How did a high school football coach build a championship dynasty by never playing to win? In Smith Center, Kansas, Roger Barta, 64, a longtime coach and former math teacher at Smith Center High School, wearing a red shirt, stood before his players．“…Guys．We don't talk about winning and losing．We talk about getting a little better every day, about be
ing a team．” Over the next four months, his team went on to beat other teams, winning another perfect season．
Barta grew up in Plainville, and when a back injury ended Barta's playing career, he wasn't sure whether he wanted to be a college student．One summer, he took a job in the Kansas oil fields．It took him a single rainy day of working in the field to realize that university was for him．“I almost froze to death,” he says．He looked around at his co-workers, who were aged beyond their years．"They were all missing fingers and teeth．I didn't want to do that for the rest of my life．"
He returned to Fort Hays State to earn a mathematics degree and went on to get a master's in math education at the University of Georgia．Today, Barta spends as much time helping players figure out what they want to do with their lives as he does coaching．
To most kids here, Barta is not just a winning coach but also a mentor（导师，顾问）．Barta insists that the members of his team be well-rounded．During last year's playoffs（附加赛）, for instance, Joe Osburn was struggling with Macbeth in English class．Barta told him that either he mastered Shakespeare or his season was finished．Barta got the captains involved, and they took turns quizzing Osburn on his lines of Shakespeare．He pulled his grades up and kept playing．
“Roger likes everything about football,” says Barta's wife, Pam．“But what he loves most is watching the boys learn a little more．”
1．What does the first paragraph mainly talk about?
A．How Barta built a championship dynasty?
B．Barta’s career as a coach．
C．How Barta taught his students football skills．
D．Barta’s attitude towards winning and losing．
2．From the the passage we know Barta ．
A．hurt his back in an oil field
B．didn’t want to be a college student
C．wasn’t satisfied with being an oil worker
D．began his playing career at high school
3．Which of the following statements about Barta is TRUE??
A．He earned his master’s degree from Fort Hays State．
B．He helps his players deal with life．
C．He likes Shakespeare very much．
D．He loves football more than anything else．
4．Which of the following is the best title for the passage?
A．How to Be a Good Football Coach
B．A Brief Introduction to Roger Barta
C．Coach and Math Teacher—Roger Barta
D．Life Coach—Roger Barta
Are you a man or a mouse? When people ask this question they want to know if you think you are a brave person or a coward(胆小鬼). But you will never really know the answer to that question until you are tested in real life. Some people think they are brave, but when they come face to face with real danger, they act like cowards. Other people think of themselves as cowardly, but when they meet danger, they act like heroes.
Lenny Sputnik had always thought of himself as a nervous person. He got worried before examinations. He worried about his job and his health. All he wanted in life was to be safe and healthy. Then, on 15th January 1982, a plane crashed into the Potomac River in Washington. Lenny went to the river to see what was happening. Then he saw a woman in the ice-cold water. Suddenly Lenny did not feel afraid. He kept very calm and did a very courageous thing. He jumped into the Potomac, swam to the woman, and kept her head above the water. Seventy-eight people died that day. Thanks to Lenny Sputnik, it was not seventy-nine.
When you are in a very dangerous situation and feel afraid, the body automatically produces a chemical in the blood. This chemical is called adrenalin. With adrenalin in the blood system, you actually feel stronger and are ready to fight or run away. However, when you are completely terrified, the body can produce too much adrenalin. When this happens, the muscles become very hard and you find that you cannot move at all. You are then disabled with fear. That is why, when we are very frightened, we sometimes say that we are ‘petrified’. This word comes from the Greek word ‘peters’ which means ‘stone’. We are so frightened we have become like stone. According to the writer's opinion, a brave person can be judged by ______
| A．his words | B．his thought | C．his action | D．his looks |
From what Lenny did, we can conclude that __________
| A．Lenny had a good chance | B．Lenny was brave |
| C．Lenny liked swimming | D．Lenny wanted to be a hero |
In great danger, a hero always keeps __________.
| A．nervous | B．worried | C．calm | D．disappointed |
Adrenalin in our body is ________.
| A．harmful | B．useless | C．changeable | D．dangerous |
If a person's body produces too much adrenaline, he will ________.
| A．become stronger | B．lose his feeling and power |
| C．become a stone | D．become a hero |
I met the old man at a cafe. “Did you hear the radio news yesterday?” he asked me. “No,” I replied. “Anything exciting?”“Exciting? NO! Something very sad. A group of hungry dogs killed and ate my best friend.”
“Oh, dear!” I cried. “How did it happen?”“He was working on the hillside when the dogs attacked him. When he didn't return, I went to the hillside and found…”“His body?” I asked. The old fellow drank half of his coffee. “No. I told you they were hungry dogs, didn't I? The big bones were lying every where. But they found this.” He pushed open a match box he was holding in his hand. In it was a man's thumb, lying on some white bloody material.
“This is my friend's right thumb. The dogs ate the rest of him”. The old man began to cry. He finished his coffee quickly and left the cafe. I drank mine and called the waiter. “I'll pay the gentleman's bill. His poor friend—how terrible!”“You've heard the news?” The waiter laughed. “Sure. There's a hole in the bottom of the match box. He put his own thumb through the hole. The blood is red ink, I believe. Is the story worth a cup of coffee, sir?”“But he held the box in his right hand.”“Yes, but listeners look into the box. They just can't take their sight off that terrible thing.”“And when he tells the story, he gets free cup of coffee!” I said, laughing. “Yes, sir, but only from strangers who come to this town, and, of course, he does us no harm!” We can learn from this passage ________.
| A．the writer came to the cafe for the first time |
| B．the old man made a living by telling jokes in the cafe |
| C．the writer had known about the old man before |
| D．what had happened to his best friend made the old man mad |
Having heard the old man's story, the writer _______ .
| A．couldn't help laughing immediately | B．showed great mercy upon him |
| C．didn't believe him at all | D．bought the old man another cup of coffee |
It turned out that the thumb in the match box was actually __________.
| A．the right thumb of his best friend |
| B．the thumb he stole from the dead body of an unknown person |
| C．something made of bloody white materials |
| D．his own right thumb |
The waiter hadn't let out the truth of the old man's story earlier because _______ .
| A．he was nobody but the best friend of the old man |
| B．the old man wouldn't pay for his coffee if he did |
| C．the waiter hadn't seen through the old man's trick |
| D．the old man helped the cafe in some way |
As suggested by the passage, what might happen in the end?
| A．The writer refused to pay the old man's bill. |
| B．The writer decided to make the trick known to the public. |
| C．More strangers would hear the old man's story. |
| D．The old man wouldn't visit the cafe any more. |
Cities in Europe and around the world may be growing “bike trees” in the near future
. Invented by Japan’s JFE Engineering Corp, the invention proved useful in the busiest parts of this nation’s crowded cities.
Local governments of Japan have struggled for ways to encourage people to park their bikes considerably, particularly close to big stations, but that may block some roads and entrances to homes and businesses. “Our cities do not have a lot of space for any kind of parking, including bicycles.” said Mitsuharu Oshima, a spokesman for JFE Engineering. The bike tree comes in two types: one in a tower that is above ground and on the contrary, the other in an underground structure.
A cyclist registers with the operator of the equipment, pays a monthly fee and pushes the wheels of his bicycle into restraints(管理处) at the base of the bike tree. Each bicycle 
is fitted with an electronic card with the owner’s details. A mechanical arm then pulls the bike into the base of the tower and moves it to a free location inside. To collect the bike later, the cyclist puts his card through a reader and his bike is automatically returned to him in seconds. “The science of the equipment has been difficult —— even though they may look quite simple —— because bikes come in many different shapes and sizes.” said Oshima.
As well as clearing away the road, bicycles cannot be stolen from a bike tree. There are presently versions at seven sites in Japan and two others are under construction, while work is under way on an even larger version —— with room for 9400 bicycles —— in Thailand. And Oshima believes that the idea could catch on in Europe, particularly in countries such as France, Holland and Denmark , where cycling is so popular. Cities build this kind of “bike trees” so that they can _______.
| A．ask more people to ride bikes | B．provide more jobs for people |
| C．make more money than before | D．save more room for people |
Which is the right order of the following things when you use the bike tree?
① the wheels of the bicycle are put into restraints at the base .
② the card is read and the bike is automatically returned .
③ an electronic card with the owner’s details is given
④ the bike is pulled and moved to a free location inside .
| A．③②①④ | B．③①④② | C．②①④③ | D．②④③① |
What made it difficult to design “bike trees”?
| A．The location of “bike trees”. | B．The method of finding enough bikes. |
| C．The differences of the bikes. | D．The importance of traffic safety |
From the passage, we can know that _______.
| A．countries with many cyclists in Europe will like the idea of “bike trees” |
| B．there are seven “bike trees” used for holding bikes in Japan |
C．local government of Japa n encourage people to ride bikes |
| D．cyclists can use “bike trees” for free in Japan. |
While reading a book in English, every few lines, you run across a word or two that you don't know. You look up every new word in the dictionary. Bad move. All that does is slow you down. Even electric or CD-ROM dictionaries can get in the way of your reading progress. A dictionary is like a road map. It can help you if you get lost and point you in the right direction. But if you stop to look at the "map" each time you take a step, you'll get nowhere fast.
On your English learning "journey", a dictionary can be a helpful "travel companion"—if it's not overused. To help you start thinking in English, use an English-to-English dictionary. Otherwise, you'll always depend on your native language and end up translating in your head.
A good dictionary can help you do more than just find the meaning of a word. It can help you verify (test and check) spelling, check word forms and grammar usage, find example sentences and learn pronunciation. Some dictionaries even provide exercises to teach you how to use their resources.
Take time to get to know your dictionary. Learn the pronunciation symbols. Understand what the abbreviations(缩写
字) mean. Become familiar with the grammar codes that explain the usage for each word. Look for charts, diagrams and lists that might be useful in the future. You'll discover how rewarding it can be to make friends with your dictionary. And as they say, "A friend in need is a friend indeed". The underlined word "that" used in the last paragraph refers to ________.
| A．chart, diagrams and lists |
| B．abbreviations and the usage for each word |
| C．the meaning of a word, spelling and grammar usage |
| D．pronunciation symbols and grammar codes |
Why do you want to buy a good English-to-English dictionary?
| A．Because it is a good friend if we use it often. | |
| B．Because it can help us to find the right direction if we get lost. | |
C．Because it can help us to start thinking both in English and in Chinese. |
D．Without it we'll depend on our native language and end up translating in our head. |
Which of the following statements does the writer lead you to believe?
| A．The more you use a dictionary, the better you can understand the article you read. |
| B．The more you use the resources in the dictionary, the more you can benefit from it. |
| C．The more you use a dictionary, the faster you may read. |
| D．The better a dictionary is, the more expensive it is. |
The best title of the passage may be _______.
| A．Dictionary is Like a Road Map While We Are Traveling |
| B．Use a Dictionary When Necessary |
| C．How Important a Good English-to-English Dictionary is |
| D．A Dictionary is a Friend Indeed |
BRITAIN is a popular tourist place. But tours of the country have pros and cons.
Good news
Free museums. No charge for outstanding collections of art and antiquities.
Pop music. Britain is the only country to rival (与……匹敌) the US on this score.
Black cabs. London taxi drivers know where they are going even if there are never enough of them at weekends or night.
Choice of food. Visitors can find everything from Ethiopian to Swedish restaurants.
Fashion. Not only do fashion junkies love deeply and respect highly brand names such as Vivienne Westwood, Alexander Mc Queen; street styles are justly loved, too.
ing hours. Alcohol (酒) is in short su
pply after 11 p.m. even in “24-hour cities.”
| A．Poor service. | B．Poor public transport. | C．Overpriced hotels. | D．Rain. |
What do we learn about pop music in Britain and the US through this passage?
| A．Pop music in Britain is better than that in the US. |
| B．Pop music in Britain is worse than that in the US. |
| C．Pop music in Britain is as good as that in the US. |
| D．Pop music in Britain is quite different from that in the US. |
When is alcohol not able to get?
| A．At 12:00 p.m.. | B．At 10:00 p.m.. | C．At 11:00 p.m.. | D．At 9:00 p.m.. |