【推荐2】配对阅读。阅读下面短文，从短文所给的选项中选出能填入短文空白处的最佳选项，使短文通顺、连贯，意思完整。选项中有一项为多余选项。

It has been my dream to play on the middle school football team. I began playing football when I was in the second grade.     1     He is three years older than I am. He practises with me every afternoon and always comes to my games.

    2     The middle school football team tryouts (选拔赛) were coming. Every day, my brother helped me prepare for the tryouts. Last Saturday morning, the tryouts started. Twenty-three students from my grade tried out for the team.     3    

Since I practiced as hard as I could, I did a good job at the tryouts. But I was still nervous on Saturday night and Sunday morning, waiting for the result (结果). On Sunday afternoon, my father took me to the school to see the result.     4     It was so exciting to be a part of the team. When we left the school, my father suggested going out for dinner. It would be a family celebration.     5     He was really happy for me, and so were my parents. They also told me to learn from others on the team. Of course I will.

A．My elder brother taught me to play.

B．This year, I started the seventh grade.

C．I’ll work very hard to be the best player on the team.

D．I jumped up and down when I saw my name on the board.

E．But the team only had spaces for five seventh-grade students.

F．My brother came to the restaurant with a big smile on his face.

【推荐2】Are you busy with usual homework during your holidays? Well, that’s not the case for all. More teenagers get unusual homework.

Liu Jun	One of our homework tasks was really strange. We couldn’t play on our phones for at least seven days. To be honest, I was really surprised when I heard the news. However, things turned out to be better than I thought. I helped clean the house and did some shopping with my parents. They were also happy and satisfied.
Yuan Mei	Our teacher asked us to play outdoors and record it in our diary. So I went to visit my grandparents in the countryside. There I saw peanuts(花生), potatoes and so on. I learned how to identify(辨别)them according to the leaves. It was really interesting and meaningful homework.
Zhou Run	Our unusual homework came from our PE teacher. He asked us to take exercise three times every week and take photos. My father made me play soccer with his friends! I was so slow and weak, and I couldn’t even touch the ball. So I practiced almost every day. Weeks later, I could join them and sometimes even score.
Cao Rui	Learning a skill from our parents was one of our homework tasks. I chose to cook from my mother. After being burned several times, I finally learned how to make fried eggs with tomatoes. The dish tastes delicious. I was so happy about it.

1. The first three sentences of the text above are about __________.

A．special homework

B．boring holidays

C．delicious meals

2. How did Liu Jun feel when he heard the homework?

A．Happy.

B．Worried.

C．Surprised.

3. ________live(s)in the countryside.

A．Liu Jun’s parents

B．Yuan Mei’s grandparents

C．Zhou Run’s PE teacher

4. Zhou Run’s PE teacher asks him to take exercise________.

A．once a week

B．twice a week

C．three times a week

5. ________is the dish that Cao Rui learned to cook from her mother.

A．

B．

C．

【推荐3】For more than seventy years, scientists have studied the relations between the place where students choose to sit in class and what they are like.

At the back

People often think those are lazy. In fact, they are just too shy to talk more. But in big classrooms, it can be hard to listen to teachers carefully. This could be why students who sit here often get lower grades. For students with poor eyesight or hearing, such a choice is not good.

At the side

They are normally interested in class, but they like watching and listening instead of joining in. These students are usually also very good at taking notes.

In the middle

The statistics (统计资料) say sitting in the middle probably means you like the teacher and get on well with classmates. Caring, outgoing, and cheerful people usually sit in the middle. They are normally serious about learning and feel upset with low grades on tests and exams.

At the front

Students at the front usually want to discuss things with the teacher and are often very interested in the subject. They want to be in the best place to see and hear everything the teacher does and says. The only problem with sitting at the front is that it can be difficult to see and hear what other students do and say in class. So, ________

1. People who sit at the back often get lower grades NOT because _________.

A．they are shy	B．they are stupid
C．they have poor eyesight	D．they have poor hearing

2. _________, so she will probably choose to sit in the middle.

A．Mary is good at taking notes

B．Lily has good relationship with her classmates

C．Nancy enjoys the discussion with the teacher

D．Jenny likes to talk about the subject with her teacher

3. Which of the following sentences can be put in the ________

A．if you want to take down more notes, stay where you are.

B．if you want to improve your learning skills, find a classmate to sit with.

C．if you want to learn more about the subject from the teacher, sit somewhere else.

D．if you really want to hear what other students say in class, choose a different seat.

4. The best title for this passage is _________.

A．Where You Sit Changes Your Life

B．Where You Sit Shows A True Man

C．Where You Sit Decides Your Grades

D．Where You Sit Tells Who Your Friends Are

【推荐2】There was a famous church(教堂) in London. It was 110 meters high. The center of the church was like a bell. The ceiling of the church was painted by a famous artist. A platform (平台) was built so that the artist could put up a ladder on it and paint the ceiling. The platform was about 70 meters over the ground.
One day the artist was working hard and had nearly finished one popular corner of the ceiling. Also on the platform was his assistant（助手）, who was mixing paints. The artist stepped back so that he could see how his work was doing. To have a better look at his painting, he stepped back again. Suddenly, his assistant shouted, picked up a small bowl of paint and started to paint the artist's work on the top. The artist was very angry and rushed forwards to stop him.
“What do you think you are doing?” he shouted angrily. “Are you mad(疯的)?” His assistant replied, “I saw you walking backwards to have a better look at your painting. But you didn't notice that you had reached the very edge(边缘) of the platform. You were in great danger. I wanted to make you move forwards. If I had not made you run forwards, you would have fallen backwards off the edge of the platform.”

1. The story happened in _______.

A．America

B．England

C．Germany

D．France

2. Why did the artist step back again?

A．To have a better look at his painting.

B．To see how his work was doing.

C．To paint a bowl in his painting.

D．To pour some paint on his painting.

3. What did the assistant do to stop the artist falling off the platform?

A．He ran forwards to stop him.

B．He stopped mixing the paints.

C．He painted a famous painting himself.

D．He shouted to the artist and painted his painting.

4. Which picture shows the same situation as the underlined sentences in Paragraph 2?
Note: a: artist; b: assistant; c: painting; ←: the direction of the movement

A．

B．

C．

D．

5. After reading the passage, what do you think the artist would probably do?

A．He would be angry with what the assistant had done.

B．He would be thankful to the assistant for having saved his life.

C．He would punish the assistant for having destroyed (毁坏) his painting.

D．He wouldn't allow the assistant to work with him any more.

【推荐3】It was a very important day for Ryan—he was about to make his first public speech. His teacher, Mr. Larson, as signed (给……分配任务) the class to choose a book, read it, and then make a speech about it. Ryan chose a book he liked. He read it carefully. Then, he wrote down what to say about the book and prepared a speech. He practiced his speech many times, but he was still nervous. Ryan didn’t know whether he would be successful. He didn’t want to embarrass (使尴尬) himself in front of the whole class.

Finally, Mr. Larson said the words Ryan had been worried: “OK, Ryan, let’s hear what you have to say. Come up and give us your presentation.” Ryan gulped (大口吸气) a few times. He couldn’t help still feeling a little nervous. Then, he gathered his notes and walked slowly to the front of the room. Mr. Larson sat down in one of the front-row seats and gave Ryan an encouraging smile as he nodded for him to begin. Ryan cleared his throat, glanced (一瞥) at his notes, and put his heart into his presentation.

For a moment or two, Ryan still felt very nervous. But as he went through his speech, he felt less and less like running away. He had practiced often enough so that nothing in his speech was new to him anymore. It wasn’t long before he relaxed a little and was able to almost enjoy what he was doing. By the time Ryan finished his presentation, he felt almost comfortable. When Ryan stopped speaking, everyone in the class applauded (鼓掌). Mr. Larson said, “That was a very well-prepared presentation, Ryan. You did an excellent job.” Ryan thought about how much he had practiced to get ready for his speech, and he felt proud. He still didn’t like making speeches, but now he knew he could do it.

1. What is Ryan’s assignment?

A．To do a set of worksheets.	B．To watch a television show.
C．To read a book and write a report.	D．To read a book and give a speech.

2. How does Mr. Larson feel about Ryan’s presentation?

A．Satisfied.

B．Angry.

C．Unbelievable.

D．Upset.

3. According to the passage, which of the following is right?

A．Ryan’s classmates make fun of him.	B．Ryan gives a good speech.
C．Ryan is too nervous to speak.	D．Ryan forgets his speech.

4. What makes Ryan relax while he is giving his speech?

A．Mr. Larson smiles at him and listens to him.

B．Mr. Larson tells him that he will do a fine job.

C．He has practiced, so nothing in his speech is new to him.

D．His presentation is last, so he can listen to other students.

5. What would Ryan probably say about making a speech?

A．It’s easy to make a speech.

B．Practice and preparation makes perfect.

C．Talent is more useful than practicing.

D．Don’t make a speech in public if you are nervous.