【推荐1】Why are some people successful and others aren’t? What’s the secret of success? You can get the answers in Malcolm Gladwell’s book Outliers.

Gladwell thinks practice makes you good. The “10,000-hour rule” is central to the book. It means that if you want to be among the best in the world, you need to practise something for 10,000 hours, about three hours a day for 10 years. For example, the Beatles practised playing music in Hamburg more than 1,200 times between 1960 and 1964, which is more than 10,000 hours of playing time.

Gladwell also thinks that intelligence (智力) alone will not lead to success. Christopher Langan, who is mentioned in the book, got an IQ of between 195 and 210. As a boy at school, Langan passed an exam in a foreign language after looking through a text book for three minutes. But Langan never made any achievements his whole life. This shows that besides intelligence, you need hard work, support, and chances.

However, it isn’t just a question of time and support. According to the book, you still need luck. Of course, many people say that you can create your own “luck” if you’re active enough.

So, are you putting in the hours? Carry on! You could get lucky!

1. Why did the writer ask questions in the first paragraph?

A．To ask others for help.	B．To list some examples.
C．To draw readers’ attention.	D．To introduce successful people.

2. What can we learn from Christopher Langan?

A．Intelligence alone will not lead to success.

B．Success has nothing to do with hard work.

C．Whether we will succeed depends on our IQ.

D．We can learn a foreign language well in minutes.

3. What is the best title for the text?

A．Outliers: The Secret of Success

B．Intelligence: The Key to Success

C．Success: A Question of Time and Support

D．The Beatles: Creator of the 10,000-hour Rule

【推荐2】Growing mushrooms（蘑菇）is probably the easiest thing you can do even if you are new to mushroom growing. It is becoming more common because restaurants are starting to create more dishes that include mushrooms.

Mushroom growing is easy. To start, you need to have a space where you are going to grow these mushrooms. It does not have to be a huge space but just enough for you to grow as many mushrooms as you need. When you have found the space perfect for you, you can start researching what kind of mushrooms you want to grow. There are a lot of mushrooms to choose from and not all of them are suitable to eat.

When you decide what kind of mushrooms you want to grow, you can start getting ready to plant the mushrooms. Sometimes you may want to hire some workers to help if you have a large mushroom farm, or if you are trying to start a professional mushroom growing business. Trying to have a business by yourself can be stressful. If you don’t have enough time to spend taking care of everything yourself, some helpers may be the best choice.

After you have started the mushroom growing, you should regularly check that your mushrooms grow properly and that they are not being attacked by any pesticides（农药）or any other animals or something that could be dangerous to them. That is the worst part of mushroom developing. Protect your mushroom farm well with a fence（围栏）or a gate so that only you and your workers can get in and out.

Mushroom growing is not difficult and it is easy to get started in the world of farming. You will soon possibly be able to provide some of the great cooks of the world with high quality mushrooms that will be enjoyed by thousands of people all over the world.

1. According to the passage, many people begin to plant mushrooms probably ________.

A．because they are in great need.	B．because they look very beautiful
C．because they are healthy food	D．because they are very expensive

2. Which of the following is the right order of planting mushrooms?
a. Choose suitable mushrooms.
b. Protect your mushrooms well.
c. Find some workers to help you.
d. Start to grow the mushrooms.
e. Find a place to plant your mushrooms.

A．c—a—d—b—e

B．e—a—c—d—b

C．c—a—e—b—d

D．e—a—d—b—c

3. It can be inferred(推断)from the passage that ________.

A．pesticides can be used in mushroom growing

B．anyone can produce high quality mushrooms.

C．after starting, you should always take care of the mushrooms

D．having a mushroom business is not so difficult

4. According to the passage, which sentence is NOT true?

A．Although you don’t know much about growing mushrooms, you can do it easily.

B．You can choose a suitable space, just big enough for you to grow mushrooms.

C．All mushrooms aren’t suitable to eat.

D．The worst part of mushroom developing is to protect your mushrooms farm well with fence.

5. The best title of the passage is ________.

A．Healthy mushrooms	B．The value of mushrooms
C．How to choose mushrooms	D．Suggestions on growing mushrooms

【推荐3】It’s important to learn to protect our environment. Here is a 5R rule for you.

Reduce	If you want to reduce waste, you should use your brain (脑子). Just buy what you need when shopping. Make good use of everything and don’t waste anything. Reducing waste is a good way to protect the environment.
Reuse	You should always think of reusing the usable things before throwing them out. Give your old clothes you do not use or the ones which are too small to others. You may pass on such clothes to young brothers or sisters.
Recycle	Bottles, cans and paper can easily be recycled, and many other things can be recycled too. By doing so we can save lots of time and money.
Recover	When you buy a box of apples, there may be a few rotten (腐烂的) apples. You could cut off the rotten parts and eat the good parts. In this way you are recovering the eatable parts of food. So you see, “Recover” is using the things that can be used.
Repair	If one of the legs of your table is broken, you can repair it instead of throwing it away. If you want to change for a better one, it is better for you to sell the old thing or give it to other people who can use it after doing some repair.

根据材料内容选择最佳答案。
1. What should we do to “Reduce?

A．Using things many times.	B．Going shopping less.
C．Using fewer things.	D．Using things wisely (明智地).

2. What can be easily recycled?

A．All waste.

B．Little waste.

C．Much waste.

D．Only bottles, cans and paper.

3. Which is NOT the right way to deal with broken things?

A．Send them to others.

B．Throw them away.

C．Sell them.

D．Repair them.

4. Which of the following is TRUE?

A．“Make good use of things” is reusing things.	B．“Give your old toys to your little brother” is “recycle”.
C．To reduce waste, we should not go shopping any more.	D．“Recover” rule requires us to use the good parts of things.

5. Which of a website does the text most probably come from?

A．National geography.

B．Population and environment.

C．Outdoor photography.

D．Popular science.

【推荐1】Simon's marks have been very high this year. I have been quite pleased with his work. Although he didn't do very well in Form 4, he seems to find Form 5 much easier. He is highly motivated (动机强烈的). I think his excellent performance (表现) is probably because of part of the support (支持) he gets from his parents, who take a lot of interest in his schoolwork and always help him with his homework.

However, Simon doesn't care much for sports and hardly takes part in after-school activities. He is rather shy and finds it difficult to make friends at school. I wish Simon would put as much effort (努力) into his social life as he does into his studies.

1. Which Form is Simon in this year?

A．Three.

B．Four.

C．Five.

D．Six.

2. How does he do in his studies now?

A．Badly.

B．So-so.

C．Well but not enough.

D．Very well.

3. Who helps Simon a lot in his study?

A．His parents.

B．His classmates.

C．His teachers.

D．His friends.

4. What does Simon probably do after class?

A．He probably does some sports.	B．He probably takes part in the activities.
C．He probably plays or talks with his friends.	D．He probably reviews his lessons.

5. Which of the following sentences is true?

A．Simon studies all by himself.	B．Simon has made much progress in his studies.
C．Simon enjoys making friends with the students.	D．Simon thinks sports are as important as studies.

【推荐2】

Nirmal Purja has set several world records after climbing the world's 14 highest mountains in less than seven months.

    1     Though he was born 1, 600 meters above sea level, he didn't climb any serious mountains until he was 29.

But Mr. Purja, now 36, was trained to be strong. He used to be a soldier in the British army, where he had special training for fighting in very cold weather.     2    

There are only14 mountains in the world that are higher than8,000 meters. Mr. Purja had already climbed several of them.     3     The old record for climbing the 14 mountains was seven years, ten months and six days. It was set by South Korean climber Kim Chang-ho in 2013.

Mr. Purja named his challenge "Project Possible".     4     On October 29, just a little more than six months after he started, Nirmal Purja had finished climbing the 14th mountain.

Though Mr. Purja completed his challenge unbelievably quickly, it wasn't easy. For example, during one day of climbing Shishapangma Mr. Purja and his team climbed for 15 hours nonstop.    5    

A．Mr. Purja was born in Nepal, in the Himalayas.

B．He had completed five more climbs in Pakistan.

C．He began on April 23, by climbing Annapurna in Nepal

D．His goal was to climb all of them in less than seven months.

E．They had to deal with winds as fast as 75 kilometers per hour.

F．In 2018, he left there to follow his dream of mountain climbing.

【推荐3】Here, a reporter is interviewing the 12-year-old singer, Mara Justine, who’s one of the youngest contestants (参赛者) of America’s Got Talent (达人秀).

Reporter: Why did you choose to compete on America’s Got Talent instead of other singing competitions?

Mara: Well, America’s Got Talent actually called me because I had auditioned before, when I was 9 or 10. I guess they looked over those videos. They asked me to audition again.

Reporter: How does it feel to be one of the youngest person on the show?

Mara: There are a lot of other people with more experience, but I just try to do my best. I always go on to the stage thinking good thoughts, never bad thoughts.

Reporter: Who is your role model or idol (偶像)? What inspires (鼓舞) you?

Mara: For singing, my idols are Aretha Franklin and Christina Aguilera, but a role model to me would be my mom. I love her with all my heart — she encourages me to believe in my dreams.

Reporter: What are your other hobbies?

Mara: I love playing video games, and I usually go to the park with my family. We usually play basketball. We also like to play tennis!

1. The underlined word “audition” probably means “________”.

A．interview

B．play

C．refuse

D．love

2. Who encourages Mara to make the dream come true?

A．Aretha Franklin.	B．Her mom.
C．Her fans.	D．Christina Aguilera.

3. From the passage, what can we know about Mara Justine?

A．She’s the only youngest contestants of America’s Got Talent.	B．She was accepted by America’s Got Talent the first time she auditioned.
C．She’s hardworking and optimistic (乐观的).	D．She’s less confident.

4. What type of writing is the passage?

A．A travel guide.	B．A science report.
C．A poster for the concert.	D．An interview.

【推荐1】

If anyone told me three years ago that I would spend most of my weekends camping. I would laugh loudly. Campers, in my eyes, were people who enjoyed insects bites (咬伤), ill-cooked meals, and uncomfortable sleeping bags.     1     However, I have learnt a lot about camping since then.

The friends who introduced me to go camping thought that being a camper meant to be a pioneer.     2     We slept in a tent, cooked over an open fire, and walked a long distance to take the shower and use the bathroom. This close visit with Mother Nature cost me two days off from work. Besides, I got serious sunburn and paid $128 for the doctor because of my sons food poisoning (中毒).

However, I was advised to go on another fun-filled holiday in a wild wasteland.     3     Instead, we had a camper (露营车) with comfortable beds. My nature-loving friends had even remembered to bring all the necessities of life.

    4     We have done a lot of it up to now. Last year, we bought a twenty-eight-foot travel trailer (拖车) with a bathroom and a built-in TV set. There is a separate bedroom, a modern kitchen the trailer even has a computer and a Wi-Fi router.

    5     It must be true that sooner or later, everyone will find his or her own way back to nature. I hope that you can find your way in style as well.

A．This time there was no tent.

B．Things are going to be improved.

C．They had nothing in common with me.

D．The trip they took me on was really hard.

E．If you have your own tent, you can set that up.

F．I must say that I have certainly enjoyed camping at present.

G．After the trip, my family became quite interested in camping.

【推荐2】Hello, I’m Sally. I started learning English when I was eight.     1     A friend of mine, Rose, wanted to take English lessons and she did not want to go by herself. She asked me to go with her. I thought it was a good idea, so I went with her. It was really fun.     2     I want to be an English teacher one day.

We all know it is not easy to learn English. A lot of people think that we have to start learning at a very early age.     3     We can learn it at any age. We just need to practice, practice and practice. We need to take English lessons, listen to the teachers and find some other ways of learning English.

I also think real language is very important. There are so many different resources(资源) on the Internet and we can find many interesting things. If you like movies, if you like sports, if you like music, if you like talk shows, or if you like some other things, you may find them on the Internet. Listen to real English and try to learn real English.     4    

There are many good ways of learning English.     5    

A．That will help.

B．It was 6 years ago.

C．I don’t think that’s true.

D．After that, I never stopped.

E．You may also find your own ways of learning English.

【推荐1】Dear Headmaster,
Lately our class has become worried about the environment at the back of the school, and we would like to do something to make it more attractive. We have done some research and have come up with a plan. With the help of our parents, we can do most of the work ourselves, but we will need a small amount of money for equipment, plants-and paint. I am writing to ask the council for permission to do this work and to ask if the school council could donate $500 towards our project.
We would like to turn the empty land at the back of the school into a nature garden. We would plant trees and grasses, make paths through the garden and dig a small pond. We think this would provide a peaceful place for students and teachers to walk in. It would also attract birds, insects and small animals which students could then study in science classes. We would also like to paint the back wall of the school that faces the new garden. Some of our art classes could then paint a huge picture on it. It might be possible to paint over the wall each year so the next classes can make a new picture.
Lastly, we would like to paint all the rubbish bins. At the moment they look old and the paint is coming off. If we paint them in bright, attractive colours, students might be more likely to use them. We think our plan would greatly improve the back of the school and everyone in the school would benefit. We have already asked our parents and they have promised to donate one weekend of their time to help us complete the project.

We hope you will give us permission for this worthwhile project and will be able to donate the $500 we need. When we have finished the work, we hope the council will join us in a celebration morning tea so that the whole school can thank you.

Yours sincerely,
Jim White
Monitor of Class 1， Grade 9
1. This is a letter from a         to a                 .

A．student; headmaster	B．student; teacher
C．Teacher; headmaster	D．headmaster; student

2. How many things does Jim White ask the school for to complete the project?

A．One

B．Two

C．Three

D．Four

3. How much time have the parents promised to help with the work?

A．One morning

B．One day.

C．One weekend

D．One week.

4. What is NOT in the plan?

A．Doing some painting work.

B．Making morning tea every day.

C．Making paths through the garden.

D．Growing trees, grass and flowers at the back of the school.

【推荐2】下面文章中有五个旅行安排，请为以下各人选出各自需求的旅行，其中一项是多余选项。

    1     Welcome to Maldives in the Indian Ocean. Enjoy windsurfing(帆板运动) on the crystal-clear water. Eat under the palm trees while looking at the beautiful blue ocean. Travel in January or February for under £1,000 per person.

    2     Try a summer holiday in the mountains. If you enjoy walking, how about trekking(远足) in the French Alps? A guided walking holiday is £595 per person per week for groups of four, stopping at a different typical French hotel every night. If you don’t need a guide, it’s £495.

    3     Why not book a typical family beach holiday this summer? Book a room with a sea view in Sunnyside Hotel, Hope Cove, Devon. Family rooms cost £120 a night. Hope Cove is a fishing village with cafes, shops and two beautiful sandy beaches. The kids will love it!

    4     Take a short holiday in March in beautiful County Kerry in Ireland. Three nights in a double room in the luxury Killarney Hotel on Muckross Lake costs just £700, including dinner. And if the weather is bad, you can relax in the hotel’s indoor swimming pool and sauna. Come on-treat yourself!

    5     Come to The House, a multi-activity center for 15 to 17-year-olds on the Norfolk coast. You can take part in activities like rock climbing and paragliding, and there are dance lessons with parties and music in the evenings. Learn something new and have fun!

A．Mr. and Mrs. White are going to have a holiday with their children.

B．Nick doesn’t like staying in one place during the holiday.

C．Katrina hopes she can still have fun even if the weather changes.

D．Dennis wants to have a holiday with people of similar ages.

E．Sam would like to go somewhere fantastic and relaxing.

F．Claire plans to have a short holiday for New Year’s Day with less than £500.

【推荐3】       January is a great month. I only need to go to school from the first to the fifteenth. Every year, our school has an art festival. This year it is from January 13th to January 15th. All the students and parents can come to the festival. My mother says she can go to the festival with me, but my father can’t. He is busy. All the people sing, dance and play games at the festival. After the festival, the term is over. I don’t need to go to school and can have a long holiday. My parents and I want to take a trip in Sanya, Hainan. And we want to spend (度过) our Spring Festival (春节) there. We will come back to Beijing on February 15th. I’m sure we’ll have a good time!
1. The school has a(n) ________ every year.

A．school trip

B．art festival

C．English party

D．soccer game

2. The art festival lasts (持续) for ________ days.

A．two

B．three

C．four

D．five

3. 划线单词over的汉语意思是―_______ .

A．结束

B．漫长的

C．无聊

D．有趣的

4. They want to go to Sanya to ________.

A．see a friend

B．buy some clothes

C．take a trip

D．watch ball games