【推荐1】The late president of South Africa, Nelson Mandela, once said, “If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head.     1    

Mandela understood that our mother language is a very intimate thing to us. For people who speak an ancient language as their mother language, it helps them keep their traditions.     2     And it is also how they imagine the future.

So it’s a serious thing that a language disappears. Over the last century, more than 400 languages have died out. Some languages are now spoken only by a few dozen people, like Yagan in Chile.     3    

Why are humans speaking fewer languages than we once did? The answer has to do with globalization. Now, it’s more useful to speak certain languages-English is one example rather than others.     4    

But some people aren’t prepared to accept a planet with fewer and fewer languages. The United Nations has set Feb. 21 as International Mother Language Day.     5    

This work is very important. As the US writer Rita Mae Brown wrote, “Language is the road map of a culture. It tells you where its people come from and where they are going.”

Word Bank: intimate亲密的 link联系 globalization全球化

A．Their language is their main link with their ancestors.

B．If you talk to him in his language, that goes to his heart.

C．This has killed some languages spoken by fewer or less influential people.

D．Africa and South America are also places where many languages are dying.

E．The organization wants people to pay more attention to dying languages.

【推荐2】If someone says you are smart, what do they mean?     1     The answer is not as easy as you might think. This is because the word smart has many meanings.

For example, someone could say you look smart or you are dressed smartly.     2     To use a daily expression, they could say, “You look really cool!”

    3     If you fall down from a chair, you might shout, “Wow! That smarts!” Or if a friend says something that hurts your feelings, you can say you are smarting from the hurtful words. In fact, maybe that person is no longer your friend.

If you are standing too close to a campfire, you could say your eyes are smarting from the smoke of the fire.     4    

But the most common meaning of “smart” is to be clever. If someone is smart as a whip (鞭), he is able to think very quickly.

    5     Some people are considered street smart. They may not have a strong education, but they are good at dealing with people and problems in the real world. Other people might be book smart. They have spent many years in school, but they may not be so smart when dealing with people or real-world problems.

A．Is it a good thing or bad thing?

B．Here the word “smarting” means a sharp pain (疼痛).

C．But if something smarts, it can be unkind or hurtful.

D．That means they like what you are wearing and your look.

E．However, different people have different ways of being smart.

【推荐3】We can make mistakes at any age. And most mistakes are about people. “Did Jerry really care when I broke my leg?” “When I got that great job, did Jim really feel good about it, as a friend? Or did he envy(嫉妒) my luck?” When we look back, doubts like these can make us feel bad. But when we look back, it’s too late.

① Why do we go wrong about our friends or our enemies? Sometimes what people say hides their real meaning. ② Suppose（假设） someone tells you, “You’re a lucky dog.” That’s being friendly. ③ But “lucky dog”? There’s a bit of envy in those words. Maybe he doesn’t see it himself. But bringing in the “dog” bit puts you down a little. What he may be saying is that he doesn’t think you deserve your luck. ④

“Just think of all the things you should be thankful for” is another noise that says one thing and means another. It could mean that the speaker is trying to get you to see your problem as part of your life as a whole. But is he? Wrapped up in this phrase is the thought that your problem isn’t important. It’s telling you to think of all the starving（挨饿的）people in the world when you haven’t got the new bike you want.

How can you tell the real meaning behind someone’s words? One way is to take a good look at the person talking. Do his words fit the way he looks? Does what he says agree with the tone of voice? His posture? The look in his eyes? Stop and think. The minute you spend thinking about the real meaning of what people say to you may save another mistake.

1. Where can we put the sentence “And if we don’t really listen, we miss the feeling behind the words.”?

A．①

B．②

C．③

D．④

2. What does the underlined word “it” in Paragraph 2 refer to?

A．Being friendly.	B．A bit of envy.
C．Lucky dog.	D．Your luck.

3. Why does the writer think we go wrong about the speakers?

A．We don’t listen carefully when they talk.

B．They aren’t able to express their meaning clearly.

C．They usually state one thing but mean another.

D．We often doubt whether they mean what they say.

4. How does the writer express his idea in the passage?

A．By giving examples.	B．By listing numbers.
C．By telling a story.	D．By showing pictures.

5. Which of the following can be a suitable title for the passage?

A．Can you tell their real meanings?

B．I’m a real lucky dog.

C．Maybe he’s not a true friend.

D．Speaking clearly saves you more mistakes.

【推荐1】In Nanchang, the capital of Jiangxi Province, there is a small kitchen near a hospital. The patients’ family members can cook meals for the sick people here. Wan Zuocheng and Xiong Gengxiang are a couple(夫妇). They run the kitchen.

Why do they run the kitchen? One day, a young couple with their sick son came here. They wanted to borrow the couple’s stove fire(炉火) to cook a meal for their son. Wan Zuocheng and Xiong Gengxiang said OK. They helped the young couple’s family, too.Since then, some people have come here for cooking. At first, one dish was 0.5 yuan, and after 2016, it is 1 yuan. The small kitchen brings love and warmth to the sick’s family.

How time flies! The couple has run the kitchen for nearly 20 years. Now they are in their 70s, but they still get up at 4 o’clock ever day and get ready in the kitchen. The kitchen is not only a place for people to cook but also a place for lighting the fire of hope.

1. Where is the kitchen?

A．At a station.

B．Near a hospital.

C．Near a restaurant.

D．At the old couple’s home.

2. The kitchen can’t bring the sick’s family ________ .

A．meals

B．love

C．warmth

D．money

3. What can we learn from the old couple?

A．It’s never too old to learn.	B．Good health is over wealth.
C．Where there is a will, there is a way.	D．Help people in need, light the fire of hope.

【推荐3】It is Sunday morning. Mr. Brown and his son, Bill, are in a big shopping mall (商场). Mr. Brown wants to buy a new dress for Mrs. Brown. Bill likes oranges. So his father buys two kilos of oranges for him, too. There are many things and many people in the mall. There are men and women, old and young. They all want to buy something there. The people in the mall are friendly. They will be glad to help you find what you are looking for.

根据短文内容，判断句子正（T）、误（F）。
1. Mr. Brown and Bill are in a big shopping mall on Saturday morning.
2. Mrs. Brown wants to buy a new dress for herself.
3. Bill’s father buys Bill two kilos of oranges.
4. There are a lot of things and many people in the mall.
5. The people in the mall are old and friendly.