【推荐1】The late president of South Africa, Nelson Mandela, once said: ―If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to a man in his own language, that goes to his heart.

Mandela understood that our mother language is a very intimate (亲近的) thing to us. For people who speak an ancient tongue（方言）as their mother language, it helps them keep their traditions. Their language is their main link with their ancestors（祖先）. And it is also how they imagine the future.

So it’s a serious thing that a language disappears. Over the last century, more than 400 languages have died out. Some languages are now spoken only by a few dozen people, like Yagan in Chile. Africa and South America are also places where many languages are dying.

Why are humans speaking fewer languages than we once did? The answer has to do with globalization (全球化). Nowadays, it’s more useful to speak certain languages   － English is one example   － rather than others. This has killed some languages, usually ones spoken by fewer or less influential people.

But some people aren’t prepared to accept a planet with fewer and fewer languages. The United Nations has set Feb 21 as International Mother Language Day. The organization wants people to pay more attention to dying languages.

This work   is   very   important.   As   US   writer   Rita   Mae   Brown   wrote,   ―Language   is   the roadmap(路线图) of a culture. It tells where its people come from and where they are going.

1. According to Nelson Mandela, a man’s mother language .

A．carries certain feelings	B．can explain things better
C．does not go to one’s head	D．links people with their ancestors

2. Which of the following is TRUE about languages?

A．No one in Chile speaks Yagan any more.

B．Over 400 languages have disappeared in the 20th century.

C．Many languages have disappeared in South Africa.

D．Globalization is a good way to save languages.

3. What action does the UN take to save dying languages?

A．The UN encourages everybody to learn more than one language

B．The UN has set up the International Mother Language Day

C．The UN draws people’s attention to popular languages

D．The UN has set up a new organization.

4. What can we infer from Rita Mae Brown’s words?

A．The UN has done a lot of work to promote globalization.

B．A person’s hometown can be found in his language.

C．Language is an important part of a culture.

D．Without international languages, people can only stay at home.

【推荐2】It’s widely believed that Chinese is one of the most difficult languages in the world. For one thing, Chinese has tens of thousands of characters. And its writing system is also one of the main challenges to all Chinese learners. More importantly, the language has different tones (声调), so how you speak a word can completely change its meaning.

However, according to the Ministry of Education in China, the Chinese language learning is available (可获得的) in more than 180 countries and regions around the world. 76 countries have included the Chinese language in their national education systems and nearly 200 million people have received Chinese language training.

Why do they choose Chinese? For one, China plays an important role in the world events. Learning Chinese may help one find a good job. Also, China has a long history with rich culture and its culture and cooking styles have long influenced its neighbors and the West. Knowing the language also makes traveling around China easier and more enjoyable.

As for learning Chinese, there is no magic way. Just spend time practicing it. Listen and speak as often as possible. Listen to Chinese music and watch Chinese movies and shows. Try to speak with native Chinese speakers and encourage them to correct your mistakes. Or practice speaking on your own. _______. Or try reading a Chinese newspaper. As for writing, practice by writing Chinese characters in a notebook. In all, just as the saying goes, where there is a will, there is a way. With a lot of hard work and patience, you will learn it well.

1. How many reasons are given to show Chinese is difficult to learn?

A．One.

B．Two.

C．Three.

D．Four.

2. What can we learn from the Ministry of Education?

A．Less than 76 million people learn Chinese now.

B．Chinese language learning has drawn more and more foreigners’ attention.

C．Students from 180 countries must learn Chinese at school.

D．There are 200 foreign schools having Chinese language training.

3. Which of the following is mentioned in Para. 3?
①China’s history.             ②China’s role in the world.
③China’s places of interest.       ④China’s education system.

A．③④

B．①③

C．①②

D．②④

4. Which of the following can be put back into the blank “____”?

A．Take notes and review them often.

B．Read traditional Chinese stories to understand its culture.

C．Don’t be afraid of making mistakes.

D．Go slow. Half an hour a day is better than two straight hours.

5. Why does the writer mention the saying in the last paragraph?

A．To show that Chinese is really difficult to learn.

B．To tell others where to study Chinese.

C．To encourage others to learn Chinese well with resolution.

D．To introduce a way of learning Chinese.

【推荐3】Green is an important color in nature. It is also the color of most growing plants. Sometimes the word green means young, fresh and growing. Sometimes it describes something that is not yet ripe(成熟的) or finished. For example, a greenhorn is someone who has no experience, who is new to a situation. In the fifteenth century, a greenhorn was a young cow or ox whose horns had not yet developed. A century or so later, a greenhorn was a soldier who had not yet had any experience in battle. By the eighteenth century, a greenhorn had the meaning it has today—a person who is new in a job.

Someone who has the ability to grow plants well is said to have a green thumb. The expression comes from the early 1900s. A person with a green thumb seems to have a magic touch that makes plants grow quickly and well. You might say that the woman next door has a green thumb if her garden continues to grow long after your plants have died.

The Green Revolution is the name given some years ago to the development of new kinds of rice and other grains. The new plants produced much larger crops. The Green Revolution was the result of hard work by agricultural scientists who had green thumbs.

Green is also the color used to describe the powerful emotion, jealousy(嫉妒). The green-eyed monster is not a frightening creature from outer space. It describes the unpleasant feeling a person has when someone has something he wants. A young man may suffer from the green-eyed monster if his girlfriend begins going out with someone else. Or, that green-eyed monster may affect your friend if you get a pay raise and she does not.

1. From the second paragraph, we can conclude(得出结论) that                .

A．a greenhorn refers to (指的是) a horn of a young cow or ox

B．a word has different meanings in the same century

C．the language develops with time going by

D．a greenhorn means a soldier who hasn't had any experience in battle today

2. If a person has a green thumb, he or she probably                .

A．suffers from an illness in the thumb	B．does well in growing plants
C．has a thumb in green color	D．has wonderful magic and energy

3. If Jane has a beautiful dress that Mary likes very much,                .

A． Jane may suffer from the green-eyed monster	B．Mary is probably a girl with a green thumb
C． Jane is probably called a greenhorn.	D．Mary may suffer from the green-eyed monster

【推荐1】"Earworms", some people call them. Songs that get stuck in your head go round and round, sometimes for days, sometimes for months. For no clear reason you cannot help yourself from humming or singing a tune by Lady Gaga.
To a psychologist, the most interesting thing about earworms is that they show a part of our mind that is clearly outside of our control. Earworms arrive without permission and refuse to leave when we tell them to. They are parasites (寄生虫) living in a part of our minds.
If you have got an earworm you can suffer an attack of it simply by someone mentioning the tune, without having to hear it. This proves that earworms are a part of long-term memory. Humans have an "inner ear", for remembering phone numbers, for instance. When it gets infected with earworms, rather than review our plans for the day, or lists of things to remember, the inner ear gets stuck on a few short bars of music or a couple of phrases from a song. A part of us that we normally do not have to think about, that should just do what we ask, has been turned against us, upsetting us with a request that we never asked for. The mind is an inner world which we do not have complete knowledge of, or have control over.
Fortunately psychology can provide some advice on how to deal with an uncontrollable mind. Consider the famous "don’t think of a white bear" problem, which tells you to try not to think about white bears, or to do something else, to avoid both thinking of the white bear and not thinking of the white bear. For earworms, the solution may be the same. Our inner ear has become infected with an earworm. This is a part not under our control, so just sending in instructions to "shut up" is unlikely to be of much help (and has been shown to make it worse). Much better is to employ the inner ear in another task. If your mind is poisoned by Brittany Spears’ Toxic, for instance, then try singing Kylie Minogue’s Can’t Get You out Of My Head. Let me know if it works!
1. According to the passage, earworms are ______.

A．songs that keep going round in our mind

B．worms that live in a part of our brain

C．tunes by pop singers like Lady Gaga

D．parasites clearly under our control

2. Which of the following statements is TRUE?

A．Singing songs may get earworms out of your head.

B．Earworms are used for keeping long-term memory.

C．Humans do not have complete control over their mind.

D．You won’t suffer from earworms unless you hear the song.

3. What does “it” in the last paragraph refer to?

A．The instruction to shut up your mind.

B．“Don’t think of the white bear” problem.

C．Kylie Minogue’s Can’t Get You out Of My Head.

D．Using the earworm-infected inner ear in another task.

4. What is the passage mainly about?

A．The causes and influences of earworms.

B．What earworms are and how to deal with them.

C．How to clear earworms out of your head.

D．The relation between earworms and popular songs.

【推荐2】More and more people like bicycling and it is no surprise. It is fun, healthy and good for the environment. Maybe that’s why there are 1.4 billion bicycles and only 400 million cars on roads worldwide today. Bikes can take you almost anywhere, and there is no oil cost!

Get on a bicycle and ride around your neighbourhood. You may discover something new all around you. Stopping and getting off a bike is easier than stopping and getting out of your car. You can bike to work and benefit (受益) from the enjoyable exercise without polluting the environment. You don’t even have to ride all the way.

Folding (折叠) bikes work well for people who ride the train. Just fold the bike and take it with you. You can do the same on an airplane. A folding bike can be packed in a suitcase. You can also take a common bike with you when you fly. But be sure to look for information by getting on airline websites. Not all airlines are bicycle-friendly to travellers.

Health Benefits of Bicycling:
It helps to prevent heart diseases.
Bicycling helps to control your weight.
A 15-minute bike ride to and from work three times a week burns off five kilos of fat in a year.
Bicycling can improve your mood (心情).
Exercise like bicycling has been shown to make people feel better, more relaxed and self-confident.
Bicycling is healthier than driving.
1. From the passage, we know that bicycling is becoming very          .

A．surprising

B．exciting

C．expensive

D．popular

2. When you are riding your bicycle around your neighbourhood, you may          .

A．pollute the environment around	B．find something you didn’t notice
C．go everywhere and use a little oil	D．get off your bike and begin to work

3. If you travel with a folding bike, you can fold it and           .

A．get out of the car	B．take it onto a train
C．put it in your purse	D．go on airline websites

4. One of the benefits from bicycling is that          .

A．you can fold the bicycle	B．you will be friendly to others
C．you will be more relaxed	D．you may get fatter and fatter

5. Which is TRUE according to the passage?

A．Bicycling is enjoyable exercise for people.	B．Driving cars is healthier than riding bikes.
C．Riding a bike pollutes your neighborhood.	D．Common bikes are welcomed by all airlines.

【推荐3】Trees are one of the oldest citizens (公民) of our Earth. And trees change a lot when they grow.

At 1 to 3 years old, young trees learn how to protect themselves. For example, many trees grow thorns (刺) to tell animals not to go near. Most young trees have large, deep green leaves so that they can catch enough sunlight and turn it into their food and energy.

When trees are 4 years old, they begin to grow very fast and become strong enough to face challenges in life.

At the age of 15, trees become young adults(成人). They grow more slowly and begin to produce flowers and fruit. When trees are 20 to 25 years old, they become real adults. The trees reach their largest sizes. Adult trees give us many things such as oxygen and natural beauty. If we give them good care, they will live healthily for many years.

As time goes on, trees begin to grow older and older and even die. At this time, they still have their important place in nature. In many ways, the life of trees is like our own life experience. Enjoy every minute with the trees and take care of them!

1. Many young trees have large, deep green leaves to _________.

A．tell animals not to go near	B．get enough food
C．catch enough oxygen	D．make themselves beautiful

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

A．麻烦

B．饮食

C．能量

D．挑战

3. How long is it for trees from young adults to real adults?

A．5-10 years.

B．15 years.

C．20-25 years.

D．35-40 years.

4. What do trees NOT give us?

A．Flowers and fruity	B．Oxygen
C．Life experience.	D．Natural beauty.

5. What is the best title of the passage?

A．The Life of Trees.	B．Young Trees.
C．Adult Trees.	D．Important trees.

【推荐1】阅读短文及文后选项，选出可以填入空白处的最佳选项。

Living away from your country can be a really unforgettable experience. But at the same time, it has very important effects on your life.     1    

The major effect, and also a very common one, is that once you start a regular life away from home, you miss everything.     2     Little things like sitting on a Sunday morning watching TV alone instead of having a nice chat with your mom make you realize how valuable your family really is.

    3     Since you are living in a place with different customs and traditions from yours, you have to be able to develop yourself in conditions which you are not used to. This means making new friends, accepting different opinions, and catching every opportunity you have to go to new places.

The most significant（显著的）effect of living away from home is the independence that grows inside you. Living far from home, even for a short period of time, can be really hard at the beginning. There is no one else to clean your room, or wash your clothes.     4    

Living on your own far from your family gives you a lot of experience of organizing your life.     5     You will eventually learn to feel thankful for everything you have.

A．Missing your family and the attention they all paid to you is a very usual thing to do.

B．However, being independent will help you get over many difficulties.

C．Though all changes are difficult, it is necessary to go through them to build your character.

D．This passage is to discuss the three main effects that living in another country can cause.

E．Another effect is that you have to accept another type of society and culture in your daily life.

【推荐2】阅读下面短文，从短文后的选项中选出能填入空白处的最佳选项。选项中有一项为多余选项。

The first China-Central Asia Summit (中国一中亚峰会) was held in Xi’an, China on 18 May and 19 May.     1     (called Chang’an then) and the starting point of the Silk Road.

    2     Chang’an had over 1 million people in the city, and 200,00 of them were foreigners. Most of them came a long way along the Silk Road. They brought their goods (商品), arts, food and fashion.

Fashionable clothes

Foreign clothes, were popular in Chang’an. They always had close-fitting sleeves (窄袖) and turn-down collars (翻领). Central Asian and Persian people wore these kinds of clothes.     3    

    4    

In Chang’an, there were many kinds of food. People brought it on the Silk Road. Hubing, a popular street food in the city, was one of them. It’s a kind of pancake with sesame seeds (芝麻粒) on it. Travellers on the Silk Road liked to eat it and brought it to Chang’an.

Colourful arts

    5     They could whirl (旋转) very fast on a small carpet. Everyone in the city enjoyed the dance. Many musicians (音乐家) from Central Asia liked playing the harp (竖琴) and pipa better.

A．Delicious food

B．People in Chang’an liked to wear them, too.

C．Different goods

D．Dancers from Central Asia were big stars in Chang’an.

E．As one of the most international cities in the world at that time.

F．Xi’an was the capital of the Tang Dynasty