision really made his day. Since then, other children have started picking the boy as well. Now, he is a completely different child.

Mrs. Petree says that Peyton’s action has reminded her why she loves teaching.

1. How old is Peyton?

A．4 years old.

B．5 years old.

C．6 years old.

D．7 years old.

2. What was the reward Peyton chose?

A．To have enough playtime.	B．To make a good decision.
C．To have lunch with a shy boy.	D．To have breakfast with a shy boy.

3. How did Mrs. Petree feel about Peyton’s choice at first?

A．Happy.

B．Surprised.

C．Excited.

D．Sad.

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

A．A little shy boy	B．A kind-hearted teacher
C．An unexpected decision	D．Change from now on

【推荐2】阅读理解。
John usually goes to school by bus. He leaves (离开)his house at seven and gets to school at about seven twenty. His school is on the hill.
From Monday to Friday John usually has four classes every day. He likes English. He wants to be an English teacher. He hopes he will go to the USA to study English one day. On Sundays, he often goes to the library with his friends, but sometimes they go to see movies.
1. How does John usually go to school?

A．On foot.	B．By bus.
C．By plane.	D．by car.

2. John likes _______ very much.

A．English	B．Japanese
C．French	D．Chinese

3. What does John want to be?

A．A cook	B．A driver
C．An English teacher.	D．A doctor.

4. John hopes to study English in _______ .

A．England	B．Australia
C．Canada	D．the USA

5. How often does John go to see movies?

A．Sometimes.	B．Often.
C．Usually.	D．Never.

【推荐3】I experienced great pain five years ago. At that time, my father died from an accident. As the eldest son, I had no choice but to leave school and work in a factory. I didn’t dare to ask for more, just hoping to bring up my two younger brothers. However, that was not an easy thing, for I couldn’t afford to pay their tuition even if I worked from day to night. Without my father’s protection, my life was full of pain.

Later on, something changed my life. I still remember that it was a rainy day. I walked slowly in the street. Suddenly, the rain stopped. I raised my head and found that “the sky” was in fact an umbrella. Then I heard a deep voice. “Why not run without an umbrella?” A one-leg man with a walking stick said to me, “If you run, you would get less wet.” His words shocked me deeply. He told me he once had dreamed of being a policeman, but an accident broke his dream. Later he became a salesman. Though his work was demanding and didn’t suit for his leg, he still thought every outing was a wonderful start to him. He said that he felt glad that he didn’t lose his courage and still “ran” on the road of life.

Inspired by his words, I became an insurance agent (保险代理人). After two years’ hard work, I did well and my family turned better gradually. I got the time to return to my senior school, and finally succeeded in my entrance to university.

Everything is so simple: to run without an umbrella! When you run out of the rainy season of your life, there will be a bright sky ahead of you!

1. What do we know about the writer from the first paragraph?

A．His felt painful without his father.

B．His father died of a serious illness.

C．He left school because of poor grades.

D．He worked hard to support his three brothers.

2. The underline word “demanding” probably means “________” in Chinese.

A．可怕的

B．艰难的

C．舒适的

D．有趣的

3. We can learn from the passage that when we meet difficulties, we should ________.

A．talk with our friends	B．turn to others for help
C．change our goals in time	D．work hard to overcome them

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

A．Going Back to School	B．Looking for the Umbrella
C．Running Through the Rain	D．Accepting Others’ Advice

【推荐1】Come and see big elephants from Yunnan and tigers from the northeast. The African giraffes are waiting for you. Clever monkeys are going to make you laugh. A lot of other animals you have never seen are waiting to meet you.

Tickets:　　　　                           Opening Hours:
Grown-ups: ¥80 　　　             From Monday to Friday: 8:30 am--4:30 pm
Children: ¥40 　　　　             Saturday and Sunday: 8:00 am--5:30 pm
Under Six: Free

Keep the zoo clean. Do not feed or go near to the animals.

1. All the animals above are ____.

A．from Africa	B．in the zoo
C．from China	D．in the forest

2. Which animal is full of fun?

A．A monkey.	B．A giraffe.
C．A tiger.	D．A bear.

3. Now Mr. and Mrs. King are going to the zoo with their seven-year-old son. How much will they pay for the tickets?

A．One hundred and twenty yuan.	B．One hundred and sixty yuan.
C．Two hundred yuan.	D．Two hundred and sixty yuan.

4. Which is the visiting time?

A．8:00 am on Monday.	B．5:00 pm on Thursday.
C．8:30 am on Saturday.	D．6:00 pm on Sunday.

5. We can ____in the zoo.

A．throw dirty things	B．not go close to the animals
C．give food to the animals	D．knock at the windows

【推荐2】Joe Connor comes from Kinsley and works in an office in Kansas City. His job is a typical nine-to-five, Monday-to-Friday job. So at the weekend, he does something different. He likes traveling but he works as a volunteer too. He helps different people for free. Every weekend, there’s a new project.

This weekend, Joe is helping to build a house. You can see him in the photo. He’s moving a large blue panel(板子). It’s part of a wall. Joe isn’t a professional builder, but that’s the interesting thing about this project. The other people are “weekend builders” too. There “weekend builders” are from the small town of Greensburg in Kansas. A year ago, a tornado(龙卷风) hit their town. After the tornado, the community started a project to build new homes. The project is for 30 new homes. They get some help from a building company and a group of volunteers. Joe says, “I heard about the tornado and the new project. I knew some people in Greensburg. I wanted to help,” Joe’s friends are here this weekend too. They’re working with Jill and Scott.

Jill and Scott are both from Pratt, and they are building their “dream house”. Jill (on the right) is standing near his new house. He’s holding a part of the new wall. They’re making the house that can fight against tornadoes—that’s why it has an unusual shape.

Their house is almost ready, so next weekend, Joe is moving to a different project. Why does he do so? “Though busy, I can help people, I can make friends and that is fun! So, why not?” he says.

1. How long does Joe work every workday?

A．7 hours.

B．8 hours.

C．9 hours.

D．10 hours.

2. Which place did the tornado hit?

A．Kinsley.

B．Kansas City.

C．Pratt.

D．Greensburg.

3. Why does Joe choose to work as a volunteer?

A．He can make money to travel.	B．The work brings him pleasure.
C．He always has lots of free time.	D．He is good at building houses.

4. What’s the writer of the text doing?

A．Showing different projects.	B．Introducing a tornado.
C．Talking about a photo.	D．Helping build a house.

【推荐3】It was a beautiful spring morning — here were no clouds in the sky, and the sun is warm but not hot. Mr. Black saw an old man at the bus stop with a big, strong, black umbrella in his hand.

Mr. Black said to him, “Do you think we are going to have rain today?” “No,” said the old man, “I don’t think so.” “Then are you carrying the umbrella because the sun is too hot?” “No, the sun is not very hot in spring.” Mr. Black looked at the big umbrella again, and then the man said, “I am an old man, and my legs are not very strong(强壮). I must have a walking-stick(拐杖). But people will say, ‘Look! That man is so old!’ I don’t like that, so I carry an umbrella every day.”

1. This story happened ___________.

A．on a spring morning	B．on a cold day
C．on a summer evening	D．on a bus

2. What was the weather like that day?

A．It was raining.	B．The sun was too hot.
C．It was sunny and the sun was warm but not too hot.	D．It was cloudy.

3. The old man had ___________ in his hand.

A．a book

B．a walking-stick

C．nothing

D．an umbrella

4. The old man carried an umbrella because ___________.

A．it was going to rain	B．he must have it as a walking-stick
C．the sun was too hot	D．he thought it was going to rain

5. From the passage we know that ___________.

A．the weather was bad that day	B．the old man was stupid
C．the umbrella was not strong	D．the old man didn’t want other people to say he was old