Twenty years ago, I drove a taxi for a living. One night I went to pick up a passenger at 2:30 AM. When I arrived to collect, I found the building was dark except for a single light in a ground floor window.
I walked to the door and knocked, "Just a minute," answered a weak, elderly voice.
After a long pause, the door opened. A small woman in her eighties stood before me. By her side was a small suitcase.
I took the suitcase to the car, and then returned to help the woman. She took my arm and we walked slowly toward the car.
She kept thanking me for my kindness. "It's nothing," I told her. "I just try to treat my passengers the way I would want my mother treated."
"Oh, you're such a good man." She said. When we got into the taxi, she gave me an address, and then asked, "Could you drive through downtown?"
"It's not the shortest way," I answered quickly.
"Oh, I'm in no hurry," she said. "I'm on my way to a hospice(临终医院). I don't have any family left. The doctor says I don't have very long."
I quietly reached over and shut off the meter(计价器).
For the next two hours, we drove through the city. She showed me the building where she had once worked, the neighborhood where she had lived, and the furniture shop that had once been a ballroom where she had gone dancing as a girl.
Sometimes she'd ask me to slow down in front of a particular building and would sit staring into the darkness, saying nothing.
At dawn, she suddenly said, "I'm tired. Let's go now."
We drove in silence to the address she had given me.
"How much do I owe you?" she asked.
"Nothing." I said.
"You have to make a living," she answered. "Oh, there are other passengers," I answered.
Almost without thinking, I bent and gave her a hug. She held onto earth tightly. Our hug ended with her remark, "You gave an old woman a little moment of joy."The old woman chose to ride through the city in order to ______.
A.show she was familiar with the city | B.let the driver earn more money |
C.see some places for the last time | D.reach the destination on time |
The taxi driver did not charge the old woman because he ______.
A.shut off the meter by mistake | B.had received her payment in advance |
C.was in a hurry to take other passengers | D.wanted to do her a favor |
What can we learn from the story?
A.Giving is always a pleasure. | B.An act of kindness can bring people great joy. |
C.People should respect each other. | D.People should learn to appreciate others' concern. |
Pierre de Coubertin was born on January 1,1863,in Paris, France. As a child of a noble family, he received a good education and developed a strong interest in literature and history. He refused the military career planned for him by his family, as well as giving up a political career in order to serve his people better.
Coubertin was a very active sportsman and practiced the sports of boxing, fencing (击剑),horse-riding and rowing. He believed that sport was the tool for moral energy and he defended his idea with rare tenacity (坚初).
His study of history made him wish the Olympics could still be held. He thought it was the ideal that everyone should try to reach. He was sure that bringing athletes together would make friendly relations between the countries. It was this idea that led him to announce at the age of 31 that he wanted to revive the Olympics.
He made this announcement in a meeting at the Union of French Societies of Athletic Sports, for which he was Secretary General (秘书长). No one really believed him and his statement was greeted with little passion. Coubertin, however, was not discouraged and on 23 June, 1894 he founded the International Olympic Committee(IOC)in a ceremony held at the University of Sorbonne in Paris. Demetrius from Greece became the first president of the IOC.
Two years later, in 1896, the first Olympic Games of the modern era was held in Athens. On that occasion Coubertin was elected the second president of the IOC and he remained president until 1925. Due to the 1st World War, Coubertin requested permission to establish the headquarters of the IOC in Lausanne, Switzerland, which was a neutral (中立的)country, Coubertin withdrew from the IOC in 1925 to devote himself to his pedagogical (教育学的)work, which he called his "unfinished symphony(交响乐)".
Coubertin suddenly died of a heart attack on September 2,1937, in a park in Geneva, and thus his "symphony" remained unfinished. The city of Lausanne had decided to award him honorary citizenship (荣誉市民)of the city, but he died just before the ceremony.
In accordance with Coubertin's last wish he was buried in Lausanne, although his heart was buried separately in a monument near the ruins of ancient Olympia. Pierre de Coubertin was not interested in ________ .
A.literature |
B.history |
C.military |
D.sports |
Coubertin wanted to revive the Olympic Games because ________ .
A.he thought bringing athletes together would make friendly relationships between the countries |
B.he knew he would be the 2nd president of the IOC |
C.he loved history and sports so much |
D.he thought everyone should try to reach the ideal that the Olympics could still be held |
"unfinished symphony(交响乐)" refers to ________ .
A.the work Coubertin did for the IOC |
B.the pedagogical work |
C.the ceremony of awarding Coubertin honorary citizenship |
D.the fact that Coubertin's heart attack never got well |
What can we learn from the passage?
A.Coubertin was awarded honorary citizenship by the city of Lausanne before he died. |
B.Coubertin worked as the president of the IOC for less than 20 years. |
C.Coubertin devoted all his life to the sports career. |
D.Coubertin's heart was buried in Greece. |
Every two years, cities around the world make bids to the International Olympic Commission (IOC)to host the Olympic Games. Today, cities are selected through a much more rigorous (严格的) process.
Any city that wants to host the Olympic Games puts in its name to the IOC and is considered an “Applicant City”. For the next ten months, the IOC investigates the city on several points:
1. The city must prove that it is big enough to handle the Olympics. They also need to show that they can handle the high level of security needed at the games.
2. The city needs to convince (使明白)residents that the expenses of covering the Olympics (which may be covered by raising taxes)are worth it in city improvement and new jobs.
3. The city needs to maintain a highly positive media exposure to carry the games.
If the IOC decides that a city has fulfilled the three points above, the city is considered a “Candidate City” and goes into the second phase of the process. After submitting an application and an application fee, the IOC makes a final judging on which city is the best candidate for the coming Summer or Winter Olympic Games.
The costs for bidding for the games are incredibly high. Bid committees must pay an application fee to the IOC. Following these fees, the cities generally need to begin large construction projects like building the “Olympic village”, new sports arenas(竞技场) and stadiums, and transportation systems.
If the Olympics are so expensive, why do cities want to host the games? Cities bid for the Olympics for a variety of reasons : the desire to show pride in their city and their country, the eagerness to be in the international spotlight for two weeks, the opportunity to bring new jobs into the community, and to build up tourism to that city. The point that the city must be big enough to handle the Olympics is probably because __________
A.it makes sure that there will be enough people to watch the games |
B.a huge number of tourists, athletes, journalists. and politicians will come with the games |
C.there will be enough money to build sports arenas and stadiums |
D.the Olympic Games was never held in small cities before |
Which of the following is the correct order to be a city to host the Olympics?
a. To build large construction projects.
b. To put in its name to the IOC.
c. To fulfill the IOC's points for bidding.
d. To succeed in getting the final judging from the IOC.
e. To pay the application fee to the IOC.
A. a, e,b, c,d
B. b, a,c, e,d
C. c, b,a, d,e
D. b, c,e, d,a Which of the following is NOT the result of hosting the Olympics?
A.Raising the position on the international stage. |
B.Promoting the development of tourism. |
C.Creating more employment opportunities. |
D.Strengthening the citizens' physical body. |
What is the best title for the passage?
A.History of the International Olympic Commission |
B.How the Olympic Locations are Chosen |
C.How Expensive to Bid for the Olympics |
D.Advantages of Hosting the Olympics |
Bored? Lonely? Out Of Condition? Why Not Try Camden Sports Centre TENNIS
Indoor and outdoor courts(球场). Coaching from banners to advanced, every day~not evenings.
Children only—Saturday mornings
SWIMMING
2 pools 1 heated.
Olympic length.
Lessons available.
Women : Tuesday and Thursday
Men : Monday, Wednesday and Friday
Children : Saturday
Family day :Sunday
GOLF
9-hole practice course.
Professional coaching ; lessons must be booked in advance in the daytime. Evening practice. Minimum age(最小年龄):9 SKIING
Dry slopes(斜坡):3 levels. Instructors at weekends and Fridays. Daytime practice. 8 years upward. GYMNASTICS Maximum age(最大年龄):18 Children aged 5-10,Mondays and Wednesdays 4:00 pm-6 :00 pm
10-18-year-old, Friday evenings. In the Camden Sports Centre, you can do the following sports in the evening EXCEPT __________
A.golf |
B.tennis |
C.gymnastics |
D.swimming |
The Smiths want to go swimming in the Camden Sports Centre. They had better go on __________.
A.Sunday |
B.Saturday |
C.Monday |
D.Tuesday |
If you're 19 years old, you can't take part in __________ practice in the Camden Sports Centre.
A.golf |
B.skiing |
C.swimming |
D.gymnastics |
According to the passage, we can learn that __________
A.an 8-year-old can take golf practice in the Camden Sports Centre |
B.swimming pools in the Camden Sports Centre are smaller than the ones in Olympics |
C.children can play tennis in the Camden Sports Centre on Saturday mornings |
D.you needn't book them in advance if you want to take golf lessons in the Camden Sports Centre |
All over the world people enjoy sports. Sports help people to keep healthy, happy and help them to live longer.
Sports change with the season. People play different games in winter and summer. Games and sports often grow out of people's work and everyday activities. The Arabs use horses or
camels in much of their everyday life; they use them in their sports, too.
Some sports are so interesting that people everywhere go in for them. Football, for example, has spread around the world. Swimming is popular in all countries near the sea or in those with many rivers.
Some sports or games go back to thousands of years, like running or jumping. Chinese boxing, for example, has a very long history. But basketball and volleyball are rather new. Neither one is a hundred years old yet. People are inventing new sports or games all the time.
People from different countries may not be able to understand each other, but after a game they often become good friends. Sports help to train a person's character (性格). One learns to fight hard but fight fair, to win without pride and to lose with grace(体面). According to this passage we know that __________
A.people began to play about 100 years ago |
B.about 100 years ago people ran or jumped when they played |
C.basketball has a longer history than volleyball |
D.not all games have a long history |
The writer didn't tell us in this passage that __________
A.basketball was invented in America |
B.sports change with the season |
C.games and sports often have a close relationship with people's work and everyday activities |
D.football is played all over the world |
People enjoy sports because __________
A.sports are interesting |
B.sports help to keep people healthy, happy and help them to live longer |
C.sports help to train one's character |
D.all of the above |
From this passage we can see that __________.
A.sports and games are unimportant things that people do |
B.sports and games should be treated(看作) only as amusement(娱乐) |
C.sports and games are only useful to the old |
D.none of the above is true |
It is true that the first Olympic Games of modern times in 1896 were not open to women. Baron Pierre de Coubertin, who gave new life to the Games, was very much a man of his time. He didn't like women showing up for the Games. But since this time, things have changed. History shows that the number of women participating in the Olympic Games has been increasing over the years» since their first participation at the 1900 Olympic Games and especially in the last 30 years. This development is of social, political and cultural significance (意义).
The progress is the result of the cooperation of the entire Olympic Movement and of proper measures that the International Olympic Committee (IOC),International Sports Federations(ISFs),and National Olympic Committees ( NOCs) have taken. Especially in the last 20 years, the IOC has enlarged the women's program at the Olympic Games, in cooperation with IFs and the Organizing Commit-tees for the Olympic Games ( OCOGs). This development was further strengthened (巩固)by the IOC's decision that all sports must have women's events. The IOC also started to work on increasing the number of women at leadership level in sports in 1981. Former President Juan Antonio Samaranch, who wanted to have women as IOC members, made a great contribution(贡献).
Many sports volunteers have worked to increase the number of women joining in the Olympic Games. This progress has been made also thanks to the strong determination of women from different countries of the world who have worked to make sure women are fully represented in all sports.The underlined part “participating in” in the first paragraph can be replaced by __________
A.getting close to |
B.taking part in |
C.calling for |
D.taking over |
According to the first paragraph, all of the following are true EXCEPT that __________.
A.women were not allowed to join in the 1896 Olympic Games |
B.Baron Pierre de Coubertin was very famous when he was alive |
C.many women have competed in the Olympic Games in the last 30 years |
D.Baron Pierre de Coubertin tried his best to let women join in the Olympic Games |
What are the last two paragraphs mainly about?
A.Why women were not allowed to join in the Olympic Games. |
B.How more and more women were able to join in the Olympic Games. |
C.What some organizations have done for women's rights. |
D.What sports volunteers have done to enable women to join in the Olympic Games. |
It is implied in the passage that __________.
A.women first performed in the Olympic Games about fifty years ago |
B.it was IFs that decided to enlarge the women's program at the Olympic Games |
C.Juan Antonio Samaranch didn't agree that women should be IOC members |
D.women themselves worked very hard so that they could join in the Olympic Games |