【推荐1】“Save the whales!” That’s what the picture on Jake Smith’s bedroom wall said. Jake liked having pictures that showed what he cared. He just never expected to get a chance to save a real whale.

It was a Saturday morning when the newspaper first reported the whales’ coming. A group of the animals were swimming close to the beach in Jake’s hometown. All the local people rushed out to see them. They were expecting a beautiful show, better than a movie.

Suddenly a whale swam directly towards land. It came in with the waves and then the waves receded, it stayed. Its huge body rested on the sand. Jake and all the others had to become rescuers (教助者).They pushed and tried to force the whale back into the water but failed.

An animal rescue service team soon arrived with a heavy lifting machine to help move the animal. Jake couldn’t do much on the beach, so he went back home and made some food and drink for the rescuers.

When Jake got back at the beach, it was getting dark. Some people lined up their cars along the beach and shined the headlights. After trying many times, the rescuers were finally able to lift the whale and move it into the water. Everyone cheered when it headed cut to sea. It swam out about a mile and then disappeared for a moment under the sea. Then, in a jump of joy it rose high above the water—it was a thank you to those who had saved its life.

1. What doses the picture on Jake’s wall tell us about him?

A．He lived near the ocean.	B．He liked wales the most.
C．He worked as an animal rescuer.	D．He cared about the environment.

2. Why did the local people go down to the beach that morning?

A．To help rescue the whales.	B．To see the whales swimming.
C．To swim with the whales in the sea.	D．To see a beautiful film about whales

3. What does the underlined word receded in Paragraph 3 mean?

A．Stayed the same.

B．Moved back.

C．Flew to elsewhere.

D．Became stronger.

4. How did Jake help save the whale?

A．By calling the rescue service.	B．By asking his neighbour for help.
C．By giving the rescuer food and drink.	D．By helping the rescuers lift the whale.

5. In what order did the events of the whale rescue take place?
a. People turned on the lights of their cars.
b. People pushed the whale towards the sea.
c. The whale disappeared under the sea for a while.
d. The rescuers lifted the whale and moved it into the water.
e. Animal rescue service team brought their heavy lifting machine.

A．b-e-a-d-c

B．b-e-d-c-a

C．b-e-c-a-d

D．b-e-a-c-d

【推荐3】Cheetahs（猎豹）live on other animals they find in Africa. For this reason, most people are afraid of them. However, one family in South Africa is keeping a cheetah as a household pet.

The big cheetah is named Jolie, after the film star Angelina Jolie. She is surely the VIP at Magda and Japie Pienaar's home. She can often be found eating from the kitchen table or napping（打盹）on the sofa. Sometimes, she can even be found sleeping on the couple's bed. The big cat likes to play with the Pienaars' other pet — the more usual one — a German Shepherd. An unlikely friendship has developed between these two animals.

Having a cheetah as a pet is, of course, unusual. At first, Mrs. Pienaar was unwilling to keep a cheetah as a pet. "I really hated the idea of getting a cheetah as a pet," she said. "But we are now glad that we did it — she is part of the family," she added.

And just like Angelina Jolie, four-year-old Jolie the cheetah has risen to fame in the Pienaars' hometown. Fans often come to the couple's home to take pictures of her. Interestingly, Jolie seems to enjoy all the attention.

However, a cheetah is always a cheetah. Although Jolie is now a household pet, she hasn't totally gotten rid of her wild nature. "She makes a big mess in the house. She urinates（排尿）everywhere and chews on everything," complained Mrs. Pienaar. "It's just her instincts, perhaps."

So there might be some problems with having a cheetah as a pet in the house. However, some unusual fun must also be waiting ahead!

1. According to this passage, cheetahs ________.

A．eat meat

B．live in Asia

C．make most people happy

D．live with many families

2. The pet cheetah's name came from ________.

A．their daughter

B．a film star

C．a famous writer

D．the animal's birthplace

3. In the couple's house, the pet cheetah can be found ________

A．using the toilet	B．playing with the kids
C．eating from the kitchen table	D．taking a short sleep on their desk

4. What did Mrs. Pienaar think of keeping a cheetah at first?

A．She had mixed feelings.	B．She was against the idea.
C．She thought over the idea.	D．She felt excited about the idea.

【推荐1】阅读下面短文，根据短文内容判断句子正误。正确的填“A”，错误的填“B”。

More and more people around the world are taking part in some dangerous activities. Of course, many people have climbed the highest mountains or explored unknown parts of the world. Now, however, there are people who want to get quick pleasure from a dangerous activity, which may only last a few minutes or even seconds.

Ⅰ think bungee jumping is a good example of such an activity. You jump from a high place 200 meters above the ground with an elastic rope (弹力绳) tying to your ankles (脚踝). You fall at up to 150 kilometers an hour until the rope stops you from hitting the ground. Besides, you should be of a proper weight. Generally, you have to be over 50 kilos but less than 100 kilos. And those with a heart disease aren't allowed to do so. So far over 2,000,000 people around the world have now tried bungee jumping. Other activities, such as jumping from the tall buildings and diving into the sea from the top of high rocks are as dangerous as bungee jumping.

Like other sports, injuries can still happen, and there have been deaths. Mostly, what may cause death is to use a rope that is too long. The rope should be fully shorter than the height of the jumping place so that there is enough room to jumpers. Either slowing down or keeping speeding up depends upon the speed of falling.

Since there are dangers, why do people take part in such activities? Some scientists think it is because life in modern society has become safe and boring. Now life has little excitement.

1. Exploring unknown places is regarded as a dangerous activity.
2. Before you start bungee jumping, an inelastic rope should be tied to your ankle.
3. Some people get injured after bungee jumping.
4. You are allowed to join in the bungee jumping as long as you are of a right weight.
5. People expect to seek for excitement from bungee jumping.

【推荐2】Most of us have many pencils. But do you know how these common writing tools came into being?

It started in Rome

The first example of a pencil-type instrument probably came from ancient Rome. There, a thin piece of metal was used to draw onto an early form of paper. It was also used to write down numbers on the page.

England's find

Around 1564, graphite(石墨) was discovered near Cumbria, England. It was regarded as a perfect way to record their sheep at that time. But the graphite was very soft. So people provided it with a covering.

Italian changes

A couple from Italy thought of a better idea. They hollowed (掏空) out a wooden stick and then placed graphite stick inside it. This created a wooden holder for the graphite.

German improvements

In 1839, Germany's Lothar von Faber invented a way to make graphite sticks all the same. He also invented a machine to cut the pencil wood.

American production

By the late 1860s in America, pencils were in great need. American companies began designing machines to produce them. It helped meet the need and cut the cost of pencils by 50%.

Japanese ideas

In 1915, Japan's Tokuji Hayakawa created a mechanical pencil (自动笔) which was similar to one used now.

Today both kinds of pencils are very popular with the wooden pencil being number one. More than 6 billion wooden pencils are produced in 40 different countries each year.

1. Which is the first country to use a pencil-type instrument?

A．Rome.

B．England.

C．Italy.

D．Germany.

2. What can we learn from the passage?

A．Englishmen used the graphite to write on the paper.

B．Lothar Von Faber invented a machine to produce pencils.

C．The machines Americans designed helped save half of the cost.

D．Mechanical pencils are more popular than wooden pencils now.

3. Which is the best title for this passage?

A．The Kinds of Pencils.	B．The Use of pencils.
C．The Inventors of Pencils.	D．The History of Pencils.

【推荐3】Animal behavior is an interesting and attractive study. Scientists research the ways animals use to look for food. They study how animals protect themselves from their predators, and which animals kill other animals for food. All of this helps us understand how useful animals can be.

Each country or culture raise some animals for food. In the United States, people mainly eat meat from cows, chickens and pigs. In other countries, people might raise sheep or buffalo for meat. These differences come in part from weather and other environmental conditions. People around the world eat all kinds of fish and shellfish from oceans and rivers. In some countries, people don’t always choose some animals, such as dogs, for food while in other countries such animals may become people’s favorite food.

In West Africa, animals provide humans with more than food. They have been helping people do daily work for thousands of years. Horses, oxen, and other work animals pull heavy things. Elephants, camels, and other animals carry people and things from place to place. Carrier pigeons (信鸽) have been used to send messages.

People also receive health benefits from animals. For example, dogs and cats can help calm people down. This is helpful for people to fight illnesses. Animals can also reduce stress, helping people to draw their attention to learning new information, such as reading. When people are walking their dogs or horses, it encourages exercise.

Animals and humans share space on Earth, so keeping a healthy relationship with animals around us is in our best interest.

1. What is the passage mainly about?

A．Where animals live and how they look for food.

B．The relationship between animals and humans.

C．The different things animals can do in different countries.

D．What humans should do when communicating with animals.

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

A．neighbors

B．friends

C．children

D．enemies

3. Which animal can be seen in West Africa to help people?

A．

B．

C．

D．

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

A．People around the world eat all kinds of fish.

B．Horses are helpful for people fighting illnesses.

C．Elephants encourage humans to do more exercise.

D．Africans mainly eat meat from cows, chickens and pigs.

5. Which of the following is the structure (结构) of the passage?

A．

B．

C．

D．

【推荐1】Some people don’t like eating boiled eggs but almost nobody will refuse tea eggs. Now I’d like to share the way to cook tea eggs with you.

Step 1: Wash eggs with clean water and then boil（煮）the eggs for about 8 minutes. Make sure you cover all of the eggs with water. When time is up, take the eggs out of the hot water.

Step 2: Wrap（包）black tea in a piece of cloth and tie the cloth with a thread（线）to make a black tea bag.

Step 3: Use a needle（针）or something sharp to break the eggs. It’s best to stick（刺、扎）the needle into each egg so that the tea can get into the eggs.

Step 4: Place the eggs and black tea bag together in a pot and add 3 spoons of salt and sugar to the water. Cook them for another ten minutes, then you can enjoy the delicious eggs. You will never forget the taste and pleasant smell of tea eggs.

Now the winter vacation is coming. You can try to make some tea eggs for your parents.

1. How long do you need to cook the eggs first?

A．20 minutes.

B．15 minute.

C．8 minutes.

D．5 minutes.

2. Before placing the eggs and the tea bag together, what should you do with the eggs?

A．Take the eggs out of the pot.

B．Break the eggs with a needle.

C．Cover the eggs in the hot water.

D．Wash the eggs with clean water.

3. According to the passage, what ingredients（配料）do you need to make tea eggs?

A．Tea and salt.

B．Tea and sugar.

C．Salt and sugar.

D．Tea, salt and sugar.

4. Which should be the title of the passage?

A．Tea Eggs	B．How to Make Tea Eggs
C．Winter Vacation is Coming	D．Make Tea Eggs for Parents

【推荐2】

	The Coca Cola Company has an invention—the “PlantBottle”. It is partly (部分) made from plants and can be recycled (循环). It shows how businesses can help to deal with the problem of climate (气候) change.
	Now the UK has a new light bulb that can last 25 years or more. It is green and environment-friendly (环保的), and as bright as the old light bulbs, but it costs ￡30.
	Good news for swimmers. Do you want to talk to your friends under the water? Rich Stachowski invented this Water Talky at the age of 10. This invention can amplify (扩大) voices underwater for up to 15 feet.
	If you sit in a chair for too long or in a bad position (姿势), your back may begin to hurt. Now there is a new chair that can help you avoid that. It was developed by German scientists. It makes noises (噪音) to tell users when they need to move.

1. Which of the following statements is TRUE about the “PlantBottle”?

A．The bottle is completely made of plants.	B．It was a product of the Coca Cola Company.
C．It costs much money.	D．People can’t recycle it.

2. The new light bulb _______.

A．is brighter than the old ones	B．isn’t good for the environment
C．can last at least 25 years	D．can last less than 25 years

3. The Water Talky was invented by _______.

A．German scientists

B．a young child

C．a UK company

D．some swimmers

4. What will happen if you sit in the chair for too long?

A．Your head will hurt.	B．You will be very nervous.
C．The chair will move.	D．The chair will warn you to move.

【推荐3】任务型阅读
Have you heard about paper cutting? Paper cutting is an important art form in China. Paper cuttings are used for many purposes, and everything can become the theme(主题) of paper cuttings, from people to the things that can be found in everyday life such as birds, flowers and animals.
Each paper cutting brings out the personal ideas of the author(作者). People express traditional culture or their own feelings with different styles of paper cuttings. For example, when someone marries, we put up some red paper cuttings on the wall, dressing table or other furniture to express our best wishes.
It is easy to learn paper cutting but very difficult to make it perfect. We need a long­time practice to learn how to use the scissors and how to paint. More­over, we need to learn some cutting skills.
At present, in many parts of China, paper cutting skill has become a must for women and a symbol of a clever mind.
根据短文内容，判断正(T)误(F)。
1. Not everything can become the theme of paper cuttings.
2. People express traditional culture or their own feelings with the same paper cutting.
3. It is not easy to make a perfect paper cutting.
4. When we learn paper cutting, we don't need to learn cutting skills.
5. Women must learn paper cutting skills in many places of China.