【推荐1】阅读下面短文，完成短文后的问题。

In China, many students spend much of their time on their studies, and don’t help with housework at home. As a result, they lack(缺乏) basic(基本的) skills.

Luckily, things are changing. Last year, many schools began to teach students life skills. Guangming Middle School in Sichuan set up some farming clubs. There students learnt to plant vegetables. “At first I thought I could only learn to grow some vegetables here, but actually, I learnt a lot about vegetables.” said Chen Jia, a girl at the school.

In Hope Middle School, students have a special life skill class: they learn to make dumplings in different kinds of shapes. “I couldn’t make dumplings before, but now I am good at doing it. I really love my life skill class. It’s my favourite class.” said Zhang Yan, a boy at the school.

In fact, learning life skills is as important as learning Chinese and maths, because it helps us prepare for our future life. Boys and girls, do you help your parents do housework at home? If not, maybe you should get started now.

1. When did many schools begin to teach students life skills?
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2. What club did Guangming Middle School set up?
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3. What did Chen Jia learn in her club?
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4. What does Zhang Yan do well in now?
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5. Do you think learning life skills is as important as learning Chinese and maths? Why or why not?
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【推荐2】阅读下面的材料，然后根据材料内容回答问题。

     Hi! I’m Alex Greenall. I’m thirteen and I go to Park School in Oxford, England. I go to school on weekdays, but not on Saturday and Sunday. I get up at half past seven in the morning, and then have breakfast.
     My school is next to my house. I go to school at half past eight and see my friends. We start work at nine o’clock. We have three lessons in the morning. My favorite subject is art.
     At eleven o’clock, we have a break in the playground and I talk to my friends. They go to the playground and play football, but I don’t like football.
     We have lunch in the dining hall at half past twelve. I like school lunch! We have meat and rice with vegetables, or hamburgers. I drink juice or water.
     We start lessons in the afternoon at half past one. We have two lessons in the afternoon. Then we finish school at half past three. After school, I go swimming, listen to music, read books or play with my friends.
     In the evening, I watch TV and have dinner with my family. I do my homework and go to bed at ten o’clock.
1. How many lessons does Alex have in the day?
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2. How does Alex go to school?
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3. What subject does Alex like best?
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4. When does Alex have lunch?
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5. What do you think of studying in a school like Park School? Why?
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【推荐3】Tim is a middle school student. He goes to school on weekdays. He gets up1. ________ 6:30 in the morning. After that, he brushes her teeth and has a quick breakfast. Then he walks to school with his classmates. Classes start at 8:00. He has four classes in the morning and three in the afternoon. On Monday morning, he has art 2. ________ 2 hours. Art is his favorite subject. On Tuesday and Thursday, he has science. 3.He doesn’t like science, because he thinks it’s difficult and boring. On Friday he has geography. He can’t stand it at all. But he likes Friday best, because the next day is Saturday. On weekends, after he does his homework, he often goes to the park with his parents. And they always have a good time there.

根据短文内容，完成下列任务。
1. 在1、2处分别填上一个适当的介词。________ ________
2. 将划线句子译成汉语。_______________________
3. 写出 it 指代的内容。________
4. 回答问题 What’s Tim’s favorite day? _______________________
5. 从文中找出“He likes art best”的同义句 _______________________

【推荐1】In junior high schools or middle schools in America, kids study English writing, maths, science, biology, music and art.

At 12 o'clock, students eat lunch at school. They have meat, vegetables, fruit, bread and drink, but they like hot dogs and hamburgers best. American children like sugar, and after the meal they can have a small piece of cake.

Students sleep for a short time after lunch. They begin classes at 3 o'clock. They go to school on weekdays and have classes for six hours(小时)every day and then return home.

Parents let their kids play or watch TV until dinner at 6：00 p.m. After dinner, they do their homework. Sometimes children and their parents have a family activity(活动)together after dinner.

根据短文内容,完成下列各题。

School Life in America

School: junior high schools or middle schools
Subjects: English writing, maths, science, biology, music and     1    
Lunch place for students: at     2    
Students' favourite food: hot dogs and     3    
How many hours of classes a week:       4     hours
Time for a family activity: after     5    

【推荐3】Most high schools in the United States publish a yearbook once a year, usually in spring. It is a record of the school year—a “book of memories” for the students.

Inside a yearbook is each student’s photo. The seniors are graduating soon, and their photos appear first. Next are the juniors. They are one year behind the seniors. Then come the second year students. The last photos are the first-year students. The yearbook is not only about students. The teachers have photos, too.

The yearbook also has photos and descriptions of many activities. These are activities that students do after school, such as the chess club and Spanish club. There is even a yearbook club. Students in this club write, design and take photos all year for the yearbook.

In the yearbook, some students receive special titles. The seniors vote and choose   the “class clown” (a funny student), the “most likely to succeed” (a student who got the best grades), and the “best dressed” (a student with a good fashion sense). There are also other awards.

Students usually sign each other’s yearbooks. This is especially important for the seniors because they are graduating. Students write notes to each other, such as, “We had a lot   of fun,”or “I’ll never forget you.” They also write about the fun and funny experiences they shared in school together.

1. When do American schools usually publish a yearbook?
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2. Whose photos can we see in a yearbook?
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3. Why is it important for senior students to sign each other’s yearbooks?
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【推荐2】阅读短文后回答问题

When you drive, there are some things you must do and some things you mustn’t do. For example, when you come to a traffic light, a red light means you must stop. A green light means you can go if it is safe.

There are also lots of traffic signs you must understand. For example, when there is a stop sign, you must stop, and then you must look carefully. You mustn’t continue to drive, because it is not safe. When you see a no-entry (禁止进入) sign, you mustn’t turn into that road.

If you see a keep-left sign, you must drive to the left of it, not to the right. A speed limit (限速) sign, for example, 70 kph, means you mustn’t go faster than 70 kph, but you can go more slowly. Safe driving.

1. What is the reading mainly about, traffic safety rules or safe driving?
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2. What does a red light mean?
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3. Why mustn’t you continue to drive when you see a stop sign?
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4. When you see a keep-left sign, what must you do?
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5. What does a speed-limit sign of 70 kph mean?
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【推荐3】Venice, a city in the northeast of Italy, is famous throughout the world for its buildings and romantic canals (运河). But in February every year, people come to Venice for another reason. The city carnival (狂欢节) fills the place with excitement and fun. This year, the celebration runs from 4 to 21 February.

Colourful costurnes have always played a very important role in the Venetian carnival. The carnival happens at the start of the Christian fasting (斋戒) period of Lent. It was traditionally a time to go a bit crazy with eating, drinking, dancing and dressing up before the fast began. People used masks to hide their social identity so that the nobility (贵族) would look no different from the commoners.

Today the carnival is largely for the tourists. “Venetians don’t dress up for the carnival after the age of ten,” Giuseppina Giudice, who has lived in the city all her life, said to The Guardian（卫报）. “All we see of the carnival is a river of strangers who flow into town to feel ‘Venetian’. They fill it, buy a cheap mask and leave with nothing but photographs of St Mark’s Square.”

Some locals want to bring back the original (最初的) feel of the carnival. In 2009, two social networking groups started organizing their own carnival. Visitors were invited. There were no expensive tickets or fancy ball dresses—just an old-fashioned Italian street party. “Tourists are welcome to our party—the more we can show them about the real Venice rather than the postcard Venice, the better,” Matteo Secchi, one of the organizers, told The Guardian.

The carnival of Venice
Location	Venice lies in the     1     of Italy.
2	This year people     3     the carnival from 4 to 21 February.
Traditions	♦It was a time to go a little     4     with eating, drinking, dancing and dressing up before fasting began. ♦People often wore     5     to hide their social identity.
6     situations	♦Today the festival is largely for people who come for a     7    . ♦Some local people want to bring back the original     8     of the carnival. ♦In 2009, two social networking groups     9     their own carnival. They wanted to show what an old-fashioned Italian street     10     should be like.