【推荐1】根据短文内容, 从短文后的选项中选出能填入空白处的最佳选项。选项中有两项为多余选项。

Reading is often a lonely activity. This means that except for the times when your teacher reads to you, or you are part of a book group that discusses what you are reading, it is usually done alone. However, reciting（朗诵）a poem is different.     1    

It’s important to recite poems because it gives you confidence and helps with your reading. When you are very interested in reciting poems, performing（表演）them is like acting in a theatre.

    2     Once you have picked a poem, you don’t need to remember it.     3     You don’t have to worry about forgetting the words.

Before performing, spend plenty of time practising the poem and getting to know the words’ rhythms（节律）. Try not to stop at the end of every line.     4     With a lot of poems, you’re discovering the words as you go along. To the listener, it’s a journey of discovery you’ve started on with words.

    5     The key to dealing with it is to realize that everyone feels that way, and those who perform well have learned to face it. Remember the more you perform, the easier it gets.

A．It brings them alive.

B．Don’t be afraid of reciting a poem.

C．Just read from a book when you perform.

D．Many people might be worried about feeling nervous.

E．Get the sense of the poem as a whole, not just the words.

F．You can ask your teacher if you can recite a poem to your class.

G．It is the perfect way to share with your friends a piece of work you love.

【推荐2】Do Boys and Girls Have Different Reading Habits?

The Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) is a worldwide study of 15-year-old school pupils’ scholastic performance (学业成绩) in maths, science, and reading. A closer look at the reading tests, shows the interesting fact that girls are outperforming (胜过) boys in reading and that this is connected with girls’ greater enjoyment of reading.

One key area which has a main effect on reading performance, is reading for enjoyment rather than simply for study or school work purposes. Interestingly, the PISA study found that in all countries except South Korea assessed (评估) girls read for enjoyment more than boys. The study found that in all the countries assessed, just over half of boys, but almost three-quarters of girls said that they read for enjoyment.

In countries such as Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and the Netherlands, the difference between boys and girls was most significant (显著的). What’s more, in places such as Austria, very low levels of boys expressed interest in reading.

However, in places like Japan, boys and girls read for enjoyment at almost the same level. And there were a few countries and places that scored very highly in boys reading enjoyment, for example in Albania, Indonesia, Shanghai in China and Thailand where at least 80% of boys enjoy reading. Although these positive numbers are matched and passed by girls who reported an even higher level of reading enjoyment (90%).

An interesting area which the PISA study looked at was the types of literature that both girls and boys generally enjoy. Boys were found to enjoy reading magazines, newspapers, and comic books more than girls. Girls were found to be twice as likely to enjoy works of fiction as boys. This was clearly repeated across all countries.

While reading in all forms is certainly beneficial and should be supported, the low numbers of boys reading for enjoyment and their limited choices when they do, is evidence of a problem that needs to be solved. Countries need to think about ways to inspire interest for boys in reading and make sure that they are exposed (接触) to a wide variety of different types of literature from young age.

The PISA study has helped show a clear pattern in genders (性别) when it comes to reading. Low levels of interest in or enjoyment of reading can have long term effects on future success in life. For this reason, it is important that governments, teachers and parents all work to find opportunities and strategies (策略) to raise reading levels. Fortunately, studies such as PISA provide clear evidence that can be acted on to improve outcomes for all young people.

1. According to the passage, PISA study found ________.

A．girls in most countries read for enjoyment more than boys

B．boys liked to read for study or school work purposes

C．girls were better in math and science tests than boys

D．boys got higher marks than girls in reading

2. What do you know from the passage?

A．Few girls enjoy reading magazines and newspapers.

B．Boys enjoy reading works of fiction more than girls.

C．Most boys in Shanghai in China enjoy reading.

D．Boys in Thailand enjoy reading more than girls.

3. The word “inspire” in Paragraph 6 probably means “________”.

A．lose

B．encourage

C．express

D．hold

4. The writer probably agrees that ________.

A．teachers should offer students more chances to improve reading levels

B．reading for school work has a main effect on reading performance

C．students’ future success in life depends on their reading strategies

D．students should be suggested reading their favorite books

【推荐1】Known as “soft gold”, Gambiered Canton gauze (香云纱) is the only silk fabric (织物) that’s still hand-dyed (手染的) using natural plants in the world today.

The skill has a history of more than 500 years. In 2008, it was listed as a national intangible cultural heritage (国家非物质文化遗产). Ouyang Yongze is an inheritor of the dyeing skills from Guangdong. The man started learning the skills in 2017.

The dyeing process includes 30 steps. It can take up to six months and is done by hand with materials from nature. “The plant shuliang (薯莨), river mud, sunshine, and grass are all important in dyeing,” Ouyang told China Daily.

To dye the fabric, workers put it in shuliang juice and let it dry on the grass. They repeat this many times until it turns brownish-yellow. Then, they put river mud on it to help shuliang react (起反应) fully. After washing and drying it again, the fabric turns black!

Mastering the skills is difficult, according to Ouyang, who put full effort into controlling the density (浓度) of shuliang juice. “Too much may cause color loss, and too little may not lead to a dark enough fabric,” he said. “Better control of the density comes after many failures.”

Also, the job can be really tiring as workers have to be at work in the sun for 8 hours each day. Only a few people work in the industry (行业), and skilled masters are getting older as fewer young people take part.

Considering this, Ouyang works harder to develop the traditional craft. He has got together other dyeing skills such as tie-dyeing (扎染法) and batik (蜡染) and has worked with famous fashion designers. They turn the silk into both traditional and fashionable clothes that are popular worldwide. He thinks this can help make the craft stay alive and draw people to the industry.

1. Which of the following is the right order of dyeing Gambiered Canton gauze?
①Repeat many times until the fabric turns brownish-yellow.       ②Dry the fabric on the grass.
③Put the fabric in shuliang juice.       ④Put river mud on the fabric to help shuliang react fully.

A．④②①③

B．①④③②

C．②④③①

D．③②①④

2. Which sentence can the underlined word “inheritor” in Paragraph 2 be put in?

A．That company offers good value and service to every ________.

B．Every teenager should be a(n) ________ of our Chinese culture to pass it down.

C．Finally, Maria became the ________ of the singing competition.

D．Bell, the ________ of the telephone, made the first call.

3. Which of the following sentences can best conclude Paragraph 6?

A．The job is difficult but popular.	B．Some artists are coming to help the workers.
C．Passing down the skills is challenging.	D．The job seems to become easier than before.

4. What can we infer from the passage?

A．Water is important in the color during dyeing.

B．Ouyang only fails a few times before he controls the density better.

C．There are no people taking part in this industry.

D．The dyeing process needs great patience, excellent skills and hard work.

【推荐2】Though oceans cover about 71 percent of the earth’s surface, there’s still a lot we don’t know about them. Only about 20 percent of the seafloor has been mapped, and the remaining 80 percent is still a secret to us. Some scientists even think that 91 percent of sea animals have yet to be discovered.

So why do we know so little about the deep sea? Well, getting to those depths is very difficult and requires high technology that simply didn’t come into being for most of human history. The first navigable submarine (可驾驶的潜水艇), for example, was built in 1620, and it couldn’t go more than five meters below the surface. In fact, for a long time many scientists didn’t even think that there could be any life at depths greater than 550 meters and didn’t see much need to explore (探索) the deep sea. However, this changed in 1862 when life was discovered as far down as 945 meters below sea level with the help of a digging machine. Ten years later, around 4, 700 species (物种) unknown before from the ocean floor were discovered.

Since then, high technology has been developed to help explore the deep sea, including satellites. But why is deep-sea exploration still so difficult? Well, at greater depths it is freezing (极冷的), everything is completely dark, and the pressure can be over 1, 000 times greater than that on the surface.

Though we have the difficulties, it’s important that we understand the seas. They help control the earth’s temperature and produce half of the oxygen (O₂) in the air. They can also provide us with information about climate change. Our future depends on learning more about our oceans, and it is possible for us to really understand what is ongoing below the surface.

1. Why are some numbers listed in Paragraph 1?

A．To introduce how important oceans are.

B．To discuss why sea animals have yet to be found out.

C．To explain that oceans cover a large area of the earth.

D．To show that we have only a little understanding of oceans.

2. What caused the change of exploration into the deep sea?

A．High technology.	B．Unknown species.
C．A pleasant environment.	D．Valuable information.

3. What does the underlined word “They” in the last paragraph refer to?

A．Sea animals.

B．The seas.

C．The satellites.

D．Many scientists.

4. What can we learn from the text?

A．It is difficult to build a navigable submarine.	B．The seas have a strong influence on our future.
C．The seas have no lives at a depth of 550 meters.	D．It is easier to go into the deep sea than we think.

5. What could be the best title of the text?

A．Hidden Treasures in Deep Sea	B．Unlocked Secrets of Deep Sea
C．Deep-Sea Exploration: Into the Freezing Depths	D．Deep-Sea Exploration: The Past and the Future