【推荐2】For many years, scientists have known that laughing is good for the health of our minds and bodies. Now we are learning that it’s not just laughter. Having fun and playing are also good for us! Researchers have found that play is good for people of all ages. Play actually leads to the growth of more nerve connections in the brain and gives us more brain power.

Play is necessary during childhood. As children play, they learn how to make friends and relate to others. They develop their imaginations and become more creative. Kids carry these qualities with them as they grow older.

Amy Whitcomb teaches math at a school in San Francisco. For several years, she has used games to teach math. In one class, students play a game with small bags of candy to figure out how many pieces in the bags are red. When they get the correct answer, they can eat the candy! Amy says, "If it's not fun, they're not going to want to be there and they're not going to want to learn."

The spirit of playfulness continues through the teenage years into adulthood（成人期）. The famous company Google, for example, keeps a lot of toys and games at different places in their offices and encourages people to use them. Their motto is "Work hard. Play hard." They know that people often get their best ideas when they are just" playing around" and let their imaginations go wild.

So next time you have to solve a difficult math problem or can't think of a topic for an article, take a short play break. Do a little dance, or play a quick game. Then come back to it. Maybe you'll be surprised at what your brain can do.

1. The example of the company Google is given to show that _____________

A．play is also fit for adults	B．everyone there works hard
C．they have a lot of toys and games	D．it is very famous in the world

2. The underlined expression "figure out" in Paragraph 3 probably means "___________"

A．look after	B．solve the problem of
C．draw a picture of	D．play a joke on

3. According to the passage, you need to play if you ______________

A．want to make friends with others	B．have to do some homework
C．fail to think of a topic for an article	D．find a job in a big company

4. Which of the following can be the best title for the passage?

A．A Math Lesson	B．How Children Grow
C．The Power of Play	D．Work Hard, Play Hard

【推荐3】In the past, children didn’t have phones, iPads or computers. Instead, they came up with interesting games to play in their childhood.

Stone balls

During the Qing Dynasty(清朝), kicking a stone ball around was a popular sport in the northern part of China. People made stones into small balls and kicked them around in winter to keep warm.

Hide-and-seek

Hide-and-seek was a fun game which was popular all over the country. There were usually two ways to play: Children who took part in the game hid themselves somewhere and one tried to find them. Or, a child’s eyes were covered and the other children ran around to avoid being caught by him.

Playing diabolo(空竹)

Playing diabolo was a folk game in North China in the past. The diabolo was made of wood or bamboo(竹子). It was empty in the center. When people played with diabolo, it would make a sound. Through many changes, it is performed as a folk show now.

1. During the Qing Dynasty, people liked to kick stone balls to ________ in winter

A．make money

B．keep warm

C．stay healthy

D．catch birds

2. There were usually ________ ways to play hide-and-seek.

A．two

B．three

C．four

D．five

3. The diabolo was made of ________.

A．wood or stone

B．paper or stone

C．bamboo or paper

D．wood or bamboo

4. This passage talks about children’s ________ in the past.

A．films

B．toys

C．games

D．changes

【推荐1】What do different countries do to keep students safe?

Japan: Public primary schools hold an earthquake practice every month in Japan. They teach students safety tips for earthquakes. Training helps students run from earthquake areas without causing any stampedes (踩踏).

Australia: Most students in Australia take first-aid courses at school. They learn first-aid knowledge in the class, such as how to call an ambulance (救护车) and what to do when someone is hurt. The government is trying to make all kids take such courses.

US: Most US school buildings have fire doors. A fire escape has platforms (平台) with stairs and ladders at each floor of a building. They are usually made of steel and built outside of the building. People can get to the fire escape through a special fire-exit door or through a window. It is not a good idea to jump out of a window from higher than two floors. You may hurt yourself.

China: …

1. How often do they hold earthquake practices in Japan?

A．Once a week.

B．Once a month.

C．Twice a week.

D．Twice a month.

2. What can Australian students learn in first-aid courses at school?

A．How to escape from earthquake areas.

B．How to help a person who is hurt.

C．How to drive an ambulance.

D．How to jump out of a window.

3. Which picture shows a fire escape?

A．

B．

C．

D．

4. What may the writer say about China?

A．The number of college students gets bigger and bigger.

B．Many people donate money to the earthquake area.

C．The government tries to help the elderly to have a happy life.

D．Schools take actions to stop bullying (霸凌) among students.

5. We may find the article above in a magazine on ________.

A．schools

B．sports

C．travelling

D．buildings

【推荐2】阅读下列短文，从所给的A~E项中选出与文章内容匹配的最佳选项，并填在相应的横线上。（选E请涂AB）

Not falling asleep in class is as difficult for some people as saying no to dessert for others. But falling asleep in class too often can have bad effects on your study.     1     So what should you do to avoid falling asleep in class? Here are some tips for you.

Work early and sleep early.     2     In this way, you can get ready for bed early and will not have to stay up late for study. Make sure you get as many hours of sleep as your body needs.

    3     It will help give you more energy and stop you from falling asleep in class. Foods that are high in protein (蛋白质) are good choices for you.

Exercise more. You already know that regular exercise is good for your mind and your body.     4    

Stay active in class.    5     It can help you keep your mind on something other than your sleepiness.

A．Studies show that exercising regularly can also keep us from falling asleep in the middle of the day.

B．It stops you from learning what is being taught in class.

C．Try to do your homework as soon as you get home.

D．Try to write down important points in class.

E．Eat a great breakfast.

【推荐3】Unlike other people, my Olympic heroes are not Olympic champions or the important people on the Olympic Committee (委员会). They are just the ordinary ones who do the everyday things. They work without the recognition (公认) the famous people get. They are the Olympic volunteers.
These people aren't the great stars of sport. They just want to do their part for the Olympics by smiling and helping the Games go smoothly.The stars of the Games are like brightly colored sailboats on the sea, racing through the waves. How lovely to watch them! But the volunteers are the wind, which nobody sees. Without the wind the sailboats would not be able to move and no one would want to watch them. The volunteers breathe (发出) the wind of life into the athletes.
The volunteers may never win medals, but they always do their best to encourage the athletes, whether the athletes win or lose.Some might think what the volunteers do is boring, hardly worth mentioning (提及). But in my eyes, they are as important as the champions and the stars. They are just as much heroes, despite (尽管) not appearing in newspapers or on TV.
I truly admire them and I will always cheer for them. They are my Olympic heroes.
1. From the first paragraph we know that the writer’s heroes are .

A．Olympic champions

B．the important people on the Olympic Committee

C．the ordinary people who don’t do the everyday things

D．the Olympic volunteers

2. The writer compares the Olympic volunteers to.

A．brightly colored sailboats	B．the wind
C．the sun	D．the water

3. What does the underlined word “athletes” in Paragraph 3 mean in the passage?

A．教练	B．裁判
C．运动员	D．观众

4. What does the writer think of the volunteers’ work?

A．boring	B．important
C．interesting	D．excellent