【推荐1】Franz Peter Schubert was a great musician. He had many famous musical works.

Schubert was born into a musical family in Vienna on January 31,1797. His father was a music teacher, and he taught young Schubert to play the violin. One of Schubert's brothers also gave him piano lessons.

Schubert had a gift for singing, too. That got him into a good school and a place in its boys' choir (合唱团). He learned a lot about music there, and he got really good at writing all kinds of music. However, Schubert's voice changed when he turned 15, so he had to leave the school at the end of 1813.

Back at home, Schubert started working at his father's school. He didn't like teaching, though. And he spent free time writing music. During this time, he wrote his first full symphony and opera (交响曲和歌剧). He also wrote many of his famous songs.

In 1818, Schubert gave up teaching to make music full-time. It was a good change. People liked his music, and they even paid him to write music for them. Schubert finally made money from his musical works, but they didn't make him rich.

Even so, Schubert worked really long and hard. However, his health got worse, and he died on November 19, 1828. However, Schubert and his music touched many people during his time. His works still touch people today.

1. What does the underlined word “gift”mean in English?

A．Advice

B．Question

C．Joke

D．Talent

2. What was Schubert best at according to the passage?

A．Teaching.

B．Singing.

C．Writing music.

D．Working in a choir.

3. From the passage, we CANNOT infer that             .

A．Schubert's family played an important role in his music life

B．Schubert stopped being in the boys' choir because he didn't like it

C．Schubert ever made a living by writing music for some people

D．Franz Peter Schubert died at the age of 31

4. Who will be interested in this passage?

A．Jack —he likes playing with kids and wants to be a teacher.

B．Emma —she is very smart and good at writing beautiful stories.

C．Linda—she enjoys music and wants to find an example.

D．Peter—he is interested in some great ways to become successful.

【推荐2】People use their mouths for many things. They eat, talk, shout and sing. They smile and they kiss. In the English language, there are many expressions using the word “mouth”. But some of them are not so nice.
For example, if you say bad things about a person, the person might protest and say “Do not badmouth me.”
Sometimes, people say something to a friend or family member that they later regret because it hurts that person’s feelings. Or they tell the person something they were not supposed to tell.The speaker might say: “I really put my foot in my mouth this time.” If this should happen, the speaker might feel “down in the mouth.” In other words, he might feel sad for saying the wrong thing.
Another situation（情况）is when someone falsely claims （宣布）another person said something. The other person might protest: “I did not say that. Do not put words in my mouth.”
Information is often spread through “word of mouth.” This is general communication between people, like friends talking to each other. “How did you hear about that new movie?” someone might ask. “Oh, by word of mouth.” A more official way of getting information is through a company or government mouthpiece（发言人）. This is an official spokesperson. Government-run media could also be called a mouthpiece.
1. In the English language, there are many __________using the word “mouth”.

A．words	B．expressions
C．pictures	D．ideas

2. What is the meaning of the underlined word “protest” in Chinese?

A．抗议.

B．咒骂.

C．同意.

D．辩驳

3. If someone tells the person something that he/she was not supposed to tell, the speaker might say:
“___________________”

A．Do not bad mouth me.

B．I did not say that.

C．I really put my foot in my mouth this time.

D．Oh, by word of mouth.

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

A．All expressions using the word mouth are nice.

B．People don’t use mouth to smile.

C．People might feel sad for saying the wrong thing.

D．Getting information through a company mouthpiece is not an official way.

5. What is the passage mainly about?

A．The use of mouth.

B．Some expressions about mouth.

C．The word “mouth”.

D．All expressions about mouth.

【推荐1】自然界的三大灾难

In March 2015, a big wildfire went through Cape Town, South Africa. “It was moving 65 km in a single day and destroying (毁坏) everything on its way. We couldn't breathe because of the smoke, and we couldn't run away,” said one Cape Town resident (居民). Wildfires can start in forests or on open land, and it spreads very quickly. Sometimes they start because the weather is hot and dry, but mostly humans cause wildfires. We can prevent them by carefully controlling campfires and other outdoor fires.

Other natural disasters (灾难) are impossible to prevent. A hurricane—also called a typhoon—is a rotating tropical storm (旋转的热带风暴) that starts over the sea. When typhoon Haiyan struck the Philippines and Vietnam in 2013, the winds reached over 100 kph and caused disasters. Six thousand people were killed, and more than two million people had to leave their homes. Today we can exactly predict these storms, and if we pay attention to severe weather warnings, we can prepare for their arrivals.

Unlike a storm, an earthquake is usually completely unexpected. A huge earthquake hit Pakistan in October 2015. “The ground was shaking,” said one Islamabad resident who was at work at that time. “But worse than that was the sound of the earthquake. It was a terrible noise.” Earthquakes usually don't last more than a minute, but their effects can be terrible. Buildings fall down and this can sometimes cause fires and floods. It can be very difficult to find survivors (幸存者) in the destroyed areas.

These are just three examples of how powerful nature can be. But humans can use predictions, take practical steps to make our environment safer, and work together when things go wrong.

1. What's the main reason for wildfires according to the passage?

A．The hot weather.

B．The dry weather.

C．Campfires.

D．Humans activities.

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

A．Easy.

B．Strong.

C．Hard.

D．Right.

3. What other disasters can earthquakes cause sometimes?

A．Fires and floods.	B．Fires and storms.
C．Floods and storms.	D．Fires, floods and storms.

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

A．Three Disasters of Nature.	B．Wildfires in Nature.
C．The Unexpected Earthquakes.	D．Weather Warnings by Humans.

【推荐2】Most Americans enjoy moving from place to place. For example, they often drive their cars 120 to 160 kilometres away just to have dinner with a friend or even fly to London or Paris just to watch a football match. In some states only one person in five lives in a place for more than five years. One may be born in one city, and go to school in another. He may finish his middle school in two or three cities, and then go to college far across the country. When he begins to work, he may possibly move from job to job. Moving from one job to another, which is called “job-hopping”, can be seen in many places in the United States.
Job-hopping does good to workers because every change of a job gives them a chance to get better pay. And job-hopping also gives bosses the chance to get new ideas and skills from him or her.
1. From this passage, we can see Americans often travel to ____________.

A．have dinner with their friends	B．go shopping
C．watch a football game	D．enjoy themselves

2. Which of the following is true?

A．About 20% of the people stay in one place for over five years.

B．Children have to finish middle school in one place.

C．People go to the nearest college.

D．When people begin to work, they don’t move any more.

3. Job-hopping means “_______________”.

A．looking for a job	B．having a job
C．changing jobs often	D．losing a job

4. In the USA job-hopping _______________.

A．is very popular

B．helps young people go to college

C．helps workers in traveling

D．helps students begin to work

5. The writer thinks job-hopping _______________.

A．does good only to the workers

B．does good only to the boss

C．must be stopped

D．is helpful

【推荐3】Please Take my Children to Work Day (PTCW Day) first began as holiday for hark-working and tired stay-at-home mother to take a day off. Now, this day is fit for my parent. It was created in 2003 and is celebrated each year on June 25, but it isn’t a public holiday. It encourages friends and family to take care of the children so that the stay-at-home parent can have some time to relax.

Kamehameha Day is held on June 11 each year. Kamehameha the Great was the monarch(君主) of Hawaii. He is famous and respected for establishing(建立) the Kingdom of Hawaii in 1810. Kamehameha Day is a public holiday in Hawaii, and it is a day off for people. Schools and most businesses are closed.

D-Day is celebrated in the U.S. to memorize the Normandy landings in France on June 6, 1944.On that day, American army and other Allied forces (盟军) fought hard and the World War II(WWII) in Europe was over soon. It is not a public holiday. Businesses have normal opening hours.

Flag Day is celebrated on June14 each year to honor the United States flag. On the same day, the United States Army celebrates its birthday. Although Flag Day is a great celebration across the country, it is not a public holiday.

1. If you are a stay-at-home parents, what can you do to relax on PTCW Day?

A．Take a day off.	B．Go to work earlier.
C．Look after children.	D．Do some housework.

2. Which is public holiday?

A．PTCW Day.	B．Kamehameha Day.
C．D-Day.	D．Flag Day.

3. When is the United States Army’s birthday?

A．On June 6.

B．On June 11.

C．On June 14.

D．On June 25.

4. What can we know about D-Day?

A．It is celebrated in France.	B．The WW II ended before 1944.
C．Businesses are closed for it.	D．The Normandy landing happened in 1944.

【推荐1】On Jan 26, people around the world were shocked to hear of the sudden passing of Kobe Bryant, one of the NBA’s most legendary(传奇性的) players. The 41-year old, his 13-year-old daughter Gianna Bryant and seven others died when their helicopter crashed in California, the US.

In the basketball world, Bryant ranks among the top players of all time. Fans remember him as the player who helped the Los Angeles Lakers win five NBA championships during his 20-year long career. He started out as a basketball prodigy(神童) who skipped(跳过) college and took his talents directly to the NBA. His deadly agility(敏捷) and aggressive tactics(进攻性的策略) earned him the nickname Black Mamba(黑曼巴). That’s why his competitive philosophy(哲学) is known as the “Mamba Mentality”. “Mamba Mentality is you’re going, you’re competing, you’re not worried about the end result,” Bryant said. “It’s all about focusing on the process and trusting in the hard work when it matters most.

He was also known as a proud family man. His friend, baseball star Derek Jeter，remembered him as such in an essay: “Throughout our friendship, the most meaningful conversations we had they were always about family.

1. What do we know about the crash?

A．Nine people were killed.

B．The helicopter crashed in Florida.

C．The crash happened on Jan 25.

D．Bryant was the pilot of the helicopter.

2. To play basketball in the NBA, what did Bryant do?

A．He chose “Black Mamba” as his nickname.

B．He competed with five other players.

C．He trained with a talented coach.

D．He had to give up on college.

3. According to Bryant, “Mamba Mentality” means       .

A．caring about the final result

B．working hard in the moment

C．trusting your teammates all the time

D．focusing on school

4. In Jeter’s eyes, Bryant was a man who       .

A．loved his family very much

B．was good at doing business

C．inspired many people

D．had many genuine(真正的) friends

5. The underlined word “helicopter” means “      ” in Chinese.

A．轮船

B．火箭

C．坦

D．直升机

【推荐2】Frank and his brother Jack lived near the ocean. Frank was outgoing while Jack was shy. They liked doing different things. Frank was famous for organizing games of beach volleyball, football, and any other sport imaginable. Jack preferred to draw, paint, or build sandcastles（沙堡）.

Frank didn't understand why Jack would rather do artistic things than play ball. He believed sports often allowed many kids to play together. That was when Jack's idea hatched. He would show Frank what doing things together looked like!

After Jack finished creating a special sandcastle with stairs, towers and walls, he took pictures of it. Then he painted colorful posters featuring（突出）his sandcastle and the question, "Can you top this?" He hung his posters everywhere in town, announcing his plan for a day of sandcastle artistry-all ages welcome.

When Frank saw poster, he not so nicely told Jack that no one would come. Still, shortly after sunrise on Saturday, Jack was on the beach digging in the sand. By mid-morning, four kids were sculpting（雕塑）the sand alongside him. By noon the number had increased a lot.

After Frank came back from his ball game, he went to check how his brother's plan turned out. He couldn't believe what he saw. At least 30 people were building a city of sandcastles, and everyone was chatting and laughing and working together! It was the most beautiful thing he had seen on the beach.

"I guess you've proved me wrong," Frank said. "You should make this sandcastle day a yearly tradition!" Handing Frank a shovel（铲子）with smile, Jack got started together with his brother on their super creation in the sand.

1. What does the underlined word "hatched" in Paragraph 2 probably mean in Chinese?

A．产生

B．改变

C．消失

D．中断

2. What helped people know about Jack's plan?

A．Beautiful towers.	B．Colorful posters.
C．A town building.	D．A sandcastle day.

3. When learning about Jack's plan, Frank was ________.

A．doubtful

B．interested

C．satisfied

D．nervous

4. What can we know about Jack's idea?

A．It came from picture.	B．It needed 30 people's support.
C．It proved Frank right.	D．It did work well.

5. Which of the following best describes Jack?

A．Honest.

B．Creative.

C．Outgoing.

D．Caring.

【推荐3】Mr. King is a tall and strong man. He teaches P.E. in a middle school. He wears a long beard（胡子）and takes good care of it.
It was Sunday yesterday. There was a big football match of the year on the playground in the centre of the city. Mr. king likes the game very much and of course he was going to watch it. With his friends' help， he got a ticket a few days ago. After breakfast， he hurried to the bus stop， but a lot of people were waiting there. A bus came and he hardly got on. There were lots of people in it and it was difficult for them to put their feet. He had to grip（抓住）a back of the chair. At the next stop a boy got on the bus. He was short and couldn't grip anything. Suddenly the bus stopped and the boy hardly fell onto the floor. He looked around and saw Mr. King's beard and grip it. The man found it at once and called out， “Let go off（松开）my beard， boy!”
“Are you going to get off， sir?” asked the boy.
1. Mr. King is a ________.

A．player

B．runner

C．teacher

D．driver

2. Mr. King was going to watch the match because ___.

A．he teaches P.E. in a middle school

B．he likes football very much

C．he had already got a ticket

D．he didn't go to work yesterday

3. It was difficult for Mr. King to stand because ___.

A．he had drunk too much

B．the bus was too small

C．he got on the bus too late

D．it was very crowded in the bus

4. The boy gripped Mr. King's beard because ___.

A．he was afraid to fall again

B．he wanted to make the man angry

C．he hoped the man to find a seat for him

D．he hoped the man to get off soon

5. Mr. King was afraid ___， so he shouted at him.

A．the boy would pull him down

B．the boy would hurt his beard

C．the boy could be hurt again

D．the boy would borrow his ticket

【推荐1】On a sunny day, Mother Hen is playing with her chickens on the grass. Later, they are hungry, so Mother Hen takes her children out to look for food. She finds a grain of wheat(麦子). So she asks her children to plant it in the garden. But none of her children wants to do it. Mother Hen has to do it herself.
A few months later, they get a lot of wheat. She asks her children, “Who would you like to take the wheat to the shop and get someflour?” But her children don’t want to do it. So she takes the wheat to the shop and brings the flour home.
After getting home, she asks, “Who will make some bread with the flour?” They all say, “We are not free”.
When she makes the bread, she says to her chickens, “Who wants to eat the bread?”
“I will,” they all say.
“No, you can’t. You don’t want to do anything before I make the bread. You must know ‘No pains, no gains(不劳而获).’” She doesn’t give any bread to her children and she eats the bread herself.
1. _________take(s) the wheat to the shop?

A．Mother Hen

B．The chickens

C．Mother Hen and her chickens

D．One of Mother Hen’s children

2. The underlined(划线) word “flour” means “________” in Chinese.

A．面包	B．面粉
C．大米	D．食品

3. What’s the best title(标题) for the passage?

A．The bread	B．No pains, no gains
C．The wheat	D．Mother Hen

【推荐2】Today, an increasing number of people are always looking at their mobile phones with their heads down. These people are called the “Heads-down Tribe(低头族)”. Are you a heads-down tribe member? Heads-down tribe members now can be seen everywhere.

More and more traffic accidents are happening because more drivers use mobile phones when they are driving. In order to make drivers pay more attention to driving, some new traffic rules have been made. For example, people who use mobile phones while driving in Taiwan are fined(罚款).   Car drivers and motorcyclists who break the traffic rule will be fined NT$3,000 and NT$1,000 respectively(分别地).

As we can see above, using mobile phones may cause accidents and even cost a lot of money. Also, more and more interesting and strange facts happen to the “Heads-down Tribe”. Let’s have a look at an interesting TV report. A man in America kept using his mobile phone on his way home. As a result, he knocked into a big lost bear. When he lifted his eyes from the phone，he was so afraid that he turned around and ran away quickly. Another fact is that we can often see people in the restaurant eating face to face but looking at their own mobile phones. It’s strange that they don’t talk to the ones who sit opposite to them during the meal. Some of them even have fun communicating with others on the phone.

Mobile phones are helpful and necessary tools for modern life. Are mobile phones good or bad? It depends on how people use them. Let’s be “healthy” users and try to be the “Heads-up Tribe”.

1. A heads-down tribe member________.

A．is good at using the Internet

B．is a dangerous driver

C．is always looking at his or her mobile phone

2. The underlined word “motorcyclists” in the passage means ________ in Chinese.

A．摩托车手

B．手机使用者

C．低头族

3. The American was ________when he knocked into the bear.

A．driving a car

B．going to work

C．using his mobile phone

4. According to the passage, the “Heads-down Tribe” ________ when they eat in a restaurant.

A．look at their own mobile phones

B．don’t talk to the people who sit opposite

C．Both A and B

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

A．Drive your car carefully

B．Use mobile phones properly

C．Be a heads-down tribe member

【推荐3】When we have small cuts in the skin, something strange may happen. The cuts are able to heal themselves in a couple of days. How does this happen? Read on, and you will find out the secret.

Every living thing on the earth is made up of cells. Cells grow and make new cells. Most cells are very small and we can't see them with our eyes. Different cells have different uses. Our skin cells are special ones. The cells on the outside of our skin are old dead cells. New skin cells are right under the outside. These are the living skin cells. They work for our bodies. They help protect our bodies and heal cuts.

Our bodies make skin cells all the time. As the old cells fall off, new cells grow in the same place. Each person makes about 18 kg of skin cells during his or her life. Outside skin cells fit together closely with no gaps between them. When you cut yourself, you can harm your skin cells. A small cut will not be harmful. Your skin will quickly heal itself by making new skin cells. How do skin cells work? First, the cells near the cut get bigger and move into the gap. Next, these bigger cells meet in the middle. They form a new layer (层) of skin cells. Finally, new cells will grow until the gap disappears. In this way, your skin can grow and get well itself. How amazing the small cells are! Next time you have a cut, don't worry about it. Maybe in a few days, you will be surprised to find it healed.

1. The underlined word “gaps” in the passage means “ ______ ” in Chinese.

A．突起

B．条纹

C．缝隙

D．代沟

2. From the passage, we know that cells ______.

A．are large and we can see them with our eyes

B．can heal few cuts themselves

C．are in everything on the earth

D．can grow and make new cells

3. Skin cells heal cuts in three steps. ______ is the right order.

A．a→b→c

B．b→c→a

C．a→c→d

D．b→a→c

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

A．Each person can make 18 kg of skin cells every day.

B．Different cells have different uses in our bodies.

C．The skin cells have little work to do in the body.

D．Every living thing on the earth is made up of skin cells.

5. The best title for this passage should be ______.

A．How Skin Cells Heal Cuts

B．The Importance of Skin

C．How to Protect Our Fingers

D．The Importance of Cells