【推荐1】You may know the songHappy Birthdayvery well. But do you know who wrote this song and for whom it was written?

Let me tell you a story.

About one hundred years ago, there was a girl in the USA. She loved children very much and wrote many songs for children. One of them was the songGood Morning To You. The song was very popular at that time among children, but not all grown-ups ( 成年人 ) knew it.

The girl was very poor. Once her friends invited her to a little child’s birthday party. She felt happy but sad because she had no money to buy a present for him. Finally she decided to sing the songHappy Birthday in the melody( 曲调 ) of Good Morning to You for the little boy.

When her friends heard the song at the party, they were very happy. “How wonderfully she is singing! We have not heard this song before. It’s a special present,” said someone. And they learned to sing it together.

Later, the song became very popular throughout the world. People like it because it’s simple and friendly.

1. The songHappy Birthdayis a song from America.
2. Happy Birthdayis an old song. Nobody knows who wrote the songHappy Birthday.
3. The girl knew the song would be popular before she came to the party.

【推荐2】Eric Whitacre is regarded as one of the famous musicians. His wonderful and special skills of creating music quickly draw people’s attention. He is excited about using choral (合唱的) music to join people together from all over the world.

As a child, Eric Whitacre lived in a small town with many farms. He had great interest in music since childhood. He didn’t know how to read music, but he often played different kinds of instruments. Years later, Eric went to the college which used to be his ideal school. There he met the leader of the college’s choir (合唱团). At first, Eric didn’t want to join the choir, but finally he did because the leader promised to teach him music.

When Eric first sang with the choir, it was a big surprise. The beautiful and interesting choral music shocked him and then he decided to write musical pieces. At the age of 21, Eric achieved his first work and had many fans. Later he became an excellent musician, and his works were very modern.

Eric Whitacre’s choir is very unusual because it’s completely virtual (虚拟的). The Internet makes this possible. The members of the choir don’t know each other. They are in different ages, from different countries, and have different jobs. But they are united by their love of singing and their hope of being part of a worldwide community that makes beautiful music.

1. Why could Eric draw people’s attention?

A．Because of his shows in the choir.	B．Because of his trips around the world.
C．Because of his great interest in music.	D．Because of his skills of creating music.

2. The underlined word “join” in Paragraph 1 means “________”.

A．connect

B．compare

C．share

D．serve

3. Match the times with the right things.
①   as a little boy                                                                 a. Eric achieved his first work.
②   when he became a college student          b. Eric was interested in music.
③   when he was 21 years old                                c. Eric joined the choir.

A．① -a;② -b;③ -c	B．① -b;② -c;③ -a
C．① -c;② -a;③ -b	D．① -c;② -b;③ -a

4. What is special about Eric’s choir?

A．The members truly love music.

B．The members are of different ages.

C．The choir is virtual by using the Internet technology.

D．The choir wants to make music more beautiful.

5. What is the passage mainly about?

A．Why Eric liked music.

B．How Eric got so many fans.

C．What Eric did to the development of music.

D．How Eric became a famous musician.

【推荐1】Can a piece of paper be changed into a fine work of art? If you have the chance to enjoy Liang Chunlan’s paper-cuts, you will be surprised at her skills.

Liang Chunlan is a member of the Chinese Folk Literature and Art Association. She began learning how to make paper-cuts when she was a little girl. “Influenced by both my mother and grandmother, I developed such an interest,” says Liang Chunlan.

Liang Chunlan has been making paper-cuts for more than 30 years. She has already won many prizes for her paper-cuts. By drawing ideas from life and Shanxi’s traditional culture, she has created a special artistic style.

In recent years, she has put a lot of effort (work hard) into spreading this art. She likes teaching others to make paper-cuts. Sometimes, when she eats out with her friends, she folds napkins (餐巾) and cuts paper with scissors to show her friends how to make paper-cuts.

“What I did was not enough.” said Liang Chunlan. To encourage young people to learn the craft-making skills, she has provided training courses for school students to teach them how to make paper-cuts. She has also spoken to university students in Australia and other countries to introduce this traditional art.

Liang has written several books to help Chinese understand the beauty of the paper-cuts. Some art schools have used her works as teaching materials. She will continue to try to do something meaningful to spread our country’s traditional art-paper-cuts.

1. Why did Liang Chunlan take paper-cuts as an interest?

A．Because she wanted to teach others paper-cuts.

B．Because her mother asked her to make paper-cuts.

C．Because her family members did well in paper-cuts.

D．Because she would be a member of the Chinese Folk Literature and Art Association.

2. Why has Liang Chunlan written several books?

A．To help English understand the beauty of the paper-cuts.

B．To help Chinese understand the beauty of Foshan’s traditional festival.

C．To help English learn about how to make paper-cuts.

D．To help Chinese understand the beauty of the paper-cuts.

3. What does Liang Chunlan do to spread the art of paper-cuts?
①She wins many prizes for paper-cuts.
②She teaches her friends paper-cuts while eating out.
③She provides training courses for students at school.
④She tells students in other countries about this art.

A．①②③

B．①②④

C．①③④

D．②③④

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

A．She’ll set up her own art school in the future.

B．Her family made a living by making paper-cuts.

C．She only likes teaching her friends to make paper-cuts.

D．She tries her best to spread the special art-paper-cuts.

5. What’s the passage mainly about?

A．How to make paper-cuts.	B．A great paper-cut artist.
C．A book about paper-cuts.	D．A special art-paper-cuts.

【推荐3】As a kind of traditional Chinese dress, Ma Mian Qun (horse face skirt) first appeared in the Song Dynasty and grew popular during the Ming Dynasty. The two sides of Ma Mian Qun are pleated (起褶的), and there is a smooth part in the middle, commonly known as “Ma Mian”.

Why is it called “Ma Mian”? In fact, “Ma Mian” is a kind of structure used for protection in the city wall system. However, all the books about Ma Mian Qun only show that the smooth surface without pleats in the middle is called “Ma Mian”. But there is no further explanation of how Ma Mian Qun got its name.

Ma Mian Qun is colorful, mostly red and blue. Red means good luck and joy. According to Han customs, women usually wore red skirts during celebrations of festivals. In the Qing dynasty, blue was also common and popular, paired with black and yellow.

Ma Mian Qun has different kinds of patterns with different meanings. For example, dragon and phoenix patterns show the love between a man and a woman or a beautiful marriage. Peony (牡丹) is a symbol of wealth and honor.

Recently, Ma Mian Qun has become a popular form of skirt for Hanfu fans. More and more modern fashion designers find ideas from Ma Mian Qun. For example, some get ideas from the patterns. Some connect the styles of Ma Mian Qun with T-shirts or blouses, which are more suitable for everyday wear. Even western fashion has been influenced by Ma Mian Qun for many years.

1. According to the passage, “Ma Mian” refers to ________ of the skirt.

A．the two sides	B．the middle part
C．the colorful patterns	D．the smooth material

2. What do dragon and phoenix patterns mean?

A．Luck and joy.	B．Love or marriage.
C．Wealth and honor.	D．Health or beauty.

3. Modern fashion designers get ideas from ________ of Ma Mian Quan.
①the patterns        ②the colors            ③the sizes        ④the styles

A．①④

B．①③

C．②③

D．②④

4. What can we learn from this passage?

A．We have known how Ma Mian Qun got its name.

B．Ma Mian Qun was first worn in the Ming Dynasty.

C．Ma Mian Qun has also influenced western fashion.

D．In the Han Dynasty, women always wore blue during festivals.

【推荐1】How’s your relationship with your dad? It can be easy to let walls build up between you during the teen years. But by taking several simple steps, you can help improve the relationship between the two of you—even without great efforts. Here are a few quick tips.

Talk it out. Communication is the key to any friendship. Open your mouth and let your dad know what’s on your mind. Give him a chance to get to know you.

Listen up. Your dad’s lived more life than you have. Believe it or not, he’s probably been there and can help you get through the pressures and struggles. Ask how he dealt with school, girls or temptations (诱惑). Then pay attention.

Take some time. It can be hard for us kids to talk about what really matters. But spending time together can build the relationship, and create chances to talk. Go for a hike or a game. Work on the car. Whatever you’re into, ask your dad to do it together.

Fight fair. Family disagreements are unavoidable. When temperatures rise, keep your mouth respectful and cool off before you say something bad. Talk it out when you can do so calmly.

Realize respect. Face it: your dad’s been given authority (权威) to help guide you as you know. He’s going to make mistakes, but so are you. Forgive him when he blows it, and honor his decisions—even if you don’t agree.

1. The main purpose of the passage is to advise teenagers on how to ________.

A．respect and obey their fathers	B．communicate with their fathers
C．ask their fathers for advice	D．get along well with their fathers

2. According to the writer, ________.

A．fathers have the right to guide teenagers	B．respect means never fighting with fathers
C．disagreements can be avoided through efforts	D．always keeping your mouth closed really matters

3. “When temperatures rise” means________.

A．when it is too hot	B．when teenagers have a fever
C．when fathers fall ill	D．when disagreements get worse

4. From the passage we can infer that________.

A．communication can prevent all the disagreements

B．fathers play an important role in teenagers’ growth

C．talking everything out at once always helps

D．teenagers should never get angry with their fathers

【推荐2】Like many people, I have no clear idea about heroes. At some point, we all wonder if we need a hero and what a hero really is.

Although there are a lot of differences in cultures, heroes around the world generally share a number of characteristics(特点) which give us courage and make us want to learn from them.

A hero does something worth talking about. A hero has a special story to tell and people think highly of it. But a hero is not just the person with great fame(声誉).

A hero has powers(力量) larger than himself. Some people want to live like a hero, and they have to experience life with new and further meaning. A sure test for would-be heroes is what or whom they serve. What do they want to live and die for? If the answer suggests they serve only their own fame, they may be famous persons but not heroes.

A hero has a vision from the mountaintop. He has the power to move people. He creates new possibilities. Without Gandhi, India might still be part of Britain. Without Martin Luther King, Jr., Americans might take different buses, eat in different restaurants, go for walks in different parks, and shop in different stores because of the different colours of their skin.

There might be changes in society without a hero, but the speed of change would be rather slow. Thanks to heroes in history, they make the society develop so rapidly.

1. According to this passage, a hero is a person who always ________.

A．gives us courage	B．thinks highly of others
C．shares great fame	D．stands on the mountaintop

2. If you want to live like a hero, you should ________.

A．experience a new and meaningful life	B．listen to something worth talking about
C．serve your own fame and try to be famous	D．know where and how you want to live and die

3. The underlined word “vision” in the passage means “________”.

A．风景

B．想象

C．远见

D．形象

4. Black people in America used to ________ before Martin Luther King, Jr.

A．shop at the white’s stores	B．drive buses with the white
C．take walks in the white’s parks	D．eat in restaurants without the white

5. What can we learn from the passage?

A．We don’t need heroes anymore at some point now.

B．Heroes are all the same though different in cultures.

C．People get power from heroes to move to a new place.

D．Our society has developed faster because of heroes in history.