【推荐1】I wish there would be a way to describe China in a simple word but that’s impossible.

    1     In my English classes when the students were asked what they would do if they only had a few hours to live, most students told me they would spend their last few hours with their families and parents.

    2    I teach in Xiangyang, a beautiful city which the Hanjiang River goes across it and I live here better. The foods are cheaper than those in the US, so are clothing and articles(物品) of everyday us. People pay less for the public transportation, too.

    3     However, it is reported that still there are a few children who can’t afford the expenses(费用) of schooling. But the government organized Project Hope many years ago. It creates conditions for the poor children to go back to school.

    4    I seldom saw the things mentioned of the creative(有创造力的) changes China has made. But the economic miracles(经济奇迹) have the big problems.

    5     To be honest, if I compare China with the US, my answer has always been the same: “We are not worse or better than each other; we are only different. ”

A．It’s a tradition to value education in China.

B．I realize that family is everything in China.

C．I am often asked which country I consider better.

D．I was used to reading the news of China in the US.

E．The cost of living here isn’t as high as that in the US.

【推荐2】Are “Basics”Enough for Students?
An American education expert says many schools are spending too much time teaching the ―basics‖ – reading, math and writing. That might be different from what educators have been saying in America. But U.S. Education Secretary John King says children really need a well-rounded（全面的）education that includes music and the arts.
King spoke about his own education when explaining why schools need to teach more than math, reading and writing. His parents died when he was young. He said things in his house were frightening. It was his teacher in Grades Four, Five and Six – Mr. Osterweil – who helped him escape from his difficult life at home. Each day in Mr. Osterweil’s class, students would read a newspaper. The teacher took him and his classmates to the theater, the zoos and famous museums.
“Those were powerful, life-changing experiences,‖ King says. After he graduated from Harvard University, he took charge of New York State public schools from 2011-2015. ―I’m alive today, I’m doing the work that I do today because I had Mr. Osterweil during that period of my life,‖ King says. ―Students need to connect their studies to things that matter to them, such as music, if they want to become a thinker.‖
A 2013 report by UNESCO（联合国教科文组织）, says world needs people to be able to solve new and unusual problems now. It says arts can help students find those answers. In the report, UNESCO says teaching the arts in China, South Korea and Japan is different from that in many western countries. ―The educators in those three countries pay more attention on joyful experiences and children’s interests,‖ the report says. ―In the West, educators are more likely to connect the arts to reading, writing and math.”
Comparing countries is hard because they have different ways to define success. For example some people may think getting high marks in exams is success, while others may hold different views. A 2014 survey by the Program for International Student Assessment tried to compare how well countries teach children how to solve problems. It found Singapore, South Korea, Japan, and China with the highest scores. Singapore was the top one with a score of 562 out of 1,000. The average（平均的） score was 500. The United States had a score of 508, one point behind Germany.
So it may be worth rethinking what we should focus on in our class. The ―basics‖ is not the only part of education.

1. We can learn from the passage that __________.

A．King’s family life was warm and happy

B．King’s teacher focused on ―basics‖ more

C．educators in the West teach music for joy

D．arts can help students solvenew problems

2. The word “define” in Paragraph 6 probably means―_________”

A．get the pleasure of	B．make full use of
C．give the meaning of	D．take the place of

3. The writer probably agrees that______.

A．students need more than “basics”to learn

B．getting high marks in exams is success

C．education depends a lot on the hobbies

D．we need more time to learn “basics”

【推荐3】阅读理解

Matthew Thomas is an English boy. He’s 15 and his brother Paul is 13, but they don’t go to school. They are in Africa. They study at home. Here is our interview with Matthew about home schooling.

Why do you study at home?

M: Well, people in the schools here don’t speak English. And we don’t speak very good Spanish (西班牙语).

__________________

M: Math, English, history and so on. But I study them in my own way (自己的方法). I use books or the Internet. And our parents help us.

Do you like studying at home?

M: Yes, I do. I love it! It is fun. I can choose how to do things. I can study math on Monday and English on Tuesday or history on Monday and Math on Tuesday.

Are you lonely?

M: No, I am not lonely. My brother and my parents are here. And now I have some Spanish friends too.

When do you see them?

M: Well, I go to sports center on Saturday and Sunday and I see them there. I play sports games with some of my friends, too. That’s great fun.

1. Which sentence (句子) can you put in ________?

A．Why do you study English?	B．When do you do sports?
C．What subjects do you have?	D．Who is your teacher?

2. Matthew thinks studying at home is ________.

A．difficult

B．free

C．interesting

D．boring

3. From the passage, we can know ________.

A．Matthew can get help from parents	B．Matthew has many classmates
C．Matthew must have math on Monday	D．Matthew sees his friends every day

4. The passage is mainly (主要) about ________.

A．games

B．health

C．sports

D．study

【推荐1】People in Denmark (丹麦) have happier lives than those in many other countries in the world. Why? Because they know the secret (秘诀) to happiness — “hygge”. But what does “hygge” mean?

“Hygge” is a special way of life. Danish people often use the word to describe the way they spend long and cold winter days. With about 17 hours of darkness (黑暗) every day in winter, they spend more time indoors. At that time, Danish people often get together for a meal or hot drinks. After winter, when it’s not so cold, “hygge” means picnics in the park, parties in the garden and outdoor movie nights. Therefore, some people say “hygge” means “a cozy feeling” in English.

However, playing on your phone at home all day is the least “hygge” thing out there. TV is okay, but you’d better ask some friends over to watch movies with you, as staying together is another key part of being “hygge”.

For Danish people, lighting candles is the most important part of creating an environment of “hygge” at home. They light more candles each year than any other European country.

In a word, “hygge” is about creating a warm environment and enjoying the little simple things in life. By making some small changes (改变) to your life, you can practice this way wherever you are.

1. Danish people live happily because ________.

A．they have long days in winter	B．they spend a lot of time indoors
C．they enjoy spending time alone	D．they know how to live a happy life

2. The underlined word “cozy” probably means “________”.

A．strange

B．comfortable

C．terrible

D．popular

3. Which of the following is NOT a way of “hygge”?

A．Watching a movie with your family.

B．Holding a garden party with lots of flowers.

C．Playing computer games alone at home all day.

D．Having afternoon tea with friends in a coffee shop.

4. Why do Danish people light a lot of candles each year?

A．To have fun.	B．To spend dark winter days.
C．To keep themselves warm.	D．To create an environment of “hygge”.

5. What’s the best title for the passage?

A．Ways to live a simple life of “hygge” around the world.

B．How “hygge” became famous.

C．“Hygge”—Danish people’s secret to happiness.

D．Denmark—one of the world’s happiest countries.

【推荐2】There is no doubt that water is one of the most important resources (资源) for man. But in fact we’re facing serious water problem.

Problems

Although water covers 71 percent of the Earth, we can only use a very small amount of it. It’s about 3 percent and it’s in lakes, in rivers and underground. Today, there are over 663 million people living without a safe water supply (供应).

<Themes

To remind people of the importance of water, the UN first set WORLD WATER DAY in 1993. It is celebrated on March 22 each year. Every year has a theme.

Year	Theme	Year	Theme
2020	Water and Climate Change	2022	Groundwater-Making the Invisible Visible
2021	Valuing Water	2023	Accelerating Change

(Chart I)

Solutions

In fact, many governments and organizations have already taken actions to offer good solutions. In some countries, people have their own ways for saving water and reusing waste water.

Turn off the water South Africa is one of the world’s driest countries. Turn off the water while brushing your teeth. It can save 600 liters (公升) water a month for a person.

Collect rainwater Collecting rainwater is an important way to save water in Germany. Most houses built in the last few years have rainwater collection systems.

Protect the “Mother River” China has improved laws, such as the Yangtze River Protection Law and started the “Mother River” restoration (恢复) program.

(Chart II)

Actions

As students, we should try our best to fight against the problem of water waste. What we can do is to support the government, take part in the World Water Day events, be careful with how we use water in our own lives and so on.

根据短文和图表内容，选择最佳答案。
1. What percent of water can we use on the Earth?

A．71%.

B．29%.

C．6%.

D．3%.

2. What's the purpose of World Water Day?

A．To introduce some ways of saving water.

B．To remind people of the importance of water.

C．To explain the reasons why people waste water.

D．To show some themed events on World Water Day.

3. What’s the theme of 2023 World Water Day?

A．Accelerating Change.	B．Valuing Water.
C．Water and Climate change.	D．Groundwater—Making the Invisible Visible.

4. How much water can they save in a month if three people in Tom’s family turn off the water while brushing teeth?

A．600 liters.

B．1,200 litters.

C．1,800 litters.

D．2,400 litters.

5. Which way is NOT helpful to deal with the problem of water waste according to the article?

A．Be careful with water using.

B．Take part in the World Water Day events.

C．Help the government make signs to call on people to save water.

D．Wash clothes in a washing machine as often as possible.