Jean Driscoll can go faster in her wheelchair than the world’s best marathoners(马拉松运动员) can run!
In April, Jean finished the Boston Marathon in 1 hour 34 minutes 22 seconds. That’s about 33 minutes faster than the winning male runner! She competed on the track, too. She was se
cond in the 800 meter wheelchair race at the 1992 Olympics.
Jean doesn’t like to be told she’s brave. “I’m in sports because I’m a competitive person!” Jean was born with spina befida(脊柱裂), a birth illness that damages the spine（脊椎）. She began to use a wheelchair to get around in high school. Then she tried wheelchair race and was amazed.” Players crashed into each other and fell out of their chairs,” she says, “It was fun.”
Jean tried other wheelchair sports. At the University of Illinois, her wheelchair basketball team won two national titles.
Now Jean coaches and teaches. She tries to get people to set goals. “When I sign my autograph（亲笔签名）,says Jean, “I write, dream big and work hard.”What made Jean take part in sports?
| A．She was brave. |
| B．She was competitive. |
| C．She was strong. |
| D．She was disabled. |
What kind of education did she receive?
| A．High school. |
B．Junior middle sch ool. |
| C．High education. |
| D．Primary school. |
What is Jean’s advice on how to succeed?
| A．Work hard. | B．Hope for the best. |
| C．Dream a lot. | D．Have great wishes and work h ard. |
People say teenagers are no good. They make too much noise in shopping malls; they drive carelessly up and down America’s main streets. And at least some of the time those things are true.
But we shouldn’t forget that there are hard moments in the life of a teenager too.
I watched such a moment not long ago at a woman’s funeral which happened in a church. A teenage grandson stepped forward. Softly he began:“I want to share a few values that Nana taught me. She never failed to see light in any situation. When our family dog would attack her, what would Nana say? Oh, what beautiful markings that dog has.” That was Nana.
“She was a strong woman who often lived in the shadow of my grandpa, who was a successful businessman in this city. But she was the one behind the scenes who provided the strength and support for Grandpa’s career,” he said, with a voice now trembling. “That was Nana’s way.”
Finally, in a voice breaking free of sorrow, he looked up and said, “Nana taught me courage. She put up a fight to the end, when she died peacefully, which is how she lived her life. That was Nana’s way, and I hope I can carry on in the same manner.”
There are no hearts as sensitive as those of teenagers, because everything is happening to them for the first time. The trouble with teenagers is that they haven’t learned to be controlled. When that boy rose to speak about the woman who had been his dearest friend, his honest voice dragged each of us out into the open where we could no longer hide. I was moved and learned a lot.Accordingtothefirstparagraph,______.
| A．peopledon’tthinkhighlyoftheteenagers |
| B．youngpeoplearelivingahardlife |
| C．peopleshouldn’tforgetyoungpeople |
| D．youngpeopleshouldkeepquietbeforethepublic |
Fromtheboy’sspeech,weknowhisgrandmother______.
| A．hadgreatinfluenceovertheboywhenshewasalive |
| B．likeddogsverymucheveniftheyoftenattackedher |
| C．couldseeeverythingaroundherthoughshewasold |
| D．wasaweakwomanlivingintheshadowofhisgrandpa |
Wecaninferfromthepassagethattheboy______.
| A．wasfilledwithsadnessandgaveupfinishinghistalk |
| B．wasalwaysverygoodatexpressinghimself |
| C．practicedalotinordertogiveamovingspeech |
| D．hadgreatdifficultyinacceptingthelossofNana |
Thewriterwantedtotellthereaders______.
| A．theyoungpeopleweretooweaktofacecertainfacts |
| B．theyoungpeoplehavelearnedtocontrolthemselves |
| C．theadultscouldlearnsomethingvaluablefromtheyoung |
| D．theadultsshouldteachtheyounghowtodealwiththedeath |
Jean-Michael Lourdis was a promising young pianist. But when the young man played, it seemed to him, as if his hands were iron. He worried so much about his playing that he became oversensitive (过度敏感的) to the comments of his playing. Unfortunately, in those days, a critic(批评家) was not considered a critic, unless he found something wrong. This attitude of the critics would often leave the young man ready to give up his dream and return home.
He was invited to play in Helsinki. The rich, the famous, the leaders of State were all there. Jean-Michael had one of those days when everything went wrong. That night as he played, he felt as if it were the worst concert of his young life. The next day, in the newspapers, some of the comments were so unkind. The young musician was painful.
That day, as he sat in his hotel room in total despair(绝望), there came a knocking at his door. He had a visitor.The famous Finnish composer(作曲家) Jean Sibelius had come by to congratulate the young pianist on his performance. Jean-Michael asked how he thought of that and began to quote some of the newspaper critics. “ Hands of iron. No imagination. Little skill. No joy. Don't you hear what they say?” he asked.
Jean Sibelius looked at young Jean-Michael and said, “Remember, son, there is no city in the world where they have erected a statue(雕像) for a critic.”According to the passage, Jean-Michael Lourdis _______.
| A．was a bad pianist |
| B．cared too much about what the critics had said |
| C．refused to play in Helsinki |
| D．was praised highly by the critics |
A critic in those days usually _______.
| A．found fault with musicians' performances |
| B．said kind and encouraging words to musicians |
| C．helped musicians become famous |
| D．asked more people to go to concerts |
The young musician was painful because _________.
| A．he was very strict with himself |
| B．he didn’t trust himself |
| C．some of the comments were so unkind |
| D．he felt lonely in his hotel room |
Jean Sibelius came to visit the young musician because ________.
| A．he wanted to tell the young man the critics were right |
| B．he wanted to tell the young man not to lose his temper at that time |
| C．he wanted to tell the young man his performance was great |
| D．he wanted to tell the young man to respect the critics’ opinion |
Goldie’s Secret
She turned up at the doorstep of my house in Cornwall. No way could I have sent her away. No way, not me anyway. Maybe someone had kicked her out of their car the night before. “We’re moving house.” “No space for her any more with the baby coming.” “We never really wanted her, but what could we have done? She was a present.” People find all sorts of excuses for abandoning an animal. And she was one of the most beautiful dogs I had ever seen.
I called her Goldie. If I had known what was going to happen I would have given her a more creative name. She was so unsettled during those first few days. She hardly ate anything and had such an air of sadness about her. There was nothing I could do to make her happy, it seemed Heaven knows what had happened to her at her previous owner’s. But eventually at the end of the first week she calmed down, always by my side, whether we were out on one of our long walks or sitting by the fire.
That’s why it was such a shock when she pulled away from me one day when we were out for a walk. We were a long way from home, when she started barking and getting very restless. Eventually I couldn’t hold her any longer and she raced off down the road towards a farmhouse in the distance as fast as she could.
By the time I reached the farm I was very tired and upset with Goldie. But when I saw her licking (舔) the four puppies (幼犬) I started to feel sympathy towards them. “We didn't know what had happened to her,” said the woman at the door. “I took her for a walk one day, soon after the puppies were born, and she just disappeared.” “She must have tried to come back to them and got lost,” added a boy from behind her.
I must admit I do miss Goldie, but I've got Nugget now, and she looks just like her mother. And I’ve learnt a good lesson: not to judge people.How did the author feel about Goldie when Goldie came to the house?
| A．Shocked. | B．Sympathetic. | C．Annoyed. | D．Upset. |
In her first few days at the author's house, Goldie ______.
| A．felt worried | B．was angry | C．ate a little | D．sat by the fire |
Goldie rushed off to a farmhouse one day because she ______.
| A．saw her puppies | B．heard familiar barking |
| C．wanted to leave the author | D．found her way to her old home |
A well-dressed man came to a famous jewelry shop. He explained that he wished to buy a pearl for his wife’s birthday. The price didn’t matter. Since business had been very good for him that year. After examining a nice black one that cost $5000, he paid for the pearl in cash, shook hands with the jeweler, and left.
A few days later the man returned and said that his wife liked the pearl so much that she wanted another one just like it. It had to be exactly the same size and quality, because she wanted a pair of earrings made, “Can you give me any advice on how to get such a pearl? ” said the man. The jeweler regretfully replied, “I would say it’s exactly impossible to find one exactly like that pearl. ”
The rich man insisted that the jeweler advertise in the newspapers, offering $ 25,000 for the matching pearl. Many people answered the advertisement but nobody had a pearl that was just right.
Just when the jeweler had given up hope, a little old lady came into his store. To his great surprise, she pulled the perfect pearl from her purse. “I don’t like to part with it,” she said sadly, “I inherited (继承) it from my mother, and my mother inherited it from hers. But I really need the money. ”
The jeweler was quick to pay her before she changed her mind. Then he called the rich man’s hotel to tell him the good news. The man, however, was nowhere to be found. He paid $ 5,000 for the black pearl without bargaining because ______.
| A．he was very rich |
| B．he wanted to make the jeweler believe him |
| C．he was anxious to get it |
| D．his business had been successful |
He told the jeweler to get him another pearl that must be ______.
| A．exactly the same size as the black on |
| B．exactly the same quality as the black one |
| C．worth no more than $ 25,000 |
| D．exactly as big and nice as the black one |
Many people answered the advertisement because they wanted _______.
| A．to see the perfect pearl |
| B．to buy some beautiful pearls too |
| C．to get in touch with the rich man |
| D．to sell their own pearl at a high price |
The jeweler couldn’t find the man anywhere because ______.
| A．he died suddenly |
| B．He happened to be out |
| C．He got $ 20,00 by cheating and had run away with the money |
| D．He wouldn’t show up until the jeweler called him a second time |
I have a good memory of my grandfather，Jack. He was sitting in his armchair in the front room.
I sat next to him. We were reading aloud，our heads bent over the page in front of us，a finger marking the words；separated by seven decades，brought together by words. It's a common scene in British families；however，in our case，the usual order of things is reversed（颠倒）．Granddad had been blind since I was tiny，so I was reading to him.When reading aloud，people usually read something that's of interest to the listener. So I didn't read children's books；I read the sorts of things Granddad liked to hear about. Much of the vocabulary in Granddad’s reading material was far beyond me. When I met unfamiliar words，I'd spell them out.
Granddad would help me. It must have been painful for him to hear news；but he never hurried me along or complained. Our reading wasn't really about getting knowledge. It was a way for us to spend time together.
My grandfather wasn't always blind. He had been a good carpenter（木匠）．The first Christmas of my parents' marriage，he built my mother a bookcase，which now belongs to my son Jonah，providing a link between four generations.
I was a fortunate child；I spent a lot of time with my grandfather，and he opened the world to me in a particular way. Reading was our way of building a relationship that has had a lasting effect on me. In the school holidays，I sometimes accompanied him on trips to the seaside with the local association for the blind. This might seem strange，but I felt that my personal value was realized because I could finally do something for Granddad.
A decade later，I found a position in a nursing home，which reminded me of my early experiences；reading to senior citizens was a connection back to Granddad. More than simple conversation，reading aloud is a connection between two individuals and it can have a big emotional（情感的）effect on elderly people.What can we know from the first paragraph?
| A．The author's grandfather was born blind. |
| B．The author is seventy years younger than her grandfather. |
| C．The author often sat opposite to her grandfather while reading. |
| D．It's quite common in Britain that children read to their grandfathers. |
Why didn't the author choose to read children's books?
| A．To expand her knowledge. |
| B．To make her vocabulary bigger. |
| C．To show off in front of her grandfather. |
| D．To satisfy the needs of her grandfather. |
How did the author feel during the trips with Granddad?
| A．Proud. | B．Troubled. |
| C．Curious. | D．Embarrassed. |