【推荐1】Is reading better than watching TV? I believe it is. Is reading better than playing video games? I’m not so sure if it is. If learning is important to you, but not necessarily so, and if pleasure is what you want, these activities can be pleasant in their own ways. Reading might be better than many activities if you want to educate yourself and improve your chances of succeeding in your work.

If you’re serious about creating the habit of reading, what’s important is finding a time you can read every day—often that’s early morning or late at night, or both. For others, it might be during their lunch break. You only need to read for 10 to 20 minutes a day to form the habit.

Then, you need to find a place that’s comfortable. Make sure it has good lighting, the temperature is nice and you’re in a good chair. Or you can find some place that you can relax in without falling asleep, although there’s nothing wrong with sleep.

Next, be sure to shut off the TV, Internet, cell phone, radio, or other music, let reading be a quiet time. Mark an “x” on your calendar every day you read, and try to keep your unbroken “x” es going as long as possible. A habit is much easier to get into if it’s something you enjoy, not something you are made to do. So make the time you spend reading a joy. I’ve been a lifelong reader, so the pleasure of a good book is one of my favorite things in the world. I love to lose myself in the world of a book.

Enjoy reading as much as possible
Why	Reading may bring you more chances if you want to make your life     1    .
How	Finding a time, such as often early morning or late at night, or both, is     2    .
	Find something like good lighting, nice temperature and a nice chair to help you read comfortably     3     of falling asleep.     4     yourself away from the TV, Internet, cell phone, radio, or other music. Get into a good habit by making the time you spend reading a joy.
My feeling	As a lifelong reader, I lose myself in the world of a book. It     5     me great pleasure.

【推荐2】Memory is very important. It helps you remember who you are, where you live, what you have learnt and what you plan to do in the future.

Some scientists believe that there are three types of memory—immediate, short-term and long-term.

Immediate memory holds information for less than a second, e.g. the name of a road you have just seen. Then it either forgets it or passes it into short-term memory. Short-term memory can hold about seven items of information at a time, e.g. telephone numbers. It holds them for about 30 seconds. Then it either forgets them or passes them into long-term memory. Long-term memory can hold information for the whole of our lives, e.g. the names of countries or the meanings of words.

So, how can you improve your memory?

It is important to exercise your brain. For example, you can do new things and change your daily habits. If you walk a different way to school or take a different bus, you will keep your brain active. You can try to memorize something new. You can try a Maths puzzle（益智游戏）. You can also try to learn new skills or study a foreign language. Your brain gets lots of regular exercise if you do any of these things.

If you live a healthy life, your memory will work better. You must have a balanced diet（均衡的饮食）. You must give your brain enough time to rest. Unless you get enough sleep every night, you will not remember things well.

If you want your brain to work well, you also need to relax. If you get too worried, your brain will slow down, and your memory will become less excellent.

So, to improve your memory, you should exercise your brain, live a healthy life and stay relaxed.

根据短文内容完成表格。

Information about memory
1	·Immediate memory: It holds information for less than a second. ·Short-term memory: It holds about seven items of information at a time. ·Long-term memory: It holds information for the whole of our lives.
How to improve your memory	Exercise your brain	·Do new things. ·Change     2    .
	3	·Have a balanced diet. ·Have enough time to rest. If you     4     every night, you will not remember things well.
	Stay relaxed	5    , or your brain will slow down.

【推荐3】阅读短文，并按要求完成下面小题。

Stress is a feeling you can have in your mind and in your body. It can make you want to eat less, not talk to your friends and family.

A little stress in life is normal. But controlling stress is important because if you feel stressed for too long, it can seriously affect your body. Older people who have stress for a long time can develop heart disease, high blood pressure and other serious health problems.

The good news is that it can be very easy to control stress. Here are three tips.

Tip 1: Try to eat right. Some people who feel stressed feel much better by eating chocolates, ice cream and other sweets. A little sugar isn’t bad for you but don’t stop eating fruit and vegetables.

Tip 2: Exercise regularly. People who are very busy with jobs or family life can feel tired a lot. Getting regular exercise can give you more energy and help you think about the things in your life that give you stress.

Tip 3:Most importantly, watch out for each other. Stress can make you feel alone. It’s important to pay attention to the stress in people that are close to you: friends look out for friends, and teachers look out for students.

1题完成句子；2—3题简略回答问题；4题为短文拟一个合适的标题；5题将文中画线句子译成汉语。
1. A little sugar isn’t bad for you but don’t stop ________.
2. Why is controlling stress important?
________________________________________
3. What health problems can develop if older people have stress for a long time?
___________________________________________________________
4. ________________________________________________________
5. ________________________________________________________

【推荐1】You are invited to a large party. Loud music is playing, and lots of people are dancing. Do you dance or talk to as many people as you can call all night? Later, you cannot fall asleep—you want more conversation! Or do you prefer a quieter corner? Or perhaps you cannot wait to go home early and relax by yourself.

Which of these people sound most like you? Person A, who tries to talk to everyone and stays late? Or Person B, who prefers to keep quiet and leaves early?

If you said Person A, you are probably more extroverted（性格外向的）. If you said Person B, you are probably more introverted（内向的）. Or perhaps you are Person C and fall somewhere in the middle. Introverted and extroverted people are two commonly used words to describe a person’s personality. And they are also commonly misused and misunderstood.

Introverts may be thought as quiet, shy and timid. Extroverts may be thought as bold, confident, loud and full of energy. Introverted and extroverted people may fit those descriptions. But these same descriptions do not define（下定义）introversion and extroversion properly.

Introverts and extroverts use their brains differently, and they get their energy differently. Introversion is the state of being mostly concerned with one’s own mental life. Extroversion is the opposite. Extroversion is the state of being mostly concerned with what is outside oneself.

People who consider themselves introverts may say they ＂need to be alone to charge their batteries＂. However, introverts may still live being social and going to parties. But such activities require time to prepare.

Extroverts may say, ＂I don’t need ‘alone time’, I feel more relaxed being around other people.＂ Even so, extroverts can still feel unsure or not confident among other people.

So where do you fall on the introversion/ extroversion chart?

1. If Person B is invited to a large party, what does he probably do?
2. Which three words in this passage are used to describe introverts?
3. What’s the main idea of the 5th paragraph?
4. What do ＂such activities＂ refer to in Paragraph 6?
5. How do extroverts usually make themselves relaxed?
6. Which personality do you prefer, introverted or extroverted? Show your reason!

【推荐2】阅读下面材料，从所给的A—E五个选项中选出正确的小标题，将其序号填入1—4题，并回答5题。

When you and your friends enjoy a meal in a restaurant, how do you pay the bill? ________ Or do you prefer to split the bill evenly(平均分摊费用) instead? With mobile payments, many young people prefer the latter. ________

Let’s say the bill for your lunch is 66 yuan. You and your two friends decide to share the bill evenly three ways—this means each person should pay 22 yuan.

One of your fiend says he’ll pay the full bill first. Then you and your other friend can give him 22 yuan each. ________ Then you give your friend the exact amount(数量) through WeChat. But your other friend just gives him 20 yuan because he doesn’t have enough money in his WeChat Wallet. Your friend who pays the bill might say there is no need to give him the rest, so the other doesn’t.

Guess what? The friend who pays for lunch probably thinks more highly of you than your other friend. Why? It’s because if you decide to divide the bill evenly, everyone is supposed to pay the same amount. ________ This might make his credit(信用) drop, even if it’s just a little bit.

Actually, credit really matters a lot in one’s life. So next time you eat out with your friends, make sure you divide the bill fairly.

A. However, this can cause problems sometimes
B. This makes the bill paying process quick and simple.
C. Does one person pay for everything?
D. Your friend who doesn’t pay enough doesn’t stick to your agreement.
E. You may think it is unfair for you to pay for the lunch.
1. __________
2. __________
3. __________
4. __________
5. In which part of a magazine can we read this article?

A．Social life.

B．Food culture.

C．Modern technology.

D．Family business.

【推荐3】I’ve loved my mother’s desk since I was just tall enough to see above the top of it when Mother sat writing letters. Standing by her chair, looking at the ink bottle, pens, and white paper, I decided that the act of writing must be the most wonderful thing in the world.

During my mother’s final illness, she kept different things for my sister and brother. “But the desk,” she said, “is for Elizabeth.”

I never saw her angry, never saw her cry. I knew she loved me; she showed it in action. But as a young girl, I wanted heart-to-heart talks between “mother and daughter”.

They never happened. And problems appeared between us. I was “too emotional”. But she lived “on the surface”.

As years passed I had my own family. I loved my mother and thanked her for our happy family. I wrote to her in careful words and asked her to let me know in any way she chose that she did forgive（原谅）me.

I posted the letter and waited for her answer of forgiveness. None came.

My hope turned to disappointment, then little interest and, finally, peace — it seemed that nothing had happened. I couldn’t be sure that the letter had even got to my mother. I only knew that I had written it, and I could stop trying to make her into someone she was not.

Now the present of her desk told me that she was pleased that writing was my chosen work, though she had never spoken it out. I cleaned the desk carefully and found some papers inside — a photo of my father and the letter from me, folded（折叠）and refolded many times.

Give me an answer, my letter asks, in any way you choose. Mother, you always chose _______ that speaks louder than words.

1. What really attracted the writer when she stood by the desk watching her mother?
__________________________________________________________________________________________
2. What caused problems between the writer and her mother?
__________________________________________________________________________________________
3. Why did the writer send a letter to her mother?
In order to _________________________________________________________________________________.
4. How did the writer feel when she got no answer from her mother?
__________________________________________________________________________________________
5. What information can we get from the underlined part?
__________________________________________________________________________________________
6. What can be filled in to complete the last sentence? Why?
Mother, you always chose ________ that speaks louder than words.
__________________________________________________________________________________________

【推荐1】阅读下列短文, 归纳信息填写表格。每空不得超过三个词。

As a saying goes, "If you have a good friend, your joys are doubled and your sadness is halved". Friends are a helping hand, a comforting shoulder, a patient ear to listen to you. Man is a social animal by nature. We all need friends, so it is necessary for you to know how to make friends.

The first step is to open yourself up. If you want to make good friends, you should be able to share your thoughts and feelings with other people. When you are in a conversation, you’d better express your own thoughts and feelings. If a conversation is one-sided, the person doing all the talking may think the other person is not interested in what he is saying.

One of the most important keys to building a strong friendship with other people is to listen to them-really listen. When your friends tell you something that happened to them or complain about a situation, they are usually not looking for agreement but just want to be heard. So don’t try to change their mind or solve their problems, just let them know that you are listening to them.

Respecting your friends is also important to keep your relationships healthy and strong. Looking at your friends while they are talking to you is one way to show your respect, as they will feel that what they are saying is important to you.

Unconditional support and encouragement is one of the things which friends have. True friendship means offering a shoulder when they need it, crying with them when they are sad, and laughing with them when they are happy. Only in this way, can the tree of friendship last for a long time.

Some Useful Ways to Make Friends
Open yourself up	●Share your     1     with other people. ●Always respond when your friends are talking to you.
Listen to your friends	●Don’t try to     2     or solve their problems, just listen.
3     your friends	●Look at your friends when they are talking to you.
Support and     4     your friends	●Offer a     5     when your friends are in need. ●Cry with them when they are sad, and laugh with them when they are happy.

【推荐3】阅读下面的短文，并根据短文后的要求答题。（请注意问题后的字数要求）

[1]Did you see the movie Kung Fu Panda 3? Do you like the panda in the movie? We can see pandas in many zoos all over the world but they are all from China. Now let me tell you something about the cute pandas.

[2]At birth, a baby panda is as small as a mouse. And it can’t see anything. But an adult panda weighs about 100 kilos and it can eat 10 kilos of food a day. Pandas don’t live very long. The babies often die from ①_________. Adult pandas spend more than twelve hours a day eating bamboo. Many years ago, there were a lot more bamboo forests and pandas in China than there are now. But then humans started to cut down forests, and there was less bamboo for the pandas. Scientists say there are now fewer than 2,000 pandas ②_________ in the forests. Another 300 or so live in zoos or research centers in China and other countries.

[3]Pandas, as well as many other endangered animals are important to us. Luckily,（75）幸运地是越来越多人已经意识到保护野生动物的重要性。They do everything they can to protect these animals. The government is also planting more trees③__________ there will be more forests for wild animals to live in. We hope that in the future there will be much more pandas than now.

1. What does a baby panda look like at birth? （No more than 10 words）
__________________________________________________________
2. How much time do adult pandas spend eating bamboo a day? （No more than 6 words）
__________________________________________________________
3. What is the government doing to protect wild animals? （No more than 6 words）
__________________________________________________________
4. Fill in the blank with a proper word.（No more than 1 word for each blank）
①____________     ②___________     ③____________
5. Translate the underlined sentence in the 3rd paragraph into English.
__________________________________________________________
6. According to the passage, show the reason（s）that there are fewer pandas than many years ago.（list 2 reasons）
__________________________________________________________