【推荐2】At night, we can see lots of stars in the sky. There are so many stars that we cannot count them all. Stars look like they are little because they are very far away. But stars are actually very big! Stars are huge balls of hot gas. They glow because they are so hot.

During the day, we see a bright yellow star shining in the sky. It is our sun! Our sun gives us heat and light. It looks to us like the sun moves across the sky during the day, but it is really the earth that is moving around the sun.

To us, the sun looks much bigger than any other star. But many of the stars that we see at night are actually much bigger than the sun. The stars we see at night look smaller because they are much farther away than the sun.

Fun facts about stars：

The color of a star can help us tell how hot the star is. Red stars are hot. Yellow stars are hotter than red stars. Green stars are hotter than yellow stars.

1. Stars look little because they are ________.

A．so far away

B．very little

C．balls of gas

D．all of the above

2. Many of the stars we see at night are ________.

A．not made of gas

B．actually bigger than the sun

C．not hot

D．much closer than the sun

3. We can tell that ________.

A．green stars are hotter than red stars

B．red stars are hotter than green stars

C．red stars are hotter than yellow stars

D．the sun is the biggest star of all

【推荐3】Where are you in your family? Are you a big brother or sister, the baby or somewhere in the middle? Or maybe you’re an only child? Wherever you are, psychologists(心理学家) believe your position in the family has an important effect on your personality.

Only children

Only children are people who are pro-active: they are grow-up early. They are energetic and organized and they love facts and details. On the other hand, they hate to be punished and they can seem far too sensitive to other people. They can become angry if they don’t get their own way.

Eldest children

Eldest children are often ambitious(有野心的) and hard-working, and usually score higher marks on achievement tests. On the other side, eldest children often feel jealous of their younger siblings(兄弟姐妹), who often seem to get better treatment from their parents.

Middle children

Middle children can see both sides of an argument and so they are often peace-makers in the family. They are usually easy-going and good listeners, but they can be unambitious and they are often unsure what to do with their lives.

Last-borns

Last-borns are often their parents’ favourite, and their personality proves this. Parents are often less strict with the youngest child, which can cause anger from older children. They also have the least responsibility. However, last-borns have good people skills: they are sociable and love pleasing others. On the other hand, youngest children often have a short attention span and can be self-centered.

1. Which child often helps to solve problems between family members?

A．Only children.

B．Eldest children.

C．Middle children.

D．Last-borns.

2. What can we learn from the passage?

A．Middle child is good at making decisions.

B．Eldest child usually gets lower marks at school.

C．Last-born sometimes has difficulty communicating with others.

D．Only child probably does things in a careful and well-planned way.

3. This passage is mainly about ________.

A．how to help children develop different personalities

B．how to treat children who are born in different order

C．how birth order affects children’s personalities

D．how different the children are in the same family

【推荐2】For Western designers, China and its rich culture have long been an inspiration for Western creative.

“It’s no doubt that China has always been a source (来源) of inspiration for designers,” says Amanda Hill, chief creative officer at A + E Networks, a global media company and home to some of the biggest fashion shows.

Earlier this year, the China Through A Looking Glass exhibition in New York exhibited 140 pieces of China-inspired fashionable clothing and Chinese works of art, with the aim of exploring the influence of Chinese aesthetics (美学) on Western fashion and how China has inspired the fashionable imagination for centuries. The exhibition was warmly welcomed, showing that there is huge interest in Chinese influences.

“China is impossible to overlook (忽视),” says Hill. “Chinese models are the faces of beauty and fashion campaigns (活动) that sell dreams to women all over the world, which means Chinese women are not just consumers (消费者) of fashion—they also play an important role in this field.” Of course, today’s top Western designers are not only being influenced by China—some of the best fashion designers themselves are Chinese. “Vera Wang, Alexander Wang, Jason Wu are taking on Galliano, Albaz, Marc Jacobs—and beating them in design and sales,” adds Hill.

For Hill, it is impossible not to mention China as the leading player when discussing fashion. “The most famous designers are Chinese, so are the models and the consumers,” she says. “China is no longer just another market, it has become the market in many cases. If you talk about fashion today, you are talking about China—its influences, its direction, its amazing clothes, and how young designers and models are finally admitting (承认) that in many ways.”

1. What can we learn about the exhibition in New York?

A．It improved the sales of artworks.	B．It attracted a large number of visitors.
C．It showed ancient Chinese clothes.	D．It aimed to introduce Chinese models.

2. What does Hill say about Chinese women?

A．They are leading the fashion.	B．They start many fashion campaigns.
C．They admire super models.	D．They do business all over the world.

3. What do the underlined words “taking on” in Paragraph 4 mean?

A．Learning from.	B．Looking down on.
C．Working with.	D．Competing against.

4. What can we NOT know according to the passage?

A．A+E Networks is a famous media company that holds many fashion shows.

B．Chinese are not only consumers of fashion but also fashion designers.

C．Chinese designers are better than Western ones in many ways.

D．China has grown to a power in the international fashion market.

5. What would be the best title for the passage?

A．Young Models Selling Dreams to the World

B．A Chinese Art Exhibition Held in New York

C．Differences Between Eastern and Western Aesthetics

D．Chinese Culture Inspiring International Fashion Trends

【推荐2】On December 21 this year, the day is Winter Solstice（冬至）. It is an important day in China. What is special on the day? The answer is that the daytime lasts（持续） the shortest and the night lasts the longest of the year in the northern hemisphere（北半球）. Its Chinese name “dongzhi” means that winter comes and the days get colder.

In China, it is tradition（传统） to eat dumplings（饺子）on this day. This tradition comes from a famous doctor named Zhang ZhongJing. On a cold winter day, Zhang sees people have frostbite（冻伤） on their ears. To help them, he makes a kind of food in the shape（形状）of an ear, just like the dumplings we eat today. After eating the food, people feel very warm and their frostbite go away. From then on, people start to eat dumplings on Winter Solstice.

Now, Winter Solstice gives family a chance to get together and share their happiness.

1. From the passage, people usually eat dumplings ________.

A．on the shortest night in the northern hemisphere	B．on December 21 every year
C．on Winter Solstice	D．on the longest day in the northern hemisphere

2. Which of the following is true?

A．Zhang Zhongjing eats dumplings because of his frostbite

B．People have frostbite just like dumplings

C．After Winter Solstice, the days get colder

D．The tradition of Winter Solstice comes from warm（温暖的） place

3. In China, Winter Solstice is also a time for ________.

A．families to get together	B．people to make food
C．families to eat moon cakes	D．people to have a trip in northern hemisphere

4. What does the underlined word “share” mean in Chinese?

A．承担

B．分享

C．遭受

D．理解

5. The passage mainly talks about ________.

A．the places of eating dumpling	B．the story of the famous doctor Zhang ZhongJing
C．the days of cold winter	D．the introduction（介绍）of Winter Solstice

【推荐3】There are so many interesting truths about animals. Do you know them? Let’s have a look.

Elephants are very special animals. They have different emotions, such as happiness and sadness. They can even cry. Elephants can learn many things. They can draw pictures and they can dance. And in some countries, they carry heavy things.

________ Catfish uses its mouth to protect its baby. When the catfish lays its eggs, it carries them in its mouth. After the egg hatch, the fish swims with its young babies. When danger comes, it opens its mouth and the small fish swim in. When danger goes, they swim out.

Hamsters are good pets. It is easy to look after them. They usually eat fruit and nuts. Some people buy hamster mix at the pet shop. Hamsters have a funny eating habit. They like to store food in their cheeks. Please remember to give them much food. Then they can have enough food to store.

1. There are ________ kinds of animals in this passage.

A．three

B．four

C．five

D．six

2. The right sentence for the beginning of Paragraph 3 is ________.

A．Catfish protects its baby well	B．Catfish opens its mouth big
C．Small catfish swims in and out	D．Catfish has a strange mouth

3. From the passage we know that ________.

A．catfish can learn many things	B．elephants are very clever animals
C．hamster likes eating nuts and sugar	D．elephants and catfish are good pets

4. The underlined word “mix” is probably ________.

A．a kind of food for hamsters	B．a kind of hamsters
C．the name of the pet shop	D．a body part of hamster

5. The passage may come from a magazine called ________.

A．Better Home

B．Animal World

C．People around

D．Healthy life