【推荐1】Homework is your teachers’ way of evaluating（评估）how much students understand the lessons in class. As a student, you always have too much homework, but you have to finish it. Here are a few tips to make homework less.

★Make a homework plan.

First, write the task down in your notebook. If you forget it, please ask the teachers again. Second, use any extra time in school to work on your homework.

★Watch where you work.

Find a table at home which doesn’t need to be very large, just big enough to put your school things on it. You’d better not do it before a computer or on your comfortable bed. It’s hard for you to concentrate on（集中精力于）your homework.

★Get to work.

When you start your homework at home, do the hardest problems first. Later, when you feel tired, you can do the simple ones. Don’t spend too much time on a difficult problem. You can ask an adult or e-mail a classmate for advice.

★Have a rest.

Having a 15-minute rest every hour is good for you. After you finish your homework, check it over. Be sure to put it safely away in your backpack. Now you’re free to play outside.

1. When you make a homework plan, the first thing you should do is        .

A．To write down the task in your notebook

B．to ask your teacher for help

C．to work on your homework right now

D．to have a rest first

2. From the passage you’d better do your homework         .

A．before a computer	B．on the sofa
C．on a table	D．on the bed

3. When meeting a hard problem at home, you can          .

A．spend too much time on it	B．call a classmate for advice
C．ask a policeman for help	D．never do it

4. After you finish the homework, you should        first.

A．check it over	B．make a homework plan
C．go out to play	D．put it away in the backpack

5. Which of the following is TRUE according to this passage?

A．You shouldn’t use any extra time in school to work on your homework .

B．Don’t spend too much time on a difficult problem.

C．You’d better do your homework before a computer or on your comfortable bed.

D．Having a 45-minute rest every hour is good for you.

【推荐2】Tom 11, was trying to fall asleep when his 8-year-old brother. Mike, came into his room. He looked around, but seemed really out of it. Then Mike went back into the hallway and stood there looking straight up at the light. This was really strange. Tom didn’t know what to do. Just then. Tom’s father appeared and explained Mike was sleepwalking.

Not all sleep is the same every night. We experience some deep, quiet sleep and some active sleep, which is when dreams happen. You might think sleepwalking would happen during active sleep, but a person isn’t physically active during active sleep. It usually happens in the first few hours of sleep in the period called deep sleep.

The truth is that not all sleepwalkers walk. Some simply sit up or stand in bed or act like they’re awake when, in fact, they’re asleep! Most, however, do get up and walk around for a few seconds or for as long as half an hour.

Sleepwalkers’ eyes are open, but they don’t see the same way they do when they’re awake. They tend to go back to bed on their own and won’t remember it in the morning.

You also might have heard that sleepwalkers can get frightened if you wake them up. That’s true, so what do you do if you see someone sleepwalking? You should call for a grown-up who can lead the person back to bed. And once the sleepwalker is tucked(掖好被子) back in bed, it’s time for you to get some sleep, too!

根据短文内容选择最佳答案。
1. The underlined world “sleepwalking” in the passage means “________” in Chinese.

A．夜行

B．梦游

C．赶路

2. When does sleepwalking usually happen?

A．During active sleep

B．In the first few hours of deep sleep

C．When dreams begin

3. What should we do if we see people sleepwalking?

A．Wake them up

B．Walk around with them

C．Ask grown-ups to lead them to bed

4. Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?

A．Not all sleepwalkers walk

B．Sleepwalkers can see the same way they do when they’re awake.

C．Sleepwalkers won’t remember what happened during sleep in the morning.

5. Who is the text written for?

A．Teachers

B．Doctors

C．Children

【推荐3】Running in Cold Weather Improves Performance

Cold weather during winter months may keep many people from leaving home and running in the open air. However, a new study shows that the drop in temperature is a good reason to run. In fact, researchers say, running in cold weather helps improve one’s performance.

Many people say running in the winter can be difficult. Two reasons are the low temperatures and bitter winds. Yet many runners might find it easier than running in hot weather. That could be because lower temperatures reduce stress on the body. When you run in cold weather, your body loses less water than in warmer conditions. The body needs less water on a cold day than in warm weather. This information comes from sports scientists at St. Mary’s University in London.

John Brewer is a professor of applied sport science at St. Mary’s. For this study, he and other researchers put a group of people into a room they called an “environmental chamber”. The researchers then recreated summer and winter weather conditions in the room. The test subjects were asked to run 10,000 meters under both conditions. Brewer says he and his team recorded biological measurements of the runners. “We’ve got a group of subjects into the environmental chamber, we’ve changed the conditions to recreate the summer or winter and we’ve got them to run a 10km under both of those conditions and taken various measurements(测量)on each runner while they’ve been completing their 10km.”

They found that the runners lost water by around 30.38% more in those hotter conditions. Besides, Brewer says every movement runners make produces heat. He explains that one way in which we lose heat is by sweating(出汗). He says the body also loses heat by transporting the blood to the surface of the skin. “That heat builds up in the body and can be really damaging unless you can lose that heat. And it’s much harder to lose heat when the environment is warm as well.” And they found how they felt their perception of heat—was around a third lower when they were running in cold conditions. The body does not have to work as hard to pump blood to the skin’s surface.

Several websites note that the most important thing for people who run in cold conditions is to wear the right clothing. Keeping as dry as possible is the most important when exercising in low temperatures. So, if you are a runner, don’t let winter weather keep you indoors. Simply get ready for the low temperatures and start running.

1. According to the passage, John Brewer probably agrees that __________.

A．people should run 10,000 meters in winter

B．running in winter is good for your heart

C．people who run in winter like to wear thick clothing

D．running in cold conditions is better than in warm

2. The underlined word “subjects” in Paragraph 3 probably means _______.

A．students that are being discussed

B．classes that you study at school

C．people that are being tested

D．runners that the artists paint

3. What can we infer from the passage?

A．Running can help us lose heat.

B．Running in cold weather is beneficial to our body.

C．The heat can damage our body.

D．The body does not have to work to pump blood.

4. What is the writer’s main purpose in writing this passage?

A．To introduce a research on running by Brewer.

B．To explain why running in winter is difficult for people.

C．To encourage people to run outside during winter months.

D．To advertise the new websites on running he created.

【推荐1】What is your favourite holiday? Here are some students’ opinions.

Sandy from Taiwan says:

My favourite holiday is the Mid-Autumn Festival. I always visit my grandparents, and we always go to the same restaurant on the mountain to hold jubilation. At night, we always have a barbecue, and watch the moon together. I enjoy it a lot.

Zhenia from Ukraine says:

       My favourite holiday is New Year’s Day. We celebrate the New Year on the 31st of December. Father Frost comes with his granddaughter on that night. He puts his presents under the New Year Tree. We have a party and stay up until midnight to see the New Year in and the Old Year off. We cook delicious food for the party. People also celebrate Old New Year in our country. It is on the 14th of January.

Yagna from India says:

My favourite holiday is Deepavali (屠妖节), which is also called Festival of Lights. People do some cleaning at home and light their oil lamps to thank for the defeat of the bad king. To celebrate it, we also eat sweets and delicious food, wear new clothes, and give presents to our friends and relatives.

Pat from Thailand says:

My favourite holiday is Songkran. It takes place from the 13th to 15th of April. On the holiday people pour water on each other. It is a lot of fun. People also buy new clothes and they have big parties.

1. What is Sandy’s favourite holiday?

A．The Mid-Autumn Festival.	B．New Year’s Day.
C．Deepavali.	D．Songkran.

2. The underlined word “jubilation” is closest in meaning to “ ________ ”.

A．hope

B．celebration

C．present

D．exercise

3. In order to celebrate Deepavali, we can ________.

A．eat sweets and delicious food	B．wear new clothes
C．give presents to our friends	D．all of the above

【推荐2】

Sammy checked his calendar. “Yes!” he cried, jumping out of bed. “I mean NO! It’s Opposite Day (反话日)!” He put his shirt on inside out and walked backward down the hall.

“Good night, Mom,” he said in the kitchen. “Have a bad day at work!” “What’s wrong?” asked mom. “It’s Opposite Day!” Sammy explained.

Sammy and his friends came across at the bus stop and waved. “Good-bye!” they said at the same time.

At school, the kids were going into the door marked Exit (出口). “What’s wrong?” asked the headteacher. “It’s Opposite Day!” said the students.

During math, the kids added when the sign said to subtracts (减法). “What’s wrong?” cried their teacher, Ms. Trix. “It’s Opposite Day!” said the class. “That’s right,” said Ms. Trix. “In that case, there’s no homework tonight.” “Yay!” said the kids. But then they remembered what day it was. Ms. Trix wrote their homework on the board.

That afternoon, Ms. Trix asked the kids to present their book reports. Oh no! thought Sammy. He’d been so excited about Opposite Day that he had left his report at home. “Make something up or tell the truth?”, Sammy thought to himself. “Ms. Trix,” he said when she called on him, “Sorry, I won’t be able to turn in my report today.” Ms. Trix looks at Sammy for a while and laughed. “I get it! Opposite Day. I guess that means you will turn it in tomorrow! Well, I expect it to be terrible. And by that, I mean great!” Sammy breathed a sigh of relief (松一口气). Thanks to Opposite Day!

1. On Opposite Day, if Sammy wants to go to bed, he will say “_______”.

A．Good morning!

B．Good night!

C．I’m fine.

D．Nice to meet you!

2. Which order shows the whole day of Sammy?
a. Sammy made mistakes during math.               b. Sammy couldn’t turn his homework in.
c. Sammy found it was Opposite day.                 d. Sammy went into the door marked Exit.

A．c-b-d-a

B．d-b-a-c

C．c-d-a-b

D．a-b-d-c

3. Which of the following shows how Sammy’s feelings changed over time?

A．happy-relieved-excited	B．excited-worried-relieved
C．happy-worried-angry	D．excited-angry-worried

4. What do you think of Ms. Trix?

A．silly and outgoing

B．serious and careful

C．kind and smart

D．creative and careless

【推荐3】The storytellers’ secrets

Find out how writers and artists create their exciting works.

Great stories don’t just happen. Sometimes they can require years of work and effort. For example, J. K. Rowling first had the idea for the Harry Potter series while stuck on a train in 1990—and the first book didn’t come out until 1997. If you have ever wondered how great story tellers come up with their ideas, now you can find out. From September 24 to September 26, the Stories Festival will bring together lots of interesting people to talk about their work at Picturehouse Central, in London.

One of those will be the author and illustrator (插画家), Rob Biddulph, who will discuss his new book Peanut Jones and the illustrated City. He says the key to making the most of a story idea is to jot it down. “I find that ideas leave my head almost as quickly as they enter,” says Bildulph. “so I have to make a note of them immediately, otherwise they will be gone forever.”

Some story tellers at the event—such as Holly Smale, Elle McNicoll (she won the Waterstones’ Children’s Book Prize) and the author and illustrator Abigail Balfe—are sharing their thoughts on why it’s important that people with disabilities are represented in fiction. “Every child deserves (应该) to see themselves reflected positively in stories,” says McNicoll.

Finally, if you find it hard to come up with ideas by yourself, you might want to listen to Christ Smith, the bestselling author of the Kid normal series. discussing his new book The Great Dream Robbery. “I love being silly and coming up with ideas together,” he says, “so it is a complete joy to get to write them into a story that will outlive us.”

To find out more about the festival, go to tinyurl.com/TWJ—stories2021.

1. What is the purpose of giving the example of J. K. Rowling in the first paragraph?

A．To introduce the world famous book—the Harry Potter series.

B．To explain that how great writers come up with their ideas.

C．To tell the readers that it is not easy to create great stories.

D．To show the readers how long it took J. K. Rowling to finish the book.

2. Which can best explain the underlined phrase in Paragraph 3?

A．Speak it out.

B．Put it on.

C．Hand it in.

D．Write it down.

3. Which of the following is Christ Smith’s newest book?

A．The Kid Normal series.	B．Peanut Jones.
C．The Great Dream Robbery.	D．The illustrated City.

4. Who might be very interested in the passage?

A．Book sellers.

B．Art teachers.

C．Writing beginners.

D．Famous directors.