【推荐1】Love, joy, and the warm feeling of pulling together to get through tough times don’t cost a thing. But gifts do cost money. So, what’s a poor family to do?

When Christmas season rolled around, I told my mother that the only thing I wanted was a pogo stick. However, my mother told me they were too expensive and that we simply couldn’t afford one.

On a Saturday afternoon a couple of weeks before Christmas, my mom and dad told me we needed to go to Sears to pay our credit card bill. While my mother and I were paying the bill, my dad said, “I’ll be right back — I need to see something in the tool department.” A little later, my dad came back with a long box. I remember wondering at that moment if there was a pogo stick in that box.

When we got home, my dad put the box in the garage. While my parents were busy with their chores, I quietly walked out to the garage and found the box. I hoped a pogo stick would be inside — but when I opened it, there was just an old broom. And so it looked like Christmas morning would be disappointing.

But after all the wrapping paper was cleaned up, my dad said he needed to tend to something in the garage. When he came back in, he was carrying a beautiful pogo stick. I couldn’t believe it!

My parents probably got quite a laugh from the trick they played on me.

Although we didn’t have much money, my parents gave me the most important gift of all: lots of love. My dad worked hard to support our family and my mother knew how to stretch a dollar. That was over 60 years ago and I still think about those wonderful Christmas memories every year during the holiday season. My parents were the best and I will never forget all the joy they brought into my life.

Word bank pogo stick弹簧单高跷 garage车库 wrapping包装 unconditional 无条件的

根据材料内容选择最佳答案。
1. Why did the author’s mother refuse to give him a pogo stick?

A．They’re dangerous for kids to play with.	B．They didn’t have enough money to buy one.
C．She had already bought him another gift.	D．He already had too many pogo sticks.

2. How did the author probably feel before he opened the box in the garage?

A．Amazed.

B．Disappointed.

C．Hopeful.

D．Doubtful.

3. Which statement is true about the author’s parents?

A．They like to make fool of others.	B．They didn’t work very hard to live a rich life.
C．They borrowed a lot of money from the bank.	D．They love their children to the best of their ability.

4. What does the author think the most valuable gift he received from his parents was?

A．His pogo stick.	B．Their unconditional love.
C．The ability to get through tough times.	D．All the great memories of Christmas.

5. What is the best title for the passage?

A．An Interesting Christmas	B．Poor Life Made Us Happy
C．A Christmas Story	D．A Christmas Gift Full of Love

【推荐2】A boy was walking at a market with his sister. But the little girl stopped in front of a toy shop. She was looking at something inside the shop’s window. The boy asked, “What are you looking at?” His sister pointed at the doll（玩偶）. The boy told her that he would buy the doll for her. The sister was very happy. Then the boy asked the shopkeeper, “How much does this doll cost?” The shopkeeper looked at the boy and asked, “Well, how can you pay?” The boy took out all the seashells（贝壳）that he had collected from the beach and gave them to the shopkeeper. The shopkeeper took the seashells and started counting them as if they were coins. Then he turned to the boy. The boy asked him, “Are they enough?” The shopkeeper said, “Yes, they are more than enough.” He kept four of the seashells and gave the rest back to the boy.

The boy put the seashells back into his pocket happily and left with his sister and the new doll. The shopkeeper’s assistant（助手）was surprised. He asked the shopkeeper, “Why did you do that? That doll costs a lot of money. And it certainly costs more than four seashells.” The shopkeeper replied, “To us, these are just seashells. But to that boy, they’re very precious. When he grows up, he’ll remember that he once bought a doll for his sister with seashells. It might remind him that there are wonderful and kind people in the world. And perhaps he will also be generous（大方的）and kind to others.”

1. The little girl stopped in front of a toy shop because __________.

A．she saw some beautiful seashells	B．she was interested in a toy inside
C．she wanted to buy a toy for the boy	D．she was too tired to walk any longer

2. How did the shopkeeper’s assistant feel when he saw what happened?

A．He was thankful.

B．He was angry.

C．He was surprised.

D．He was afraid.

3. The underlined word “precious” means ___________ in the passage.

A．common

B．boring

C．ugly

D．valuable

4. What can we know about the shopkeeper?

A．He knew the boy was playing a trick on him.

B．He thought there were coins inside the seashells.

C．He was so kind to regard the seashells as coins.

D．He knew he could get the money back from the boy’s mom.

5. Which can be the best title of the passage?

A．An unusual doll

B．A silly boy

C．A wonderful market

D．A clever girl

【推荐3】My 20-year-old daughter, Ann, living in Philadelphia, sent me a message the other day. “I need socks and shampoo.” She was actually asking me to prepare those things for her, but I thought she was playing a cell phone game. I decide not to be a helicopter(直升机) mother, and I prefer a more hands-off way.

But that’s not what I see at Drexel University where I teach. Most of my students talk to their parents three times a day or more. One student’s mother called her son because she didn’t hear from him for a few days. The son was in the library, so he whispered(小声说) “hello”. The mother doubted that he was playing computer games, and kept on asking him to take a picture of himself. Holding a newspaper, the son had to take a photo of himself and sent it to his mother in order to prove that he wasn’t telling a lie.

I always think that my students should depend on themselves. I tell them that I will not check whether they miss classes and finish homework or not, because they are independent thinkers and they should be responsible(有责任心的) for their own choices. But their parents don’t treat them like me. I know a mother. She puts her eyes on her son too much. Another mother checks her son’s credit card daily. However, I never do that. My daughters only come to me with important things when they need my decision. I think that’s because I give them space.

Many parents try to find if their kids are hiding from them. But we have to learn to respect boundaries(界限), even when technology is so powerful now. So I am going to do my best not to be a helicopter parent.

1. The underlined phrase “a helicopter mother” in Paragraph 1 means ________.

A．a mother who pays close attention to their children

B．a mother who treats the child as an independent being

C．a mother who prefers a more hands-off way

D．a mother who gives her children space

2. What does the author(作者) think of the mother and her son in Paragraph 2?

A．They are happy with each other.	B．They respect each other.
C．They care about each other.	D．The mom doesn’t trust her son.

3. The author’s daughter will come to her when ________.

A．she needs socks and shampoo	B．she doesn’t finish her homework
C．she misses classes	D．she needs the author’s decision for some important things

4. Why does the author mention different ways of being a mother?

A．To show how responsible those mothers are.

B．To show that mothers should make decisions for their children.

C．To show that space is needed for children to become independent.

D．To show that some helicopter mothers love their children very much.

5. What’s the attitude(态度) of the author towards helicopter parents?

A．Agree.

B．Neutral(中立).

C．Disagree.

D．Unknown.

【推荐1】Anna wants to become a top guitarist in the future (未来). She began to play the guitar two years ago when she saw her father play it at home. “I love the guitar, so I always play it at home. When I found she was also interested in it, I began to teach her,” said her father. Soon Anna was good at playing it. Then she began to take guitar lessons in Band School every Saturday to learn more from musicians there.

Anna studied hard at Band School, and soon she was able to take part in (参加) the school’s music concert. Anna was the youngest player. Most students felt nervous when they took part in the concert for the first time, but Anna didn’t. She was very relaxed, and she gave a really fantastic performance.

Many people see her performance online, and Anna is becoming famous in her town now. “Boys usually take up the guitar, but very few girls choose it. I hope more girls can play it in the future,” said Anna. Anna’s father bought her a new guitar last month and she plans to start a band (乐队) herself later this year.

根据短文内容，选择最佳选项。
1. Who taught Anna to play the guitar at first?

A．Her mother.

B．Her father.

C．Her uncle.

D．Her aunt.

2. How often did Anna go to Band School?

A．Once a week.

B．Twice a week.

C．Three times a week.

D．Four times a week.

3. What does the underlined word “nervous” in Paragraph 2 mean in Chinese?

A．感激的

B．残忍的

C．舒服的

D．紧张的

4. What does Anna plan to do later this year?

A．To become a teacher.

B．To write a book.

C．To start a band.

D．To have a concert.

5. Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

A．Anna did well in Band School.

B．Anna’s father bought her a old guitar last month.

C．The guitar is more popular with girls than boys in Anna’s town.

D．Anna’s father doesn’t want her to play the guitar in the future.

【推荐2】A young man goes to town and buys himself a pair of socks. When he comes back home, he goes to his room and tries them on. He finds they are in different colours. One is blue, but the other is green. He goes into the kitchen. His mother and his sister are cooking dinner. He says to them, “The new socks are in different colours. I should make them in the same colour. Would you like to do this for me?” His mother and his sister are busy and they do not say anything. When his mother finishes (完成) cooking, she goes to her son’s room and makes the green sock into blue. She comes back without (没有) saying a word to her son. After dinner, his sister goes to his room and makes one blue sock into green without saying anything to anyone.

1. The young man buys a pair of socks, and then ________.

A．he buys a ticket	B．he comes back home
C．he tries them on at once	D．he puts them on at once

2. The young man’s mother and sister don’t answer because ________.

A．they don’t want to help him	B．they want to help him without telling him
C．they are busy at that time	D．they are very lazy

3. His mother changes the colour of one sock ________.

A．before cooking	B．when she finishes cooking
C．after dinner	D．before she goes to bed

4. ________ is the last one to change the sock’s colour.

A．The young man

B．His mother

C．His sister

D．His father

5. At last the socks are ________.

A．in blue

B．in green

C．in white

D．still in different colours

【推荐3】The story is about a young student. She worked very hard at her lessons. She was too busy to have a rest. At last, she became ill, so she couldn’t go to sleep. Every night, when she went to bed, she closed her eyes and tried to sleep. But the more she tried, the more she stayed awake.

After a while, she went to see a doctor, “I just can’t go to sleep at night. What should I do?” “I have a suggestion,” said the doctor. “Try counting numbers. By the time you reach one thousand, you will be asleep. I’m sure of it.”

The next day, the student returned to the doctor’s office. “Well,” said the doctor. “How are you today? Did you try my suggestion?”

The student still looked tired. “Yes,” she said. “I tried counting one, two, three...up to one thousand. But when I reached five hundred and sixty-nine, I began to feel sleepy. I had to up and drink some coffee so that I could go on counting up to one thousand. But then I still couldn’t fall asleep.”

根据材料内容选择最佳答案。
1. Why couldn’t the young student go to sleep?

A．Because she was worried about her lessons.	B．Because she hadn’t finished her homework.
C．Because she had worked too hard and became ill.	D．Because there was a lot of noise.

2. What did the doctor ask the young student to do?

A．To take some medicine.	B．To count numbers while she was lying in bed.
C．To drink coffee before she went to bed.	D．To read some books on the bed.

3. The underlined word “awake” in Paragraph 1 means “________”.

A．asleep

B．not asleep

C．sleepy

D．sleeping

4. What did she do after she felt sleepy?

A．She fell asleep.	B．She stopped counting.
C．She got up and drank some tea.	D．She got up to have some coffee.

5. What made the student unable to fall asleep during the night after she went to see the doctor?

A．The doctor’s advice.

B．The student’s lesson.

C．The student’s illness.

D．The coffee.

【推荐1】Jack Brown, an office worker, lives in Washington. He inherited (继承) a million dollars when he was 23, but he wasn’t happy at all. When his college friends were looking for their jobs, he didn’t have to. Jack decided to keep living a simple life like everyone else. He gave $10,000 of his money to a charity to help poor children live a happy life. Today he is 36. He still wears cheap shoes and clothes and drives a small car only, but he is very happy.

Up to now Jack has helped some children from poor countries all over the world, by sending them each $200 a month. The money was used for the children’s study, food, medicine and clothing. Jack receives a report each year on the children’s progress. They can write to each other, but usually the children do not speak English.

When Jack first heard about these children, he wanted to help them. “It was nothing special,” he said. “Until I went to these countries and met the children I was helping, I didn’t know anything about their life.” Once Jack went to meet a little girl in Africa. He said that the meeting was very exciting. “When I met her, I felt very, very happy,” he said. “And I saw that the money was used for a good cause. It brought me happiness. I want to do everything I can to go on helping those children.”

1. Jack has sent them each $200 a month to help some poor children ________.

A．only in Washington	B．only in England
C．only in Africa	D．around the world

2. Jack learned about the children’s progress by ________.

A．visiting them each other	B．getting a report each year
C．staying with them	D．talking to them in English

3. The underlined words “for a good cause” means ________ in Chinese.

A．施舍

B．行善

C．优惠

D．赏赐

【推荐2】

Not long ago, a 72-year-old Italian woman started her long walk from Venice to Beijing. She wanted to follow the path of Marco Polo, a famous trader and traveler, along the Silk Road.

The woman is Vienna Cammarota. She loves traveling around the world on foot. She has been a crazy walker for more than 30 years. After visiting many places, Cammarota got a new idea a few years ago—following the footsteps of famous people. In 2017, Cammarota made a trip by walking along the path described in a book of Goethe, a famous German poet, and walked through Germany, Austria and Italy.

However, after taking so many trips, Cammarota did not stop. Instead, she decided to challenge herself again. In April, 2022, she left Venice, the birthplace of Marco Polo, and planned to walk through 15 countries to arrive in Beijing in 2025.

Along the whole journey, Cammarota has to face many difficulties, for example, the bad weather. However, she has made up her mind to meet her goal. Besides her backpack, she takes a camera with her to record what she sees and experiences on the way. Also, she takes a phone with a health app. Her doctor can check on her health through it from far away.

Cammarota hopes to be hosted by people she meets along the way. She wants to talk with them and learn the stories of the countries. “I love history and culture, and I walk in order to see and tell, but above all to listen,” said Cammarota.

1. Who is Cammarota?

A．An Italian lady.

B．A German poet.

C．An Italian trader.

D．A German doctor.

2. How many years did Cammarota planned to spend about traveling from Venice to Beijing on foot?

A．One year

B．Three years

C．Five years

D．Seven years

3. How can Cammarota’s doctor check on her health during her journey?

A．Through a camera.

B．By asking her hosts along the way.

C．Through a health app.

D．By examining her health condition in person.

4. Why does Cammarota hope to be hosted by people she meets along the way?

A．She decides to challenge herself.

B．She makes up her mind to meet her goal.

C．She hopes to tell them stories about her own country.

D．She wants to communicate with them and know more about their countries.

5. What’s the passage mainly about?

A．Cammarota meets people along the way.

B．Cammarota walks from Venice to Beijing.

C．Cammarota never stops her love for Beijing.

D．Cammarota loves walking through European countries.

【推荐3】For many years, the school students have to finish some homework during their winter and summer holidays. But with the fast development of the Internet, some students have found a new way to deal with their homework recently. Instead of finishing their homework by themselves, they ask the Internet for help.
Since most of the holiday homework is the same from school to school, this makes it possible for some people to sell the homework answers on the Internet. Usually one must pay about 50 to 100 yuan for the answers for one subject of the homework. A survey shows that 90% of the students complain their homework is too much and they don’t want to do it by themselves.
To solve the problem, some schools have stopped using the standard homework and turned   to other forms of homework. As for students, they must remember “No pains, no gains”. If today they pay for their homework answers, perhaps one day they will pay more for their laziness（懒惰）.
1. Some students deal with their holiday homework by _______.

A．copying their classmates’ homework

B．doing their homework by themselves every day

C．doing nothing at all

D．buying homework answers through the Internet

2. The price of the answers for one subject is _______.

A．90 yuan	B．about 100 yuan
C．about 50 yuan	D．about 50 to 100 yuan

3. From the passage We can know _______.

A．the students can’t finish their homework

B．Internet is very useful but has some disadvantage

C．we can buy anything we want through the Internet

D．all the students are very lazy