【推荐1】“One dollar and eighty-seven cents. That was all.” Della counted the money sadly. How could she buy her husband a Christmas gift with so little money, though she had saved for long? “This is the only way to get money,” Della touched her hair gently. There were two things that Jim and Della really loved. One was Jim’s gold watch that had been his grandfather’s. The other was Della’s hair.

Without hesitation（犹豫）, Della went inside a shop and sold her hair. After buying Jim a gold watch chain（链条） as a present, she had only eighty-seven cents left.

Excited but a little worried, Della waited to surprise Jim. The door opened, and Jim stepped in. His expression（表情）was strange after seeing Della. “Don’t look at me that way. I cut my hair off because I couldn’t have lived through another Christmas without giving you a present. It will grow again. Jim, and let’s be happy!”

After a while, Jim took out a box. “Open it, and you’ll understand.” Della opened it and surprised to see a set of combs（梳子）. She had wished for them but thought she would never own such beautiful things. And now they were hers, but she had no hair to wear them in!

“Well, my hair grows fast.” Della took out carefully the gold chain and showed it to Jim. "Isn’t this present beautiful, Jim? Take out your watch and let’s see how smart it is!”

Instead of obeying（服从）, Jim put his hands under the back of his head and smiled.....

1. How much money did Della make by selling her hair?

A．Eighty-seven cents.

B．One dollar.

C．Twenty dollars.

2. How did Jim feel when he saw Della’s short hair?

A．Excited.

B．Surprised.

C．Scared.

3. Why didn’t Jim take out his watch?

A．Because he sold his watch.

B．Because it was too old to work.

C．Because he was angry with Della.

4. What can we infer（推断）from the passage?

A．The couple lived a happy and rich life.

B．Della didn’t like the present Jim bought.

C．The couple actually have their best presents.

5. What’s the theme of this story?

A．Present can give us happiness.

B．Love is priceless and selfless.

C．A stupid couple lived unhappily.

【推荐2】Molly Daniels opened the door so hard that the door nearly broke it. Then she looked through the window at her neighbor across the yard. “ She is in my garden again. Those are my strawberries, not hers. Maybe I should call the police.”
Her friend, Doris, was sitting at the table with a cup of coffee in her hands. “You want to call the police because she picks your strawberries?” she asked.
“Of course,” Molly answered angrily. “What would you do if your neighbor walked into your yard without your permission and picked your strawberries?”
“I would say, better her than the bees.”
“The bees don’t take my strawberries.”
“But the birds do,” Doris continued. “That old lady only picks a few strawberries every year, and the only ones she picks are those you leave to the birds. Why don’t you pick some of your good strawberries and give them to her?”
“Are you crazy? What are you thinking?’
“Don’t you remember what happened when you were in hospital last year? She went to see you and gave you a pot full of chicken soup. When you give her the strawberries you can tell her that you still remember that.”
Molly was ____. She had almost forgotten that little kindness because she was too angry. Then she picked a basket of good strawberries and went out. Through the window, Doris could see that the anger on Molly’s face changed into a bright smile.
1. Molly opened the door very hard because _____

A．she was very angry

B．she was very happy

C．Doris wasn’t friendly

2. Who was in hospital last year?

A．Doris

B．Molly

C．Molly’s neighbor

3. The underline word “shocked” in the passage means “_____”.

A．angry

B．surprised

C．upset

4. Which sentence is similar to the sentence “I would say, better her than the bees.”?

A．It’s better to let the neighbor pick the strawberries than to give them to the bees.

B．The bees are better than the neighbor.

C．The bees like strawberries more than the neighbor does.

5. From the last paragraph, we can infer(推断)what Molly did at last with a basket of good strawberries.

A．She called the police to drive the neighbor away.

B．She happily gave a basket of good strawberries to the neighbor.

C．She ate up the strawberries herself.

【推荐3】阅读理解。
Once upon a time, there lived a wealthy and kind king. However, the people were worried about him because he was very fat. He didn’t do anything other than eat and sleep.
One day, the king finally realized that he couldn’t even move his body. There were many good doctors in his country. However, none could cure the king. The king had a lot of wealth, but no amount of wealth could make him healthy.
One fine morning, a holy(神圣的) man visited the country. He heard about the ill health of the king and told the minister to meet him at his place, which was far from the king’s palace. When the minister came, the holy man said that he could easily cure the king. Hearing these promising words, the minister became very happy. Since the king could not move his body, the minister asked the holy man to go to the king’s palace to treat him. However, the holy man refused and said that he would treat the king only if the king came on foot to his place.
The king was unable to walk even a few steps on the road, but after great efforts, he reached the holy man’s place. Unluckily, the holy man was not_____and his wife told the king to come the next day. This was repeated for two weeks. Suddenly, the king realized that he felt a lot lighter. Very soon, the king became healthy, and the people became happy again.
1. Why did the holy man want the king to walk to his place?

A．To punish him	B．To play a joke on him
C．To help him save money	D．To help him lose weight

2. What’s the meaning of the underlined word “available”?

A．Free	B．Busy
C．Rude	D．Wise

3. Which of the following is the RIGHT order according to the story?
①The king walked to the holy man’s.
② Many doctors tried to treat the king.
③ The minister went to meet the holy man.

A．②①③	B．③①②
C．③②①	D．②③①

4. From the story, we can learn that ____.

A．the holy man lived near the king’s palace.

B．the minister didn’t care about the king

C．the holy man’s wife was silly

D．the king never met the holy man.

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

A．A lucky king	B．Health is wealth
C．How to lose weight	D．Wealth is important

【推荐1】It was on a cold winter night that I knew my mother was dying. I travelled miles from home to spend the last night with her. I sat right next to her sick body, reading her long-loved books. It was one of the most difficult and painful times in my life. After she died, for many days, I stayed alone in her room, with a lonely and empty heart. Everything was in silence.

But one evening the silence was broken: I heard crying outside. I opened the door to find a little dog on the steps. He was thin and poor. I brought him inside, fed him with some fish, and then he fell asleep.

The next morning, I learned that the dog’s owner had moved out, so the little dog was there all alone, just like I was. As I walked back to the house, I tried to work out what to do with him. Taking care of something seemed like the very last thing I wanted to do. But as soon as I opened the door, he ran to me and jumped into my arms. It was clear that he didn’t want to go anywhere.

When the time finally came for me to return home, I had to decide what to do about him. There was no way I would leave without him. From then on, things grew easier. With him around, time seemed to pass much faster.

Five years has gone since my mother died. Over the years, many people have said how nice it was of me to save the dog. But I know that we rescued   (拯救) each other. I may have given him a home but he gave me something greater.

1. What did the writer do for many days after his mother’s death?

A．He cried hard.	B．He stayed alone.
C．He travelled around.	D．He read books.

2. Why was the dog there all alone?

A．Because the owner moved out.

B．Because he cried all the time.

C．Because the owner didn’t like the dog any more.

D．Because he was thin and poor.

3. From the underlined sentence in paragraph 3, we can infer that ________.

A．the writer missed his mother a lot

B．the dog needed taking good care of

C．the writer felt quite sorry for the dog

D．the writer didn’t want to bring the dog home at first

4. What did the writer deal with the dog?

A．He killed the dog.	B．He left the dog.
C．He sold out the dog.	D．He took good care of the dog.

5. The best title for this passage may be ________.

A．Dogs: Humans’ Best Friends	B．A Dog Saved, A Heart Rescued
C．The Last Night With My Loving Mom	D．Happiness From Offering Help

【推荐2】Jim Green has a very busy Wednesday. At 8:15 he has Chinese. It is easy. Then at 9:10 he has science. It is difficult but fun. At 10:00 he has history. He thinks it is interesting. After that he has math. Mathis difficult but the teacher says it is useful. In the afternoon Jim has English. Mr. Chu is his English teacher. Jim and his classmates like him. Because he always makes them laugh(使他们发笑) and Jim thinks English class is relaxing.

The last class is PE. It is Jim’s favorite class. The P.E. teacher lets them play ball games. Jim and his friends are happy in PE.

1. On Wednesday Jim is ________.

A．free

B．busy

C．relaxing

D．difficult

2. Jim has his history lesson at ________.

A．9: 00

B．11: 00

C．9: 30

D．10: 00

3. The math teacher says math is ________.

A．easy

B．fun

C．useful

D．boring

4. Jim and his friends like Mr. Chu because ________.

A．He always make them laugh and make the English lesson fun.

B．He always helps Jim do his homework.

C．He always let Jim and his friends play ball in class.

D．He is a young and beautiful teacher.

5. Jim’s favorite subject is ________ .

A．PE

B．art

C．music

D．geography

【推荐3】I’m a twelve-year-old middle school student from Shenzhen. My name is Wang Xiaofei. And you can call me Jack. I have a lot of homework to do every day, like other students here. I am always busy working hard at school subjects, but I still have free time to do my favourite activities. I have a great time when I do them.

I like to listen to music a lot. I’m a fan of TFBOYS. I can sing most of their songs. And I usually play the violin for an hour after school every day. When I play the violin, I need a quiet environment (环境). I also like sports. I usually play basketball with my brother after school and I often go swimming with my dad at the weekend. Sports make me healthy and strong.

I am pleased to make new friends. Would you like to make friends with me on the Internet? If you like me, please send e-mails to me. I hope we will be good friends.

1. How is Jack when he is at school?

A．Tired.

B．Busy.

C．Excited.

D．Worried.

2. What does the underlined word “them” refer to?

A．Jack’s school subjects.	B．Jack’s classmates.
C．Jack’s teachers.	D．Jack’s favourite activities.

3. Which of the following is NOT Jack’s hobbies?

A．Listening to music.	B．Playing basketball.
C．Watching TV.	D．Swimming.

4. Why does Jack write this passage?

A．To tell us something about his school.

B．To share (分享) his hobbies.

C．To introduce (介绍) TFBOYS to us.

D．To make new friends.

【推荐1】Best Sellers(畅销书) of the Week
The New York Times

This week	Title／Writer／Price／Story	Weeks on List (上榜周数)
1	The Forgotten Garden, by Kate Morton.＄15.85.From England to Australia and back, two women try to solve a family problem.	18
2	The Help, by Helen Scott. ＄22.95. A young white man helps to black boys.	58
3	Spoken From the Heart, by Laura Bush. ＄30.00. Wife of U.S. President George W. Bush tells the stories of being the first lady.	24
4	Best Friends Forever, by Carol Brown. ＄19.95. Childhood friends meet again years later when one needs help.	6
5	Run For Your Life, by James Clark. ＄27.85. A New York policeman alone must stop a bad man killing people.	10

根据表格内容，选择正确的答案。
1. The book which has stayed on the list for the longest time is ________

A．The Forgotten Garden	B．Best Friends Forever
C．Spoken From the Heart	D．The Help

2. Mrs Green has a big family problem these days, so she can try reading _____________.

A．The Help	B．The Forgotten Garden
C．Best Friends Forever	D．Run For Your Life

3. Mary is interested in the family life of American President. She can choose the book written by___________.

A．Kate Morton	B．Helen Scott
C．Carol Brown	D．Laura Bush

【推荐2】Studies show that language learning in babies is improved when parents speak more than a few simple words and use a wider vocabulary(词汇). Earlier research found that the style of speech used by parents to communicate with their baby could increase language development.

One such speaking style is known as "parentese". Research has shown that babies react (反应) better to this kind of language in the first months of life. Generally, "parentese" requires adults to speak in a higher voice and at a slower speed. The language is made easier to understand, while sentences are short and often repeated.

Can parents be taught good ways to improve their "parentese" skills? Patricia Kuhl, a professor of speech and hearing sciences, carried out a study on it. She says the purpose of the study was to find out whether a parent can be "trained" to create their own speaking style to improve language learning in children.

Naja Ferjan Ramirez helped lead the study. "Most parents know that the amount(数量) of language their child hears is important," Ferjan Ramrez said. "What we shared with them through training is that how they talk to their baby may matter even more."

For the study, parents were given a small recording device(设备), which they put inside a piece of their baby's clothing. All spoken communication from parents and the child was recorded. The recordings were made at three different periods of the child's life: when the child was six, ten and fourteen months old. The parents were divided into two groups: a control group and an intervention(干预) group. Those in the intervention group received training after their six and ten month recordings.

The study found that between the ages of six and fourteen months, trained parents increased the amount of speech directed to the child and their use of "parentese" by 15 percent. Parents in the control group showed less growth in those areas, about 7 percent.

1. What can parents do to improve their baby's language learning?

A．Communicate with their baby with a few simple words.

B．Communicate with their baby with a wider vocabulary.

C．Communicate with their baby using longer sentences.

D．Communicate with their baby in a gentle voice.

2. What can we learn about "parentese" from the text?

A．It means that adults talk with their babies in a lower voice.

B．It means that the language parents use becomes more difficult.

C．It means that adults talk with their babies more quickly.

D．It means that the sentences parents use are short.

3. According to Ferjan Ramirez, what do the researchers want parents to know about through training?

A．The importance of the amount of language their child hears.

B．The importance of the type of language their child understands.

C．The importance of the way parents talk to their children.

D．The importance of high and low voices when parents talk to children.

4. What is Paragraph 5 mainly about?

A．What the study needed.	B．How the study was carried out.
C．The reason why the study was carried out.	D．The advantages of the study.

5. What can be concluded(推断) from the study mentioned above?

A．Trained parents are more likely(可能的) to improve their children's language learning.

B．Six to fourteen months is the best time to improve children's language learning.

C．Parents in the control group used more "parentese" than in the intervention group.

D．Trained parents needed to use "parentese" for at least fourteen months.

【推荐3】Hello Sandy,

We have just returned from our holiday. We went with our friends Edward Smith and his wife Tina to the Yorkshire Moors. This is a beautiful natural park. There are lots of places to walk on the tops of the hills, miles of grassland with no people, just sheep and birds.

Edward, who had just come out of hospital. could not walk as far as he used to. However, this meant that we walked in the mornings and then stopped at a cafe for lunch each day, before returning to the place we live. Edward and I slept in front of the fire all afternoon, while the ladies went for another walk, very pleasant!

I have taken lots of photos from the place we live, across the valley（峡谷）below us, of the morning sunrise, and the mist in the valley. Also, in England, the old steam-powered trains are very popular I have taken many photos of them.

Yesterday we had the first snow of this winter. It is very early（we usually expect snow in January）. It rained all day, then snowed in the evening. Today we have bright sunshine!

Both Jenny and I are well. I don’t know if I told you, in the last e-mail, that Jenny is now working in a hotel. Although she has to work hard, she is enjoying the work.

Please write to us to tell us your news.

Yours,

Victor

1. What kind of place is the Yorkshire Moors?

A．A hotel.

B．A natural park.

C．A hospital.

D．A café.

2. When did the ladies take a walk?

A．Only in the morning.

B．Only in the afternoon.

C．Both in the morning and in the afternoon.

D．In the evening.

3. They had a（an）________snow this winter.

A．early

B．late

C．usual

D．big

4. What does the underlined word“them”in Paragraph 3 mean?

A．The valleys.

B．The sheep.

C．The mist.

D．The trains.

5. What do we know from this passage?

A．This is the first time Victor wrote an email to Sandy.

B．Edward didn’t go traveling because he was in hospital.

C．Jenny’s new job in a hotel is easy and she enjoys the work.

D．People in England like the old steam-powered trains very much.

【推荐1】Teenager Jake Deham was skiing with his family in the US when he fell over and lost one of his skis. His family didn’t know that he had a problem. They kept on skiing. When they got to the foot of the mountain, there was no sign of Jake.

Jake couldn’t find his ski anywhere. In the end, he decided to take off his other ski and walk down the mountain. But he couldn’t work out the right way to go.

It was now getting dark and he was a long way from any place of safety. He knew that he might die that night in the cold temperatures. But Jake kept calm. At home, Jake watched a lot of programmes about living in difficult situations. He remembered the advice from these programmes and knew that he should build a hole in the snow. He made a hole so the wind couldn’t blow into it. Outside his hole, the temperature fell to a dangerous -15℃ that night, but inside it Jake was safe from the cold.

After the long evening passed, Jake began to think his way out. He had to get down the mountain. The TV programmes always said, “If you are lost, you should find someone else’s tracks(足迹) through the snow and follow them.” “I wanted to live my life.” Remembered Jake. “So I got up and I found some ski tracks and I followed those.” He walked and walked and finally saw lights. …

His mum was very happy when she heard his son was saved. Amazingly, Jake didn’t even have to go to hospital. He got through the terrible experience without any injuries.

So, the next time someone says that watching TV is a waste of time, think of Jake. Sometimes TV can save your life!

1. Jake’s parents didn’t know that he was missing until __________.

A．Jake contacted them on the phone

B．they began to ski down the mountain

C．they reached the foot of the mountain

D．Jake lost one of his skis

2. What was the most important decision Jake made for his safety?

A．To go skiing with his family in the US.

B．To search for the ski that he had lost in the snow.

C．To take off his other ski and walk down the mountain.

D．To build a hole in the snow to keep himself warm.

3. In what order did the following take place in the story?
a. Jake made a hole in the snow.                 b. Jake lost one of his skis.
c. Jake finally saw lights.                           d. Jake followed some tracks.
e. Jake took off his other ski.

A．b-e-a-d-c	B．a-b-e-c-d
C．d-e-b-a-c	D．b-c-e-a-d

4. What probably happen to Jake when he saw lights?

A．Jake’s parents came to search and saved him.

B．Jake went back to the hole and waited there.

C．Jake found his lost ski and skied down by himself.

D．Jake found a team of men who came to save him.

5. What can we learn from the story?

A．It is dangerous for us to travel alone.

B．Keep calm when facing difficulties.

C．Never give up and you will be successful.

D．It is a waste of time to watch TV.

【推荐2】阅读下面短文，从每题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出最佳选项。
When you’re curious(好奇的) about something, and want to know more about it, you can use the way of asking questions．Asking questions is the first step to make discoveries and find interesting answers．The steps below can guide you during the research．
Step1   On a note card or piece of paper, write down the subject that you are interested in．Just get the main idea down．For example, you might write: Discover more about dinosaurs．
Step2   Next, stop and think for a moment about what you already know about your subject．List what you already know like the sentences below:
(1)Dinosaurs lived long before human beings appeareD．
(2)Dinosaurs lived on the earth for more than 150 million years．
(3)Some dinosaurs fed on(吃) plants, some on meat．
Step3   What can you do with what you want to learn? By asking questions．On your paper, start writing down questions about the dinosaurs as you think of them:
(1)What’s the best weather for dinosaurs to live in?
(2)How many kinds of dinosaurs are there?
(3)Have dinosaurs really disappeared?
Step4   Armed with your list of questions, you can now go to the nearest library or computer to begin your research．As you learn more about your subject, you’ll probably discover some new questions．For example, you might discover that dinosaurs disappeared about 65 million years ago．Why? What happened? Asking new questions can help you research your subject more widely．
If you always find something interesting to research, take time to organize(组织) your thinking by asking good questions．And remember learning more always brings more questions．
1. When you do some research, you should take the following steps:
(1)list what you want to know                         (2) choose a research subject
(3)list what you already know                         (4) discover new problems

A．(4)(3)(2)(1)

B．(1)(4)(3)(2)

C．(2)(3)(1)(4)

D．(3)(2)(4)(1)

2. From the passage, we know          ．

A．dinosaurs appeared after human beings

B．not all the dinosaurs fed on meat

C．dinosaurs lived on the earth for 65 million years

D．dinosaurs lived warm season

3. What does “Armed with your list of questions” mean?

A．Putting your list of questions under your arm

B．Discussing your questions with your classmates

C．Writing down your list of questions

D．Taking your list of questions with you

4. The best title(标题) for this passage is “       ”

A．Discovering Dinosaurs

B．Asking Good Questions

C．Finding Subjects

D．Learning Steps

【推荐3】①Most people want to be happy,but few know how to find happiness. Money and success alone do not bring lasting happiness.Aristotle,a Greek thinker,said,"Happiness depends on ourselves." In other words,we make our own happiness. Here are a few suggestions to help you be happier.

②The first secret of happiness is to enjoy the simple things in life.Too often,we spend so much time thinking about the future - for example, getting into college or getting a good job-that we fail to enjoy the present.You should enjoy life's simple pleasures. Such as reading a good book,listening to your favorite music,or spending time with close friends.People   who   have several close friends often live happier and healthier lives.

③Another secret to living a happy life is to be active,and have hobbies where you forget your problems and time.Many people experience this dancing,or playing a sport,such as swimming.You can forget about your problems,and only think about the activity.

④Finally,many people find happiness in helping others.Studies show that people feel good when they spend their time helping others.If you want to feel happier,do good things for someone.You can help a friend with his or her studies,go shopping to buy food for an elderly person,or simply help out around the house by washing the dishes．

1. The second paragraph tells us that ．

A．we shouldn't think about our future	B．some people fail to live a happy life
C．happiness is to enjoy the simple things in life	D．the more friends you have,the happier you will be

2. The writer thinks that ．

A．hobbies take up too much time	B．it's wrong to spend time on work
C．everyone knows how to live a happier life	D．doing good things for someone can make you happier

3. According to the passage,which of the following is NOT TRUE？

A．Happiness is always around us in some small things．

B．People are able to find and make their own happiness．

C．Money and success will never bring people happiness．

D．An active person who enjoy simple life must be very happy．

4. Which of the following shows the structure（结构）of the passage？

A．

B．

C．

D．

5. The passage mainly tells us ．

A．how lo enjoy life	B．the secrets of happiness
C．what Aristotle said about happiness	D．the ideas for helping other people to be happy