Everybody likes a winner， and there are always people ready to cheer for a good winner. But who has ever heard a song for the man who comes in second？ So this is in praise of the almost winner， the nearly champion(冠军)， the next to the biggest， the second best. This is the song of Mister Two.
You hear unflattering(不讨好人的) names for Mister Two. “Alsoran”， they call him， and “runnerup”， names that make you think of a fellow who couldn’t quite make it. Don’t let that fool you. Ask the winner of any race how good a man Mister Two is. He will tell you it’s Mister Two who made him run so fast， Mister Two is always threat
ening to overtake and pass him.
Ask the salesman who won the contest and what kept him looking for extra order. Ask the directors of the big company why they keep changing their product， seeking the new equipment， the added advantage. What drives them？ What keeps them going？ It’s the salesman with nearly as many orders. It is the company with the product almost as good. It’s Mister Two.
In this country， we’re proud of the quality of our champions. Our big men come very big. Our fast men run very fast. Our wise men are the wisest and our greatest men are the greatest that a country could hope to be blessed with. And why is that？ It is Mis
ter Two that makes the race always open and everybody can run. So this is for you， Mister Two. This is your song. This is for all the days you tried for first， a
nd came in second. It’s for the nights when you wonder if you ought to go on trying， since nobody seems to notice. . .
We notice， Mister Two. We know the score. Winner or not， you’re a natural champion. There couldn’t be a race without you， Mister Two.
48. People usually call Mister Two unflattering names to him.
A. praise B. encourage C. laugh at 
D. respect
49. According to the author， Mister Two is mentioned in connection with the following except .
A. business B. sports C. greatness D. failure
50. It is implied in this story that .
A. Mister Two is as important as the winner B. every leader needs someone to help him
C. the second today must be the first tomorrow D. second place is always praised
51. The person who wins needs to understand that .
A. winning is everything B. being Mister Two is wonderful
C. without Mister Two he would do better
D. without strong competition he wouldn’t have worked so hard
At the age of seven I started taking violin lessons. I practiced half an hour every day, went to lessons once a week, and occasionally played in a group concert. Like most kids, I always thought practicing was boring. If my parents hadn’t been there to make me practice, I probably would have put down my violin and never have picked it up again.
I met Moira when I was 11 at an Irish music party. Moira hosted the party that night, playing the violin, singing and dancing. She made sure that everyone in the room got involved and had a great time. I immediately fell in love with the music she played and the energy that she brought to it. Just a few days after that party, I took my first lesson with Moira, and I continued taking lessons with Moira throughout middle school.
When I started playing the violin with Moira, playing music became something that I loved. She introduced me to so many types of music, from Irish to Old Time, to Cajun. Moira also taught me to play the guitar. Soon we started performing together and were shocked to discover that people actually wanted to hear us! When I began to play the violin, practicing was something that I did at home in my living room, but with Moira’s influence it quickly became something that I did everywhere. I played on street corners, at festivals, at the beach, at parties, at weddings, and late at night in my friends’ kitchens.
Moira took the music out to the classroom and brought it to life. Her passion(激情)was not only for playing music, but also for sharing it. My time with Moira allowed me to grow both musically and personally. I have met so many special people and had so many invaluable(无价的) experiences. Moira has proven to be the most important influence in my musical development, and also my invaluable friend. Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．The writer had her violin lessons every day. |
| B．The writer disliked the kids who hated the violin. |
| C．The writer usually played music in school concerts. |
| D．At first the writer was not active in learning the violin. |
The passage didn’t say directly but we can learn that.
| A．Moira was a good neighbor |
| B．the writer was a good singer |
| C．Moira was a good organizer |
| D．the writer was a music teacher |
What can we know from the last paragraph?
| A．Moira didn’t like to play music in the classroom. |
| B．Moira helped the writer a lot with her personal life. |
| C．Moira had great influence on the writer’s life |
| D．Moira was very thankful for the writer’s support. |
What would be the best title for the passage?
| A．My Way to Success. | B．My Invaluable Friend. |
| C．My Middle School Life. | D．How I learned the Violin. |
As a student, you must be excited to know something about American school students. In fact, just like in China, in the United States, high school is usually divided into two periods, the first two or three years are called “junior high school” and the other is “senior high school”.
In China, children enjoy free education of nine years, but in the United States, the students enjoy free education(which will be started when they are about 6 years old) until they are 18 years old. As a result of the free education system, American children have little difficulty in going to senior high school.
American high school students can take part in a lot of activities outside of the classroom. The activities are organized by the school, such as joining a music group or a sports team. Certainly, just like us students in China, American students have to work hard in order to get good marks if they want to go to a good university. They take classes in all kinds of subjects all through the high school period. And students with low marks at the end of a school year are still allowed to go on to the next grade.
In American high schools, there is fighting or hurting or other kinds of bad behaviors. So children who want to go to university are often sent to suburban (郊区的) high schools, where most students want to go to university and the atmosphere (氛围) is quite different.This passage mainly tells us about ________.
| A．education of Chinese middle school |
| B．education of American high school |
| C．American free education |
| D．how to get into universities in America |
Which of the following statements is NOT true?
| A．The time of free education in China is longer than that in America. |
| B．Those who get good marks can go to a good university. |
| C．American students can take all kinds of subjects during the high school period. |
| D．They can be allowed to join the next grade even if they fail the school-year exam. |
The writer of the passage tells us the truth that ________.
| A．the atmosphere in high schools is not good |
| B．none of the schools in cities are good for learning |
| C．suburban high schools are good places for learning |
| D．all the American students want to go to university |
“Come on! All of us are cutting math. Who wants to take that quiz? We’re going to take a walk and get lunch instead. Let’s go!” says the coolest kid in your class. Do you do what you know is right and go to math class, take the quiz? Or do you give in and go with them?
People who are at your age, like your classmates, are called peers（同龄人）. When they try to influence you how to act, to get you to do something, it’s called peer pressure（压力）. It’s something everyone has to deal with—even adults.
Peers influence your life, even if you don’t realize it, just by spending time with you. You learn from them, and they learn from you. It’s only human nature to listen to and learn from other people in your age group.
Peers can have a positive influence on each other. Maybe another student in your science class taught you an easy way to remember the planets in the solar system. Or you got others excited about your new favorite book, and now everyone is reading it. Sometimes peers influence each other in negative（消极的） ways. For example, a few kids in school might try to get you to cut class with them.
It’s difficult to say “no” to peer pressure, but you can do it. Paying attention to your own feelings and beliefs about what is right and wrong can help you know the right thing to do.
It can really help to have at least one other peer, or friend, who is willing to say “no” too. If you continue to face peer pressure and you’re finding it difficult to handle, talk to someone you trust, a parent, or a teacher. They can help you feel much better and prepare you for the next time you face peer pressure.With his words in the first paragraph, the kid is ________.
| A．planning some interesting activities after school |
| B．talking about a dinner party |
| C．asking other kids to take a quiz with him |
| D．encouraging other kids to cut a class |
According to the author, _________.
| A．peer pressure does kids more harm than good |
| B．math is the most difficult subject for most kids |
| C．kids today are under greater pressure than before |
| D．peer pressure exists among people of all age groups |
What does the underlined word “it” in Paragraph 3 refer to?
| A．Peer pressure. | B．Your time. |
| C．Your life. | D．Human nature. |
It’s suggested in the last paragraph that the readers _______.
| A．make more close friends while at school |
| B．learn to refuse their friends in a polite way |
| C．get support from someone else if it’s necessary |
| D．build closer relations with their parents and teachers |
Think of life as a game in which you are playing with five balls in the air. You name them work, family, health, friends and spirit and you keep all of them in the air. You will soon understand that work is a rubber ball. If you drop it, it will bounce (弹跳) back.
But the other four balls, family, health, friends and spirit, are made of glass. If you drop one of these, they will be broken. They will never be the same. You must understand that and try to have balance in your life. How?
Don’t look down on your worth by comparing yourself with others. It is because we are different and each of us is special.
Don’t let other people set goal for you. Only you know what is best for yourself.
Don’t give up when you still have something to give. Nothing is really over until the moment you stop trying.
Don’t be afraid of difficulties. It is by taking chances that we learn how to be brave.
Don’t shut love out of your life by saying it’s impossible. The quickest way to receive love is to give it; the fastest way to lose love is to hold it too tightly; the best way to keep love is to give it wings（翅膀).
Don’t run through life so fast that you forget not only where you’ve been, but also where you are going.
Don’t be afraid to learn. Knowledge is a treasure you can always carry easily.
Don’t use time or words carelessly. You can’t get them back. Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, and today is a gift; that’s why we call it “the present”. Life is not a competition, but a trip, step by step.The passage tells us not to _________ because everyone is special.
| A．be afraid of difficulties |
| B．be afraid to learn |
| C．run through life so fast |
| D．compare yourself with others to look down on your worth |
The sentence “Nothing is really over until the moment you stop trying.” means that _______.
| A．Nothing is possible |
| B．If we don’t give up, there is always hope |
| C．You should learn to give up |
| D．Although you try, nothing will change. |
Why can’t we use time carelessly? ___________
| A．Because time is too expensive. |
| B．Because time never returns. |
| C．Because we are too poor. |
| D．Because times will get back. |
If you run through life so fast, you will ____________.
| A．lose your own treasure that you can always carry easily |
| B．lose love by holding it too tightly |
| C．forget not only where you’ve been, but also where you are going. |
| D．not afraid of the difficulties |
The planet is getting greener, and we are responsible. Carbon dioxide generated by human activities is promoting photosynthesis (光合作用) and causing a beneficial greening of the Earth’s surface.
For the first time, researchers claim to have shown that the increase in plant cover is due to this “CO2 fertilisation (肥沃化) effect” rather than other causes. However, it remains unclear whether the effect can reduce any negative effects of global warming, such as the spread of deserts.
To home in on the effect of CO2, Randall Donohue of Australia’s national research institute, the CSIRO in Canberra, monitored vegetation (植被) at the edges of deserts in Australia, southern Africa, the US Southwest, North Africa, the Middle East and central Asia. These are regions where there is plenty of warmth and sunlight, but only just enough rainfall for vegetation to grow, so any change in plant cover must be the result of a change in rainfall patterns or CO2 levels, or both.
If CO2 levels were constant, then the amount of vegetation per unit of rainfall ought to be constant, too. However, the team found that this figure rose by 11 per cent in these areas between 1982 and 2010, mirroring the rise in CO2 emissions (排放). Donohue says this lends strong support to the idea that CO2 fertilization drove the greening.
The extra plant growth could have knock-on effects on climate, Donohue says, by increasing rainfall, affecting river flows and changing the likelihood of wildfires. It will also absorb more CO2 from the air, potentially damping down (抑制) global warming but also limiting the CO2 fertilization effect itself.
Donohue cannot yet say to what extent CO2 fertilisation will affect vegetation in the coming decades. But if it proves to be significant, the future may be much greener.According to the author, the increase in plant cover _____.
| A．will speed up global warming |
| B．results from human activities |
| C．will stop the spread of deserts |
| D．promotes the CO2 fertilization effect |
What does the underlined phrase “To home in on” in Para 3 probably mean?
| A．To hold back. | B．To cut down. |
| C．To improve. | D．To observe. |
The amount of vegetation in those monitored areas rose with _____.
| A．the rise in CO2 emissions | B．annual rainfall |
| C．the temperatures around | D．the amount of sunlight |
What’s the best title of the text?
| A．More rainfall, less CO2 emission |
| B．How to deal with carbon emissions |
| C．Positive effects of global warming |
| D．CO2 emission making Earth greener |