In high school I joined the girl athletic club. At our first track meet, I entered for the long jump, but was made an alternate（替补）for the 50 yard dash. I didn’t like it, since I was better at long distance, but they assured me I would never have to run; they just ran out of alternate.
As I walked up to the start line, I saw my Dad on the sidelines. He was watching. Position, ready, set and off went the starting gun. Believe it or not, I closed my eyes and ran like I’d never run before.
I knew I didn’t have a chance of winning. But I started to hear cheering and thought for a minute, was it possible? I opened my eyes and to my disappointment, everyone else was crossing the finish line, inches away from each other and I was only half the distance.
That moment felt like days. I felt so stupid. I just wanted to melt into the ground and disappeared. Worse than that, my Dad was watching and then I felt ashamed. I kept running hard as I could, crying all the way towards the finish line. It seemed no one noticed me as I crossed the finish line. I saw my Dad standing there looking at me. I was ashamed to look at him. He walked over to me and said, “I’m so proud of you.” I was surprised, “For what? Everyone else finished before I even got halfway. I looked like a fool.” “Because you didn’t give up, not even when you realized what had happened. You gave it your all and finished.” I laughed and cried at the same time.
I find I can face what seems impossible, even alone and afraid, and, that winning does not always come in as you expect. I give my best effort to all I do, win or lose. I don’t give up in the middle of anything.The author meant to compete in .
| A．the 50 yard dash | B．the long jump | C．the long-distance run | D．the high jump |
When the author heard cheering, she thought .
| A．she had the chance to win the game |
| B．she left others inches away halfway |
| C．other competitors were encouraging her |
| D．somebody had won the game |
What happened after the author crossed the finish line?
| A．She cried at the sight of her father. |
| B．Everyone cheered her for her success. |
| C．Her farther came up and comforted her. |
| D．She felt ashamed to meet her classmates. |
What lesson can we learn form the author’s experience?
| A．What seems impossible always becomes possible. |
| B．Don’t lose heart halfway whatever you do. |
| C．Success will come as long as you expect it. |
| D．Try to do everything until you win in the end. |
Rome had the Forum. London has Speaker's Corner. Now always–on–the-go. New Yorkers have Liz and Bill.
Liz and Bill, two college graduates in their early 20s, have spent a whole year trying to have thousands of people talk to them in subway stations and on busy street corners. Just talk.
Using a 2-foot-tall sign that says, "Talk to Me." they attract conversationalists, who one evening included a mental patient, and men in business suits.
They don't collect money. They don't push religion. So what's the point?
"To see what happens, said Liz. " We simply enjoy life with open communication."
Shortly after the September 11,2001 attacks, they decided to walk from New York City to Washington, a 270-mile trip. They found they loved talking to people along the way and wanted to continue talking with strangers after their return.
"It started as a crazy idea, "Liz said." We were so curious about all the strangers walking by with their life stories. People will talk to us about anything: their jobs, their clothes, their childhood experiences, anything."
Denise wanted to talk about an exam she was about to take. She had stopped by for the second time in two days, to let the two listeners know how it went.
Marcia had lost her husband to a serious disease. "That was very heavy on my mind," Marcia said. "To be able to talk about it to total strangers was very good," she explained.
To celebrate a year of talking, the two held a get-together in a city park for all the people they had met over the past year. A few hundred people showed up, as well as some television cameramen and reporters.
They may plan more parties or try to attract more people to join their informal talks. Some publishers have expressed interest in a book, something they say they'll consider.What did Liz and Bill start doing after September 2001?
| A．Chatting with people. | B．Setting up street signs |
| C．Telling stories to strangers | D．Organizing a speaker's corner |
What they have been doing can be described as_________. .
| A．pointless | B．normal | C．crazy | D．successful |
Why are Denise and Marcia mentioned in the text?
| A．They knew Liz and Bill very well. |
| B．They happened to meet the writer of the text. |
| C．They organized the get-together in the city park. |
| D．They are examples of those who talked to Liz and Bill. |
What will Liz and Bill do in the future?
| A．Go in for publishing. | B．Do more television programs. |
| C．Continue what they are doing. | D．Spend more time reading books. |
How do they like the idea of writing a book?
| A．They have decided to wait a year or two |
| B．They will think about it carefully |
| C．They agreed immediately |
| D．They find it hard to do that |
In 1977, a dead author of detective stories saved the life of a 19-month-old baby in a most unusual way. The author was Agatha Christie, one of the most successful writers of detective stories in the world.
In June 1977, a baby girl became seriously ill in Qatar, near Saudi Arabia. Doctors were unable to find out the cause of her illness with confidence, so she was sent to Hammersmith Hospital in London. She was then only semi-conscious and on the "Dangerously Ill" list. A team of doctors hurried to examine the baby only to discover that they, too, were confused by the very unusual symptoms (症状). While they were discussing the baby's case, a nurse asked to speak to them. "Excuse me," said Nurse Marsha Maitlan, "but I think the baby is suffering from thallium (铊) poisoning."
"What makes you think that?" Dr. Brown asked. "Thallium poisoning is extremely rare."
"A few days ago, I was reading a novel called A Pale Horse by Agatha Christie," Nurse Maitlan explained. "In the book, somebody uses thallium poison, and all the symptoms are described. They're exactly the same as the baby's."
"You're very thoughtful and you may be right," another doctor said. "We'll carry out some tests and find out whether it's thallium or not."
Tests showed that the baby had indeed been poisoned by thallium, a rare metallic substance used in making special glass. Once they knew the cause of the illness, the doctors were able to give the baby the correct treatment. She soon recovered and was sent back to Qatar. Later it was reported that the poison might have come from an insecticide (杀虫剂) used in Qatar. The one who first suggested the correct cause of the baby's illness was _____.
| A．a doctor in Qatar | B．Dr. Brown |
| C．Nurse Maitlan | D．Agatha Christie |
As far as we can tell from the passage, Agatha Christie _____.
| A．had spent a long time studying the baby's case |
| B．visited the baby in the hospital at Hammersmith |
| C．had never met this baby |
| D．gave Nurse Maitlan some advice on the phone |
It seems likely from the passage that the baby's illness had something to do with _____.
| A．a harmful substance used to kill insects |
| B．a dangerous pair of glasses |
| C．the water in Qatar |
| D．a dead writer |
I first went to Harrow in the summer term. The school had the biggest swimming pool I had ever seen. It was a good joke to come up behind a naked boy, and push him into the pool. I made quite a habit of this with boys of my own size or less.
One day I saw a boy wrapped in a towel on the side of the pool. He was no bigger than I was, so I thought him a fair game. Coming secretly behind, I pushed him in, holding on to his towel so that it would not get wet, I was surprised to see an angry face come out from the water, and a being of great strength masking its way by face strokes (猛力地划)to the shore. I fled, but in vain. He overtook me, seized me violently, and threw me into the deepest part of the pool. I soon climbed out on the other side, and found myself surrounded by a crowd of younger boys.” Do you know what you have done?” they said, “It’s Amery; he is in Grade Six. He is champion at gym; he has got his football honor.”
I was frightened and felt ashamed. How could I tell his position when be was wrapped in a bath towel and so small.” He didn’t seem pleased at all, so I added in a most brilliant word,” My father, who is a great man, is also small.” At this be laughed, and after some general words about my rude behavior and how I had better be careful in the future, signified the incident was closed.The writer thought Amery” a fair game” because the boy .
| A．was of similar size |
| B．was fond of games |
| C．looked like an animal |
| D．was good at sports |
The writer felt” ashamed” because .
| A．he was laughed at by other boys |
| B．he played a joke on an outstanding athlete |
| C．Amery turned out to be in the same grade |
| D．he pushed Amery hard and hurt him |
By saying “My father, who is a great man, is also small”, the writer .
| A．challenged Amery | B．threatened Amery |
| C．admired his father | D．tried to please Amery |
Which of the following is TRUE?
| A．The writer could run faster than Amery. |
| B．Amery forgave the writer for his rude behavior. |
| C．The writer liked playing on boys of all sizes. |
| D．Amery was a student in Grade Four. |
In earliest times, men considered lightning to be one of the great mysteries of nature. Some ancient people believed that lightning and thunder were the weapons of the gods.
In reality, lightning is a flow of electricity formed high above the earth. A single flash of lightning 1.6 kilometres long has enough electricity to light one million light bulbs .
The American scientist and statesman, Benjamin Franklin, was the first to show the connection between electricity and lightning in 1752. In the same year he also built the first lightning rod (避雷针). This device protects buildings from being damaged by lightning.
Modern science has discovered that one stroke of lightning has a voltage (电压) of more than 15 million volts (伏特). A flash of lightning between a cloud and the earth may be as long as 13 kilometers, and travel at a speed of 30 million meters per second.
Scientists judge that there are about 2,000 million flashes of lightning per year. Lightning hits the Empire State Building in New York City 30 to 48 times a year. In the United States alone it kills an average of one person every day.
The safest place to be in case of an electrical storm is in a closed car. Outside, one should go to low ground and not get under tress. Also on,e should stay out of water and away from metal fences. Inside a house, people should avoid open doorways and windows and not touch wires or metal things.
With lightning, it is better to be safe than sorry.People once thought lightning came from ________.
| A．the gods | B．the earth |
| C．the sky | D．nature |
According to the passage what do you think all buildings need?
| A．Metal fences. | B．Machines. |
| C．Electricity. | D．Lightning rods |
Lightning can travel ________.
| A．as quickly as water | B．not so quickly as electricity |
| C．at very high speed | D．at very low speed |
Which of the following is NOT true?
| A．In the U.S about one person per day dies from lightning. |
| B．Swimming during a thunder storm is a good idea. |
| C．The Empire State Building frequently gets hit by lightning. |
| D．A closed car is the best place to be during an electrical storm. |
Rush hour traffic is a problem in many big cities around the world. Commuters(上下班者)rush to and from their jobs in cars, buses, subways, trains, and even on bicycles. Large cities in the United States have two rush hours—one in the morning and one in the evening. But in cities in other parts of the world, there are four rush hours. In Athens and Rome, for example, many workers go home for lunch and a nap. After this midday break, they rush back to their jobs and work for a few more hours.
In Tokyo, there's a big rush hour underground. Most of the people in Tokyo take the subways. The trains are very crowded. Subway employees called packers wear white gloves and help pack the commuters into the trains when the doors close. They make sure that all purses, briefcases, clothes, and hands are inside the trains.
In Seoul, many commuters prefer to take taxis to get to work.. To hail a cab，many people stand at crossroads and raise two fingers. This means they'll pay the cab driver double the usual fare. Some people even raise three fingers! They'll pay three times the normal rate。
Streets in Rome are very crowded with automobiles and mopeds(摩托自行车)during rush hours. The city can't make its streets wider, and it can't build new highways, because it doesn't want to disturb the many historic sites in the city, such as the Forum and the Coliseum. It took the city fifteen years to construct a new subway system. Construction had to stop every time workers found old artifacts and discovered places of interest to archaeologists(考古学家).
In many big cities, there are special lanes on highways for carpools. These are groups of three or more people who drive to and from work together. They share the costs of gas and parking and take turns driving into the city.
Getting to work and getting home can be difficult in many places around the world. Rush hour traffic seems to be a universal problem.Big cities have traffic problems during rush hours because there are _______
| A．special lanes on highways | B．many commuters |
| C．four rush hours | D．many cars on the street |
Most of the commuters in Tokyo _______
| A．take subway trains to work | B．are packers |
| C．take taxis to work | D．carry briefcases to work |
To “hail a cab” means to _______
| A．pay double the normal fare | B．try to get a cab |
| C．prefer to take taxis | D．to stand at crossroads |
Commuters in carpools probably_______
| A．live in the city | B．take the subway to work |
| C．save money on gas and parking fees | D．have special license plates(牌照) |