Have successful people ever felt sad? Do they have any “secrets” to success? The answers to these questions can be found in US president Barack Obama’s “back to school” speech. Here is an excerpt(摘录) from his speech.
I know that sometimes, you get the sense that you can be rich and successful without any hard work—that your ticket to success is through rapping (饶舌音乐) or basketball or being a TV star, when chances are, you’re not going to be any of those things.
But the truth is, being successful is hard. You won’t love every subject you study. Not all the homework will seem completely important to your life right this minute. And you may not succeed at everything the first time you try.
That’s OK. Some of the most successful people in the world are the ones who’ve had the most failures. JK Rowling’s first Harry Potter book was turned down 12 times before it finally came out. Michael Jordan was cut from his high school basketball team, and he lost hundreds of games and missed thousands of shots (投篮) during his career. But he once said, “I have failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.”
These people succeeded because they understand that you can’t let your failures beat you—you have to let them teach you. You have to let them show you what to do differently next time.
No one’s born being good at things. You become good at things through hard work.
Don’t be afraid to ask questions. Don’t be afraid to ask for help when you need it. I do that every day. Asking for help isn’t a sign of weakness; it’s a sign of strength. It shows you have the courage to admit(承认) when you don’t know something, and to learn something new.
And even when you’re struggling, even when you’re discouraged (泄气), and you feel like other people have given up on you—don’t ever give up on yourself. Because when you give up on yourself, you give up on your country.Why does Barack Obama mention (提到) JK Rowling and Michael Jordan in the fourth paragraph?
| A．To compare these two famous persons. |
| B．To explain that writing and sports are difficult skills. |
| C．To show that the two persons were treated unfairly. |
| D．To prove that failure is the mother of success. |
Which of the following statements is NOT true?
| A．No one can be successful without working hard. |
| B．Failure can be good if you treat it in a right way. |
| C．Those who believe in themselves shouldn’t ask others for help. |
| D．One should try his best to make his dream come true. |
Which of the following is the closest in meaning to the underlined sentence?
| A．One should change his mind when others give honest advice to him. |
| B．One should believe in himself no matter what difficulty he is faced with. |
| C．One doesn’t have to work hard when he has failed several times. |
| D．One doesn’t have to take others’ advice when they get away from him. |
Hi! I’m Harry. Life used to be kind of difficult for me. The muscles(肌肉) in my arms and legs are weak. I have to be in a wheelchair all day. I can’t use my legs at all, and I’m not too great with my hands. If I drop something it stays dropped until someone picks it up for me. I can’t open doors or switch lights on and off. Carrying everything I need for school is a problem too.
Now things are easier. I have a helping hand. Pete is a golden dog that has been trained to help kids like me. Pete was at dog training school for two years to learn how to do different tasks. I had to be trained too. I had to learn how to give Pete instructions and how to take care of him.
When Pete is working he doesn’t play around. My friends know they are not to pet him or call him when he is working. He can pull my wheelchair and pick up things I drop. Pete carries my books and lunch on his back. He pushes the button on the school lift and opens some kinds of doors. He even knows how to switch lights on.
But best of all, Pete is here when I need a friend.According to the passage, who is Harry’s helping hand?
| A．Pete | B．His teacher. | C．His brother | D．His parent |
Why is Harry kept in a wheelchair all day?
| A．Because his legs are broken. |
| B．Because his leg muscles are weak. |
| C．Because he is too lazy. |
| D．Because he likes it. |
According to the passage, which of the following about Pete is not true?
| A．Pete can clean Harry’s room. | B．Pete can switch lights on. |
| C．Pete can pull Harry’s wheelchair. | D．Pete can push the button on the school lift. |
What does the writer mean by saying “Pete is here when I need a friend.”?
| A．Pete is only a helpful tool for him. |
| B．Pete is with him all the time. |
| C．Pete is a funny dog to make him happy. |
| D．Pete is not only a helping hand but also his good friend. |
We talk every day. When we have good news, we like to share it with our good friends and when something terrible happens, we make it known to others soon. But can you imagine that a tree can talk and share hews too? Of course, no tree moves lips and says words just as people do. Strange as it may sound, though, some trees do manage to communicate with each other.
Willow(柳树) trees are the best-known of these trees. When insects(昆虫) begin nibbling(叮咬) a willow tree, the tree sends out a special smell at once. This smell tells the other willows that harmful insects are coming near. All of them quickly make a chemical(化学物质) in their leaves. This chemical is bad to the insects. The insects do not like it and they fly away soon. In this way, the willow trees protect themselves from the insects.
The next time when you take a walk in the woods, maybe the trees are “talking” to each other quietly. And when someone says that trees cannot “talk”, please tell them that even trees give messages to each other, too.Willow trees send messages with _________.
| A．words | B．movements | C．smells | D．sounds |
the underlined word “lips” in the first paragraph means ________.
| A．树干 | B．嘴唇 | C．枝条 | D．手势 |
The passage tells us that some of the trees can ________.
| A．speak just as people do | B．tell stories to others |
| C．communicate with each other | D．kill insects in the woods |
According to the passage, the right order of the following is ________.
a. The willow tree gives out a smell.
b. The willow trees make a chemical in their leaves.
c. Insects fly a way because of the chemical.
d. Insects begin nibbling a willow tree.
| A．d-a-b-c | B．d-b-a-c | C．a-b-c-d | D．d-c-b-a |
This is _______ for Kesington Hotel in London.
| A．a notice | B．a postcard | C．a picture | D．an advertisement |
A single room an d a double room in Kesington Hotel cost _______ each night.
| A．£ 62 | B．£ 85 | C．£ 124 | D．£ 147 |
The room in the hotel hasn’t got ___________.
| A．a telephone | B．a computer | C．a colour TV | D．a bathroom |
Except for a few times, Americans are not big present-givers. There’s no exchange of presents among business people, and if one American tries to give another a present, it may look like that he wants to bribe (贿赂) him. Americans have learned that in some other countries people like to give presents to others, but among ourselves we don’t see the need for presents.
Even friends may never exchange presents. When I go to foreign countries, I try to bring back little things for close friends, but nobody would feel unhappy if I didn’t. I don’t often remember a friend’s birthday, and few people outside of my family remember mine. If someone gave me presents too often, I’d get unpleasant. But a present from a foreigner - that kind from his or her homeland — won’t go wrong, except to government employees (政府职员) who can’t be given presents.
You usually open a present at once and in front of the person who gives it except Christmas and birthday presents. You should only say, "It’s so nice. Thanks…" when you get Christmas or birthday presents.
You may want to bring a bottle of wine (葡萄酒) or flowers to a dinner party, but you’re
never asked to. Nobody will mind if you bring wine, but your friend may not use it that evening.
At Christmas we often give presents to our family and sometimes our friends. We also give presents to people who have been helpful during the year- doormen, babysitters, housecleaners, newspaper senders— anyone who has often helped us. What does "close friends" mean in the passage?
| A． The friends who are very kind. |
| B． The friends who live close to each other. |
| C． The friends who were once classmates. |
| D． The friends who you like most. |
What kind of presents don’t Americans usually open in front of the givers?
| A．The small presents. | B． Christmas or birthday presents. |
| C． The expensive presents. | D． The presents for dinner party. |
Why do Americans also give presents to housecleaners at Christmas?
| A． To pay them. | B． To help them. |
| C． To thank them. | D． To make them work harder. |
Which of the following do you think is right?
| A． American business people don’t want presents because they are rich enough. |
| B． The writer of this passage must be an American. |
| C． Everyone must give presents to one’s family and friends at Christmas. |
| D． Government employees can get little presents from a foreigner. |
What is the main idea of the passage?
| A． Present-giving in the United States. |
| B． Customs (习俗) in the United States. |
| C． American people and present-giving. |
| D． When and how to give presents. |
In a surprising result, the No. 69 Middle School girls’ football team yesterday beat their school’s boys’ team. The boys’ team often helped the girls with their training (训练). They had never lost to the girls before, but this time the girls beat them 4 — 3.
After the game, Wu Nai, head of the boys’ team, was very unhappy. "We all thought this would be an easy game," he said. "We never thought a team of girls could beat us. This is the saddest day of my life. "
But Mr Hu, the boys’ PE teacher, said he thought the girls should win. "The boys were too confident (自信)," he said. "I told them before the match that they needed to play well. They all thought that girls’ football was a joke. Now they know better. They didn’t play carefully, and they lost."
The match had started well for the boys. After 30 minutes, they were winning 2 - 0. Their best player, Lu Ming, scored in the thirtieth minute. Earlier, the mid-field player, Ma Zhengquan, had scored the first goal in only the second minute of the match.
After the first half hour, the boys seemed to become too confident. At first, the girls had felt a bit nervous (紧张), but then they became more and more confident. Just before half time, Li Xiaolin made the score 2 - 1.
In the second half, the boys were the first to score. It was from Lu Ming. After that the boys became lazy, but the girls kept on working hard. Hao Meiling scored in the 68th minute, to make the score 3 — 2. Then Li Xiaolin scored twice in the last six minutes to make the last score 4-3. It was a surprising finish.
The girls’ PE teacher, Miss Wang, was very pleased with their work. "They were great!" She said. "I told them they could win. I told them that the most important thing was teamwork. The boys’ team had some good players, but my girls were a better team!" Who scored the first goal in the match?
| A．Lu Ming. | B．Ma Zhengquan. | C．Li Xiaolin. | D．Hao Meiling. |
How many goals did Li Xiaolin score?
| A．One. | B．Two. | C．Three. | D． Four. |
Why could the girls’ team beat the boys’ in the football match?
| A． Because the boys’ team helped the girls with their training. |
| B． Because the boys had never lost to the girls before. |
| C． Because the boys’ team won the first half. |
| D． Because the girls played together better and worked harder. |
Which of the following is right?
| A． The girls made only one goal in the first half. |
| B． The girls even made 3 more goals than the boys in the second half. |
| C． Many people thought the girls could beat the boys before the match. |
| D． The girls’ team had some better players than the boys’. |
Choose the right order according to the passage.
a. The girls’ PE teacher told them that they could win.
b. Wu Nai, head of the boys’ team was very unhappy.
c. The match started well for the boys.
d. The girls kicked the second goal in the match.
| A． a-b-c-d | B． b-c-d-a | C． d-c-a-b | D． a-c-d-b |